Meta Snapshot #6
Patch Overview
The five new faction leaders introduced to Gwent with the Thronebreaker Leaders Update at the beginning of the month have had a mixed impact on the Gwent meta, while nerfs to some familiar faces have left more room for a wider variety of played cards.
Published: 15 February 2019 (Patch: 1.2.0.9_541)
Contributors
Consultants: Adzikov, Damorquis, Jamedi, JMJWilson23, Kochua, Kolemoen, Molegion, Santtu2x, Sergi2Vamos.
Editors: Apero, Kochua
Manager: JMJWilson23
Tier 1
Decks in this tier have favourable matchups against the majority of lower tier decks and some favourable matchups against other Tier 1 lists. Another criterion is that these decks should be able to win against lower-tier decks on blue coin most of the time.
Tier 2
Decks in this tier can beat Tier 1 decks if the player can access its full potential, or are strong decks with a clear counter; in addition, these decks should win consistently against lower tiers.
Tier 3
While decks in this tier remain good laddering options that can successfully achieve high winrates, they can struggle to achieve the same winrate when matched up against decks we place in higher tiers. They may make for strong tournament options.
Honorable Mentions
Decks here aren't strong or popular enough to be tiered, but have enough potential to be better with the adequate support cards. They may win against unsuspecting opponents and can make for interesting tournament options, but are otherwise worth just keeping an eye on.
Written by Jamedi; Consultation: Damorquis, JMJWilson23 and SwanDive
What is a Meta Snapshot?
A Meta Snapshot is a comprehensive list of the decks which are played in a CCG. The decks are ordered by criteria, accounting for their power level through a tier (used by Team Aretuza & Team Nova), star or numerical system. If you would like to discuss our current Meta Snapshot, you can join our Discord server.
Which kind of criteria are used to classify a deck into a tier?
While the list of criteria is extensive, here are the most important aspects:
- Power level is the amount of points a deck can output in comparison to others in the meta. In general, decks of higher tiers tend to have a greater number of unconditional points without depending on what rival decks do.
- Consistency is focused on the draw dependency of a deck and the amount of thinning this deck has. Better thinning means more consistency, which usually means easier access to higher-value cards. If a deck is too dependent on drawing one or two certain cards but runs no thinning, it lacks consistency.
- Counterability is the difficulty that other decks have to tech for the matchup against a certain deck and how much they need to sacrifice to improve the matchup. In Gwent, there are a lot of ways to prepare a deck for a concrete matchup and we can expect players to tech against the strongest/most popular decks of the metagame. The capability of a deck to win despite teching plays a role in its tier placement.
The data are collected by the players in several hundred matches and is then translated into the Snapshot. While the normal ladder experience can be different, tiered decks are good to climb the ladder to Pro Rank with relative ease.
What is the meaning of the different tiers?
- Tier 1: Decks in this tier are the strongest, the most difficult to counter and heavily influence how decks in other tiers adapt.
- Tier 2: Usually this tier covers decks which are still good, but due to some reason, they cannot be qualified as Tier 1. They usually have less strength than Tier 1 decks or have another factor that makes them slightly worse than top tier decks. In some particular metagames, a deck can be Tier 2 due to how easy it is to tech against it.
- Tier 3: Decks in this category are still viable for climbing the ranked ladder, but they encounter more difficulty at high fMMR. They can still be used as tournament picks (in formats in which you can ban). They may still have favorable matchups versus some Tier 1 decks, but they are usually unfavored. Decks which are inconsistent or too draw-dependent also fall into this category.
- Honorable Mentions: Here, we put decks whose strength is not enough to be tiered, but which have the potential to be much better with some support. These decks are always worth keeping an eye on. A deck which has been discovered recently and has not been played enough to be tiered can also fall into this category.
My experience differs from what you describe in the Snapshot. Does this mean that the Snapshot is not accurate?
Short answer, no. Long answer, there are a huge number of factors that can influence the development of a matchup between two players with their respective decks, which includes player skill, knowledge of the matchup and the respective decks, cards drawn and how they have played the match. Also, it is worth noting that a meta snapshot represents a picture of how the meta is in a particular moment. “Tiers” as defined above are never rigid constructs. In any given day, the meta can shift dramatically.
In general, inexperienced players tend to play worse and with more unpredictable lists. As we move up on the ladder, decklists tend to be more optimized, sometimes influenced by content creators such as popular streamers or the most recent meta snapshot. Reaching Pro Rank, we can expect to face the best possible players with the most optimized decklists.
I have a different list from the one shown in the Snapshot. Does this mean that one of the lists is incorrect?
Lists provided in our snapshots are usually stock lists, which are supposed to be a base to be modified according to the meta you are currently facing and your own playstyle. The tech section provides some card replacement options which may be more effective within a particular meta. This normally does not affect a deck’s overall consistency.
I haven’t seen this deck which appears in the Snapshot / I play this list or this archetype and it isn’t in the Snapshot.
The Snapshot tries to be as accurate and complete as possible. We release an initial snapshot as soon as the meta has settled after a game patch and make as many updates as possible afterwards. If a deck is not included, it will most likely be added in one of the next updates, as we try to prioritize the most popular and relevant decks. Despite that, we have to skip some decks which are unpopular or are very similar to existing ones. If you would like to be informed about our updates, feel free to check our website regularly or follow Team Aretuza or Team Nova on Twitter or Discord.
Are you just including the most popular decks/FOTM lists? Do you keep the best lists for yourselves?
No. While it is true that part of our work is to try and create a representation of the meta that is as accurate as possible and this, of course, includes the popularity of decks, popularity has no impact on how decks are tiered. We do not keep the best lists for ourselves. We are creating meta snapshots to share our collective knowledge of this game and provide players of all levels with a more enjoyable Gwent experience.
Do you have more questions? Join the discussion on Discord!
Tier 1
High Tier 2
Low Tier 2
Tier 3
Overview
The return of Greatswords is caused by multiple indirect buffs to the archetype due to a decrease in weather provision cost and a different burst option than Harald the Cripple in the form of Arnjolf the Patricide. As most of our points are generated through damage pings, the deck’s core is centered around cards that proc this effect, like Torrential Rain, Dimun Light Longship and Stammelford's Tremors. The rest of the deck builds upon the damage pings with Bloodthirst. In addition to all of this, we run the usual Discard package (Morkvarg, Birna Bran, Heymaey Skald and Tuirseach Skirmisher) as a way to increase the consistency of the deck.
Essential Cards
- An Craite Greatsword, our defining engine, is a rework of the Axemen from Gwent’s Beta. With its low base power, it is vulnerable to removal; so, we should always make sure to have a weather on the corresponding opponent’s row before playing it.
- Torrential Rain is a bronze weather which allows us to play An Craite Greatsword and boost it in the same turn, protecting it from most removals.
Pros
- Good long round if our engines are able to stick
- Consistency due to the use of Discard package
Cons
- Lack of points if our engines are removed
- Vulnerable to Reset effects
Tech Choices
- Delirium ⇒ Giant Boar
- Dagur Two Blades, Roach ⇒ Regis, Stammelford's Tremors
While Delirium’s point ceiling caps at a 6-point boost for each An Craite Greatsword on the row, Giant Boar can be used as a high point finisher, as it also counts self-damaged units like Dimun Light Longship.
If we remove Dagur Two Blades from the deck, we can use the Sirens produced by Arnjolf the Patricide to align the first ping for Regis. Additional Regis procs can be assured by our different damage effects. Furthermore, we should also remove Roach and add another Stammelford's Tremors to compensate the provision cost change.
0
25
21
172
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16Arnjolf the Patricide
Order: Spawn and play Arnjolf the Patricide.
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510Birna Bran
Deploy: Draw 2 cards, then Discard 2 cards.
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410Dagur Two Blades
Melee: Whenever an enemy takes damage, boost self by 1.
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310Roach
Whenever you play a gold card, Summon this unit from your deck to a random allied row.
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59Morkvarg
If this unit moves to the graveyard during the round, Summon it to the melee row and give it Doomed.
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49Madman Lugos
Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by twice the number of damaged enemy units.
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68Svanrige Tuirseach
Deploy, Bloodthirst 3: Boost self by 5.
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48Donar an Hindar
Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2.
Bloodthirst 2: Damage an enemy unit by 5 instead.
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28Eskel
Deploy: Summon Vesemir and Lambert from your deck to this row.
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28Lambert
Deploy: Summon Eskel and Vesemir from your deck to this row.
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28Vesemir
Deploy: Summon Eskel and Lambert from your deck to this row.
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7Delirium
Split 6 damage randomly between all units on an enemy row.
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47Ulfhedinn
Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by half of its current power.
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7Torrential Rainx2
Apply this Row Effect:
For 4 enemy turns, on turn start, damage 2 random units on the row by 1.
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36Udalryk an Brokvar
Order: Damage a unit by 1.
Charge: 3.
Bloodthirst 2: Gain Zeal.
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6Stammelford's Tremors
Damage all enemy units by 1.
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36An Craite Greatswordx2
Whenever an enemy unit on the opposite row takes damage, boost self by 1.
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55Dimun Light Longshipx2
Order: Damage self and an enemy unit by 1.
Cooldown: 1.
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35Heymaey Skaldx2
Deploy: Discard a card, then draw a card.
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34Dimun Pirate Captain
Deploy, Bloodthirst 2: Damage an enemy unit by 3.
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24Tuirseach Skirmisherx2
When this unit is Discarded, Summon it from your graveyard to the melee row.
