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
Tier 3
Overview
Unlike other engine archetypes, Usurper offers protection against other leaders that look to remove threats via damage pings. As most damage removal is often 3-4 points, disabling the last bit of damage from leaders such as Dettlaff van der Eretein, Bran Tuirseach, Crach an Craite, Brouver Hoog, etc. allows our mostly 5-strength engines to stick. Though the list lacks large tempo plays and finishers, the stickiness of its engines ensures grim long rounds for the opponent if uncontested.
Essential Cards
- Letho: Kingslayer is a versatile card which we use to duplicate our engines. Potential targets for this card are Isbel of Hagge for card advantage, Yennefer: Conjurer for maximum damage, Eskel: Pathfinder if we want tall units, or Ivo of Belhaven for additional targeted removal.
- Imperial Diviner helps us avoid Locks on our engines, which allows us to play our engines without fear of control. We can play the engine, bait the Lock and Purify it.
Pros
- Excellent long round if our engines can stay on the board
- Usurper helps us to avoid removal; most of our engines are 5 strength, which makes them hard to destroy without additional help from the opponent’s leader.
Cons
- Lack of short round finishers
- No win condition besides our engines
Tech Choices
- Geralt of Rivia ⇒ Leo Bonhart
- Isbel of Hagge ⇒ King of Beggars
Geralt of Rivia is great when our opponents play a lot of tall units and also gives an extra Charge to Ivo of Belhaven due to its Witcher tag. If we encounter more Nilfgaard mirrors or would like to avoid a bricked Geralt, we can find additional utility in Leo Bonhart.
If we win Round 1 and thus get last say, we can use Isbel of Hagge to get two extra cards in the third round with the help of Letho: Kingslayer. However, this combo forces us to play more aggressively in Round 1 and it can easily be countered with Locks. We can swap out Isbel for King of Beggars, whose handbuff effect makes our engines even more difficult to remove in combination with Usurper.
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25
23
160
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10Usurper
On game start, disable the enemy Leader for the duration of the battle.
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510Letho: Kingslayer
Deploy: Transform into a copy of another unit on the battlefield without changing power.
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510Yennefer: Conjurer
Order: Damage the highest enemy unit(s) by 1.
Cooldown: 1.
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310Geralt of Rivia
Deploy: Destroy an enemy unit with 8 or more power.
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59Ciri: Dash
After 5 allied turns, on turn end, draw a card.
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59Ivo of Belhaven
Order (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2.
Charge: 1.
Gain 1 Charge whenever you play a Witcher.
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59Ocvist
Order: Damage all enemy units by 1.
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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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49Eskel: Pathfinder
Melee: Every allied turn, on turn end, boost self by 1.
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58Isbel of Hagge
Order (Ranged): Look at the top card from both decks. Keep one and give the other to your opponent.
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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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27Roderick of Dun Tynne
Spying.
Deploy: Look at 2 random gold cards from your deck, then play 1.
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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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35Imperial Diviner
Assimilate.
Deploy: Purify a unit.
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4Tourney Joustx2
Remove an enemy unit's Shield and damage it by 3, or give an allied unit a Shield and boost it by 3.
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44Infiltratorx2
Melee: On round end, shuffle this unit into your opponent's deck.
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34Nauzicaa Sergeantx2
Whenever you play a unit with Deploy, boost self by 1.
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24Magne Divisionx2
Every allied turn, on turn end, boost self by 1 if this is the only card on this row.
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24Toussaint Knight-Errantx2
Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. If it has at least 6 power, damage it by 4 instead.
