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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

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions

Overview

Dana Méadbh was one of the most popular leaders among the ones introduced with the Crimson Curse expansion but has lost power and popularity over the last few patches; not because this deck’s cards have been nerfed, but rather because other Scoia’tael decks have been improved by card changes. Despite this, with the latest patch, a version of Dana Harmony has arisen. Its principal characteristic is being able to play any card from the deck due to the inclusion of a new category with Novigradian Justice. This version of Dana tends to shine in every length of round, which makes it the perfect deck for people wanting to play a less mainstream deck.

  

Essential Cards

  • Novigradian Justice is an interesting card that has multiple uses. We can pull multiple copies of a Dwarf with this card, and it’s the main reason Dana can pull every card in the deck. The most common use for the card is to tutor Cleaver's Muscle for a solid 10 points for 11 provisions play, with 1 thinning. However, there are other alternatives, such as pulling Mahakam Defender to play Dennis Cranmer in the same turn and activate two engines at once.
  • Fauve and Water of Brokilon has been the go-to combo of Harmony decks since the cards were introduced in Crimson Curse. It’s a powerful combination that is usually pulled by Dana’s ability in the same turn to make our 5-strength Dryad Fledglings really difficult to remove. These are our main long-round engines.


Pros

  • Competitive in almost any length of round

Cons

  • Leader ability vulnerable to bleed
  • As most of Scoia’tael decks, poor performance when going first

 

Tech Choices

  • Dennis Cranmer, Mahakam Defender, Morana Runestone ⇒ Saesenthessis, Dryad Grovekeeper, Dwarven Skirmisher

This tech choice takes us back to a more classic version of the list, which uses a Dragon as the 11th category for Dana Méadbh, adds a new Immune to our deck and improves our matchup against control decks, as we are also cutting our Dwarf engine package (formed by Dennis Cranmer and Mahakam Defender).

5,990 25 20 165

  • 15
    Dana Méadbh
    Leader
    Dana Méadbh Order: Play a Scoia'tael card from your deck with 0 Provision Cost or less. This value is raised by 1 for every unique primary category among Scoia'tael cards in your starting deck.
  • 11
    Novigradian Justice
    Novigradian Justice Play a bronze unit from your deck. If it was a Dwarf, Spawn a copy of it and Summon it to the same row.
  • 11
    Water of Brokilon
    Water of Brokilon Spawn and Summon a Dryad Fledgling to an allied row. If you control a Dryad, Spawn 2 Dryad Fledglings and Summon them to an allied row instead.
  • 5
    11
    Ithlinne Aegli
    Ithlinne Aegli Deploy: Boost a Scoia'tael unit in your hand by 4.
  • 6
    10
    Barnabas Beckenbauer
    Barnabas Beckenbauer Deploy: Boost an allied Elf, Dwarf, and Dryad unit by 2.
  • 4
    9
    Milaen
    Milaen Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 4. Deploy (Ranged): Damage 4 enemy units by 1.
  • 3
    9
    Sheldon Skaggs
    Sheldon Skaggs Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by this unit's power.
  • 2
    9
    Fauve
    Fauve Deploy: Play a Nature card from your deck.
  • 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.
  • 3
    8
    Dennis Cranmer
    Dennis Cranmer Deploy (Melee): Boost adjacent units by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Boost all other units on this row by 1.
  • 5
    7
    Ciaran aep Easnillen
    Ciaran aep Easnillen Deploy: Lock a unit and move it to the other row.
  • 3
    7
    Milva
    Milva Immunity. Boost self by 1 whenever you play a Scoia'tael unit.
  • 6
    Morana Runestone
    Morana Runestone Create and play a bronze Scoia'tael faction card.
  • 6
    Crushing Trap
    Crushing Trap Ambush: After 2 allied turns, on turn end, damage all enemy units on the row with the most units by 2. Zeal. Order: Flip this card over and damage all units on a row by 1.
  • 4
    6
    Mahakam Defender
    Mahakam Defender Every allied turn, on turn end, boost self by 1 if this unit is boosted.
  • 3
    6
    Panther
    Panther Deploy: Damage a non-Scoia'tael enemy unit by 3.
  • 5
    5
    Cleaver's Muscle
    Cleaver's Muscle Shield.
  • 4
    Dryad's Caress
    Dryad's Caress Give an allied unit Vitality for 6 turns. If you control a Dryad, Purify the allied unit first.
  • 4
    4
    Dryad Fledgling
    x2
    Dryad Fledgling Harmony.
  • 4
    4
    Dryad Grovekeeper
    Dryad Grovekeeper Deploy: Give an allied unit Vitality with a duration equal to the number of other allied Dryad units.
  • 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
    Dwarven Skirmisher Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. If it survives, boost self by 1.