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The Team Aretuza GWENT Meta Snapshot attempts to showcase the most-played decks on the Pro and Ranked ladders. We then attempt to rank them based on deck strength. These are the decks dominating the ladder right now, and this list does not represent all of the decks available nor even necessarily the best there is to be seen.

Every deck has a short guide explaining how the list works, its pros and cons, and a few other considerations to take into account. We also list a few matchups we think are particularly good or bad for each deck. 

As the meta continues to shift, we will update our Snapshot to reflect the changes. Updates will continue to be announced on the Team Aretuza Discord Community and official Team Aretuza Twitter account.

Meta Snapshot #14

Patch Overview

PLEASE NOTE: This Meta Snapshot was intended for use during the Season of Love (February of 2020) and does not accurately reflect the meta as of the Season of the Bear (March 2020)

Below is Team Aretuza and Team Nova's Meta Snapshot for the Season of Love. The meta displays a large degree of variability after the balance patch that was implemented before this season's start. No true contenders stand out as one to completely dominate the meta as of yet, so we will remain diligent in following the meta to see if this changes. As always, we will make appropriate changes throughout the season to keep viewers up to date with the meta to the best of our ability. You can follow the invite link to our Discord server in the upper right hand corner of the site to ask any questions you may have at any time. Enjoy and good luck on your Gwent journey this month!

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

A classic Syndicate deck type, the midrange variant in the faction has undergone a number of changes in recent patches. After a brief foray into the world of Radeyah, we now will utilize other high cost cards to fill the void. The notable inclusions are cards such as Sigi Reuven and Saul de Navarette that give us a small hoard package to increase our point ceiling. As with all Syndicate decks, we possess strong removal options for both engines and tall units. The nature of coins means that we are unable to generate sustainable pressure, so we play a direct value game against the opposition most of the time.

Essential Cards

  • Sigi Reuven is the exciting new addition to the deck. It enables us to run powerful cards like The Flying Redanian and Saul de Navarette due to fully filling our coin bank. The cost of running Sigi Reuven is essentially null with the addition of the Salamandra gang to the game, as well as strong bronze options in most of the other gangs.
  • As with all Wild Card decks, the major advantage to our leader ability is enabling the combo of Slander and Graden in the same turn. This is a hard punish for any high base power unit while also giving us removal and filling our bank for cards like Saul de Navarette and Sea Jackal.

Pros

  • Strong control options
  • Can generate huge value with Hoard cards

Cons

  • Highly susceptible to variance with so much emphasis on combos
  • Poor at sustaining pressure once we run out of coins and need to reload our bank

Tech Choices

  • Imke ⇒ Moreelse

Imke suits our Hoard theme, lining up especially nicely in conjunction with Pickpocket to get us to 9 coins and activate The Flying Redanian, but does stand out slightly as an engine card with few other engines in the deck. If the meta contains many answers for Imke, we can instead tech in more removal in the form of Moreelse, which also provides the added benefit of providing additional tall removal when necessary.

Written by JMJWilson23

8,810 26 19 164

  • 14
    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 14 provisions to your deck's provisions limit.
  • 0
    Tiger's Eye
    Tiger's Eye Order: Gain 4 Coins.
  • 3
    12
    Sigi Reuven
    Sigi Reuven Intimidate. Profit 4. For every unique gang category in your starting deck, increase Sigi Reuven's initial Profit by 1.
  • 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
    Imke
    Imke Ranged: Every allied turn, on turn end, gain 2 Coins. Fee 3: Gain a Shield.
  • 3
    9
    Graden
    Graden Deploy (Melee): Destroy an enemy unit with a Bounty. Tribute 5: Boost self by that unit's base power.
  • 3
    9
    The Flying Redanian
    The Flying Redanian Hoard 9: On turn end, Summon this unit from your deck or graveyard to a random allied row.
  • 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.
  • 4
    7
    Saul de Navarette
    Saul de Navarette Hoard 3: At the end of your turn, boost self by 1. Hoard 6: At the end of your turn, boost self by 2 instead. Hoard 9: At the end of your turn, boost self by 3 instead.
  • 6
    Pickpocket
    Pickpocket Profit 7.
  • 4
    5
    Coerced Blacksmith
    Coerced Blacksmith Profit 1. Fee 1: Boost an allied unit by 1.
  • 4
    Congregation
    Congregation Spawn 2 Firesworn Zealots and Summon them to an allied row. If you have no Coins, Spawn 3 Firesworn Zealots 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
    x2
    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 3 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

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions