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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

This deck develops a swarm of Insectoids to take advantage of Kikimore Queen's ability by proccing its Thrive multiple times. It is possible to get three copies of Kikimore Queen if we use Caranthir Ar-Feiniel and the Death's Shadow leader ability. While we are highly vulnerable to Lambert: Swordmaster, this deck can achieve huge value in long rounds with all the Kikimore Queen procs. Alternatively, we can also use Caranthir on The Beast, depending on the matchup. This is a fun deck to play and it can achieve unexpected victories if piloted well.

 

Essential Cards

  • Kikimore Queen is the bread and butter of this deck. This key card allows us to get an insane long round with the help of our Insectoids. We run multiple tall units to proc its Thrive, which is already fairly easy during the first turns, as Caranthir Ar-Feiniel Spawns a 1-point copy of it.
  • Caranthir Ar-Feiniel is the other piece of the combo and the main target of our leader ability. Caranthir can be used not only on Kikimore Queen, but also on The Beast if we are lacking Insectoids to support the Queen.

 
Pros

  • Great long round if we are able to proc Kikimore Queen’s ability
  • Safe to play against tall removal

Cons

  • Highly dependent on two combo pieces
  • Death's Shadow makes it more difficult to prepare an adequate swarm

 

Tech Choices

  • Death's Shadow ⇒ Arachas Swarm

We can use Arachas Swarm if we have difficulties swarming our board, which is needed for Kikimore Queen. While we lower the point ceiling of the deck with this change, we also improve its consistency. Further adjustments would require to use more Organic cards to take advantage of the new ability.

Written by Jamedi.

7,930 26 23 166

  • 16
    Death's Shadow
    Leader
    Death's Shadow Order: Destroy an allied Monster unit, then Spawn and play a base copy of it. This ability adds 16 provisions to your deck's provisions limit.
  • 0
    Magic Lamp
    Magic Lamp Order: Transform into Lamp Djinn.
  • 5
    11
    Kikimore Queen
    Kikimore Queen Thrive. Whenever this unit's Thrive is triggered, boost all allied Insectoids in this row by 1.
  • 10
    Royal Decree
    Royal Decree Play a unit from your deck.
  • 13
    10
    Yghern
    Yghern Deploy: Gain Armor equal to the number of cards in your hand. If this unit has no Armor, destroy self.
  • 7
    9
    Cave Troll
    Cave Troll Defender.
  • 6
    9
    Matta Hu'uri
    Matta Hu'uri Deploy (Ranged): If neither player has passed and your opponent's hand is not full, they draw the lowest-cost card, and you draw the highest-cost card.
  • 1
    9
    Ozzrel
    Ozzrel Deploy (Melee): Consume a unit from your opponent's graveyard. Deploy (Ranged): Consume a unit from your graveyard.
  • 10
    8
    Golyat
    Golyat Deathwish: Your opponent Summons the highest unit from their deck on the opposite row.
  • 3
    8
    Caranthir Ar-Feiniel
    Caranthir Ar-Feiniel Deploy: Spawn a 1-power copy of a unit from your hand and Summon it to this row.
  • 3
    8
    Toad Prince
    Toad Prince Deploy (Melee): Consume a unit with 3 or less power.
  • 2
    8
    Arachas Behemoth
    Arachas Behemoth Deploy: Spawn 2 Drones and boost all other Insectoids in this row by 1.
  • 10
    7
    Pugo Boom-Breaker
    Pugo Boom-Breaker Deploy: Damage a random allied unit by 3. If there are no allies, damage self by 5 instead.
  • 5
    7
    Endrega Queen
    Endrega Queen Deploy: Consume an allied unit and gain its Armor. Barricade: At the end of your turn, damage self by 1, then Spawn a Drone in this row.
  • 4
    7
    The Beast
    The Beast At the end of your turn, if this unit is not the unit with the highest power on the battlefield, boost it by 2.
  • 2
    7
    Penitent
    Penitent Thrive. Deathwish: Summon a random 7-cost unit from your deck.
  • 5
    5
    Barghest
    x2
    Barghest Deploy: Consume an allied unit. Order, Dominance: Consume an allied unit.
  • 1
    5
    Endrega Larva
    x2
    Endrega Larva Thrive. Deploy: Spawn a base copy of this unit and Summon it to this row.
  • 4
    Natural Selection
    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 Eggs
    x2
    Endrega Eggs Deathwish: Spawn 3 Drones in this row.
  • 4
    4
    Endrega Warrior
    x2
    Endrega Warrior Deploy: Consume adjacent units. Spawn a Drone in this row for each Insectoid consumed.
  • 3
    4
    Foglet
    x2
    Foglet Deathwish: Summon a copy of this unit from your deck to a random allied row.

Matchups

Favorable against

Honorable Mentions