By SwanDive, July 3, 2019
Gwent players from across the world have all flocked to Novigrad, where the Syndicate reigns supreme. The update has added over 90 cards to the game, and with the streets of Novigrad being steadily explored, Team Aretuza’s content creators Argeiphontes, Green Cricket, Lothari and RyanGodric have been looking at deck ideas using the new Syndicate leaders.
Syndicate Leaders Deck Spotlight
Update: All decklists have been updated to accommodate the recent hotfix (game version 3.0.1).
Cleaver Shupe
Cleaver seems to be a natural pairing with Shupe's Day Off, as it allows you to consistently fetch Shupe by including 8 Crimes in the deck. Luckily, there are enough Crimes at a reasonable power level that the constraint doesn’t weaken the deck too heavily. Other good Cleaver targets are Renew, Vigo's Muzzle, and Novigradian Justice if you've already drawn Shupe. The rest of the deck consists of some of the best midrange cards in the faction.
Deck by Argeiphontes, video guide by Lothari.
Due to a bug with the PlayGwent library, there are dublicate bronzes in this deck. Remember to remove all bronze dublicates when importing this deck.
Hemmelfart Engines
Rather than a dedicated swarm list, this build of Cyrus Hemmelfart also runs an engine package in Portal and Whoreson Senior, both Spawning two Cutup Lackeys. Combined with Sacred Flame, the deck has multiple plans to choose from and can be competitive in Round 1 with its engines, leaving Sacred Flame to win Round 3. Avallac'h and Ferko the Sculptor can fetch your key artifacts and Crimes respectively. Be careful about filling up your board Round 3 and hitting the row limit; it may be good to use one or both Congregations early if it looks like it’s going to be a long last round. If given a long Round 3, the deck can generate a large amount of points while still maintaining a reasonable number of control tools.
Deck by Adzikov, video guide by Argeiphontes.
Due to a bug with the PlayGwent library, there is a Cutup Lackey missing in this deck. Remember to add it when importing this deck.
Burst Gudrun
Gudrun Bjornsdottir is capable of generating 9 Coins immediately, comboing nicely with cards like The Flying Redanian, Philippa Eilhart, and Bincy Blumerholdt. Bincy in particular gives the deck an amazing short round with leader ability. Running 4 thinners in Redanian, Roach, Casino Bouncers, and Sewer Raiders, letting you dig deep for your golds Round 3. The deck has great Coin generation and can surprise opponents with a burst of points with spenders like Horst Borsodi, Ewald Borsodi, and Sea Jackal.
Video guide by Green Cricket.
Due to a bug with the PlayGwent library, there is a dublicate Northern Wind in this deck. Remember to remove it when importing this deck.
King of Beggars Bounty
King of Beggars is a very flexible leader with three Charges, allowing you to have the right amount of Coins in most situations. Sigi Reuven combos nicely with The Flying Redanian, setting up strong tempo and a full bank of 9 Coins for use with cards like Fence. Hen Gaidth Sword and Philippa Eilhart are great in the Syndicate mirrors that are very common right now. And finally, the Bounty package with Caleb Menge and Witch Hunters is a powerful finisher in Round 3.
Video guide by RyanGodric.
Whoreson Bounty
Whoreson Junior takes advantage of the powerful Bounty mechanic, giving you 7 damage on demand to remove a pesky engine or take down larger units in combination with another damage source. It is a more controlling alternative to the King of Beggars list, running many of the same powerful gold cards. The potent Bounty finisher involves using Caleb Menge, Witch Hunters, and Slander to set up a board of Bounties, then using Witch Hunter Executioner or Ewald Borsodi to machine gun down the board.
Video guide by Green Cricket.
Due to a bug with the PlayGwent library, there is a dublicate Arena Endrega in this deck. Remember to remove it when importing this deck.
Author
SwanDive
As a big fan of the Witcher franchise, SwanDive is always on the lookout for her next Witcher fix. She started playing Gwent in the Closed Beta for the lore – and stayed for the game and the community. Long an avid gamer, Swan found her passion for CCGs and competitive gaming at the Gwent table. Away from it, Swan is studying for her Master’s degree in English and worked as content manager for Team Aretuza.