Let me introduce you first to my way to Gwent. It might help understanding my thoughts.
As a big fan of the TES series, I wasn't very excited, when a friend recommended a game called The Witcher 2. No open world, no freedom of choice for the protagonist, no extensive "learning by doing". Yet, I bought it and played.
And it was great. More of an adventure than an RPG, but the deep story and detailed characters really got me. For reasons not interesting enough to be mentioned, I then had a long pause from gaming. Only last year was it, that I finally bought The Witcher 3. I'm not even done with it (probably 65%), but 120 hours of playtime so far prove that I love it. The only thing that disappointed me was the game in a game, Gwint. Too simple to really be enjoyable.
I heard of Gwent being developed as a MP CCG, but first screenshots were almost exactly like Gwint, and so I didn't really think of it as a game I would enjoy. Then, a few months ago, I saw an ad. And it got my attention. A so much better game board, so much better designed cards (graphically), so much more attracting overall. And so I downloaded it and started.
The tutorial was fun, but it was only afterwards that I learned how bad it was in actually teaching how to play. I started gathering points and scraps and slowly built my first deck. I didn't mind losing, as I assumed it would be getting much better, the better my cards will get.
But lately, I played less and less (over 500 hours in the first 3 months, just 75 since then). Thinking about the reasons for this, it finally came to me that the innocence is gone. Innocence? Yes, the free-from-any-informations type of playing. I was a big fan of Skellige right from the start. I just love the pirate and carelessly fighting warriors theme. Nothing more. I didn't know about balancing issues, the hate towards Skellige as a strong faction or the sometimes toxic behavior on the forums. I just love pirates and warriors (I live next to places where Vikings used to live).
But over the months I became influenced by all the hate. I never played any netdecks, I always explored the possibilities by myself. That also means a not as powerful deck. Until today I refuse to play netdecks. Yet, I was always accused of being a bad person for playing and loving Skellige. Priest, Vabjorn, Dagur, Hjalmar, Kambi, Harald, Coral, Blueboy, Olaf, Vildkaarl, Sigvald, Knut, Greatsword, Marauder, Totem, the discard mechanic. There's literally no card that wasn't at some point called op and unfair. Over and over again cards were hated.
And I? Without me really noticing it, I started building decks without cards that were hated so much. From the list above you can imagine how difficult that has become. Also, I'm of course constantly losing way more than I win. And there's more to it. The fact that (not only for Skellige but for all factions) only one specific deck per leader really works somehow, while everything else fails, is a big issue of Gwent. I want to collect cards, explore them, build a deck that supports my way of playing. What I don't want is to have a look at Youtube and rebuilt the one deck that is successful. That's just boring and silly.
When I play other factions, I feel much more confident. And I am much more successful. It's just crazy how versatile NG is! There's almost no deck you couldn't compete with. The seize mechanic to get the opponent's units and get them to play for you is awesome. A ST trap deck or engine deck is so strong that you only lose to decks with even stronger engines. The MO "fill the board with cheap 1 str re-appearing units, then boost them all to 10 or more strength" deck is just pure fun to play. NR machine decks with so many order units that you can annoy any opponent and still get at least Foltest's pride to work? So entertaining.
Then Skellige. "Oh no, lost again. But SK is said to be op. So I am a stupid, bad player. Not smart enough to even win with an op faction." The pressure is so high, since everyone hates you for playing SK, you can see it from less GGs when playing SK, even after you lost. "Hmm, this would be a nice combo. Oh, no that's a card, people not playing Skellige just hate. Better leave it out" I cut myself short of options, just to be hated a little less. I may be the only SK player without any priest in any of my decks, for example.
I'm sick of it.
Innocence gone, fun gone, Gwent not versatile enough. And if the only way to get back the fun and joy of the early days is by playing a deck, everybody else plays as well, so be it. I'm now heading over to Youtube and copying the most op SK deck that guarantees me more wins.
Until of course I'm bored by it. Which will happen sooner rather than later. And then?
As a big fan of the TES series, I wasn't very excited, when a friend recommended a game called The Witcher 2. No open world, no freedom of choice for the protagonist, no extensive "learning by doing". Yet, I bought it and played.
And it was great. More of an adventure than an RPG, but the deep story and detailed characters really got me. For reasons not interesting enough to be mentioned, I then had a long pause from gaming. Only last year was it, that I finally bought The Witcher 3. I'm not even done with it (probably 65%), but 120 hours of playtime so far prove that I love it. The only thing that disappointed me was the game in a game, Gwint. Too simple to really be enjoyable.
I heard of Gwent being developed as a MP CCG, but first screenshots were almost exactly like Gwint, and so I didn't really think of it as a game I would enjoy. Then, a few months ago, I saw an ad. And it got my attention. A so much better game board, so much better designed cards (graphically), so much more attracting overall. And so I downloaded it and started.
The tutorial was fun, but it was only afterwards that I learned how bad it was in actually teaching how to play. I started gathering points and scraps and slowly built my first deck. I didn't mind losing, as I assumed it would be getting much better, the better my cards will get.
But lately, I played less and less (over 500 hours in the first 3 months, just 75 since then). Thinking about the reasons for this, it finally came to me that the innocence is gone. Innocence? Yes, the free-from-any-informations type of playing. I was a big fan of Skellige right from the start. I just love the pirate and carelessly fighting warriors theme. Nothing more. I didn't know about balancing issues, the hate towards Skellige as a strong faction or the sometimes toxic behavior on the forums. I just love pirates and warriors (I live next to places where Vikings used to live).
But over the months I became influenced by all the hate. I never played any netdecks, I always explored the possibilities by myself. That also means a not as powerful deck. Until today I refuse to play netdecks. Yet, I was always accused of being a bad person for playing and loving Skellige. Priest, Vabjorn, Dagur, Hjalmar, Kambi, Harald, Coral, Blueboy, Olaf, Vildkaarl, Sigvald, Knut, Greatsword, Marauder, Totem, the discard mechanic. There's literally no card that wasn't at some point called op and unfair. Over and over again cards were hated.
And I? Without me really noticing it, I started building decks without cards that were hated so much. From the list above you can imagine how difficult that has become. Also, I'm of course constantly losing way more than I win. And there's more to it. The fact that (not only for Skellige but for all factions) only one specific deck per leader really works somehow, while everything else fails, is a big issue of Gwent. I want to collect cards, explore them, build a deck that supports my way of playing. What I don't want is to have a look at Youtube and rebuilt the one deck that is successful. That's just boring and silly.
When I play other factions, I feel much more confident. And I am much more successful. It's just crazy how versatile NG is! There's almost no deck you couldn't compete with. The seize mechanic to get the opponent's units and get them to play for you is awesome. A ST trap deck or engine deck is so strong that you only lose to decks with even stronger engines. The MO "fill the board with cheap 1 str re-appearing units, then boost them all to 10 or more strength" deck is just pure fun to play. NR machine decks with so many order units that you can annoy any opponent and still get at least Foltest's pride to work? So entertaining.
Then Skellige. "Oh no, lost again. But SK is said to be op. So I am a stupid, bad player. Not smart enough to even win with an op faction." The pressure is so high, since everyone hates you for playing SK, you can see it from less GGs when playing SK, even after you lost. "Hmm, this would be a nice combo. Oh, no that's a card, people not playing Skellige just hate. Better leave it out" I cut myself short of options, just to be hated a little less. I may be the only SK player without any priest in any of my decks, for example.
I'm sick of it.
Innocence gone, fun gone, Gwent not versatile enough. And if the only way to get back the fun and joy of the early days is by playing a deck, everybody else plays as well, so be it. I'm now heading over to Youtube and copying the most op SK deck that guarantees me more wins.
Until of course I'm bored by it. Which will happen sooner rather than later. And then?
Try hard and good luck!
