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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

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions

Overview

Calanthe Charges uses an army of engines combined with a strong top end, that is many high-value gold cards, whose synergies are very consistent due to Queen Calanthe's leader ability. We can normally hold Round 1 with our engines, a couple of golds and Portal if we're lucky to give us a long Round 3 where our cards can flourish. We are normally looking to use our leader ability as our first play in the third round to play Priscilla and Dandelion in one turn and also draw cards like Portal or Draug if we do not already have them. If left answered, this opening play combined with an engine or two can easily win us games on their own – and if not, we have a powerful finisher in the form of Draug. This deck is often stronger utilizing first say rather than last say in Round 3, as having the initiative means our opponent must answer all our threats – which will be coming hard and fast from the outset until the end of the game.

 

Essential Cards

  • Dandelion and Priscilla are our main pair in this deck, and these combined with a Charge-based engine can be unstoppable if not answered quickly. Using Queen Calanthe's leader ability, we can consistently play both at the start of Round 3.
  • Draug has been a classic finisher for Northern Realms since the dawn of time, and this deck is no exception. In a long round, we can control the board with our engines, then slam Draug before the end to deliver an often game-winning blow.

 
Pros

  • Can snowball out of control if our engines are not answered
  • Strong top-end cards provide more short round potential than Northern Realms has been used to.

Cons

  • Weak to control decks, especially if they have first say
  • Can get caught out in short rounds if we do not draw well

 

Tech Choices

  • Falibor, Cintrian Envoy ⇒  Geralt of Rivia, Coodcoodak
  • Foltest's Pride ⇒ Vissegerd

If the meta allows for it, swapping Falibor for Geralt of Rivia may provide for value against decks running tall units. This means we can also fit in Coodcoodak to deal with Bounties and other statuses. 

Swapping Foltest's Pride for Vissegerd gives potential for more immediate value, but it also loses us the ability to utilize Crew. It can act as another finisher if we have a large number of boosted units at the end of a round.

 

Written by Zade.

 

6,950 25 22 166

  • 16
    Queen Calanthe
    Leader
    Queen Calanthe Order: Play a Northern Realms faction card from your hand, then draw any card.
  • 7
    13
    Draug
    Draug Deploy: Transform all allied Human units into Kaedweni Revenants without changing their power.
  • 12
    Portal
    Portal Deploy: Summon a random unit with 4 Provision Cost from your deck on both sides of this card.
  • 7
    11
    Falibor
    Falibor Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. Deathblow: Repeat the Deploy ability and decrease the damage by 1.
  • 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.
  • 7
    10
    Keira Metz
    Keira Metz Deploy: Give adjacent units Vitality for a duration equal to each of their base powers.
  • 4
    10
    Prince Anséis
    Prince Anséis Formation. Order: Damage an enemy unit by 4. Inspired: Duel an enemy unit instead.
  • 5
    9
    Priscilla
    Priscilla Formation. Order: Give a unit 1 Charge. Cooldown: 1. Inspired: Give a unit 2 Charges instead.
  • 6
    8
    Dandelion
    Dandelion Ranged: Whenever an allied unit gains Charges, boost it by 1 for each Charge gained.
  • 6
    8
    Foltest's Pride
    Foltest's Pride Zeal. Order (Melee): Damage a unit by 1. Charge: 1. Crew: Damage a unit by 2 instead.
  • 5
    8
    Botchling
    Botchling Every allied turn, on turn end, damage the highest enemy unit by 1. Order: Transform into Lubberkin.
  • 4
    5
    Aretuza Adept
    x2
    Aretuza Adept Zeal. Order (Ranged): Give 1 Charge to an allied unit. Cooldown: 1.
  • 4
    5
    Cintrian Spellweaver
    x2
    Cintrian Spellweaver Order: Damage a unit by 1. Charge: 1. Gain 1 Charge whenever you play a Mage.
  • 4
    5
    Reinforced Ballista
    x2
    Reinforced Ballista Formation. Order: Damage a unit by 1. Charge: 1. Resupply: Gain 1 Charge.
  • 3
    5
    Cintrian Envoy
    Cintrian Envoy Formation. Order: Give 2 Charges to an allied unit.
  • 4
    Winch
    x2
    Winch Boost an allied unit by 3 and give it 2 Charges.
  • 4
    4
    Tridam Infantry
    x2
    Tridam Infantry Whenever this unit receives a boost, damage a random enemy unit by 1.
  • 3
    4
    Kaedweni Sergeant
    x2
    Kaedweni Sergeant Zeal. Order: Boost an allied unit by 1. Charge: 2.
  • 3
    4
    Lyrian Arbalest
    x2
    Lyrian Arbalest Order: Damage a unit by 1. Charge: 1. Gain 1 Charge whenever you play a card with Orders.