Snapshot Header Image

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 is the control archetype of the Monsters faction. While most Monsters archetypes are focused on vomiting points in one way or another, this list plays points while trying to get control over what our opponent is playing, turning their points into an advantage for us. This archetype is certainly underrated after the recent nerf to our leader Dettlaff van der Eretein, and it can become one of the most feared decks on ladder when played by expert hands.

 

Essential Cards

  • Manticore Venom is an undervalued card and our principal win condition for the round it is played in. Its ability to damage 3 units by 3 allows us to align targets for Dettlaff or Gregoire de Gorgon.
  • Brewess, Weavess and Whispess are the Crones trio, and probably the best cards in the whole faction. Whispess’s damage helps us align targets for Dettlaff, while the boost and Consume potential of the other two Crones grants us a great number of points in short rounds. The Crones are auto-includes in most Monsters decks due to their versatility and good provision cost / power ratio.


Pros

  • More control options than usual Monsters builds

Cons

 

Tech Choices

  • Protofleder ⇒ Geralt of Rivia
  • Gimpy Gerwin, Cutthroat ⇒ Werecat, Drowner

Protofleder is good in matchups against midrange decks, but loses its color when we face Big Monsters. If we encounter Big Monsters decks on ladder frequently, we can opt to use some tall removal in the form of Geralt of Rivia, as we will not be able to proc the Dominance of Protofleder.

If we would like to get maximum value out of our Cyclopes and punish rowstack, we can tech Werecat, whose value can also be reached by only playing with its Deploy and Thrive effects.

0 25 24 165

  • 15
    Dettlaff van der Eretein
    Leader
    Dettlaff van der Eretein Order: Damage a unit by 1. Charge: 3. Deathblow: Spawn an Ekimmara and Summon it to a random allied row.
  • 10
    Manticore Venom
    Manticore Venom Damage 3 enemy units by 3.
  • 4
    10
    Protofleder
    Protofleder Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. Dominance: Drain an enemy unit by 3 instead.
  • 6
    9
    Katakan
    Katakan Thrive. Deploy: Spawn an Ekimmara and Summon it to this row. Deathwish: Repeat the Deploy ability.
  • 4
    9
    Enraged Ifrit
    Enraged Ifrit Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 4.
  • 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
    Regis: Bloodlust
    Regis: Bloodlust Deploy: Damage a unit by 4. Deathblow: Banish it.
  • 10
    8
    Count Caldwell
    Count Caldwell Every allied turn, on turn end, move to the row with the highest unit on the battlefield.
  • 5
    8
    Brewess
    Brewess Deploy: Consume 1 allied unit(s). Increase the number of targets by 1 whenever you play Whispess or Weavess.
  • 5
    8
    Weavess
    Weavess Deploy: Boost an allied unit by 2. Increase this boost by 2 whenever you play Whispess or Brewess.
  • 5
    8
    Whispess
    Whispess Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Increase this damage by 2 whenever you play Brewess or Weavess.
  • 3
    8
    Gimpy Gerwin
    Gimpy Gerwin Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy and all copies of it by 3.
  • 5
    6
    Cyclops
    x2
    Cyclops Deploy: Destroy an adjacent allied unit and damage an enemy unit by its power.
  • 4
    6
    Wild Hunt Rider
    x2
    Wild Hunt Rider Deploy, Dominance: Summon a copy of this unit from your deck to this row.
  • 4
    5
    Alpha Werewolf
    Alpha Werewolf Immunity. Thrive.
  • 3
    5
    Wild Hunt Hound
    x2
    Wild Hunt Hound Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 1. Dominance: Damage an enemy unit by 3 instead.
  • 3
    5
    Wyvern
    x2
    Wyvern Thrive. Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2.
  • 3
    4
    Cutthroat
    Cutthroat Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns.
  • 3
    4
    Foglet
    x2
    Foglet Deathwish: Summon a copy of this unit from your deck to a random allied row.
  • 3
    4
    Plumard
    x2
    Plumard Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns. Bonded: Give it Bleeding for 4 turns instead.

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions