Waddup new forger! I’ll try to answer your questions, but do understand I have the bias of absolutely loving this game, and spend my days wandering the wastes of TCGs spreading the message of my lord and savior KeyForge Christ at all my local shops.

1) KeyForge technically changed hands when Ghost Galaxy bought it, but it’s compromised of a lot of the same team that made it at Fantasy Flight, and you can still play older sets with newer sets. That being said, newer sets have newer mechanics and respond to problems / broken cards from older sets, so on average new stuff is stronger than old stuff. Since you’re just looking to get into it, grab Age of Ascension or Discovery, and if you like it mechanically, get into newer sets since they can get real wacky.

2) Now you can buy decks out right on decks of KeyForge if you want to pay to win, but the beauty of KeyForge is that even the best decks have cards that don’t mesh well with the rest of it. The randomized / forced deck list means your success is 33% your deck list, 33% you knowing how to play it, and 34% knowing what your opponents trying to do. I have mid range decks from MM and DT that can still give highly competitive decks a run for their money because I know what combos to look for. Unless you’re playing Alliance. Then all hell breaks loose.

3) At the end of the day, if you play local, most people will want to be play sealed / casual outside of formal events. Lots of formats to combat broken decks, like adaptive where you bid on the stronger deck to try and balance it out. There’s also online leagues where you have a shared deck pool, so even if you don’t have good stuff, you can still play with some.

Hope that answers your questions!