Meta Snapshot #7
Patch Overview
Published: 6 April 2019 (Game version: 2.0.0.66_562).
Changelog:
- 24 April 2019: Added Bran Control and Burst Henselt decklists.
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
Tier 2
Overview
Following the typical midrange tradition, this deck tries to play the best cards possible. Accordingly, we do not use many synergistic cards, but instead play cards that are good on their own. Nilfgaard’s problem currently is its lack of a clear faction identity, which makes Midrange the best deck to play in the absence of any real synergies or unifying themes. Anna Henrietta does not synergize with this deck, but the information and value gained from its ability make it worth the 2-provision loss over the classic Midrange leader Morvran Voorhis.
Essential Cards
- The old diplomatic Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen and the newcomer Gregoire de Gorgon combo perfectly. Shilard sets the power of highest unit in our opponent’s hand to 1, which then synergizes with Gregoire’s Deploy. In some matchups, as against Scoia’tael, Shilard can even counter a boosted Sheldon Skaggs.
- Serrit, Auckes, Letho of Gulet: This famous Nilfgaardian Witcher trio rewards drawing all three cards. Although they force us to play them in a predetermined order, giving a lot of information to the opponent about our hand, their value is good enough to compensate this disadvantage. As is the case for most cards we run, the trio’s point-per-provision value is very efficient.
- Assire var Anahid, Roach, Vivienne de Tabris: This trio is another potential combo and the reason why we run Vivienne in this deck. As Vivienne on Roach represents a potential 10-point play, on par with its provision cost, Assire tries to ensure the viability of this combo in Round 3 after Roach has (hopefully) been used once already. Vivienne is good by itself as well if our opponent tries to damage our big units.
Pros
- As with most midrange-style decks, this build is good in almost any situation or matchup because it contains answers to most threats.
- Competitive in any length of round
Cons
- No real synergy with the leader Anna Henrietta
- Due to a lack of continuous point generation, this deck can lose fuel in longer rounds.
Tech Choices
- Regis: Bloodlust ⇒ Ocvist
Another option is cutting one of our other removal options Regis: Bloodlust: Controlling our opponent will be easy enough with all the Locks we run. We replace Regis with Ocvist, which can shine when the meta favors a long Round 3. However, we should be careful to bait out our opponent’s Locks before playing it.
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15Anna Henrietta
Order: Create and play a card from your opponent's hand.
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310Leo Bonhart
Deploy (Melee): Destroy an enemy unit with 8 or more power.
Deploy (Ranged): Destroy an enemy Witcher.
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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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310Vivienne de Tabris
Deploy: Set a unit's power to its Provision Cost.
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59Serrit
Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. If Auckes is in your hand, damage that unit by 5 instead.
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49Gregoire de Gorgon
Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 1.
Deathblow: Boost self by 6 and gain a Shield.
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49Regis: Bloodlust
Deploy: Damage a unit by 4.
Deathblow: Banish it.
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49Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen
Deploy: Set the power of the highest unit in your opponent's hand to 1.
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68Assire var Anahid
Deploy (Melee): Shuffle a card from the opponent's graveyard into their deck.
Deploy (Ranged): Shuffle a card from your graveyard into your deck.
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68Letho of Gulet
Deploy: If Auckes is in your hand, Lock an enemy unit. If Serrit is in your hand, damage an enemy unit by 3. If both are in your hand, Lock a unit and damage it by 3.
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57Auckes
Deploy: Lock an enemy unit.
If Serrit is in your hand, Lock all copies of that unit in the opponent's hand, deck, and on their side of the battlefield.
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47Vreemde
Deploy: Boost an allied Soldier unit and all copies of it by 2.
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57Slave Infantryx2
Deploy: Transform an allied unit into Slave Infantry.
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36Peter Saar Gwynleve
Deploy: Restore a unit to its base power.
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36Impera Brigadex2
Deploy (Melee): Summon all copies of this unit from your deck to this row.
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65Nilfgaardian Knight
Deploy: Boost an enemy unit by 2.
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44Infiltratorx2
Melee: On round end, shuffle this unit into your opponent's deck.
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34Cutthroat
Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns.
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34Nauzicaa Sergeantx2
Whenever you play a unit with Deploy, boost self by 1.
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24Magne Division
Every allied turn, on turn end, boost self by 1 if this is the only card on this row.
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24Slave Driverx2
Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Increase damage by 1 for each Locked unit.
