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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

This archetype takes advantage of the new Scoia’tael leader Dana Méadbh to generate a unique deck with many small synergistic packages. Some engines and general cards that scale in a long round, such as The Great Oak, Saskia and Water of Brokilon, provide a strong long round plan, while a few powerful tempo plays, notably Sheldon Skaggs, provide some resistance to a bleed from the opponent and allow the deck to compete in shorter rounds. Dana Méadbh's leader ability gives a high degree of consistency by allowing the player to tutor any missing key cards from the deck. In general, the deck has a rather midrange gameplan with some unique twists afforded by the tools in Scoia’tael. A strong plan of attack involves generating carryover through units such as Dwarven Agitator and thinning the deck of Mahakam Volunteers before getting out of the early rounds.

 

Essential Cards

  • Barnabas Beckenbauer has always been a card with a high point ceiling, but it found its way into few decks due to lack of synergy opportunities. Its ability finds a home nicely in this deck, as the board in Round 3 almost always has at least two of the categories it requires and many times all three are present, making Barnabas a 12-point play. Dana Méadbh's leader ability makes sure that Barnabas is always present when needed, providing a tutor for times it is stuck in deck.
  • Fauve was added with the Crimson Curse expansion and this card represents one of the more powerful tutor cards in the game. In this deck, it is intended to pull Water of Brokilon, which will always Spawn both Dryad Fledglings as Fauve is a Dryad. This represents a strong long-round engine that can quickly snowball out of control due to the massive number of primary tags in the list.


Pros

  • Strong mix of engines and tempo plays makes any round length manageable
  • Powerful cards are rarely left in deck due to Dana Méadbh's leader ability.

Cons

  • If engines are controlled, especially the Dryad Fledglings from Water of Brokilon, the long round potential is much weaker.
  • Often needs to use leader ability when being bled in order to save key cards (notably Sheldon Skaggs) and this can leave them vulnerable to burst leaders

 

Tech Choices

  • The Great Oak, Hawker Healer ⇒ Ithlinne Aegli, Crushing Trap
  • Morenn ⇒ Pavko Gale

The first change allows for the potential of double Crushing Trap, which can be devastating in a long round against some decks which will inherently stack their rows, such as Arachas Queen Consume decks and many Nilfgaard lists. Ithlinne Aegli is a strong carryover play that allows the player to boost Sheldon Skaggs even higher if the meta contains very tall targets for a massive tempo swing.

The second change allows the player to go for more of an engine-heavy approach with Pavko Gale, attempting to overload the opponent with removal targets until they run out of damage-dealing options.

 

Video Deck Guide and Gameplay

This video deck guide does not match exactly the deck list provided for this Meta Snapshot, as both the deck list and the deck provided in video are just examples of how the deck could be constructed. This guide simply provides an example of how a version of Engine Harmony might be played.

0 25 22 165

  • 15
    Dana Méadbh
    Leader
    Dana Méadbh Order: Play a Scoia'tael card from your deck with 0 Provision Cost or less. This value is raised by 1 for every unique primary category among Scoia'tael cards in your starting deck.
  • 8
    13
    The Great Oak
    The Great Oak Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by the number of cards to the left of Great Oak, then boost self by the number of cards to the right of Great Oak.
  • 6
    10
    Barnabas Beckenbauer
    Barnabas Beckenbauer Deploy: Boost an allied Elf, Dwarf, and Dryad unit by 2.
  • 9
    Water of Brokilon
    Water of Brokilon Spawn and Summon a Dryad Fledgling to an allied row. If you control a Dryad, Spawn 2 Dryad Fledglings and Summon them to an allied row instead.
  • 5
    9
    Saskia
    Saskia Order: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Cooldown: 4. If you have an Elf, Dwarf, or Dryad in your hand, decrease Cooldown by 1 (limited once per category).
  • 4
    9
    Milaen
    Milaen Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 4. Deploy (Ranged): Damage 4 enemy units by 1.
  • 2
    9
    Fauve
    Fauve Deploy: Play a Nature card from your deck.
  • 5
    8
    Morenn
    Morenn Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Lock a unit.
  • 5
    8
    Treant Boar
    Treant Boar Order (Melee): Move Treant Boar to the other row and Heal it. Order (Ranged): Move Treant Boar to the other row and damage an enemy unit by 2. Cooldown: 1.
  • 4
    8
    Sirssa
    Sirssa Harmony. Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deathblow: Boost a unit in your hand by 2.
  • 3
    8
    Sheldon Skaggs
    Sheldon Skaggs Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by this unit's power.
  • 5
    7
    Ciaran aep Easnillen
    Ciaran aep Easnillen Deploy: Lock a unit and move it to the other row.
  • 3
    7
    Milva
    Milva Immunity. Boost self by 1 whenever you play a Scoia'tael unit.
  • 6
    Crushing Trap
    Crushing Trap Ambush: After 2 allied turns, on turn end, damage all enemy units on the row with the most units by 2. Zeal. Order: Flip this card over and damage all units on a row by 1.
  • 3
    6
    Panther
    x2
    Panther Deploy: Damage a non-Scoia'tael enemy unit by 3.
  • 3
    5
    Mahakam Volunteers
    x2
    Mahakam Volunteers Deploy: If there is a Dwarf on this row, Summon a copy of this unit from your deck to this row.
  • 4
    Dryad's Caress
    Dryad's Caress Give an allied unit Vitality for 6 turns. If you control a Dryad, Purify the allied unit first.
  • 4
    4
    Vrihedd Dragoon
    x2
    Vrihedd Dragoon Deploy (Melee): Move an enemy unit to their other row. Deploy (Ranged): Move an allied unit to your other row.
  • 2
    4
    Dwarven Agitator
    x2
    Dwarven Agitator Deploy (Ranged): Boost a Dwarf in your hand by 2.
  • 2
    4
    Hawker Healer
    Hawker Healer Deploy (Melee): Boost an allied unit by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Heal an allied unit by 4.
  • 1
    4
    Dwarven Skirmisher
    x2
    Dwarven Skirmisher Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. If it survives, boost self by 1.

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions