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Meta Snapshot #13

Patch Overview

Update: 26 January 2020; First published: 24 December 2019; Game version: 5.0.1.76

 

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

Mystic Echo Harmony is a deck that has become a mainstay in the meta due to its ability to use the Mystic Echo leader ability to recycle Water of Brokilon for a large amount of power in short rounds and long rounds alike. Due to the immense power output from our leader ability, the deck is quite flexible in the way it plays, as we are able to commit some key cards in early rounds if we prioritize winning the round, knowing that we can fall back upon our Water of Brokilon in Round 3 to outpace the opponent. Often, we want to push many decks due to our relative lack of control for opposing engines, though this is not always the case of course. If we do wish to push the opponent, our general game plan is to use some of our Harmony units in Round 1 (mainly Percival Schuttenbach) to outvalue the opponent and then push with our first copy of Water in Round 2. We can also commit Water in Round 1 if we wish to pressure this round but do not need this copy of Water in Round 2.

  

Essential Cards

  • Water of Brokilon is the core of everything we do in this deck. It is our most powerful card and the key to maximizing the deck is to understand how to spend both copies of this card in each matchup. Do not hesitate to split the two copies of this spell across multiple rounds if you fear your opponent’s long round. At the same time, wasting Water in Round 1 against midrange decks that cannot generate a strong Round 2 push is a potential way to lose a game that should be a comfortable win.
  • The duo of Etriel and Muirlega were added in the Merchants of Ofir expansion and represent a bit of a buff to the Harmony archetype, filling the void left by the nerf to Munro Bruys and Dwarf Berserker. The combo pieces play for solid value on their own (7 points for 7 provisions) while also offering strong tags to help in our Harmony game plan. Etriel in particular addresses the lack of gold Elf cards in the game. Even if our combo does not go through, the first of these cards we play will often draw opposing removal and allow us to activate Harmony effects with the corresponding tag again in the same round.

 
Pros

  • One of the strongest single plays in the game when using Mystic Echo to replay Water of Brokilon
  • Strong in both a short and long round, which gives us a flexible game plan in any matchup

Cons

  • Lacks some control elements, so this deck can lose to some greedy or all-in strategies

 

Tech Choices

  • Isengrim's Council ⇒ Toruviel

Toruviel is another high-value Elf that we want to play in a crucial round alongside Barnabas Beckenbauer. We also get some upside if the opponent plays a deck that goes wide rather than tall. Isengrim's Council is strong in the deck to tutor Dryad Ranger, giving us additional access to our Poison package, so we typically don't want to cut this card unless Poison is not a desirable effect in the meta.

Written by JMJWilson23.

7,320 26 20 163

  • 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.
  • 0
    Aen Seidhe Sabre
    Aen Seidhe Sabre Order: Spawn and play Scoia'tael Neophyte.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 5
    9
    Figgis Merluzzo
    Figgis Merluzzo Defender. Deploy: Spawn Rowdy Dwarf in this row.
  • 8
    Isengrim's Council
    Isengrim's Council Look at a random Dwarf, Dryad and Elf from your deck, then play one and boost it by 2.
  • 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.
  • 4
    7
    Etriel
    Etriel Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. If you control Muirlega, damage it by 7 instead.
  • 4
    7
    Muirlega
    Muirlega Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. If you control Etriel, also damage adjacent units by 3.
  • 4
    7
    Percival Schuttenbach
    Percival Schuttenbach Harmony 2.
  • 4
    6
    Hawker Smuggler
    x2
    Hawker Smuggler Melee: Every allied turn, on turn end, boost a random unit in your hand by 1.
  • 5
    Nature's Rebuke
    Nature's Rebuke Damage an enemy unit by 5. Deathblow: Boost a random allied Treant by 2.
  • 5
    5
    Vrihedd Sappers
    Vrihedd Sappers Deploy: Purify an allied unit. If you control an Elf, Purify any unit instead.
  • 3
    5
    Dryad Ranger
    x2
    Dryad Ranger Harmony. Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2, then give it Poison.
  • 3
    5
    Dwarven Chariot
    Dwarven Chariot Deploy: Spawn a Rowdy Dwarf in this row. Bonded: Spawn 2 Rowdy Dwarves in this row instead.
  • 3
    5
    Trained Hawk
    Trained Hawk Harmony. Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Move an enemy unit to their other row.
  • 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
    Mahakam Marauder
    x2
    Mahakam Marauder Deploy: Gain Vitality for 2 turns. Bonded: Gain Vitality for 4 turns.
  • 3
    4
    King Cobra
    King Cobra Deploy: Poison an enemy unit.
  • 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 2

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions