META evolution - updates

[Mak0r]

META evolution - updates

Write here updates about actual meta.

On the start players thought the most powerful was Monster deck with Eredin/Geralt opening. Little Green and NR. Skellige 2nd most popular.

Later we saw more and more NR with stay+promote combo and less Monster decks and less Skellige.

Now NR with abusing gold + returning units form graveyard style is like 50% of all players. 2nd Monsters weather deck and almost no Green nor Skellige.

Still not a single patch from CDPR nor any update in last week. Atm. the time is wasted as all bugs and broken elements got detected. Soon we will have only NR gold+graveyard and Monsters weather decks as the only two viable decks in current version of the game.

What are your observations?

 

[Laveley]

I have been keeping track of my games, here some statistic from a lvl 20 player (trackins since around lvl 15):

94 games played, being vs:

Monsters - 40
NR - 27
Skel - 15
Scoia - 12

Monsters and NR definetly are the most popular ones. Its funny, depending the time of the day i play i face a lot of NR or a lot of Monsters in a row. Generaly by afternoon i face a lot of NR, by night a lot of Monsters, go figure.

 

[yenni]

I met lots of Skellige circle-res decks and weather-control monsters just a few days ago.
But now there are lots and lots of starter-deck NR players with bits of high value cards.

 

[Charzin]

I've been playing only Scoiatel, but I certainly run into them the absolute least by a wide margin.

At first I was seeing a lot of Skellige, but it seems to have fallen off somewhat. I feel like they have a whole lot of possible combos that are rather tricky to pull off consistently, so they end up needing to have a bunch of options in their deck. This makes for a very crowded seeming deck, whereas I feel like the focus should be on Tuirseach/Revives or else on berserkers/Ermion or something like that.

A lot of people playing Monsters don't seem to have the clear strategy of weather domination down well enough. I see a lot of Geralt/Eredin/Pass openings which leaves them extremely vulnerable to my Mahakam Defenders or Hawker Support + Adrenaline combo, leaving me with less cards but a stronger field going into round 2. I've gotten a lot of wins in 2 rounds by keeping a strong frontline (I've got 2 Mahakam Defenders) and Touvriel when I pass earlier and they're trying to save cards for round 3. I feel like as I deal with more of the weather control decks I may have to switch up my strategy a bit, maybe throw a single Clear Sky in my deck to be ready for that happening.

Mostly, I've been seeing a lot more of NR lately. I feel like for all of those people that can't pull off a Monster Weather deck, they look at the duplicate/promote strategy and realize that all you need is one or two draws and some of the high base strength of the NR cards to make it work. It's rather frustrating to deal with because the threat of the deck can come from essentially any unit, be it Redanian Knights, Poor Infantry, Reinforced Trebs, Light Cavalry... Basically as soon as he starts buffing something up I have to make sure I've got Thunderbolts and Dol Blathanna Archers ready to go.

Overall, I feel like the tiers are currently: 1: Northern Realms, 2: Monsters, 3: Skellige 4: Scoiatel. I feel like the Scoiatel suffer most against NR because of the huge discrepancies in base strengths between their units. If we compare Poor Infantry with a str3 against Neophytes with str2, or Redanian Knights with Str8 against Vreiheidd Brigade with str7... It's always a hugely uphill battle because each card in a NR deck seems to have individually higher power than the scoiatel cards do. Add in a much stronger leader ability and some bonkers card abilities (Phillippa, reinforced treb being the two biggest offenders) and you've got a easy winner.

I feel like in the same vein as Scoiatel being weaker to emphasize the use of abilities/synergies, you could knock almost every NR unit down a strength, or maybe even two, and they wouldn't have to play hugely differently. Poor Infantry with a strength of 2 instead of 3 would still be just as useful with thunderbolts, and the trebuchets having a bit less health could make them easier for other players to deal with before having their own side decimated.

 

[Maerd]

Yesterday I've run into the Skellige "discarder" strategy, which totally obliterates monster weather. I contains a lot of expensive cards but having decoy and therefore 6 resurrects and most their unit cards in the graveyard makes it pretty much invincible, at least for monsters. By the end of the second round they for sure have d-bomb and their value units are weather resistant (light longships and pirates). I don't know how such deck performs against NR (I don't count Philippa because it's not interesting to play someone using that card). Considering "golden trebuchets" strategy, properly executed weather leaves them no chances (you loose only if unlucky on a draw). Most decks I face are monster weather in some variants.

 

[Laveley]

Lots of NR by now. Its safe to say i'm facing more NR than monster right now.

 

[Mak0r]

I may have to switch up my strategy a bit, maybe throw a single Clear Sky in my deck to be ready for that happening.

A proper weather control deck is prepared to spawn all 3 weathers in 2 rounds + some reserve to harass. E. g. With my 25 cards deck i can spawn weather 10 times so you need much more clear sky/dimeritium bombs. All my loses are when Im very unlucky with hand and I have not enough weather or I underestimate enemy or Im unlucky in a mirror match up

 

[Laveley]

A proper weather control deck is prepared to spawn all 3 weathers in 2 rounds + some reserve to harass. E. g. With my 25 cards deck i can spawn weather 10 times so you need much more clear sky/dimeritium bombs. All my loses are when Im very unlucky with hand and I have not enough weather or I underestimate enemy or Im unlucky in a mirror match up

Thats why a good player will create card advantage and use d-bomb, clear skies or another big game changer like phillipa when you cant do nothing more about it because you already passed/dont have any more cards. Try to out compete weather against monster is stupid even against a starter deck.

 

[Fawkzi]

I play monster and I've run in to Scoia'tael more than any other faction. Monster faction is honestly the faction I seem to come across the least. NR is the one I fight most after Scoia'tael and then skellige.

 

[Exentryk]

The next meta change should come when we get weather and promote counters. Currently, NR and SCO get screwed by a properly built weather deck.

My opponents are using the following factions (from highest to lowest):
1. Monsters
2. NR (NR seems to be increasing and may even be higher than Monsters now)
3. Skellige
4. Scoiatel

3 and 4 are far far below 1 and 2 in numbers.

 

[Mak0r]

Thats why a good player will create card advantage and use d-bomb, clear skies or another big game changer like phillipa when you cant do nothing more about it because you already passed/dont have any more cards. Try to out compete weather against monster is stupid even against a starter deck.

weather decks have -2 to all enemy units card which prevents from making unit advantage but it requires good timing tho...

 

[Lytha]

​Here are my observed opponents:

Date	Monsters	Northern	Scoia	Skellige	Total
2016-11-04	8 (42%)	4 (21%)	4 (21%)	3 (16%)	19
2016-11-05	15 (54%)	11 (39%)	1 (4%)	1 (4%)	28
2016-11-06	9 (45%)	4 (20%)	5 (25%)	2 (10%)	20
2016-11-07	5 (36%)	5 (36%)	0 (0%)	4 (29%)	14
2016-11-08	5 (36%)	4 (29%)	2 (14%)	3 (21%)	14
2016-11-09	1 (20%)	2 (40%)	0 (0%)	2 (40%)	5
2016-11-10	4 (25%)	3 (19%)	4 (25%)	5 (31%)	16
Total	47 (41%)	33 (28%)	16 (14%)	20 (17%)	116

Northern is predominantly various stages of "buff and clone". Just one guy did something very different (deck seemed built around Margarita).

Monsters is a mix of "breeding", "weather", "big strong monsters without special", and simple noobie decks without a focus.

Scoia is predominantly decks looking like the starter deck, maybe with 1-2 additional golden cards.

Skellige has the "Emo" and the "Graveyard" playstyle, but those are rare. Most of them seem to be a mix of cards without a focus, but they all resurrect and shieldsmith.

 

[Maerd]

​ Just one guy did something very different (deck seemed built around Margarita).

May have run into me. I've got Henselt from the barrel last evening and was having fun creating new strategies that specifically exploit Henselt's special power. Today I was matched with all sorts of recognizable crowd from the forum by some reason. What's your Gwent name?

​Skellige has the "Emo" and the "Graveyard" playstyle, but those are rare.

What's "emo"? I usually run into "discarders" nowadays (Ermion, Byrna Bran, The Last Wish, Decoy, Pirates, and similar) who on the third or second round had a hand full of priestesses and lots of units handy in the graveyard for them to pick. But first they bomb the field with Madman Lugos. Others buffing priestesses + 1 unit of their choice.

 

[Lytha]

Maerd

​It was ~3 days ago, so it wasn't you.

"emo" = Savage Bear, "unit that gets stronger each time one of his cards gets hurt but not killed", and those siege units that do 1 dmg on targets hitting his own guys. And then do some War Cry. I've seen that, hm, twice now? Tried it too, it's amusing, but I lack a bunch of cards to do it properly.

Your "discarders" are what I call "graveyards".


I'm still thinking about how to nickname that big strong resurrected skeleton gameplay that is quite prevalent now.

 

[Maerd]

Maerd

​It was ~3 days ago, so it wasn't you.

"emo" = Savage Bear, "unit that gets stronger each time one of his cards gets hurt but not killed", and those siege units that do 1 dmg on targets hitting his own guys. And then do some War Cry. I've seen that, hm, twice now? Tried it too, it's amusing, but I lack a bunch of cards to do it properly.

Your "discarders" are what I call "graveyards".


I'm still thinking about how to nickname that big strong resurrected skeleton gameplay that is quite prevalent now.

I was playing that deck 3 hours ago... so... it was me, I guess. I've never seen anybody playing this strategy. My deck also has towers, blue stripes, reaver hunters... d-bomb to spoil buffers.

And my Savage Bear deck I call "Harald and Bears" or "Bear Fest", it has nice combo with Hjalmar too I also haven't run into anyone playing that style so far. I've seen people try to use bears but they're doing it wrong. It's not a super-strategy but very fun to play.

 

[Lytha]

Yeah, as I said, it was 3-4 days ago.
So, definitely NOT you.


And yes, absolutely rare to see a Northener who does not that horrible "buff, adrenaline, clone" stuff.

 

[Maerd]

Yeah, as I said, it was 3-4 days ago.
So, definitely NOT you.


And yes, absolutely rare to see a Northener who does not that horrible "buff, adrenaline, clone" stuff.

Sorry, I thought it's hours Then it's definitely not me. Unfortunately for Margarita based strategy it's too unreliable because it's not guaranteed that you will have her in your hand therefore you have to have a backup plan, which is not so bad too but far from the effectiveness if Margarita card is in your hand on the first or second round.

 

[Ordev]

No Title

Northern is predominantly various stages of "buff and clone". Just one guy did something very different (deck seemed built around Margarita).

Was it me by any chance?

 

[Lytha]

Massive influx of newcomers today.

Most horrifying sight was a guy with Vernon Roche and no clue what to do with it (or some of his other cards). Another guy must have been drunk or playing by throwing darts at the cards.


While I appreciate the fast path to my 2nd level up today (CBA anymore with the 3rd, too much grind), and while I appreciate the sudden win% of 90% (9 out of 10 won), I think I step back for now.




(and no idea if it was you, Ordev . I do not memorize the names. If it was you, then you didn't get the chance to make Margarita shine so much though. IIRC, I won that match by interrupting some of the moves.)

 

[Maerd]

Today I have a different problem. I'm no longer matched with newbies (it's good) but now I have trouble to find opponents at all. And the most whom I matched today were similar NR with trebuchets, Priscilla, Bloody Baron, Nenneke and Philippa, which is not interesting to play against due being an exploit, and weather decks. It pretty much forces me to play my weather deck if I want to win. Got bored...