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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

Overview

Although Radeyah already was a contender for use in Elves decks in the beginning of the patch, most of them were built around Precision Strike and this left us with some janky builds, like using a single Brokilon Sentinel for the leader ability. As a result, players started to experiment with hybrid builds with the Call of Harmony leader ability, which naturally fits Radeyah-focused decks, as we can carry a single copy of every tag and, thus, get a really good target for Call of Harmony. This also allows us to fully complete Feign Death in a single turn in some cases, which makes it uncounterable. This deck is an interesting contender to the top-tier spot even though it perhaps is lacking the raw point output that Mystic Echo Harmony has with its leader ability. Previously, this deck was supplemented with a small Harmony package (especially with Percival Schuttenbach at its center) as a way to carry Round 1. With the increase in Poison in the meta, responding with a Poison package of our own is a more effective strategy in many cases. The real case for utilizing this deck is playing a Scoia'tael deck that spreads its points more wide than tall to avoid tall removal effects, such as Poison.

 

Essential Cards

  • Radeyah is a good card in decks that can afford its condition. In this deck, it gains extra utility, as we can generate Aen Seidhe Sabre, which allows us to proc a Feign Death Chapter in the same turn we play it.
  • In combination with Call of Harmony and Radeyah, Feign Death, the Elves Scenario, can be procced in a single turn. We, thus, don’t have to worry about artifact removal and it also gives us two extra bodies for Isengrim Faoiltiarna. This is a really good payoff for these 12 provisions.

 
Pros

  • Excellent long round due to Elves package
  • Can generate a lot of pressure on the opponent in Rounds 1 and 2 with a large number of Poison cards

Cons

  • Slightly susceptible to bleeding when its combo pieces are divided, requiring strong pilot skill to avoid this
  • Lack of points in Round 1 in comparison with traditional Mystic Echo Harmony

 

Tech Choices

  • Etriel, Muirlega ⇒ Avallac'h, Dol Blathanna Bomber

Etriel and Muirlega are an interesting combo when our opponent isn’t able to answer it. However, on some occasions, we can also play them in one turn with Call of Harmony. While this is the most efficient option in a point sense, it also restricts our gameplay pattern. In this case, we recommend to swap out these two cards and substitute them for Avallac'h, whose weather is really useful and it carries an additional Elf tag, and a 4-provision card, always respecting the singleton rule.

Written by Jamedi JMJWilson23.

8,590 26 22 166

  • 16
    Call of Harmony
    Leader
    Call of Harmony Order: Play a Scoia'tael card from your deck with 0 provision cost or less. This value is raised by 1 for every unique primary category among Scoia'tael cards in your starting deck. This ability adds 16 provisions to your deck's provisions limit.
  • 0
    Magic Lamp
    Magic Lamp Order: Transform into Lamp Djinn.
  • 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.
  • 12
    Feign Death
    Feign Death Scenario: Progress whenever you play an Elf. Prologue: Spawn an Elven Deadeye in this row. Chapter 1: Spawn 2 Elven Deadeyes in this row. Chapter 2: Spawn and play Waylay.
  • 5
    12
    Vernossiel
    Vernossiel Deploy (Melee): Each allied Elven Deadeye damages a random enemy unit by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Spawn 2 Elven Deadeyes in this row.
  • 8
    10
    Radeyah
    Radeyah If your starting deck has no duplicates, Deploy (Melee): Spawn your faction stratagem in this row. Deploy (Ranged): Create Neutral stratagem in this row.
  • 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.
  • 5
    9
    Maraal
    Maraal Deploy: Poison an enemy unit. Order: Poison an enemy unit.
  • 6
    8
    Isengrim Faoiltiarna
    Isengrim Faoiltiarna Deploy: Boost all other allied Elf units by 1. Whenever you play an Elf, boost self by 1.
  • 5
    8
    Aelirenn
    Aelirenn If on turn end you control 5 or more allied Elf units, Summon this unit from your deck to the melee row.
  • 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
    Yaevinn
    Yaevinn Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 1 for every other allied Elf unit.
  • 5
    Nature's Rebuke
    Nature's Rebuke Damage an enemy unit by 5. Deathblow: Boost a random allied Treant by 2.
  • 5
    Waylay
    Waylay Damage an enemy unit by 3. Deathblow: Spawn an Elven Deadeye in a random row.
  • 5
    5
    Vrihedd Sappers
    Vrihedd Sappers Deploy: Purify an allied unit. If you control an Elf, Purify any unit instead.
  • 4
    5
    Forest Whisperer
    Forest Whisperer Deploy (Melee): Give an enemy unit Poison. Order (Ranged): Give an allied unit a Shield.
  • 3
    5
    Dryad Ranger
    Dryad Ranger Harmony. Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2, then give it Poison.
  • 4
    4
    Dryad Fledgling
    Dryad Fledgling Harmony.
  • 4
    4
    Mahakam Marauder
    Mahakam Marauder Deploy: Gain Vitality for 2 turns. Bonded: Gain Vitality for 4 turns.
  • 3
    4
    Blue Mountain Elite
    Blue Mountain Elite Deploy (Ranged): Damage an enemy unit by 3 if it is the only unit on its row.
  • 3
    4
    Hawker Healer
    Hawker Healer Deploy (Melee): Boost an allied unit by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Heal an allied unit by 4.
  • 3
    4
    Hawker Support
    Hawker Support Deploy: Boost an allied unit by 1. If you control an artifact, boost by 3 instead.
  • 3
    4
    King Cobra
    King Cobra Deploy: Poison an enemy unit.
  • 3
    4
    Vrihedd Officer
    Vrihedd Officer Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 2. Deploy (Ranged): Boost an allied unit by 2.
  • 1
    4
    Dwarven Skirmisher
    Dwarven Skirmisher Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 3. If it survived, boost self by 1.

Matchups

Favorable against
Struggles against

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions