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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

Tier 3

Overview

Low-unit-count decks rear their heads once again with this iteration of Carapace featuring Keltullis. We supplement a heavy emphasis on Keltullis (with the inclusion of Renew) with alternative methods to win the game. We can deny the opponent the opportunity to react with our board by using our artifacts and special cards, which is valuable in matchups against reactive decks. The real strength of the deck lies when we are going second, however, as we have Yghern and Villentretenmerth that afford us a large amount of reach (points we can threaten after the opponent passes) to give us final say and the opportunity to play reactively in the final round. When we have to go first, it is often desired to play for high tempo to try to gain a pass for card advantage if the opponent responds by playing slow or at least force strong proactive options out of them. In general, this deck can be quite skill-testing and relies heavily on matchup knowledge.

 

Essential Cards

  • The real key of the deck is Keltullis, which can win games on its own when left uninterrupted. We surround this card with various methods to keep our unit count low by playing artifacts and special cards and Consuming our own units with Kayran. In matchups where Keltullis can be answered only once, we are able to use Renew for it to lock out the opponent in some situations.
  • Aside from Keltullis, our real way to leverage an advantage with the deck is to play for reach through Yghern or Villentretenmerth. Either of these cards can be played after the opponent has passed in Round 1 to catch up in a single card from a large point gap and gain the opportunity to play reactively in Round 3.

 
Pros

  • Keltullis can win games alone when uninterrupted
  • Can deny opposing damage cards by playing no units on the board

Cons

  • Struggles when forced to play proactively
  • Weak to multiple tall-unit removals

 

Tech Choices

  • Forktail ⇒ Endrega Warrior / Spores

Forktail can represent great value for us when paired with our artifacts and special cards, but it often competes for value with our removal due to the number of engines in the meta. We can replace it with a second Endrega Warrior to ensure that we have one when we need it or with Spores if the meta becomes especially focused on boosts. In general, though, the list is fairly established with the current card pool so changes are difficult to make.

 

Written by JMJWilson23.

 

6,130 25 13 165

  • 16
    Carapace
    Leader
    Carapace Order: Boost an allied unit by 3 and give it a Shield. Charge: 2. This ability adds 16 provisions to your deck's provisions limit.
  • 14
    Renew
    Renew Play a unit from your graveyard.
  • 9
    11
    Keltullis
    Keltullis Melee: Every allied turn, on turn end, destroy the lowest unit on the side with the most units.
  • 6
    11
    Villentretenmerth
    Villentretenmerth After 2 allied turns, on turn end, destroy the highest unit on the battlefield, excluding self.
  • 13
    10
    Yghern
    Yghern Deploy: Gain Armor equal to the number of cards in your hand. If this unit has no Armor, destroy self.
  • 9
    Tainted Ale
    Tainted Ale Zeal. Order: Damage a unit by 2. Charge: 3.
  • 9
    Naglfar
    Naglfar Look at 2 random gold cards from your deck, then play one and place the other on top.
  • 1
    9
    Ozzrel
    Ozzrel Deploy (Melee): Consume a unit from your opponent's graveyard. Deploy (Ranged): Consume a unit from your graveyard.
  • 5
    8
    Kayran
    Kayran Zeal. Order: Consume an allied unit. Charge: 3.
  • 8
    Thunderbolt
    x2
    Thunderbolt Zeal. Order: Boost an allied unit by 3. Charge: 2.
  • 6
    Parasite
    Parasite Damage an enemy unit by 6, or boost an allied unit by 6.
  • 5
    Alzur's Thunder
    x2
    Alzur's Thunder Damage a unit by 5.
  • 5
    Moon Dust
    Moon Dust Purify a unit and damage it by 4.
  • 5
    Predatory Dive
    Predatory Dive Each player destroys their lowest unit.
  • 4
    5
    Pellar
    Pellar Deploy: Purify a unit.
  • 4
    5
    Strays of Spalla
    Strays of Spalla Deploy: Move a unit to the other row.
  • 4
    Natural Selection
    x2
    Natural Selection Damage an enemy unit by 4, then Spawn a Drone in a random allied row for each point of excess damage dealt.
  • 4
    4
    Endrega Warrior
    Endrega Warrior Deploy: Consume adjacent units. Spawn a Drone in this row for each Insectoid consumed.
  • 4
    4
    Forktail
    Forktail Deploy: Damage all other units by 1.
  • 2
    4
    Archespore
    x2
    Archespore Deploy: Damage a random enemy unit by 2. Deathwish: Repeat the Deploy ability.
  • 1
    4
    Ancient Foglet
    x2
    Ancient Foglet Deathwish: Summon this unit from the graveyard to the same row, boost it by 4, and give it Doomed.

Honorable Mentions