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Meta Snapshot #10

Patch Overview

With a huge new patch has come a brand-new meta. In the early days, we have seen Northern Realms and Syndicate stand out as the dominant factions, though the meta is always developing and counter options have begun to develop. In particular, buffs to King Foltest and the advent of Sigismund Dijkstra have vaulted these leaders to the top of the meta. Much of the developments have centered around finding advantages against these two leaders.

In the first update of this Meta Snapshot, we present 19 updated decks that focus on key archetypes seen in the metagame. Included are options from each faction, although some factions have been explored more than others. While Sigismund Dijkstra has emerged as the predominant Syndicate leader, we have included other options for players seeking alternatives. In Skellige and Monsters, fewer decks are included due to their lower popularity, but we will monitor the situation closely to identify decks from these factions that emerge later in the patch cycle.

We hope you enjoy our Meta Snapshot and happy Gwenting!

  

Update: 17 August 2019

First published: 12 August 2019 (Game version: 3.1.0.47)

Changelog:

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

Update 3.1 saw a buff to the Dwarves archetype: Dwarven Mercenaries were buffed from 3 to 4 points, making these engines more difficult to remove, especially with the overall nerf to damage. This deck takes full advantage of that by being able to play a total of four Mercenaries thanks to Novigradian Justice and our leader ability. This puts four engines on the board, and if pulled off in Round 3, it is difficult to answer. The overall goal of the deck is to play a weak Round 1 (although, we are able to push the first round in some matchups), in which we want to get rid of our bronzes and play Dwarven Agitator for carryover. Furthermore, this deck is very resistant to long-round bleeding thanks to Milva, Sheldon Skaggs and The Great Oak. This often allows the deck to go into Round 3 with a card advantage or a long Round 3 where Mercenaries shine. Additionally, cards like Gabor Zigrin, Zoltan Chivay and Barclay Els synergize with all our Dwarves and will thus typically achieve great value.

For a detailed guide and a video guide on Francesca Dwarves, see shinmiri2's article here.

 

Essential Cards

  • Thanks to the buff to Dwarven Mercenaries, Novigradian Justice is by far the most important card in this deck. Justice can play four Mercenaries in one turn, thanks to our leader ability. It is also quite flexible: We can play it in Round 2 to survive a bleed, either on Mercenaries early or on Cleaver's Muscle for later tempo. Another possibility is to play Mahakam Defenders onto Dennis Cranmer if the Mercenaries are stuck in hand.
  • Gabor Zigrin is another key card of this deck. We can play it for carryover if the opponent dry-passes in the second round, which provides us with 5 points and an additional engine for Round 3. It can also be played on the Ranged row for Immunity, either to resist a bleed or to have an Immune engine during the third round.


Pros

  • Great long round due to Dwarven Mercenaries
  • Less bleedable than other Scoia’tael decks

Cons

  • Francesca Findabair has an incredibly low number of provisions, which makes our deck unstable.
  • The deck has a relatively poor Round 1, which makes us vulnerable.

 

Tech Choices

  • Barclay Els, Cleaver's Muscle ⇒ Ida Emean aep Sivney, Dwarven Skirmisher
  • Carlo Varese, Cleaver's Muscle ⇒  Ithlinne Aegli, Dwarven Skirmisher
  • Carlo Varese  ⇒ Land of a Thousand Fables

This deck does not have much flexibility because of its low recruit cap. Despite this, some changes can be made depending on the meta. We can tech an artifact removal in the form of Ida Emean aep Sivney, which is effective against Dijkstra Townsfolk with Summoning Circle, or we can include Ithlinne Aegli to provide more points for Sheldon Skaggs.

Adding Land of a Thousand Fables is very interesting, but it feels more like a bait, as we need to mulligan our high-provision cards to not brick it. Still, Fables is a popular option.

  

Written by Kara_Lisa.

5,750 25 23 163

  • 13
    Francesca Findabair
    Leader
    Francesca Findabair Order: Play a special card from your graveyard.
  • 8
    13
    The Great Oak
    The Great Oak Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by the number of cards to the left of Great Oak, then boost self by the number of cards to the right of Great Oak.
  • 11
    Novigradian Justice
    Novigradian Justice Play a bronze unit from your deck. If it was a Dwarf, Spawn a base copy of it and Summon it to the same row.
  • 3
    10
    Carlo Varese
    Carlo Varese Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 1 for each card in your hand.
  • 5
    9
    Gabor Zigrin
    Gabor Zigrin Deploy (Melee): Gain Resilience. Deploy (Ranged): Gain Immunity. Whenever you play a Dwarf, boost self by 1.
  • 3
    9
    Sheldon Skaggs
    Sheldon Skaggs Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by Sheldon Skaggs' current power.
  • 6
    8
    Paulie Dahlberg
    Paulie Dahlberg Order: Boost the unit to the left by 2, or give the unit to the right a Shield.
  • 5
    8
    Zoltan Chivay
    Zoltan Chivay Deploy (Melee): Destroy a unit with power less than or equal to the number of allied Dwarf units.
  • 4
    8
    Dennis Cranmer
    Dennis Cranmer Deploy (Melee): Boost adjacent units by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Boost all other units on this row by 1.
  • 4
    7
    Barclay Els
    Barclay Els Deploy: Boost an allied unit by 1 for each allied Dwarf.
  • 3
    7
    Milva
    Milva Immunity. Boost self by 1 whenever you play a Scoia'tael unit.
  • 7
    Lacerate
    Lacerate Damage all units on a row by 2.
  • 1
    6
    Doppler
    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.
  • 5
    5
    Cleaver's Muscle
    x2
    Cleaver's Muscle Shield.
  • 4
    5
    Dwarven Mercenary
    x2
    Dwarven Mercenary Order: Damage an enemy unit by 1. Charge: 1. Gain 1 Charge whenever you play a Dwarf.
  • 4
    5
    Mahakam Defender
    x2
    Mahakam Defender Every allied turn, on turn end, boost self by 1 if this unit is boosted.
  • 3
    5
    Mahakam Volunteers
    x2
    Mahakam Volunteers Deploy: If there is a Dwarf on this row, Summon a copy of this unit from your deck to this row.
  • 3
    4
    Mahakam Guard
    Mahakam Guard Deploy: Boost self by the number of allied Dwarf units on this row.
  • 2
    4
    Dwarven Agitator
    x2
    Dwarven Agitator Deploy (Ranged): Boost a Dwarf in your hand by 2.
  • 1
    4
    Dwarven Skirmisher
    x2
    Dwarven Skirmisher Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 3. If it survived, boost self by 1.

Matchups

Favorable against
Struggles against

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions