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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

Tier 2

Tier 3

Overview

Yet another deck that has existed for several months in roughly the same form, the current iteration of midrange Wild Card decks takes a bit of a turn in this meta due to the nerf to Witch Hunter Executioner. Instead of relying on this card to synergize with our Bounties, we instead adopt an approach meant to "waste" as few provisions as possible. In turn, we utilize no 5-provision cards in order to play as many golds as possible. This maximizes our ability to play Round 1 with a few golds as Syndicate decks will often wish to do. Removing Coin spenders at 5 provisions is not a huge loss, as the ones at 4 provisions (Sea Jackal and Street Urchins) are most likely even better. We also tech in a large Poison package to overload the opponent's ability to Purify them all, gaining solid value and threatening tall removal in some matchups.

 

Essential Cards

  • Perhaps the largest advantage to playing the Wild Card leader abillity is the combo of our leader ability with Graden (and Slander). This will always play for solid value, while also giving us removal potential and completely blowing out any high-base strength unit. With a large number of decks making use of Radeyah in today's meta, we almost always have a large target from the opponent.
  • Our power in a short round or just finishing off any round comes from the combination of Madame Luiza and Savolla, which plays for a huge 23 points while also giving us 2 Coins and putting an Intimidate engine on the board.

 
Pros

  • Very strong deck when going second due to the ability to simultaneously build up carryover and threaten winning the round
  • The best deck in the game at removing tall units due to Graden, a large amount of Poison effects, and Moreelse when needed

Cons

  • Lacks proactive points without the Madame Luiza and Savolla combo
  • Very weak Scoia'tael matchups

 

Tech Choices

  • Caleb Menge, Ferko the Sculptor ⇒ Passiflora, Sea Jackal

The Scenario in Syndicate (Passiflora) is a bit weaker compared to some of the other factions, but it does represent a high point ceiling. The particular strength of this card is when we go first in a round: We can generate a relatively large number of Coins quickly which allows us to get early removal with Ewald Borsodi or quickly gain enough Coins to threaten a large Seize with Philippa Eilhart.

Written by JMJWilson23.

9,080 26 18 165

  • 15
    Wild Card
    Leader
    Wild Card Order: Play a Syndicate special card from your deck. If its provision cost is 10 or less, gain 2 Coins. This ability adds 15 provisions to your deck's provisions limit.
  • 0
    Magic Lamp
    Magic Lamp Order: Transform into Lamp Djinn.
  • 10
    Royal Decree
    Royal Decree Play a unit from your deck.
  • 3
    10
    Philippa Eilhart
    Philippa Eilhart Deploy: Spend a number of Coins equal to an enemy unit's power, then Seize it.
  • 6
    9
    Madame Luiza
    Madame Luiza Intimidate. Deploy: Your next Tribute this round is free.
  • 6
    9
    Savolla
    Savolla Profit 2. Tribute 9: Spawn a Savolla's Frightener in this row.
  • 5
    9
    Azar Javed
    Azar Javed Profit 3. Deploy: Spawn a Scarab in this row. Tribute 3: Spawn 2 Scarabs in this row instead.
  • 5
    9
    Maraal
    Maraal Deploy: Poison an enemy unit. Order: Poison an enemy unit.
  • 4
    9
    Moreelse
    Moreelse Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 4. Tribute 6: Destroy it instead.
  • 3
    9
    Graden
    Graden Deploy (Melee): Destroy an enemy unit with a Bounty. Tribute 5: Boost self by that unit's base power.
  • 8
    Alzur's Double-Cross
    Alzur's Double-Cross Play the highest unit from your deck.
  • 5
    8
    Caleb Menge
    Caleb Menge Profit 3. Fee 3 (Melee): Place a Bounty on an enemy unit. Cooldown: 1.
  • 4
    8
    Dire Mutated Hound
    Dire Mutated Hound Barricade: At the end of every allied turn, boost self 2. Fee 4: Gain 1 Armor.
  • 4
    8
    Ewald Borsodi
    Ewald Borsodi Profit 2. If Horst Borsodi is in your graveyard, increase this card's initial Profit by 2. Fee 2 (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2.
  • 2
    8
    Ferko the Sculptor
    Ferko the Sculptor Deploy (Melee): Play a Crime from your deck.
  • 5
    7
    Adalbertus Kalkstein
    Adalbertus Kalkstein Profit 2. Fee 2: Purify a unit.
  • 4
    Assault
    x2
    Assault Damage an enemy unit by 4. If you control 2 Salamandra units deal 6 damage instead.
  • 4
    Fisstech
    x2
    Fisstech Profit 4. Poison a unit.
  • 4
    Slander
    Slander Profit 3. Place a Bounty on an enemy unit.
  • 4
    4
    Sea Jackal
    Sea Jackal Fee 2: Boost self by 2. Hoard 7: Boost self by 3 instead.
  • 3
    4
    Fisstech Trafficker
    Fisstech Trafficker Deploy: Give Poison to a unit. If it's an ally, gain 2 Coins.
  • 3
    4
    Mutated Hounds
    x2
    Mutated Hounds Deploy (Melee): Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns. Deploy (Ranged): Poison a unit.
  • 2
    4
    Street Urchins
    x2
    Street Urchins Profit: 3. Fee 1: Boost self by 1.

Matchups

Favorable against
Struggles against

Honorable Mentions