Snapshot Header Image

Meta Snapshot #12

Patch Overview

Update: 17 November 2019; First published: 16 October 2019; Game version: 4.1.0.64

 

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

This deck offers more engine value than the more linear Dwarves deck, particularly due to Water of Brokilon. As with all Mystic Echo decks, we rely on our leader ability, which can generate 20 or more points in a long round and 12 points or more in a short one when used on Water. Many of the decisions surrounding this deck involve the distribution of resources in order to make it to Round 3 with our leader ability intact. In general, the order of importance for Round 3 with this deck is as follows: The leader ability is more important than card quality, which, in turn, is more important than card advantage. Therefore, we should not chase card advantage too aggressively when we can enter a medium-length Round 3 with our strongest cards in hand.

For more information on this deck, see JMJWilson23’s guide here. 

 

Essential Cards

  • The core card of the deck is Water of Brokilon and we surround it with as much support as possible. Water is our preferred leader ability target, as it can generate a huge amount of value in a long round. Even in a shorter round, it will often reach 12-14 points of value. We include a Nature package with Call of the Forest and Fauve to ensure that we draw this card in every game.
  • To fulfill our need to include Dwarf cards in the deck (for the tag) we take advantage of Munro Bruys and the appropriate support cards. Munro can play as 17 points while generating pressure on the opponent, which is a solid return. In support of Munro Bruys, we utilize Figgis Merluzzo, Zoltan's Company, and Dwarven Chariots to generate Rowdy Dwarfs. Dwarven Chariots in particular generate additional value by adding the unique Machine tag.

 
Pros

  • Our engines are hard to remove

Cons

  • Very limited removal options
  • Our bronzes are weak compared to other popular decks.

Tech Choices

  • Hawker Smuggler, Vrihedd Dragoon ⇒ Milva, Tempering

Milva's main weakness is the low tempo we have to endure to play the card. With the way the game has developed, this is often a luxury we do not have. If the meta were to shift drastically again to feature very few decks that wish to push in Round 2 then Milva would once again be a consideration.

 

Written by JMJWilson23.

     

    6,570 25 21 163

    • 13
      Mystic Echo
      Leader
      Mystic Echo Order: Play a Scoia'tael special card from your graveyard. This ability adds 13 provisions to your deck's provisions limit.
    • 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
      Water of Brokilon
      Water of Brokilon Spawn 2 Dryad Fledglings into the row.
    • 7
      11
      Munro Bruys
      Munro Bruys Deploy: Transform 2 allied Rowdy Dwarfs into Dwarf Berserkers.
    • 10
      Call of the Forest
      Call of the Forest Play a Scoia'tael unit from your deck and boost it by 1.
    • 6
      10
      Barnabas Beckenbauer
      Barnabas Beckenbauer Deploy: Boost an allied Elf, Dwarf, and Dryad unit by 2.
    • 4
      9
      Figgis Merluzzo
      Figgis Merluzzo Defender. Deploy: Spawn 2 Rowdy Dwarves in this row.
    • 2
      8
      Fauve
      Fauve Deploy: Play a Nature card from your deck.
    • 6
      7
      Weeping Willow
      Weeping Willow Harmony. Deploy (Melee): Gain Shield. Deploy (Ranged): Poison an enemy unit.
    • 5
      7
      Ida Emean aep Sivney
      Ida Emean aep Sivney Deploy (Melee): Purify a unit. Deploy (Ranged): Give an allied unit Vitality for 4 turns.
    • 4
      7
      Percival Schuttenbach
      Percival Schuttenbach Harmony 2.
    • 6
      Zoltan's Company
      Zoltan's Company Spawn 3 Rowdy Dwarves in an allied row.
    • 4
      6
      Hawker Smuggler
      Hawker Smuggler Melee: Every allied turn, on turn end, boost a random unit in your hand by 1.
    • 5
      5
      Vrihedd Dragoon
      Vrihedd Dragoon Deploy (Melee): Move an enemy unit to their other row. Deploy (Ranged): Move an allied unit to your other row.
    • 3
      5
      Dryad Ranger
      x2
      Dryad Ranger Harmony. Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2, then give it Poison.
    • 3
      5
      Dwarven Chariot
      x2
      Dwarven Chariot Deploy: Spawn a Rowdy Dwarf in this row. Bonded: Spawn 2 Rowdy Dwarves in this row instead.
    • 3
      5
      Panther
      Panther Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 4 turns.
    • 4
      Dryad's Caress
      Dryad's Caress Purify an allied unit and boost it by 3. If you control a Dryad, also give it Vitality for 3 turns.
    • 4
      4
      Elven Swordmaster
      x2
      Elven Swordmaster Order (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 1. Cooldown: 2. Whenever you play an Elf, decrease Cooldown by 1.
    • 4
      4
      Mahakam Marauder
      x2
      Mahakam Marauder Deploy: Gain Vitality for 2 turns. Bonded: Gain Vitality for 4 turns.
    • 2
      4
      Dwarf Berserker
      x2
      Dwarf Berserker Barricade: At the end of your turn, damage self by 1 then damage a random enemy unit by 1.

    Matchups

    Favorable against
    Struggles against

    Tier 3

    Honorable Mentions