Is there a way to play efficiently with Stockpile?

[EmilyWoW]

So, i'm still on my quest for getting all the achievements for 100 wins with each basic ability, and I finally reached the most dreaded faction (NR) and the most dreaded LA (stockpile).

To be honest I don't like the NR, and this is the faction I played the least in Gwent. I don't like their mechanics which are mostly -play your cards in a certain order to win, or quit the game if you was distrupted -

Stockpile is.....urgh. So far I managed to get 20 wins with them, and all of them against starting players and some meme deck. Obviously not in ranked. THe whole ability is a weaker version of Onlaught that is already a meh ability. But if you can consistely have one dommage per ping with Onslaught, this isn't the case with Stockpile.

There is only 3 card in the game that give more then 1 point boost/damage per order - Shani unders inspiration (2 boost. 1 armor, best trade). Riek (2 bleeding) and Foltest Catapult (2 damage. Has to be between 2 soldier to work). All the other cards give you 1 boost or damage, making you a weaker version of Onlaught/Meve)

none of this card can be useful on the first round, but you need to play them as early as possible to maximize your ability, putting them at risk of removal.

And, as it's the case with most of badly designed abilities you HAVE to win R1. You ability and you deck is more then useless in short rounds

I tried to play it in two different ways - A deck really based on the charge mechanics, with mages, Shani, Riek, Catapult, aretouza, etc and just a consistent NR deck with good cards , with a couple of cards using the charge mechanics, to use you leader ability.

THe first one is underpowered as hell. You need a ton of cards to be efficient, you need you opponent playing some very autistic deck, being unable to distrupt you, focusing on either charge users or charge givers, removing/blocking/outrowing your most important cards, you won't survive any R2 drain if you lose R1. as after it your opponent will win even with one less card then you.

The second one is even worse, you have very few cards using the order mechanics, so except if you're extremely lucky. your shany/riek will get blasted to oblivion as soon as they appear, ending you playing a deck without leader ability (that would be a great match up against the ancient Ursuper lol), or just giving 1 ping to redanian archers.

Honestly this is the most difficult ability to get 100 wins with of all of those I complited (basically all except MO and SY). It's not challenging it's frustrating, especially taking in consideration that this ability hasn't been changed since the game release, and never been reworked, despite being crappy since day 1.

Does anybody has some advices about how to make a Stockpile deck that has a chance to win against anyone that is playing gwent more then 10 days?

 

[DRK3]

One of the best advices for Stockpile Mastery is to do it on Seasonal Modes where NR is favoured, you wont even need the leader ability. Unfortunately, there arent many of those seasonals, i did most of mine in wolf seasonal mode last year, but that is in January, so only if that mode comes back unexpectedly, since CDPR said they'll change seasonal mode every week now.

But to do it on Standard modes, it will be hard.
Most players are aware of stockpile's weakness, like sharks detecting blood, and will always push R2, even if they go a card down, often that isnt a problem due to Stockpile's lack of tempo.

The best advice really is to try and win R1 as hard as possible and go for the longest R3.
One common strategy is to include NR scenario, since its one of the best tempo cards, and has that machine that is really good with charges.

Also, its very important to know your matchups. Something with little control will be vulnerable to stockpile on long rounds, so they will also try as hard to win R1, but also push R2. On the other hand, you just lose to heavy- control decks, unless they play it really poorly.

Like, the new SY Lined Pockets. Its almost impossible for any engine-based stockpile deck to win against it, might as well auto-forfeit.
I have been on this matchup, fortunately on SY's side, and i didnt even push R2 (although most will), as i knew i would just remove every single unit played on R3, and when i ran out of removal, i was already like 40pts ahead and not enough turns for opponent to catch up.

Another hint: it might be worth to include both boosting and damage charge units. This way, if you go against lets say ST traps, where they spend 4-5 turns without giving you units, you can focus on boosts instead.

Finally, Defender is a must if you go engine-heavy, i've even seen many stockpile players (not that are many out there...) using Renew for Defender.

 

[Sensimilius]

It's just powercrept....
NG will spam 6 cheapass locks plus a 43234343243242 of removal, SK will kill all of your engines before they can get any real value so...
Gwent is now in a DEPLOY focused meta. Cards are expected to deal all of their value on deploy cuz if they don't get all value on deploy, on next turn they're either dying or locked.
And if a bronze engine isn't generating 2 or 3 points per turn (like Cat Witchers and Nauzica Sergeants) it's publicly laughed at lol. Gold engines are meanwhile expected to generate at least 5 points per turn so they don't get laughed at.

It would require thinking to get the most use out of it but even "most use" is weak compared to other stuff the devs favored.
But why use your brain when you can just play reactive and spam locks and damage on any even slightly useful card that the opponents plays?

They just need to move some of the 1313131 locks NG has to order abilities instead of deploy and maybe we can then have a tiny bit of fun.
And perhaps NG would have to start using their brains instead of "Me see unit, me lock, ha-ha me so good, me see defender, me Yeninnvo".

Post automatically merged: Mar 20, 2021

One common strategy is to include NR scenario, since its one of the best tempo cards, and has that machine that is really good with charges.

What are you talking about exactly?

 

[EduFerraz]

Well its been a while since i dont play draft Mode, but some months ago it was easy to reach 100 win games with stockpile in draft

 

[ReaperTek]

Well its been a while since i dont play draft Mode, but some months ago it was easy to reach 100 win games with stockpile in draft

Additionally to this in this week's seasonal mode Stockpile can be really strong (Double Defender, Vysogota and Dandelion) since you won't lack any engine's to put you're charges on.

 

[Messyr]

What are you talking about exactly?

Reinforced Ballista most likely.
Or maybe Foltest's Pride.

 

[DRK3]

It's just powercrept....
NG will spam 6 cheapass locks plus a 43234343243242 of removal, SK will kill all of your engines before they can get any real value so...
Gwent is now in a DEPLOY focused meta. Cards are expected to deal all of their value on deploy cuz if they don't get all value on deploy, on next turn they're either dying or locked.
And if a bronze engine isn't generating 2 or 3 points per turn (like Cat Witchers and Nauzica Sergeants) it's publicly laughed at lol. Gold engines are meanwhile expected to generate at least 5 points per turn so they don't get laughed at.

It would require thinking to get the most use out of it but even "most use" is weak compared to other stuff the devs favored.
But why use your brain when you can just play reactive and spam locks and damage on any even slightly useful card that the opponents plays?

They just need to move some of the 1313131 locks NG has to order abilities instead of deploy and maybe we can then have a tiny bit of fun.
And perhaps NG would have to start using their brains instead of "Me see unit, me lock, ha-ha me so good, me see defender, me Yeninnvo".

Post automatically merged: Mar 20, 2021

What are you talking about exactly?

Sorry, im bad with names, well, with the bronze generic ones at least.

I did mean reinforced ballista, its the only bronze siege engine that takes charges i believe, and receives additional charges on each warfare card played, so its a great trigger for NR scenario chapter 2.

Foltest Pride can be nice, and with the buff to smoke em out putting 2 adjacent soldiers isnt hard at all... Of course, it still suffers in comparison to the OPness that is Tunnel Drill with full purse+leader charges

 

[Sensimilius]

Hopefully they buff all of the NR charge cards soon. Literarily all except Redanian Archer and mayybe Cintrian Mage are underpowred, severly.

I tried with Huber Rejk (vampire dude) seems good when you look at him but the fact that he can't get any charges off by himself and that you actually need to wait for the opponent to have enough units on the board for him to be able to spread the bleeding (if no veiled units) AND the fact that NR has absolutely no synergy to work with bleeding makes him rather disappointing. But for example if he had a way to gain charges like maybe "Any time a unit dies during your turn, gain 1 charge." would make him much better, also it would fit in well cause he's a coroner so death is his thing. xD

Shani is absolutely unplayable considering how cost-ineffective she is and she also can't get any charges on her own and completely depends on either other cards or leader to enable her.

Aretuza Adepts are 4 provision cards obviously but in game they priced her at 5 which is insane lol.

Nenneke? wtf is this card hahahahaahh, like Visigota except she's EXTREMELY USELESS TO THE POINT OF UNPLAYABILITY!

Folstest's Pride? Like the Tunnel Drill only 3-4 times less cost-efficient.

Thaller? Well you already know...

Lyrian Arbalest - 3 power??!! lmao wtf, give this thing 2 armor and then it can be played.

Also if you que against the braindead lock spam from NG, uninteractive ST garbage or pure dmg avalanche from SK you're engines won't live to do anything.

The list probably goes on but I got stuff to do lol so this much will do.

 

[EduFerraz]

Hopefully they buff all of the NR charge cards soon. Literarily all except Redanian Archer and mayybe Cintrian Mage are underpowred, severly.

I tried with Huber Rejk (vampire dude) seems good when you look at him but the fact that he can't get any charges off by himself and that you actually need to wait for the opponent to have enough units on the board for him to be able to spread the bleeding (if no veiled units) AND the fact that NR has absolutely no synergy to work with bleeding makes him rather disappointing. But for example if he had a way to gain charges like maybe "Any time a unit dies during your turn, gain 1 charge." would make him much better, also it would fit in well cause he's a coroner so death is his thing. xD

Shani is absolutely unplayable considering how cost-ineffective she is and she also can't get any charges on her own and completely depends on either other cards or leader to enable her.

Aretuza Adepts are 4 provision cards obviously but in game they priced her at 5 which is insane lol.

Nenneke? wtf is this card hahahahaahh, like Visigota except she's EXTREMELY USELESS TO THE POINT OF UNPLAYABILITY!

Folstest's Pride? Like the Tunnel Drill only 3-4 times less cost-efficient.

Thaller? Well you already know...

Lyrian Arbalest - 3 power??!! lmao wtf, give this thing 2 armor and then it can be played.

Also if you que against the braindead lock spam from NG, uninteractive ST garbage or pure dmg avalanche from SK you're engines won't live to do anything.

The list probably goes on but I got stuff to do lol so this much will do.

Yes i think the problem is we dont have good gold cards with charges.

I mean, like you said, Huber Rejk and SHani are ridiculous.

Nornaly in stockpile you dont have too much control cards, and you control with your charges and pin cards. Give bleed to someone, even doing 2 bleeds (in theory less 2 points in 2 rounds) its not good. Almost all the time i prefer to have Lyrian Arbalest alive and getting 1 charge per order card and doing 1 damage point for charge, so i can try to control.

Shani is a litle good to defend your units, but the fact she doesnt get charges alone makes her too low tempo. So you problably will prefer to put a damage control first than Shani.

Foltest Pride its another ridiculous card. The same problem of the others 2 cards - you dont get charges alone - and a stupid condition to work. Need to be betwen 2 soldiers and in the front row this relly kill the entire deck. So i have vysigota and dandelion in the back row needing the defeender, but i have to put foltest pride and my Lyrian Arbalest in the front row (or i can put another soldier, but it will take a lot of rounds to setup everything....defeder, priscila, lyrian arbalest, vysigota and dandelion are all priority, so it consume 5 rounds. If you will put foltest pride and 2 more soldiers that is 8 rounds).


So, without good order/charge gold cards the deck suffer in last round, because you need to have some bronze cards in hand wich gives you more tempo than the gold one, but still isnt a good tempo (yes, i am talking about lyrian arbalest).

 

[Sensimilius]

Suggestion I have for Thaler:
He starts off with 2 charges and gains 1 charge every time the opponent plays a unit.
Inspired: Gain 1 charge any time the opponent plays any card instead.

He is a spymaster so I think it fits for him to get charges from opponents plays. I was also thinking to make it "if it's a unit with orders, gain 2 charges instead" but this may be too much lol.

I also think that in the future one of the coming leader cards will probably have to be support of Stockpile archetype. Maybe King Demevand card... Also I hope they rework Meve cause currently she's pretty bad, clunky and boring.