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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

Overview

This is a different take on the classic Crach Control list, accommodating Scorch in order to wipe boards, since some lists tend to run wider than tall, and this completely changes how this deck manages most matchups. Like the old Wild Boar Scorch lists, Crach an Craite's pings are used in combination with our multiple damage pings to get huge value out of Scorch, requiring us to play with caution and think about most turns in advance.

 

Essential Cards

  • Scorch is a high-provisions card, and we use it to align multiple units in most matchups to also make it high-value. Pings from Crach an Craite and Tainted Ale will be our best tools to make those alignments, with Geralt: Professional removing single tall units.
  • Geralt: Professional is our main tall-removal card, which can help us prepare the multiple targets for Scorch. This card is worse in wider metas, but it covers one of our weaknesses.

 
Pros

  • Surprise factor
  • Scorch can be game-changing if set up adequately

Cons

  • Extremely difficult to pilot

 

Tech Choices

  • Geralt: Professional, Cutthroat ⇒ Geralt of Rivia, Dimun Warship

Geralt: Professional is used in this list as tall removal, but in wider metas we can choose to cut it and substitute it for a cheaper (but more unreliable) Geralt of Rivia, allowing us to upgrade one of our 4-provisions cards. Sometimes, Professional can be a useless 6-strength unit or force us to use unwanted pings on other cards to be able to get optimal value, while with Gerald of Rivia, we can just focus all our efforts on pinging to align Scorch targets.

 

4,940 25 19 166

  • 16
    Crach an Craite
    Leader
    Crach an Craite Order: Damage an enemy unit by 1. Cooldown: 2.
  • 14
    Scorch
    Scorch Destroy the highest unit(s).
  • 3
    11
    Geralt: Professional
    Geralt: Professional Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 3. If its power was a multiple of 3, destroy it instead.
  • 10
    Svalblod Totem
    Svalblod Totem Deploy: Spawn a Svalblod Fanatic on both sides of this card. Order: Damage adjacent units by 2.
  • 9
    Tainted Ale
    Tainted Ale Zeal. Order: Damage a unit by 2. Charge: 3.
  • 5
    9
    Cyprian Wiley
    Cyprian Wiley Deploy: Banish a unit with 3 or less power.
  • 5
    9
    Morkvarg
    Morkvarg If this unit moves to the graveyard during the round, Summon it to the melee row and give it Doomed.
  • 4
    9
    Harald Houndsnout
    Harald Houndsnout Deploy: Spawn 3 of Harald's Pals and Summon them to your other allied row. Order: Damage an allied unit by 1. Cooldown: 1.
  • 8
    Summoning Circle
    Summoning Circle Zeal. Order: Play a non-Token unit from your deck whose Provision Cost is less than or equal to Summoning Circle's Charge count, then remove all Charges. Charge: 1. Every allied turn, on turn start, gain 1 Charge.
  • 4
    8
    Donar an Hindar
    Donar an Hindar Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Bloodthirst 2: Damage an enemy unit by 5 instead.
  • 3
    8
    Skjall
    Skjall Deploy: Damage an undamaged enemy unit by 4.
  • 4
    7
    Derran
    Derran Deploy (Ranged): Move a card from your deck to your graveyard.
  • 4
    7
    Ulfhedinn
    Ulfhedinn Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by half of its current power.
  • 5
    Primal Savagery
    x2
    Primal Savagery Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deathblow: Spawn a Bear Abomination and Summon it to a random allied row.
  • 5
    5
    Dimun Light Longship
    x2
    Dimun Light Longship Order: Damage self and an enemy unit by 1. Cooldown: 1.
  • 2
    5
    Dimun Warship
    Dimun Warship Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 1 three times.
  • 4
    4
    Svalblod Butcher
    x2
    Svalblod Butcher Deploy: Damage an allied unit by 2, then give an enemy unit Bleeding for 3 turns.
  • 3
    4
    Cutthroat
    x2
    Cutthroat Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns.
  • 3
    4
    Dimun Pirate Captain
    x2
    Dimun Pirate Captain Deploy, Bloodthirst 2: Damage an enemy unit by 3.
  • 2
    4
    Svalblod Ravager
    x2
    Svalblod Ravager Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2. Bloodthirst 2: Give it Bleeding for 2 turns.

Honorable Mentions