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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

Human Nilfgaard exists as a form of "anti-meta" deck, targeting control-oriented midrange lists. Originally it was developed in a meta where the most notable deck had Dettlaff van der Eretein as the leader, which relied heavily on cards that deal damage. Since the nerf to Dettlaff, that deck has fallen out of favor, but other similar decks are still the target of Humans Nilfgaard. This deck plays essentially no control tools of its own, instead challenging the opponent to go head-to-head with it in a linear value contest. It is capable of generating extremely high-tempo swings early in rounds, which can be used to force out the opponent or make them go down multiple cards before taking the round. At this point, it usually produces more points than standard midrange decks.

 

Essential Cards

  • In a pure value deck, the most important card then is likely the one that provides the highest points-per-provision cost and this deck is no exception. Doppler is one of the most important cards since it can be used in the early rounds for cheap tempo or early in any round for a large point swing. With such a cheap cost (only 6 provisions), it can cause the opponent to be forced into spending more valuable resources in order to keep up in terms of tempo, acting as a form of effective carryover by reducing the quality of cards in the opponent's deck.
  • One area that Nilfgaard has lacked traditionally is a “top end” powerful play to capitalise on the large amount of provisions afforded to many of the faction's leaders. Vivienne de Tabris fills this niche nicely, often providing 10 points for 10 provisions when utilized in conjunction with Roach. Assire var Anahid as a staple card in all Nilfgaard decks is able to fetch Roach from the graveyard to ensure the combo is present in Round 3 where it really matters. If Roach is not on the board, there are solid backup targets such as Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen that also allow Vivienne to achieve a lot of value.


Pros

  • Relatively high point output that can compete with many meta decks
  • Plays no engine cards so opponent removal gains no excess value

Cons

  • Plays no removal of its own so it can be weak to engine strategies
  • Has no cards that scale with round length so weak to decks that prefer a long Round 3

 

Tech Choices

  • Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen, Experimental Remedy ⇒ Milton de Peyrac-Peyran, Vreemde

Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen is a card with an extremely high ceiling, generating such highlights as setting a Sheldon Skaggs to 1 point after it is boosted in the hand by Dwarven Agitator and Ithlinne Aegli. In metas that are lacking this interaction and other tall units, it may be advisable to switch Shilard for a card that distributes points differently. Milton de Peyrac-Peyran plays in much the same way as Gregoire de Gorgon in this list, utilizing the synergy with Emissary for easy set up opportunities. Vreemde is also a high power level card that will usually achieve a simple 8 points when utilized with one pair of Slave Infantry or even 12 when paired with a full complement of Slave Infantry.

0 25 24 167

  • 17
    Morvran Voorhis
    Leader
    Morvran Voorhis Order: Reveal a random card from your opponent's deck and boost an allied unit by 2. Charge: 3.
  • 3
    10
    Leo Bonhart
    Leo Bonhart Deploy (Melee): Destroy an enemy unit with 8 or more power. Deploy (Ranged): Destroy an enemy Witcher.
  • 3
    10
    Roach
    Roach Whenever you play a gold card, Summon this unit from your deck to a random allied row.
  • 3
    10
    Vivienne de Tabris
    Vivienne de Tabris Deploy: Set a unit's power to its Provision Cost.
  • 4
    9
    Gregoire de Gorgon
    Gregoire de Gorgon Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 1. Deathblow: Boost self by 6 and gain a Shield.
  • 4
    9
    Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen
    Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen Deploy: Set the power of the highest unit in your opponent's hand to 1.
  • 2
    9
    Artorius Vigo
    Artorius Vigo Assimilate. Deploy: Create and play a 1-power copy of a bronze unit from your starting deck.
  • 10
    8
    Count Caldwell
    Count Caldwell Every allied turn, on turn end, move to the row with the highest unit on the battlefield.
  • 6
    8
    Assire var Anahid
    Assire 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.
  • 3
    8
    Gimpy Gerwin
    Gimpy Gerwin Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy and all copies of it by 3.
  • 5
    7
    Slave Infantry
    x2
    Slave Infantry Deploy: Transform an allied unit into Slave Infantry.
  • 3
    6
    Peter Saar Gwynleve
    Peter Saar Gwynleve Deploy: Restore a unit to its base power.
  • 6
    Experimental Remedy
    Experimental Remedy Play a bronze unit from your opponent's graveyard.
  • 3
    6
    Impera Brigade
    x2
    Impera Brigade Deploy (Melee): Summon all copies of this unit from your deck to this row.
  • 1
    6
    Doppler
    x2
    Doppler Deploy: Choose a unit in your hand, then boost self by the total number of units in your hand which have the same primary category as that unit.
  • 1
    6
    Emissary
    x2
    Emissary Spying. Deploy: Boost an allied unit by 7.
  • 3
    4
    Cutthroat
    x2
    Cutthroat Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns.
  • 3
    4
    Oxenfurt Scholar
    x2
    Oxenfurt Scholar Deploy: Give an allied unit Vitality for 2 turns.
  • 2
    4
    Toussaint Knight-Errant
    x2
    Toussaint Knight-Errant Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. If it has at least 6 power, damage it by 4 instead.

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions