GWENT COLLECTION STRATEGIES
Card Selection Part II – Choosing Cards to Craft
When newer players are trying to grow their card collection, accumulating enough scraps to craft a card can be an exciting moment. But often, that accomplishment is accompanied by the question, “But which card should I craft?” If your collection strategy focuses around playing meta-decks, the answer is that you should craft the most important card(s) in the deck you want to play. If you are collecting based on optimal efficiency in resource use, the answer is that you should save your scraps until you get enough to craft all cards you have not yet found in kegs (but be aware that this could easily take two years).
But I suspect most players want to craft good cards they can use to build strong decks of their own without directly downloading meta decks. This article is not to tell such players what to craft, but rather to help them make wise decisions. The big differences between crafting and choosing between cards offered in a keg are that crafting gives you unrestricted choice of (almost) any Gwent card, and that crafting need not rush your decision.
My first piece of advice on crafting is to only craft bronze (common or rare) cards in cases where you have immediate use for them in a deck. The reasons for this are simple. Common and rare cards are relatively easy to obtain. Individual bronze cards generally have low impact on match results. And bronze cards rarely are instrumental in shaping a deck – there are almost always suitable substitutes. Save your scraps until you can craft the more impactful epic and legendary cards.
When crafting gold cards, give highest priority to a card you believe would significantly improve an existing deck you enjoy using. This virtually guarantees the new card will make a difference in your game. When I was just beginning, I was very excited to be able to craft Artis: it was a card in the faction I was playing most, a card with a unique ability that I judged (correctly) could change a match, and a card that I thought would lead to interesting tactics. What I didn’t consider was that the card did not fit any of my decks, that the card works best with self-damage and healing units (of which I owned very few), and that the card is a bit tricky to use well. After a few aborted attempts to include Artis in a decent deck, he sat unused in my deck-builder for another 6 months. When I finally dusted him off, I found he was fun and strategic and not as bad as his very low rate of use might suggest. But he was certainly not a good first craft.
If you are not looking for a specific card for one of your decks, I recommend that your second crafting priority be finding good, all-purpose cards likely to significantly impact a wide variety of decks you are likely to play. If you dabble across multiple different factions, I recommend you look at neutral cards first. These cards can work with any faction. If you are focusing on a single faction, do not rule out good neutral cards, but gold cards in your faction should also be considered. Good, all-purpose cards for a beginner include cards with good removal abilities (e.g., Korathi Heatwave), cards that provide points and play other cards of a type you use (e.g., Triss: Telekinesis provided you play bronze special cards) cards that can provide a lot of points (e.g., Sunset Wanderers), cards with the defender status, cards with high tempo (that provide lots of points in a short time), cards that spread points out (rather than piling them on a single unit). As a beginner, I would not worry greatly about provision costs – I was a good 6 months into the game before I could build a reasonably synergistic deck that reached the provision limit. Of course, if you are more advanced, provision cost is an important consideration.
Cards I would avoid are cards that require specific synergy with cards you don’t own, cards with complex triggering conditions, cards whose purpose is not clear, cards whose value derives more from what your opponent does than from what you set up. I would also avoid too many cards that are very passive and do not attack your opponent.
Finally, do not be afraid you might craft a suboptimal card. Cards that interest and inspire you are far more valuable to your gaming experience than cards that squeeze out a couple more points. Let your choices spur your unique imagination; let your creativity spur your choices. Earlier, I mentioned Artis as a “mistake”. But striving to make him useful, letting him inspire me to find different decks and strategies, letting me be immersed in possibilities both shaped me more as a player and brought much more enjoyment than crafting any generic meta-card would have. Mistakes are only in what you make of a card.
Card Selection Part II – Choosing Cards to Craft
When newer players are trying to grow their card collection, accumulating enough scraps to craft a card can be an exciting moment. But often, that accomplishment is accompanied by the question, “But which card should I craft?” If your collection strategy focuses around playing meta-decks, the answer is that you should craft the most important card(s) in the deck you want to play. If you are collecting based on optimal efficiency in resource use, the answer is that you should save your scraps until you get enough to craft all cards you have not yet found in kegs (but be aware that this could easily take two years).
But I suspect most players want to craft good cards they can use to build strong decks of their own without directly downloading meta decks. This article is not to tell such players what to craft, but rather to help them make wise decisions. The big differences between crafting and choosing between cards offered in a keg are that crafting gives you unrestricted choice of (almost) any Gwent card, and that crafting need not rush your decision.
My first piece of advice on crafting is to only craft bronze (common or rare) cards in cases where you have immediate use for them in a deck. The reasons for this are simple. Common and rare cards are relatively easy to obtain. Individual bronze cards generally have low impact on match results. And bronze cards rarely are instrumental in shaping a deck – there are almost always suitable substitutes. Save your scraps until you can craft the more impactful epic and legendary cards.
When crafting gold cards, give highest priority to a card you believe would significantly improve an existing deck you enjoy using. This virtually guarantees the new card will make a difference in your game. When I was just beginning, I was very excited to be able to craft Artis: it was a card in the faction I was playing most, a card with a unique ability that I judged (correctly) could change a match, and a card that I thought would lead to interesting tactics. What I didn’t consider was that the card did not fit any of my decks, that the card works best with self-damage and healing units (of which I owned very few), and that the card is a bit tricky to use well. After a few aborted attempts to include Artis in a decent deck, he sat unused in my deck-builder for another 6 months. When I finally dusted him off, I found he was fun and strategic and not as bad as his very low rate of use might suggest. But he was certainly not a good first craft.
If you are not looking for a specific card for one of your decks, I recommend that your second crafting priority be finding good, all-purpose cards likely to significantly impact a wide variety of decks you are likely to play. If you dabble across multiple different factions, I recommend you look at neutral cards first. These cards can work with any faction. If you are focusing on a single faction, do not rule out good neutral cards, but gold cards in your faction should also be considered. Good, all-purpose cards for a beginner include cards with good removal abilities (e.g., Korathi Heatwave), cards that provide points and play other cards of a type you use (e.g., Triss: Telekinesis provided you play bronze special cards) cards that can provide a lot of points (e.g., Sunset Wanderers), cards with the defender status, cards with high tempo (that provide lots of points in a short time), cards that spread points out (rather than piling them on a single unit). As a beginner, I would not worry greatly about provision costs – I was a good 6 months into the game before I could build a reasonably synergistic deck that reached the provision limit. Of course, if you are more advanced, provision cost is an important consideration.
Cards I would avoid are cards that require specific synergy with cards you don’t own, cards with complex triggering conditions, cards whose purpose is not clear, cards whose value derives more from what your opponent does than from what you set up. I would also avoid too many cards that are very passive and do not attack your opponent.
Finally, do not be afraid you might craft a suboptimal card. Cards that interest and inspire you are far more valuable to your gaming experience than cards that squeeze out a couple more points. Let your choices spur your unique imagination; let your creativity spur your choices. Earlier, I mentioned Artis as a “mistake”. But striving to make him useful, letting him inspire me to find different decks and strategies, letting me be immersed in possibilities both shaped me more as a player and brought much more enjoyment than crafting any generic meta-card would have. Mistakes are only in what you make of a card.