Gwent Meta Snapshot #15 – ENG
Thanks to the release of the new Sunset Wanderers card we are witnessing a real upheaval of the Meta! The ESC Meta Snapshot also returns
The Sunset Wanderers has introduced a new mechanic and new ways of interpreting the game: the card will always be present in the hand at the beginning of the game at the left genre end (unique left mechanic of its kind) and will move to the right, boosting itself by 1. If the player has not passed yet and if there are no more cards to the right of the Sunset Wanderers, he will automatically enter a casual row and draw a card from the deck. This brings a diverse reading of the entire game.
Card has a not too high cost, 11 provisions and in fact, if played well, it will be able to enter its own half even at 14 and in addition it will thin out the deck.
POSITIVE SIDES
It can resist the thrust well. Once in, your opponent will be able to continue playing Round 2 and will be able to gain an advantage card for Round 3.
Allows you to push. If still not exploited in Round 1 it will give more strength to the push in Round 2: in this case the opponent will not be able to gain the advantage card and Round 3 can be easier with the last say.
It has upgraded numerous decks that sailed below Tier 3. Reckless Flurry, for example, now finds itself a solid Tier 2 full and hard to beat.
NEGATIVE SIDES
The card needs to be handled well. Sometimes you risk leaving Round 1 early for not wanting to waste it. Not always a great move.
To be able to enhance it as much as possible, sometimes you prefer to play a card to its left when instead the play can be to its right. Here, too, you risk wasting cards in Round 1 that can be useful in subsequent rounds.
All the factions and almost all the leaders have entered Sunset Wanderers… will it also be the “sunset” of Devotion?
AUTHORS
Quigon96, Camun86
Tier 1 this month is occupied by three decks, at the top of which we find again Nilfgaard but with a Tempo version. The deck has received significant buffs thanks to the introduction of cards useful for thinning the deck and generating points immediately. With the addition of Maraal to the poisons package, the deck is even more performing.
In second place we find again the Jackpot Syndicate. In this Meta extremely defined by the Wanderers we decided to insert the version with poisons that seemed to us the best and certainly the most solid.
In third place an “old” acquaintance, namely Blue Stripes Commando, which is not only played a lot, but thanks to the Defender – King Foltest – Blue Stripes Commando combo it becomes very difficult to beat.
Tier 2 is still full of decks: we find the deck of the Northern Realms Duelists, that is Siege but with Inspired Zeal, a deck that is based on the Scenario and on the new cards with Order and Patience. A very fun deck to play and that brings freshness to a faction that has only been playing Witcher for months.
We have also decided to include the Nilfgaard Hyperthin deck based on Tibor Eggebracht in Tier 2: the strength lies in thinning the deck as much as possible up to a single card in the deck, namely Tibor. Good luck for those who face it!
In this Tier we also find some of the old Syndicate decks, such as the Crime Cleaver but significantly changed due to the new Sunset Wanderers card.
The Skellige decks are once again fearsome: Reckless Flurry and Druids Scenario finally have their say also and above all thanks to the introduction of the new card that guarantees them solidity and the possibility of drawing.
Tier 3 despite its two decks is very particular: we find a Koshchey a little in difficulty but still high Tier 3 (5 stars for him) and a Nilfgaard Mill that does not always guarantee a victory, but is found to be devastating against certain types of decks such as his “cousin” Hyperthin. We put it in the low Tier 3 as it is very played right now but at the same time very situational.
Finally, Special Mention for a deck we have renamed Francesca and the 7 dwarfs. The deck and the Scoia’tael faction in general are still not enjoying a great time. He struggles to find valid plays and does not guarantee a quantity of points necessary to put the other factions in check. However, we insert it in the Snapshot as a fun deck to play and that can be a winner thanks to its unpredictability.
Enjoy our Gwent Meta Snapshot #15 – ENG !
TIER 1
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/cb3c557ddcf4ef406ad3c8c8cc03bc16
AUTHOR
Yami8
DESCRIPTION
Nilfgaard earns a spot as the top tier of our Gwent Meta Snapshot #15 – ENG thanks to the first Tempo deck for the Golden Sun faction.
STRENGHTS
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Cards like Ramon Tyrconnel, Blightmaker and the Poison Package, make it very easy to win Round 1 by investing almost only bronze cards.
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There is no shortage of control tools such as quick removals like Korathi Heatwave and Yennefer’s Invocation and Locks that make the deck very dangerous for engine decks too.
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Ivar Evil-Eye is the best counter for Sunset Wanderers, making this deck very difficult to be pushed in case you lost Round 1.
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The Snowdrop + Leader combo plays for 19 points to which 5 + 4 are added in case of both Affan Hillergrand and a Mage Assassin get put back into the deck.
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Yennefer’s Invocation + Sunset Wanderers combo, in the best case scenario, will make us draw an opponent’s gold card which could also function as a removal for the same card.
WEAKNESSES
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This deck can easily brick despite the Leader, thus failing to maximize the value of some cards such as Affan Hillergrand, Snowdrop and Mage Assassin.
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It suffers from decks that don’t go tall.
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Deck suffers from decks with a lot of tall removals.
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You are forced to play Round 1 in a very “preset” way and the absence of some cards (for example Ramon Tyrconnel) can cost the round or force you to pass early if you don’t want to over-commit.
DIFFICULTY
Average
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/6f304698d5ef293b9463952b0ba69d0a
AUTHOR
ILBESTIO
DESCRIPTION
As we are already used to, the Syndicate faction proposes again Jackpot as its T1 in our Gwent Meta Snapshot #15 – ENG.
It suffered several nerfs on the leader and Whoreson Junior, nonetheless the faction still seems to hold up.
We have seen a decreasing presence in the tournaments of competitive level of Jackpot and a considerable increase in Lined Pockets, but we believe it does not reflect Gwent’s ladder condition, as Jackpot is more flexible both with Blue and Red coin.
With the Poison Package it manages to counteract the enemy’s engines and its annoying cards.
We have decided not to play Caesar Bilzen, since the only card with which it finds optimal plays is Sigi Reuven and we consider that a strong play but on the other hands it is equally fragile.
STRENGTHS
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It is a great deck with Red Coin, because you can decide which cards you want to invest.
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There’s a very strong 2nd – 3rd Round, having cards like Salamandra Hideout which has resilience, but also cards like Jacques, Philippa, etc… that you can play on autopilot.
WEAKNESSES
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Suffers Round 1 on Blue Coin, since many decks play Sunset Wanderers, so you risk losing on even.
#Tip: in these cases, you do not have to get desperate to lose the card, play until the opponent put down Sunset Wanderers, then pass when you feel like it, but just don’t start throwing all the strong cards in exchange for the opponent’s bronzes.
Since you will need them in Round 3, you can say that cards like Jacques, Sigi, Philippa and Professor play on autopilot, this means you will need them. -
Not playing Sunset Wanderers, since the opponent will most likely use them and by doing so he will get access to those very useful free points, which you will not have.
TACTICAL CHOICES
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Caesar Bilzen.
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You can insert Sunset Wanderers if you remove Whoreson Junior, but be careful since you must also remove Mutant Maker who gives you 2 rare Band Tags for Sigi (rare in the sense that the tags that other cards can give are not very good in Jackpot or cost too many provisions).
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Play another Jackpot list in Bounty variant, this would be a brand new deck and you surely will not play the Poison Package, which is too useful.
DIFFICULTY
Medium-High. A little practice is all it takes to master this deck.
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/6569c71c47c903e6a209282f63183819
AUTHOR
infern-ale
DESCRIPTION
What a surprise, this season the Blue Stripes archetype is confirmed as one of the best performing deck of the Meta thanks to its incredible short round.
STRENGTHS
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Tends to win the 1st Round easily.
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Does not suffer from tall punishers (particularly useful in this Meta).
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A short round that is very difficult to beat.
WEAKNESSES
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Starting on Red Coin there is a strong risk of not setting properly the Foltest + Defender combo.
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In a long round, it risks clogging up on the board.
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If the Foltest + Defender combo is answered immediately, it risks not being effective against many decks.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Possibility to play it without Devotion with Oneiromancy and the Megascopes (which give us a firmer but less powerful start).
DIFFICULTY
Easy
TIER 2
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/7c53d8b105a43a8e974cb9fc621b4fb2
AUTHOR
Quigon96
DESCRIPTION
After the arrival of Sunset Wanderers and the small buff to Smuggle, the archetype Crime Cleaver is back in vogue in our Gwent Meta Snapshot #15 – ENG, this time deviating from its version with Devotion.
STRENGTHS
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Thanks to the presence of both Whoreson’s Freaks Show and Tunnel Drill, the deck has excellent control over the opponent’s board.
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Deck has one of the strongest 3rd long round at the moment, given the good balance between control and engine cards.
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The inclusion of Sunset Wanderers covered 2 of the weaknesses of this archetype, which were, winning Round 1 and resisting the opponent’s push in Round 2.
WEAKNESSES
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Despite Sunset Wanderers it is still not easy to take Round 1 home without investing important resources.
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Having only Vivaldi Bank as a tutor, it will often not be possible to draw all the key cards of the deck.
TACTICAL CHOICES
These cards can be inserted with the necessary adjustments: Korathi Heatwave, Sigi Reuven or Oneiromancy.
DIFFICULTY
Medium
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/9ba06b7dc0dcda39e0e3f213df776553
AUTHOR
Quigon96
INTRODUCTION
The new patch has brought a breath of fresh air to the Northern Realms, with the rework of the Charges mechanic, many cards have been upgraded, in particular the Siege engines that form the heart of the deck. To all this are added the brand new cards released with the latest expansion.
STRENGTHS
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You have a large number of engines available, which, if not answered, can generate many points and at the same time control the opponent’s board.
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Starting first, you have the opportunity to generate carryover thanks to Dandelion protected by the Tactical Advantage, and also with Ban Ard Student.
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The deck has a very strong long round, but is also solid for a possible short round thanks to the combination Viraxas: Prince, Shani and Gerhart of Aelle.
WEAKNESSES
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Games are very initiative dependent, it is often convenient to lose Round 1 on purpose in order to have initiative in the decisive round.
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Due to the large number of engines it is not easy to find the optimal order to play them.
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Suffer from decks that have a lot of removals.
TACTICAL CHOICES
The cards that can be flexibly replaced are Viraxas: Prince, Dandelion and Prince Anséis, in their place you could opt for King Foltest with the Gray Banner or for Falibor, Blood Baron, Queen Adalia and Hubert Rejk.
DIFFICULTY
Medium
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/4e12095b3e4e87d371f34d6b668f9322
AUTHOR
gigifacile
DESCRIPTION
After the huge buff received last season, the Hyperthin archetype is reconfirmed as one of the best choices for the Golden Sun faction in our Gwent Meta Snapshot #15 – ENG.
If we add to this that the new card revealed, Sunset Wanderers, which synergizes very well with this deck, we can easily guess that Hyperthin can be considered almost as a Meta definer.
With the entry of the Wanderers on the list, Ciri: Nova must necessarily not be involved anymore, but this gives us more flexibility in the creation phase.
STRENGTHS
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Devastating short round if everything is prepared properly.
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Since the deck tends to thin down to 0, we can see all the cards in the deck consistently.
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Very good plays even outside of the final combo.
WEAKNESSES
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The many bricks in the deck can be very annoying if drawn all together in Round 1.
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You are forced to win Round 1 and push to Round 2 to make the decisive round as short as possible, while exposing yourself to the risk of losing the card.
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Long round not too performing due to the lack of engines.
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(You can’t blame a defeat on having missed some cards, since we draw them all).
TACTICAL CHOICES
Virtually none, the deck is made up of many combos that work well with each other.
Only among the bronzes is it possible to make some changes based on what you are finding in the ladder.
DIFFICULTY
Difficult
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/58e694187a0e1dc0a57de0d58be3a137
AUTHOR
WhiteWolf19__
INTRODUCTION
Deck that we have known well in recent months because it is permanently present in the Meta, it is also relaunched in our Gwent Meta Snapshot #15 – ENG thanks to the introduction of the Meta definer Sunset Wanderers card, incredibly synergistic with the discard mechanics.
STRENGTHS
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Extremely overwhelming with the Red Coin, he is able to easily win Round 1 even cards thanks to the numerous Tempo plays provided by the discard package, the reach guaranteed by the Leader positions and a heavy control on the opponent’s board.
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Excellent push of Round 2 above all thanks to the new Sunset Wanderers card which in combo with the draws provided by the discard package will be able to become even more powerful than in other archetypes.
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Very strong against engine or swarm decks.
WEAKNESSES
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This deck suffers a lot from the Blue Coin as it does not enjoy a lot of proactive play.
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Often with the Blue Coin you risk overbetting to win Round 1 and secure the push of Round 2.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Tyrggvi Tuirseach and Dorregaray of Vole can be entered. Even the variant with Madoc never goes out of fashion.
DIFFICULTY
Medium
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/46e861ae2eda0b1b64abcf89e3f4865c
AUTHOR
infern-ale
DESCRIPTION
With the change of Meta this month, the addition of Sunset Wanderers and the support received last month, Druid deck, the excellence aggro deck of the Skellige islands, is back stronger than ever.
STRENGTHS
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Many different but synergistic combinations make the deck often unpredictable.
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Long rounds are impossible for the opponent to counter without the help of more than one tall punisher.
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The presence of many units with armor and the passive of the Leader ability, make opponent pings ineffective, especially the random ones.
WEAKNESSES
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Slightly suffers from tall punisher.
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Constrained to play a sequence of suboptimal cards many times due to Sunset Wanderers.
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The removal of Scenario causes you to lose a lot of points over the course of the round if also followed by control responses on the Crow Clan Preachers.
DIFFICULTY
Difficult
TIER 3
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/34f030a71dc152e9e609140bd60f4621
AUTHOR
gigifacile
INTRODUCTION
Last season had seen the return in Meta of the card based on the mechanics of Prosperity par excellence: Koschey. Backed by the new Ancestral Creatures Pack, the deck had established itself as one of last month’s best. With the patch, however, CDPR has adjusted the game a bit by nerfing very strong engines such as the Witch Apprentice, reducing (by a lot) the strength of the deck. This new list presents some important changes compared to the old one: in particular, the new Sunset Wanderers card has been introduced which, in addition to being strong in itself, allows us to draw an extra card for free, thus increasing the chances of having in hand Koschey, our only win condition. First place of Tier 3 for our Gwent Meta Snapshot #15 – ENG
STRENGTHS
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Strongest 5-card round ever if you have the Caranthir Ar-Feiniel + Koschey combo in your hand
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Relative ease of winning the First Round thanks to strong engines such as Endrega Larva and Witch Apprentice
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Very strong short round if the graveyard has been set up properly
WEAKNESSES
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It is MANDATORY to draw Koschey, otherwise it is game over
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In a very long round there is the risk of overswarming and therefore being forced to discard due to lack of space on the board
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Very often we find ourselves forced to win Round 1 and push Round 2 to shorten the final round, thus risking losing a card
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Almost total absence of control of the opponent’s board
TACTICAL CHOICES
You can think of removing Cave Troll and a Ghoul to insert Korathi Heatwave to have a strong removal, at the expense of a protection tool for Koschey.
DIFFICULTY
Medium
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/b48c0436ff72d5c358e0a18537c45ff8
AUTHOR
Quigon96
DESCRIPTION
All the archetypes of Nilfgaard whose weak point was not having a play time to win the round, thanks to Sunset Wanderers and the leader Tactical Decision, have found a solution. Among these, stands an old acquaintance, Mill, hated by many and loved by others.
STRENGTHS
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The archetype is based on reducing the number of cards in the opponent’s deck in order to have more than one card advantage in Round 3. Going for seconds is a big advantage to win the 1st Round, thus allowing you to continue to thin the opponent’s deck during the 2nd Round.
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It has the best answer to Sunset Wanderers, namely Ivar Evil-Eyes, and also thanks to Kingslayers, it can remove key cards from the opponent’s deck.
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Once the opponent’s deck has been reduced to the bone, cards such as Matta Hu’uri, Tibor Eggebracht, Vilgefortz and Imperial Golem, will not apply their negative effects, and they are also all possible Renew targets.
WEAKNESSES
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Starting with Blue Coin almost certainly means losing at even or winning with 2 cards of disadvantage.
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The opponent can play around the Mill strategy by playing Sunset Wanderers from the hand or leaving their tutors in the deck.
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If the opponent does not allow us to play Teleportation on Kingslayers, the deck cannot be reduced to 0.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Dead Man’s Tongue can be replaced.
DIFFICULTY
Average
Special Mention
DECKLIST
https://www.playgwent.com/en/decks/7d522e2a42ff2444568c94cd9bfc2e7b
AUTHORS
DESCRIPTION
The deck looks like a classic Spell Gord with a minimum of 13 units, the rest is made up of special cards to maximize the value of our Harald Gord.
Spells synergize with the Sorceresses of Dol Blathanna and above all with Francesca, who we can protect with Defender and with the leader ability Forge of Mahakam, immediately bringing her Counter to 2. In the next turn, using for example Oneiromancy on Korathi Heatwave, we immediately bring the Counter to 0 and we can play another Korathi in the same turn!
STRENGTHS
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The addition of Sunset Wanderers, together with Novigradian Justice, allow good tempo plays to a control deck.
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Oneiromancy allows a very strong short round 3 thanks to our Gord, well enhanced by the many spells played during the game.
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The deck uses numerous Dwarfs engines, very useful, thanks to the synergy with the Forge of Mahakam, to keep precious points on the board.
WEAKNESSES
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It is definitely not a top tier deck to face the ones currently in meta.
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The deck is not easy to play, but certainly fun for all Scoia’tael fans, which is why it is included in our Special Mentions section.
