Snapshot represents the set of the main competitive decks which, divided by tier, create a complete vision of the current meta. Snapshot varies according by the changes introduced (about every month) each time a new season begins.
Tier 1 = This section contains decks that tend to define the meta, to be competitive against other Tiers 1 and not to be disadvantaged starting from Blue Coins. They provide a favorable match-up against the lower tier decks.
Tier 2 = This section contains decks that are less consistent than Tier 1 but, with optimal access to all the resources of the deck, they could win against Tier 1 decks. They suffer more from the Blue Coin.
Tier 3 = This section contains the decks that can have a good winrate but suffer the match-ups against decks of the upper Tiers. In some cases there may be variations of some cards compared to the stronger Tiers.
Tier 4 = This section contains decks that in the current Meta have difficulty competing against the higher Tier. Crafting these decks is only recommended for fans of a certain faction and not for new players.
Special Mentions = Decks difficult to pilot, but in the right hands they can compete against the major tiers. Finally, they have the advantage of the surprise effect which should not be underestimated. These decks are also not recommended for inexperienced players.
Star symbol meaning: The increasing number of stars indicates the strength that the deck expresses within the Tier of belonging. The greater the number of stars, the greater the force expressed.
Since Syndicate hasn’t been heavily nerfed in the latest patch (5.2), Blood Money still remains one of the best abilities in the current meta in spite of the provision point lost. In fact, this archetype doesn’t rely only on its good board control, but it also has a wide range of high-value cards that give different ways to outplay your opponent.
The deck has enough flexibility to play efficiently in both a short round and in a long one. Passiflora gives you strong engines in a long round and it also ensure enough points to win a short one. Combining the leader ability with Philippa, Ewald Borsodi or Moreelse, it grants you a powerful board control. Lastly, the evergreen combo Luiza-Savolla allows you to have strong high-tempo play useful in every situation.
WEAKNESSES
On Blue Coin, you could lose on even cards against an high tempo deck because of the lack of proactive plays Syndicate has. In addition to that, the absence of a tutor may have a negative effect on the game.
TACTICAL CHOICES
For a more aggressive playstyle, Imke can be replaced by Tinboy. Another option is to cut a Mutated Hound and replace it with another Sly Seductress in order to trigger its Bonded ability.
Given the recent nerf to the classic Greatswords engine archetype, Skellige has the opportunity to rely again on Gedyneith combining ships and druids without giving up his final Wild Boar play which, given the meta evolution, is even more incisive in a long Round 3.
CORE CARDS
Gedyneith, Wild Boar of the Sea, Crowmother, Ermion.
STRENGTHS Contrary to the classic Skellige lists that take advantage of the ships, this archetype can count on a very strong brief Round 3 that can stand even the most aggressive Monsters lists. Thanks to Scenario we’ll be able to build a combo of more than 30 points with a single swing using our leader on Ermion for tutoring a Freya’s Blessing to bring back one of our bronze druids.
WEAKNESSES
Blue Coin or suboptimal draws often open a pushing window for the opponent, in some cases we may be forced to use Scenario and/or leader in Round 2, greatly compromising our potential in a short Round 3.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Donar an Hindar can be replaced with a single An Craite Greatsword which, in some match ups such as against Monsters, results in a strong play combined with Morkvarg on a boosted unit such as Ozzrel or Glustyworp. In this case we can replace the Tuirseach Bearmster with a copy of Dimun Corsair, Bomb Heaver or Stribog Runestone.
The recent shift of the meta allowed this deck to find more space in ladder, since it is able to generate an incredible amount of points, in specific situations. After the nerf to the Harmony decks, Elves seems to be the best way to win games with Scoia’tael.
CORE CARDS
Feign Death, Radeyah, Vernossiel and Isengrim.
STRENGHTS
While having an optimal hand, this deck is able to maximise the points at our avaibility, through cards which creates great combos together, such as Radeyah and Feign Death, or Vernossiel and the leader ability to get Aelirenn out of the deck. If those synergies get triggered, you’ll have an extraordinary value also on Yaevinn and Isengrim. In addition, the Poison package allow us to manage the wide Monsters presence in the meta.
WEAKNESSES
The deck is highly draw-dependant, so without an optimal hand, or in the case of the opponent pushing Round 2, this deck might suffer a lot and this could cost us the game.
TACTICAL CHOICES
The Gold package is almost completely staple, the only changes we could afford to do is referred to the bronze package, where we might want to switch Vriehdd Dragoon with Nature’s Rebuke.
Slightly changed from the previous version, this archetype has evolved to implement Lacerate against swarm Elves and the Syndicate Defenders.
CORE CARDS
Imlerith, Ozzrel, Yghern, Triss: Telekinesis.
STRENGTHS
Really strong on Red Coin this deck allows us to win on even cards driving the Round properly. Few decks are able to stand above short Rounds with both Ozzrel and Glustyworp.
WEAKNESSES
Going on a long Round reduce the impact of our power plays. The archetype is also really weak to Poison mechanics.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Predatory Dive can be changed for a second Hideous Feast. Royal Decree can be included in place of Naglfar downgrading the Predatory Dive spot for a four provision card.
This list takes advantage of the pointslam mechanic enforced by Bleeding, typical of Vampire decks. In this way, those two mechanics synergize well with one another ensuring us both a good short and long round.
CORE CARDS
Living Armor, Orianna, Caranthir Ar-Feiniel.
STRENGTHS
The biggest strength of this list is its flexibility. Thanks to units such as Yghern and Golyat that synergize well with Thrive units (Endrega Larva, Bruxa, Drowner) winning Round 1 should be pretty easy, allowing us whether to push in Round 2 or drypass in order to have a long Round 3 with The Beast and Orianna, our two main engines. In a short Round 3 the cards that we want to have in hand are Caranthir + Living Armor and Ozzrel.
WEAKNESSES
Despite of the fact that this list is able to develop a lot of points during a long Round, lists such as Passiflora Syndicate or Harmony Scoia’tael are still able to produce more points. In such situations, a push in Round 2 is needed, but sometimes it could be difficult due to bad draws. Despite the presence of many removal options in this list, sometimes they are not enough to face heavy engine decks.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Parasite can be changed for Alzur’s Thunder and Noonwraith for Drowner.
This Imperial Formation deck is very similar to his past version and only Yennefer’s Invocation has been nerfed with the last update. The deck still has a strong synergy within its cards.
CORE CARDS
Ramon Tyrconnel, Menno Coehoorn, Damien de la Tour, Stefan Skellen, Ffion var Gaernel, Ard Feainn Crossbowman.
STRENGTHS
This deck is built to win Round 1 on even cards on Red Coin, thanks to Ramon + Crossbowman combo. Defender is useful to protect our core Gold cards such as Damien and Skellen. Skellen can pull out some good gold cards from our opponent’s deck with double Bribery or thin the deck with double Royal Decree. Leader charges can help us pushing Round 2 and protect our cards.
WEAKNESSES
Missing Ramon + Crossbowman in Round 1 can cost us the game, since we could not be able to win it, especially while on Blue Coin. RNG factor has a huge impact on the deck and lowrolling Bribery has a great impact on our chances of winning the game. Learning when and how to play Damien and Skellen is hard and, if the opponent can kill them, the game is most likely lost.
TACTICAL CHOICES
This deck is really synergistic, so the only changes are in the Bronze cards: Bomb Heaver insead of Imperial Diviner and Magic Lamp instead of Collar.
This archetype is back in the meta mostly because of its ability to counter Monsters, a faction that is ever-present and quite oppressive at the time of writing.
CORE CARDS
Masquerade Ball, Joachim de Wett, Vincent Van Moorlehem and Assire var Anahid.
STRENGHTS
This deck allow you to play Masquerade Ball twice in a game. Thus, Scenario can be played in Round 1 in case the opponent starts on Blue Coin, empowering you to win the Round without going one card down and making you gain the upper hand.
WEAKNESSES
Should your opponent win Round 1 and keep playing in Round 2, then the deck will struggle. The reason for that is this archetype cannot generate enough points in a short Round. Nonetheless, the leader ability and Joachim de Wett can help reduce the point gap, even though in most cases it could not be enough.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Myrgtabrakke and Bomb Heaver can be replaced with Sweers and King Cobra respectively.
Scoia’tael has suffered much with the 5.2 patch, Precision Strike ability has been the most targeted by nerfs, however the harmony archetype remains very solid and able to battle for both short and long rounds, it’s still the best archetype available in this faction.
CORE CARDS
Water of Brokilon, Call of the Forest, Fauve, Percival Schuttenbach, The Great Oak.
STRENGTHS
The harmony package is so flexible and synergical that, despite the nerfs, it generates a huge value. The nerf to Percival Schuttenbach and Water of Brokilon do not prevent such cards to keep the round if left uncontested on the board. Same thing for The Great Oak, which despite losing one body point remains an exceptional powerplay.
WEAKNESSES
The only flaw of this list are the draws: having two Brokilon Sentinel in the deck and bad picks in the first two rounds often forces us to mulligan more than we should in Round 3 increasing the risk to brick our leader triple summon.
TACTICAL VARIATIONS
It’s possible to replace Geralt: Igni and Treant Boar for Figgis Merluzzo and Milaen or leave Treant Boar and change Toruviel instead, upgrading a Dol Blathanna Bowman with a five provisions card.
The heavy nerf to Scoia’tael with 5.2, despite not affecting Mystic Echo directly, increased Water of Brokilon’s provisions and nerfed The Great Oak making even more difficult to deckbuild around this leader, but thanks to the huge value of the bronze faction cards you can still play this archetype and leader with excellent results.
CORE CARDS
The Great Oak, Water of Brokilon, Fauve, Percival Shuttenbach, Barnabas Beckenbauer.
STRENGTHS
Although weakened cards like The Great Oak and Water of Brokilon provide a huge value, the ability to play Water or Call of the Forest twice makes this leader one of the best options for the harmony archetype which remains a dangerous enemy both on long and short rounds.
WEAKNESSES
Having to fill the deck with a large amount of bronze cards, on Blue Coin Round 1 can be difficult in some match up, forcing us out of the Round earlier than necessary to preserve Gold cards (which, given the multiple nerfs, are even less than before), or in the worst case we’ll have to play them to avoid being pushed from the opponent.
TACTICAL VARIATIONS
The provisions nerf led Mystic Echo to drop the poison package, if you want you can re-insert it by removing both copies of Dwarven Chariot and Treant Boar for two copies of Dryad Ranger and Weeping Willow.
Even if Wild Card has fewer provisions than other Syndicate’s leaders, they are enough anyway to play the best faction cards and have the possibility to play 2 cards on the same turn thanks to leader’s ability.
In long rounds Passiflora brings a quantity of points unmanageable for almost all the other decks, and combined with the classic Wild Card play that is: leader taking Slander from the deck and Graden killing a unit with Bounty status, it brings the game almost always on our side.
WEAKNESSES
Be careful during mulligans in order to leave at least one Slander in the deck. There are not many Blindeyes to activate Scenario’s chapters so use them well!
TACTICAL CHOICES
You can insert Tinboy insted of Passiflora and remove two Sly Seductress inserting Dire Mutated Hound and another Mutated Hounds.
Since both Northern Realms and Scoia’tael received a nerf in the last patch, Syndicate is starting to be considered the real Tier 1 of this meta. Although Blood Money is still the best leader ability of the faction, people started to play other abilities as well, such as Off the Books. With the discount of 1 coin on all the tributes, this leader ability is able to guarantee us more than 10 points per game.
CORE CARDS
Passiflora, Moreelse, Adriano the Mink, Madame Luiza, Savolla, Fence.
STRENGTHS
Unlike other Syndicate decks, this one has a good amounts of proactive plays, such as Arena Ghouls, and high tempo bronzes like Fence, able to reach 10 power instantly by paying its tribute. Passiflora is our best card in long rounds, while Luiza-Savolla is our combo for short rounds.
WEAKNESSES
This deck could be in a difficult position if pushed in Round 2 without an optimal hand. In this case, we could be forced to spend our leader charges, making us lose a lot of value in Round 3.
TACTICAL CHOICES
It is possible to replace Moreelse or The Flying Redanian with Imke, in order to generate more coins. If you feel this deck lacks of some spenders, you can replace an Arena Ghoul for a Coerced Blacksmith.
With the nerf to the Trebuchets, the Northern Realms Scenario has lost a lot in terms of value. Consequently, having to find an equally valid archetype, the most obvious choice fell on the Vicious Slash which allows you to have a good control game.
CORE CARDS
Draug, Queen Adalia, Falibor.
STRENGTHS
The deck allows us to have a good long Round guaranteed by Draug into Caravan Vanguard. The ability to control the opponent’s board with cards like Philippa, Falibor and the ability of the leader himself allows us to control the Rounds.
WEAKNESSES
Suboptimal draws and missing core cards means suffer short Rounds, losing the first one could influence the game in a bad way.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Ronvid the Incessant can be swapped for Sabrina Glevissig, Geralt: Axii for Bloody Baron and Bomb Heaver for Pellar.
Despite the provisions nerf to Second Wind and the body nerf to some Skellige units such as An Craite Longship, the Greatswords archetype is still one of the best available from our beloved islands as the Dagur plus Wild Boar of the Sea combo is still capable of generating a huge amount of points while the leader simplify the combo, particularly in a last say situation.
CORE CARDS
Wild Boar of the Sea, Dagur Two Blades, An Craite Greatsword, An Craite Longship, Dimun Light Longship.
STRENGTHS
The wide spectrum of faction’s removal tools combined with the multiple sources of damage guaranteed by the bronze and gold cards often generates a Wild Boar of the Sea plus Dagur Two Blade and/or An Craite Greatsword extremely incisive in Round 3. The ability to play this combo twice thanks to Second Wind makes this list the best available fot Skellige.
WEAKNESSES
Some high tier archetypes in the meta related to Syndicate and Scoia’tael factions have the ability to play around our multiple damage effects by boosting their units on the board in the long round making in some cases our combo not strong enough, especially if we played Morkvarg or Avallach in Round 1, while others like Monsters may be able to quickly push us on Round 2 if we didn’t draw optimal cards.
TACTICAL VARIATIONS
Bomb Haver and Raiding Fleet can be replaced by Donar an Hindar and Stribog Runestone. Alternatively Hammond and Bomb Heaver can be swapped for Donar an Hindar and Heymaey Flaminica for a constant row healing effect useful in mirrors.
The 17 provisions guaranteed by Double Cross allow us to have two really strong plays within the same deck Masquerade Ball and Portal that make our approach to the game versatile on both long and short rounds. The peculiarity of our leader, as well as synergizing with assimilate elements, allows us to anticipate the opposing finisher.
STRENGTHS
Placing multiple engines on the board at the same time makes it difficult to be pushed by the opponent. Playing 4 provisions units with the same ability makes the Portal safe from brick.
WEAKNESSES
There aren’t many Aristocrats so they must be played really carefully. Failing at drawing Portal heavily affects our ability to face a long round.
Ffion Vaen Gaernel instead of Yennefer’s Invocation. Assire Van Anahid in place of Yennefer’s Invocation if you want the chance to play Portal or Masquerade Ball twice, replacing one Tournament Joust for Rot Tosser.
Thanks to the recent shift in the meta that prefer Scenarios based decks hard to push on Round 2, this archetype manages to carve out again its space in the meta after months of inactivity. You should be very careful how you use the leader as the points achievable on long Rounds are lower than other top tiers making really important to understand how to perfectly push Round 2.
CORE CARDS
Gedyneith, Corrupted Flaminica, Axel Three-Eyes, Birna Bran.
STRENGTHS Like all Sacrificial Vanguard decks, we can take advantage of our leader discard target to abuse Red Coin thanks to our tempo plays threatening the opponent to win Round 1 on even cards. In a Blue Coin situation, for the same reasons, we can manage every match up.
WEAKNESSES Not being able to solve our Scenario in a single turn make us more vulnerable to artifact removals although unlike the lists based on Wild Boar we can still count on Corrupted Flaminica as a big Round 3 play.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Magic Lamp can be swapped for Crystal Skull depending on your personal taste or if the meta needs more purifies. Triss Telekinesis, although her impact and synergy, can be changed for Kambi, the exceeding provision allows us to turn Wolf Pack in Heymaey Skald to increase consistency to the discard mechanics.
This Monocopy Archetype is one of the best performing lists of Northern Realms at the moment, since the few Gold cards available are able to support entire games by themselves. Furthermore, the Combo Radeyah and Principe Anseis is one of the strongest synergies in this faction.
CORE CARDS
Siege, Shupe’s Day Off, Radeyah, Philippa: Blind Fury, Falibor and Anseis.
STRENGTHS
This Archetype, in presence of an optimal hand, allows us to have access to all the potential of the deck, fully exploiting the strength of its Gold cards. In addition, Shupe guarantees some versatility to the deck.
WEAKNESSES
With a suboptimal hand instead, being the deck very dependent on the draws, missing one of the cards mentioned above can be fatal in many games. Furthermore, it is necessary to keep at least a Reinforced Trebuchet or Battering Ram in the deck everytime in order not to lose the Faction ability.
TACTICAL CHOICES
The Gold package is quite irreplaceable, while in the bronze cards you can find several valid alternatives.
With the huge nerf to Trebuchets in the last patch there was a general weakening of many of the Northern Realms decks. The untouched Commandos instead have the chance to impose themselves in the meta even more effectively than before.
CORE CARDS
Roche: Merciless, Draug, Blue Stripes Commando, Blue Stripes Scout.
STRENGTHS
Thanks to our bronze engines combined with Pavetta we can take advantage of four or more commandos, generated in a single turn, both in short round -as a simple tempo swing- and in a long round when combined with Draug, to immediately generate a big threat on the board with several simultaneous Revenants which, added to the wide and synergical base value of our gold cards, allows us to manage practically any type of opposing board.
WEAKNESSES
In many match ups losing Round 1 means a defeat because if we can’t duplicate our Blue Stripes Commando with Blue Stripes Scouts or, in addition, if we didn’t manage to draw Pavetta within Round 2, we risk undergoing an opponent’s push leaving us to rely only on the gold cards to win the round and it may not be enough despite their great value.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Depending on the meta, Boiling Oil can be replaced by Bomb Heaver while Sabrina Glevissig can be swapped for Reinforcements to add strenght to our combo, losing however in offensive potential on the long round.
With the heavy nerf to the Trebuchets in the 5.2 patch, Northern Realms need several and more consistent mechanics to lean on and Royal Inspiration is among them, ensuring solid and consistent boosting points throughout the game without giving up the Gold cards power-plays available in the faction.
CORE CARDS
Queen Adalia, Anna Strenger, Geralt: Igni, Vissegerd, Nenneke.
STRENGTHS
The amount of points you can ideally get in a long round is one of the highest in all Gwent, making it a threat to all other top tier decks that need to take advantage from a long round to express their maximum potential as Skellige and Syndicate decks. Geralt: Igni combined with Nenneke, Vissegerd and/or Redanian Archer in a long round could develop more than 30/40 value points while we increase our points with buffing engines like Anna Strenger and Temerian Drummer making the point gap unbridgeable.
WEAKNESSES
Like all engine lists, slowness is its main flaw, despite having excellent round handling even through only bronze cards, faster lists or point slam plays like those of Scoia’tael and Monsters could easily push on Round 2 forcing us to use our best cards to not be two’ed or possibly bringing the Round 3 to five or less cards denying much of the potential of the deck that expresses itself mainly in the long round.
TACTICAL CHOICES
Prince Anseis and Coodcoodak can be replaced by Philippa: Blind Fury and a second copy of Kaedweni Sergeant, despite losing some strength in long rounds, it ensures a Philippa play that not only helps against Water of Brokilon or a seven armor Yghern but is a great card in general on Round 2.
