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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

Overview

Foltest Commandos as an archetype has transformed from a memey all-in deck playing cards like Operator and Dudu to an absolute powerhouse over the course of several patches. This latest improvement utilizes Northern Realm’s recent reworks and buffs in Update 3.1 to fill in some previous weak spots. This deck is one of very few NR decks that do not care about opponent removal. It has both a powerful long round with Draug as well as an explosive short round with Blue Stripes Commando carryover, making it one of the top-tier decks of the current meta.

For a more detailed deck guide, a video guide and other information, see shinmiri2’s writeup here.

 

Essential Cards

  • Princess Pavetta allows us to play our Blue Stripes Commandos twice in one game. They come out all at once, so they flood our board with Humans very quickly for Draug.
  • Roche: Merciless is a great way to pull out Commandos in Round 1 and especially in Round 3.


Pros

  • Insane power level when we draw well
  • Nearly unbeatable in a short Round 3 if we have last say and the right setup

Cons

  • Can occasionally lose to bad draws and not having access to combo pieces
  • Vulnerable to Usurper

 

Tech Choices

For a full list of tech choices and much more, see the full deck guide here.

 

Written by shinmiri2.

7,290 25 20 165

  • 15
    King Foltest
    Leader
    King Foltest Order: Boost an allied unit by 2 and give it Zeal. Charge: 3.
  • 7
    13
    Draug
    Draug Deploy: Transform all allied Human units into Kaedweni Revenants without changing their power.
  • 12
    Vigo's Muzzle
    Vigo's Muzzle Lock an enemy unit with 5 or less power and Seize it.
  • 5
    11
    Roche: Merciless
    Roche: Merciless Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deathblow: Gain Zeal. Order: Spawn a Blue Stripes Commando and Summon it to this row.
  • 10
    Royal Decree
    Royal Decree Play a unit from your deck.
  • 7
    10
    Bloody Baron
    Bloody Baron Formation. Order: Reset a unit. Inspired: If it was boosted, give it Bleeding for a duration equal to the amount of boost it lost.
  • 4
    10
    Prince Anséis
    Prince Anséis Formation. Order: Damage an enemy unit by 4. Inspired: Duel an enemy unit instead.
  • 5
    9
    Seltkirk of Gulet
    Seltkirk of Gulet Order (Melee): Duel an enemy unit.
  • 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.
  • 6
    7
    Princess Pavetta
    Princess Pavetta Deploy: Shuffle a bronze unit and all copies of it from your graveyard into your deck.
  • 6
    Reinforcements
    Reinforcements Spawn and play a base copy of a bronze allied unit.
  • 2
    6
    Vincent Meis
    Vincent Meis Zeal. Order (Melee): Set the power of a non-boosted enemy to 1.
  • 1
    6
    Ronvid the Incessant
    Ronvid the Incessant Deploy: Boost self by 5. Whenever you play a Soldier, Summon this unit from your graveyard to a random allied row.
  • 4
    6
    Blue Stripes Commando
    x2
    Blue Stripes Commando Order: Summon all copies of this unit from your deck to this row.
  • 5
    Northern Wind
    Northern Wind Damage a unit by 4. Deathblow: Banish it.
  • 4
    4
    Aedirnian Mauler
    x2
    Aedirnian Mauler Order (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2.
  • 4
    4
    Blue Stripes Scout
    x2
    Blue Stripes Scout Deploy (Melee): Spawn a copy of a bronze allied unit at the bottom of your deck.
  • 4
    4
    Cintrian Enchantress
    x2
    Cintrian Enchantress Deploy (Ranged): Give an allied unit Vitality for 2 turns. Bonded: Give it Vitality for 4 turns instead.
  • 3
    4
    Kaedweni Sergeant
    x2
    Kaedweni Sergeant Zeal. Order: Boost an allied unit by 1. Charge: 2.
  • 1
    4
    Poor Fucking Infantry
    x2
    Poor Fucking Infantry Deploy: Boost self by 4.

Matchups

Favorable against
Struggles against

Tier 2

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions