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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

With the advent of the Novigrad expansion, King of Beggars immediately jumped out as a standout option for the faction only to soon be outclassed by other Syndicate leaders. At the same time, one of the key enablers for King of Beggars decks (combining Blindeye Apothecary and Whoreson's Freak Show) was nerfed in the mid-season hot-fix. Of all Syndicate decks, King of Beggars decks are the most traditionally “midrange.” These decks offer a fair amount of removal through the Bounty package, but Whoreson Junior is capable of offering more removal. Meanwhile, Gudrun Bjornsdottir decks offer a higher point ceiling with more proactive points in the form of Bincy Blumerholdt and easily enabled Hoard abilities. As such, King of Beggars falls behind other Syndicate decks in the current meta, but the deck still plays the highly competitive Bounty package alongside extremely strong bronzes that makes it a force nonetheless. In the future, we may see cards added to the game that support King of Beggars’ passive ability and allow this leader to shine in the meta.

 

Essential Cards

  • As with nearly any Syndicate deck, Sigi Reuven represents one of the most important cards in the deck. This deck in particular amplifies the importance of Sigi, as we also play Renew to provide for the opportunity to play Sigi twice. Sigi simply represents the most points on a singular card that Syndicate can offer while synergizing nicely with the Bounty package and, of course, The Flying Redanian.
  • When this deck is operating at its fullest potential, we end up with the maximum of 9 Coins in our bank fairly often to pull The Flying Redanian from our deck or graveyard. As such, we need an efficient way to spend Coins without also gaining Coins from the same card. Sea Jackal and Fence both accomplish this, but they are bronze cards that we sometimes do not want to carry into Round 3. Philippa Eilhart, on the other hand, is a highly influential card that can generate a large point swing while creating space for us to refill our bank with Profit effects. It is also a strong card in the mirror to steal our opponent’s Flying Redanian and act as a potential target for Renew.


Pros

  • The Bounty package is very efficient and can remove most units from the opponent.
  • The bronze core is one of the strongest around, so we can often fight for Round 1 while playing few key golds.

Cons

  • Whoreson Junior or Gudrun Bjornsdottir often accomplish similar tasks to King of Beggars while featuring a stronger supporting cast to the Bounty package.
  • Our deck is very reactive, which can sometimes be awkward when we have to go first in a round or do not have final say.

Tech Choices

  • Renew, Eavesdrop, Witch Hunter Executioner, Sea Jackal ⇒ Royal Decree, Summoning Circle, Fence, Swindle
  • The Flying Redanian, Eavesdrop ⇒ Royal Decree, Swindle

The power of King of Beggars at this moment lies in the 4-provision cards with Tribute effects. Coincidentally, Witch Hunter also fits well in this deck at a low provision cost. As such, Summoning Circle is an option for us with an incredible ceiling when we play 2 bronzes in the same round with it. Summoning Circle also allows us to tutor a 5-provision Coin spender, such as Witch Hunter Executioner or Coerced Blacksmith, so that we never end with unspent Coins. This change means that we lose the potential high-value card Renew while also opening ourselves up to opponent artifact removal. Thus, we would not recommend this change of course if artifact removal is common in the meta.

The Flying Redanian is another powerful card in the list that helps to enhance the somewhat low ceiling offered by King of Beggars. However, there are many common tech choices that can render this card much less effective by denying the carryover aspect of the card. If these techs are common (Regis: Bloodlust, Cyprian Wiley, etc.), we can change out Flying Redanian for Royal Decree which increases the consistency by which we are able to play key combos, including Sigi Reuven and Renew or the full Bounty package.

 

6,140 25 22 165

  • 15
    King of Beggars
    Leader
    King of Beggars Order: Gain 2 Coins. Charge: 3. Every allied Tribute costs 1 Coin less.
  • 13
    Renew
    Renew Play a unit from your graveyard.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 3
    9
    Graden
    Graden Deploy (Melee): Destroy an enemy unit with a Bounty. Tribute 5: Boost self by that unit's base power.
  • 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
    6
    Tunnel Drill
    Tunnel Drill Profit 1. Fee 3 (Melee): Destroy an artifact.
  • 5
    Eavesdrop
    Eavesdrop Profit 4. Draw a card, then put a card from your hand at the bottom of your deck.
  • 4
    5
    Coerced Blacksmith
    Coerced Blacksmith Profit 1. Fee 1: Boost an allied unit by 1.
  • 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
    Swindle
    Swindle Profit a random amount between 4 and 6.
  • 4
    4
    Sea Jackal
    x2
    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.
  • 3
    4
    Fence
    Fence Deploy (Ranged): Gain Vitality for a duration equal to your Coin count. Tribute 3: Boost self by your Coin count instead.
  • 3
    4
    Renegade Mage
    x2
    Renegade Mage Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 1. Tribute 1: Damage it by 3 instead.
  • 2
    4
    Eternal Fire Disciple
    Eternal Fire Disciple Profit 2. Fee 2: Spawn a Firesworn Zealot and Summon him to this row. Cooldown: 1.

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions