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Meta Snapshot #8

Patch Overview

Updated: 14 June 2019 (Game version: 2.2.0.24)
First published: 13 May 2019 (Game version: 2.1.0.57)

  • 14 June 2019:
  • 07 June 2019:
    • Updated the following lists to reflect the recent balance patch:
      Arachas Queen Consume, Artifact Arachas, Brouver Midrange, Calveit Swarm, Crach Control, Dana Harmony, Eithné Deathblow, Emhyr Midrange, Henselt Draug, Svalblod Selfwound.
    • Temporarily removed the following lists, as we have yet to adjust them to the recent balance patch:
      Ardal Tactics, Arnjolf Control, Big Woodland, Brouver Traps, Deathwish, Dwarves, Humans Northern Realms, Shupe Nilfgaard, Shupe Northern Realms.
    • Tier adjustments:
  • 24 May 2019:
    • Added an FAQ
    • Added Artifact Arachas and Brouver Midrange
    • Updated Crach Control deck list
    • Tier adjustments:
      • Big Woodland Tier 2 ⇒ Tier 3
      • Shupe Nilfgaard Tier 2 ⇒ Tier 3
      • Ardal Tactics Tier 3 ⇒ HM
      • Shupe Northern Realms Tier 3 ⇒ HM
      • Dwarves Tier 3 ⇒ Tier 2
      • Crach Control Tier 3 ⇒ Tier 2
  • 19 May 2019:
    • Added links to PlayGwent.com for easy deck importing.
  • 17 May 2019:
    • Added Ardal Tactics, Arnjolf Control, Dana Harmony, Deathwish and Humans Northern Realms
    • Added new matchup section for Tier 1 and Tier 2 decks
       

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

Ardal Humans combines the point-slam of Doppler decks with the control elements of Ardal aep Dahy. Running only four Tactics gives Ardal a decent amount of control for matchups where standard point-slam struggles, without diluting the Humans synergy too much for Doppler. When going second, we try to win Round 1 on even if possible, but we should always assess the importance of last say in the matchup and not overcommit. When going first, we generally play one Doppler and one gold to fetch Roach, but we do not invest more than necessary to win the round. If we win Round 1, the deck is capable of bleeding Round 2 if the matchup requires it. We prioritize getting value out of conditional cards like Milton de Peyrac-Peyran, Peter Saar Gwynleve and Vreemde when possible, as they are potential bricks in a short third round.

 

Essential Cards

  • Sweers, Vigo's Muzzle and our leader ability are important tools against engines, which threaten to outvalue the deck over time.
  • Artorius Vigo is potentially a third Doppler, but it can also be used to tutor both Impera Brigades if neither is in hand.

 
Pros

  • Strong control matchup due to running no engines and generating a lot of points between Doppler and our golds
  • Many proactive plays

Cons

  • Reliant on drawing Doppler and some number of golds to win Round 1
  • Still weak to dedicated engine decks that run more engines than the deck has answers to

 

Tech Choices

  • Artorius Vigo, Emissary ⇒ Gimpy Gerwin, Alba Armored Cavalry

While supplying another Human for Doppler, Gimpy Gerwin can help in King Henselt matchups against Draug. Gimpy also finds reasonable value in other matchups, such as Svalblod (Bear Abomination), Scoia’tael (Mahakam Volunteers) and Arachas Queen (Arachas Drones). Additionally, we can use Gimpy to answer a 3-point engine. Alba Armored Cavalry is an additional tool against engines. We consider teching Gimpy and Cavalry if there is a lot of Henselt on the ladder.

 

Gameplay

4,000 25 21 166

  • 16
    Ardal aep Dahy
    Leader
    Ardal aep Dahy Order: Seize an enemy unit with 3 or less power. This value is raised by 1 for every 4 Tactic cards in your starting deck.
  • 12
    Vigo's Muzzle
    Vigo's Muzzle Lock an enemy unit with 5 or less power and Seize it.
  • 3
    10
    Roach
    Roach Whenever you play a gold card, Summon this unit from your deck to a random allied row.
  • 3
    10
    Sweers
    Sweers Deploy (Melee): Seize an enemy unit with 3 or less power.
  • 3
    10
    Vivienne de Tabris
    Vivienne de Tabris Deploy: Set a unit's power to its Provision Cost.
  • 2
    9
    Artorius Vigo
    Artorius Vigo Assimilate. Deploy: Create and play a 1-power copy of a bronze unit from your starting deck.
  • 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.
  • 5
    8
    Milton de Peyrac-Peyran
    Milton de Peyrac-Peyran Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 1. Deathblow: Damage adjacent enemy units by 2. If Palmerin is in your hand, trigger this unit's Deathblow ability even if the enemy unit survived.
  • 5
    8
    Palmerin de Launfal
    Palmerin de Launfal Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deathblow: Give adjacent allied units Shields. If Milton is in your hand, trigger this unit's Deathblow ability even if the enemy unit survived.
  • 4
    7
    Vreemde
    Vreemde Deploy: Boost an allied Soldier and all copies of it by 2.
  • 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
    Assassination
    Assassination Damage a unit by 6. Decrease the damage by 1 for each unit adjacent to it.
  • 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
    5
    Emissary
    x2
    Emissary Spying. Deploy: Boost an allied unit by 6.
  • 4
    Tourney Joust
    x2
    Tourney Joust Remove an enemy unit's Shield and damage it by 3, or give an allied unit a Shield and boost it by 3.
  • 4
    4
    Infiltrator
    x2
    Infiltrator Melee: On round end, shuffle this unit into your opponent's deck.
  • 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.

Honorable Mentions