Welcome to our 16th meta report! Despite the hotfix, SK continues to dominate the ladder. NG can play Masquerade Ball with soldiers and spies, Hefty Helge, or even Double Cross Assimilate. NR relies on a Devotion Uprising deck with Viraxas, which seems to be very strong in the current meta.
As expected, SY is sticking to their old tricks with Passiflora. MO are back in full force, mainly due to Ethereal shenanigans. After the nerf to Harmony, the downfall of ST was undeniable. There are some playable leaders like Deadeye Ambush and Precision Strike, however the green faction is clearly the weakest link.
We will update the report regularly in order to provide the community with a spot-on representation of the pro rank meta. You can join our Discord if you have any questions.
Editing: Wusubi
Writers: Anda, Jagdulf, Thekeyer, Minuano, Pajabol, SpecimenGwent
Consultants: BeardyBog, BUSHr, Gravesh, Green-Knight, KingChezz, Lorakko, Saber97, Spyro, xCyBerZz
With the new expansion, SK received some over-the-top tools for one of its already refined and successful archetypes. Now equipped with bronzes that rival your opponent’s golds and arguably the two best cards in Gwent, Blood Eagle and Harald the Cripple, SK has managed to solidify its place as the king of the meta. Even after the recent hotfix, this deck still feels unfair to play against, often snatching a win from disadvantageous circumstances. -Minuano
Strengths:
- Extremely strong bronze package allows you to trade even in points with your opponent’s gold cards
- Due to the Veteran keyword and Blood Eagle, the deck has an incredible bleed (and 2-0) potential, while being powerful in both long and short Round 3
Weaknesses:
- Other than the slightly unfavored matchup against Imperial Formation, there isn’t a glaring weakness
Considerations:
- You can try Particidal Fury
- Tyrggvi, Drummond Berserker → Wild Boar, An Craite Warrior
The introduction of Ethereal resulted in Fruits of Ysgith making a comeback, functioning as a 3-points-per-turn ability. Caranthir allows you to use Ethereal in 2 different rounds. Earlier into the season, the deck included Haunt and a small Deathwish package. However, it got pushed out of the meta because it lacked the crucial removal tools. After Tailbot’s success in the Top 16 qualifier, a control-oriented version has taken over the ladder. -Wusubi
Strengths:
- The deck can win Round 1 cheaply if you manage to find Caranthir & Ethereal
- Your game plan is very flexible thanks to a great combination of control tools, engines and some finishers for Round 3
Weaknesses:
- Somewhat draw dependent
- Ethereal swarms the board, so you’ll get punished by Hemdall and Wild Boar
Considerations:
- Lambert: Swordmaster for the mirror matches
- Parasite, Noonwraith → Alzur’s Thunder, Naglfar’s Taskmaster
Draug gets farmed by SK and has fallen out of favor, but it’s also difficult to build a functional Midrange deck without creating a weaker version of SK. The best option for NR is a Devotion deck which includes Viraxas and Kerack Marines. Engines like Frigate, Temerian Drummer and Anna Strenger can be pulled with Amphibious Assault which allows you to win Round 1 and bleed the opponent in Round 2, while also offering a lot of value in a long Round 3. -Wusubi
Strengths:
- You have strong engines and control tools, Viraxas can reset Anséis or Baron
- Amphibious Assault provides you with an easy way to win Round 1 and also makes pushing deep into Round 2 appealing
Weaknesses:
- Row punish will hurt since you swarm the board a fair bit with Kerack Frigate
- Although the deck includes John Natalis and Amphibious Assault, you don’t have access to 5 of your high-end golds, which makes it a bit draw dependent
Considerations:
- Reynard, Ronvid, Voymir
- You can try a greedier version with Siege
Gwent veterans who have been around since Open Beta might remember the good old machine gun NG spies deck. The archetype is back and stronger than ever, mainly because it’s one of the very few decks that can actually beat SK. Braathens is amazing, as his card pool consists of 3 guaranteed options. It’s worth mentioning that Usurper Emperor will have the Aristocrat tag in Round 3, thus proccing your Scenario. -Jagdulf
Strengths:
- Healthy amount of control tools coupled with strong engines makes this deck incredibly powerful in a long round
- Multiple packages which synergize with each other, e.g. Fergus applying the Spying status will proc Thirsty Dame and Impera Enforcers
Weaknesses:
- Vulnerable to Bomb Heaver
- If you lose Round 1, you can get bullied in Round 2 if you miss a few key cards
Considerations:
- You can try Lockdown
- Bribery & Menno Coehoorn, Alba Spearman
The new expansion has introduced a mechanic called Devotion, which forbids you from playing Neutral cards such as Bomb Heaver if you want to benefit from it. In other words, it’s free real estate for Masquerade Ball. Our featured deck utilizes Lockdown, which is especially effective against Second Wind. It shows potential on ladder, now including more proactive soldiers like Tortoise, making first say less awkward than usual. -Minuano
Strengths:
- More consistent with the inclusion of Oneiromancy and the bundle of soldiers that help you with proactivity
- Assire enables Red coin abuse, allowing you to play Masquerade Ball in Round 1 and then shuffle it back into your deck
Weaknesses:
- Bomb Heaver and Heatwave, albeit rare in the current meta, can cause serious problems for this deck
- Archetypes that go more wide than tall can be difficult to play against, as they don’t give you good Poison targets
Considerations:
- Imperial Formation with Affan
- Lockdown, Deithwen Arbalest → Tactical Decision, Maraal
While the new expansion introduced a lot of support for spies, the deck built around Hefty Helge is still one of the best options to climb with NG. It includes a strong Tactic package, Stefan Skellen, tall removal and Braathens as a powerful and flexible card. Ramon and a couple of soldiers will help you secure Round 1. You have a decent matchup against SK, which makes the deck even more appealing. -Pajabol
Strengths:
- Powerful Red coin abuse with Ramon and the soldier package
- The deck is great at abusing first say in Round 2, as Helge and Stefan are very threatening engines that can make use of Ffion’s protection
Weaknesses:
- Somewhat draw dependent
- Vulnerable to tech cards like Korathi Heatwave
Considerations:
- Maraal, Cupbearer, 2x Fangs
The best approach to SY is still the same - ignore the new cards and stick with Passiflora. Mutants Maker is a wonderful addition to Devotion decks, but you’ll have to get rid of them if you want to play Bomb Heaver. Wild Card seems to be the best ability this season, offering the strong Graden win condition. The inclusion of Caleb Menge makes your leader more flexible, allowing you to proc 2 chapters of Passiflora in 1 turn if you leader into Vivaldi Bank. -Wusubi
Strengths:
- Powerful in a long round with the engine-overload approach
- You have a plethora of control tools in Philippa Eilhart, Graden, Ewald Borsodi and the bronze Poison package
Weaknesses:
- With an awkward hand, you will struggle in Round 1, especially on Blue coin
- The deck is vulnerable to a well-excuted Round 2 bleed and/or Bomb Heaver
Considerations:
- Blood Money, Jackpot
- You can try the version with Luiza & Savolla
With the Master Mirror expansion introducing new support cards for Assimilate such as Braathens, Coup de Grace and Mage Torturer, the archetype is finally somewhat successful in the current meta. Tailored by Shaggy, this Double Cross deck combines engines with Create cards. The leader procs your engines and gives you a lot of provisions to work with. You can snowball in a long round, often scoring 100+ points. -Pajabol
Strengths:
- The engine-overload approach can overwhelm the opponent
- Extremely strong in a long round with huge point-swings like Triss: Telekinesis into Experimental Remedy pulling Duchess’s Informant
Weaknesses:
- The deck is weak to being bled
- Vulnerable to tall punish, heavy control decks and other engine-overload decks, since you have almost no removal
Considerations:
- Invocation → Hen Gaidth Sword
With SK dominating the meta, MO has to be even greedier than usual to survive. This version includes Haunt and the newly added Frost package. The game plan is quite simple: win Round 1, bleed your opponent in Round 2 and ideally win a short Round 3 with Auberon Conqueror and Ozzrel, utilizing your packages to their full potential. If Haunt is left untouched, it represents a huge amount of points. -Andasama
Strengths:
- Werecat punishes row-stacking and Miruna can yoink an engine
- Solid mix of packages - Frost for tempo and thinning, some Thrive and tall units, as well as Haunt and Deathwish units
Weaknesses:
- Tall removal, Bomb Heaver
- With Auberon and Winter Queen, you don’t want to break Devotion, which also means that you can’t play Neutral cards like Bomb Heaver or Heatwave
Considerations:
- Manticore, Wild Hunt Bruiser
ST is struggling right now. The new cards are a bit underwhelming and the nerf to Harmony killed the faction’s best performing deck. One of the more popular decks on ladder is Deadeye Ambush, utilizing Eithné Young Queen as a value play and Forest Protector for extra removal. If you win Round 1 and push Round 2 with Vernossiel and Aelirenn, the deck can be quite scary. What truly holds you back is the bad matchup against SK. -Thekeyer
Strengths:
- The deck packs multiple big tempo plays
- Strong control tools in Oak, Forest Protector and Rebuke, Yaevinn and Poison
Weaknesses:
- Wide punish, you can't win against Hemdall and Wild Boar
Considerations:
- Water of Brokilon, Freixenet
While Devotion ST can lack the tall removal if you don’t run the Poison package, with so many ways of killing engines, it excels against most factions. Schirrú is the necessary evil, providing you with a threatening win condition against SK. The deck is stacked with solid cards which get good value for their provision cost. Circle of Life is a neat card which can offer some removal and carry-over. -SpecimenGwent
Strengths:
- Schirrú is great at punishing swarm decks
- Lots of control tools with good pay-off for running Devotion, making the deck powerful in a long Round 3
Weaknesses:
- No form of tall punish
- The deck is reactive, some of your cards can be awkward in a shorter Round 3
Considerations:
- Milaen, Pavko
Funnily enough, the ST version of Gord ended up ignoring both Symbiosis and Devotion. It combines a resilient dwarf package with cheeky engines that tend to run rampant. Oneiromancy is a convenient addition, greatly improving the deck’s consistency while allowing you to tutor Heatwave. You want to win Round 1 and push deep into Round 2, with the aim of making Round 3 as short as possible. -Wusubi
Strengths:
- Great at Red coin abuse with a powerful mix of cheap engines, removal options and a few high-tempo plays
- Mahakam Forge’s passive ability protects your dwarf units, while its active part can be used to protect Johnny or to get extra value from Yarpen
Weaknesses:
- Vulnerable to tall punish
- You can’t win a long round vs the top dogs of the meta, which forces you to win Round 1 and then bleed them with the risk of giving them card advantage
Considerations:
- Xavier Moran, Adrenaline Rush
Congregate Gord can utilize some new toys from the Master Mirror expansion. Oneiromancy makes it much easier to find your combo pieces and Heatwave. You can apply a lot of pressure with Intimidate engines and Whoreson Senior, ideally forcing a short Round 3. Jacques offers 12 points and improves your Congregation and Procession of Penance. Mutated Hounds provide the Salamandra tag for Assault if one of your Mutants gets answered. -Wusubi
Strengths:
- Portal and Whoreson Senior put multiple engines on the board in just one turn
- The deck includes some engines and a lot of removal, while also having potent finishers in Jacques and Gord
Weaknesses:
- You need to draw Portal or Oneiromancy in Round 1 to execute your game plan
- SK and NG can shut down your engines with ease, which makes the matchup against these factions rather underwhelming
Considerations:
- Azar Javed, Fallen Knight
Changelog
July 22 - Added Double Ball to Tier 2.
July 24 - Added Assimilate to Tier 2. Updated decks for Ethereal Fruits and Hefty Helge.
July 27 - Added Mahakam Forge and Congregate to Tier 3. Multiple changes to decks and star ratings.
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