Blocking is also good, it should work well against Skellige, and against the Northern Realms if they have the "maneuver" ability. Now, Nilfgaard usually plays with "enslavement" (capturing a unit with 5 or 6 strength), but you need to build your deck accordingly, with many tactic cards.
I remember when I started playing, I always played with Demavend (now the "accumulation" ability). I got a few good cards with orders, and I really liked the gameplay, even though this ability was considered (and still is) one of the weakest in the game. And the Northern Realms were also much worse back then than they are now, but in the early game, it doesn't matter. True, when I started, the starting decks were really bad, but they've been improved a lot since then.
To sell my soul