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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

Tier 3

Overview

Filavandrel aén Fidháil is an interesting leader whose ability can help Scoia’tael boost its engines outside of removal range. Crimson Curse has added many interesting cards to the faction, such as Dryad Matron, an engine that also acts as a protector for our other engines. Like most Filavandrel decks, this deck usually aims to pass early in Round 1 in order to get maximum value from Filavandrel’s leader ability in the second round. It can then threaten card advantage if the opponent tries to bleed us in Round 2. This is an interesting archetype whose power level is often underestimated.

 

Essential Cards

  • Weeping Willow is our backup Sheldon Skaggs. The deck already plays into tall removal with Mahakam Defenders and The Great Oak, so Willow being a tall unit is not a big concern to us. It is an underrated card that fits well into this deck.
  • The Great Oak is our finisher in long rounds and a decent value card even in shorter ones. The flexibility of its boost/damage ability is an advantage because it means it will never have to overkill something and waste damage.


Pros

  • Great long round due to our “engine overload” strategy
  • Can deal with bleeding in Round 2, as engines should outvalue most other strategies

Cons

 

Tech Choices

  • Ida Emean aep Sivney ⇒ Paulie Dahlberg
  • Ida Emean aep Sivney ⇒ Gimpy Gerwin

We have a flex slot at 8 provisions. In our list, we use Ida Emean aep Sivney, a versatile anti-artifact tech that also finds good value in non-artifact matchups. It can help restart Mahakam Defenders or protect engines that are not immediately removed. In its place, we can use Paulie Dahlberg. Despite its recent nerf, it can still work well in this deck as a protector for engines and it adds an extra point for our Gabor Zigrin.

The other choice for this slot is Gimpy Gerwin. It gives us some additional removal for 3-point threats and it is a great value play against duplicate bronze cards, especially Slave Infantry and Blue Stripes Commando.

0 25 25 165

  • 15
    Filavandrel aén Fidháil
    Leader
    Filavandrel aén Fidháil Order: Boost all units in your hand by 1.
  • 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.
  • 5
    11
    Ithlinne Aegli
    Ithlinne Aegli Deploy: Boost a Scoia'tael unit in your hand by 4.
  • 5
    9
    Gabor Zigrin
    Gabor Zigrin Deploy (Melee): Gain Resilience. Deploy (Ranged): Gain Immunity. Whenever you play a Dwarf, boost self by 1.
  • 5
    9
    Ocvist
    Ocvist Order: Damage all enemy units by 1.
  • 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.
  • 5
    8
    Weeping Willow
    Weeping Willow Shield. Deploy (Melee): Gain Vitality with a duration equal to the amount this unit is boosted.
  • 4
    8
    Ida Emean aep Sivney
    Ida Emean aep Sivney Deploy (Melee): Destroy an artifact. Deploy (Ranged): Boost a unit by 3.
  • 4
    8
    King of Beggars
    King of Beggars Every allied turn, on turn end, boost the lowest unit in your hand by 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.
  • 4
    7
    Hawker Smuggler
    x2
    Hawker Smuggler Melee: Every allied turn, on turn end, boost a random unit in your hand by 1.
  • 4
    6
    Mahakam Defender
    x2
    Mahakam Defender Every allied turn, on turn end, boost self by 1 if this unit is boosted.
  • 3
    5
    Dol Blathanna Archer
    Dol Blathanna Archer Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Damage 2 units by 1.
  • 3
    5
    Dryad Matron
    x2
    Dryad Matron Every allied turn, on turn end, move to the rightmost spot on this row, then boost an allied unit to the left by 1.
  • 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
    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.
  • 1
    4
    Dwarven Skirmisher
    x2
    Dwarven Skirmisher Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. If it survives, boost self by 1.

Honorable Mentions