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Meta Snapshot #9

Patch Overview

Updated: 27 July 2019

First published: 15 July 2019 (Game version: 3.0.3)

 

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

Gudrun Bjornsdottir is arguably the strongest Syndicate leader, and this deck takes full advantage of its ability, making it one of the strongest decks in the game, if not the strongest. The deck makes use of Coin-generating cards such as Sigi Reuven, Boris and Swindle, alongside Gudrun’s ability, to generate currency throughout the game, while being flexible in how the Coins are spent. The deck has access to removal control thanks to Ewald Borsodi and the Bounty package, boost via Horst Borsodi and Coerced Blacksmith as well as Seize through Philippa Eilhart. Its flexibility allows the deck to have close to no unfavourable matchups. Additionally, the deck can achieve a very high point ceiling thanks to Bincy Blumerholdt, which can obtain incredible value when not removed, while The Flying Redanian provides 4 extra points each round thanks to the numerous ways to reach 9 Coins. Gudrun excels in all round lengths, bleeding effectively thanks to Bincy, Sigi Reuven and even its leader ability.

 

Essential Cards

  • The deck’s key card is Sigi Reuven, which gives 9 Coins whenever it is played. This gives us enough Coins to spend on anything previously mentioned, as well as pulling The Flying Redanian back to the board on the same turn, making it a 16-point card for 13 provisions that also enables most cards in the deck.
  • Another important card is Bincy Blumerholdt, which can achieve incredible value if not answered by tall removal like Geralt of Rivia. If not removed, Bincy can achieve 40 points or more. If it does get removed, it allows us to play other high-value cards such as Sea Jackal, which gives us an extra point each time a Coin is spent while having 7 or more in the bank. Additionally, when we have last say, Bincy can be played as our last card in combination with our leader ability, still representing a respectable 13 points for 10 provisions.

 
Pros

  • Extremely flexible thanks to all the possible ways to gain and spend Coins
  • Efficient in all round lengths and excellent at bleeding thanks to Bincy Blumerholdt. The deck can easily 2-0 some matchups if the latter is unanswered.

Cons

  • Very reliant on draws: Coin-generating cards and spenders are always needed, as well as the Bounty package in most matchups, and The Flying Redanian can brick. It makes the first round awkward if our hand is not great.
  • Bincy as well as Sea Jackal play into tall removal: Opponents will often find a lot of value with Geralt of Rivia or Moreelse.

 

Tech Choices

  • Bincy Blumerholdt ⇒ Geralt of Rivia
  • Royal Decree, Dip in the Pontar, Coerced Blacksmith ⇒ Renew, Slander, Fence 

Bincy Blumerholdt can be removed from our deck if we encounter a lot of Geralt of Rivias. Playing Geralt ourselves gives us an additional way to deal with tall removal without spending Moreelse's Tribute and bricks our opponents’ Geralt. This change can make the mirror easier, as well as most Skellige matchups.

Renew can be added to allow the deck to play some of its most important cards, such as Sigi Reuven, Moreelse, Caleb Menge or even Bincy after it was removed, twice. This swap allows us to use some of the deck’s more valuable cards in Round 1 to secure the round win with more ease, but we also miss out on Royal Decree's consistency.

Written by Kara_Lisa

 

5,920 25 19 165

  • 15
    Gudrun Bjornsdottir
    Leader
    Gudrun Bjornsdottir Order: Gain 9 Coins, then boost an allied unit by any excess amount gained.
  • 3
    13
    Sigi Reuven
    Sigi Reuven Intimidate. Profit 4. For every unique gang category in your starting deck, increase Sigi Reuven's initial Profit by 1.
  • 11
    Royal Decree
    Royal Decree Play a unit from your deck.
  • 4
    10
    Bincy Blumerholdt
    Bincy Blumerholdt Ranged: Whenever you gain Coins, boost self by 1 for each Coin gained.
  • 4
    10
    The Flying Redanian
    The Flying Redanian Hoard 9: On turn end, Summon this unit from your deck or graveyard to a random allied row.
  • 3
    10
    Philippa Eilhart
    Philippa Eilhart Deploy: Spend a number of Coins equal to an enemy unit's power, then Seize it.
  • 4
    9
    Moreelse
    Moreelse Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 4. Tribute 6: Destroy it instead.
  • 5
    8
    Caleb Menge
    Caleb Menge Profit 3. Fee 3 (Melee): Place a Bounty on an enemy unit. Cooldown: 1.
  • 4
    8
    Ewald Borsodi
    Ewald Borsodi Profit 2. If Horst Borsodi is in your graveyard, increase this card's initial Profit by 2. Fee 2 (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2.
  • 4
    8
    Horst Borsodi
    Horst Borsodi Profit 2. If Ewald Borsodi is in your graveyard, increase this card's initial Profit by 2. Fee 2 (Ranged): Boost an allied unit by 2.
  • 3
    8
    Boris
    Boris Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. Deathblow: Gain 3 Coins.
  • 5
    7
    Adalbertus Kalkstein
    Adalbertus Kalkstein Profit 2. Fee 2: Purify a unit.
  • 5
    Dip in the Pontar
    x2
    Dip in the Pontar Profit 3. Damage an enemy unit by 3.
  • 4
    5
    Coerced Blacksmith
    Coerced Blacksmith Profit 1. Fee 1: Boost an allied unit by 1.
  • 3
    5
    Sewer Raiders
    x2
    Sewer Raiders Deploy, Hoard 4: Summon a copy of this unit from your deck to this row.
  • 3
    5
    Witch Hunter Executioner
    x2
    Witch Hunter Executioner Profit 2. Fee 1: Give Bleeding to a unit for 1 turn. If it has a Bounty, damage it by 1 instead.
  • 4
    Slander
    Slander Profit 3. Place a Bounty on an enemy unit.
  • 4
    Swindle
    x2
    Swindle Profit a random amount between 4 and 6.
  • 4
    4
    Sea Jackal
    Sea Jackal Fee 2: Boost self by 2. Hoard 7: Boost self by 3 instead.
  • 4
    4
    Witch Hunter
    x2
    Witch Hunter Deploy: Place a Bounty on an enemy unit.
  • 2
    4
    Temple Guard
    Temple Guard Deploy (Melee): Boost 3 adjacent allied units by 1.

Matchups

Favorable against
Struggles against

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions