Misc. Gwent Guides to... [THINNING]

[DRK3]

Also i dare you win against The assimilate/spyes deck with any another deck.

And when i mean win, its a Good win rate, not only One match where you have luck to get all the good cards and your opponent not

I would say the NG spies deck is less problematic than Idarran-Snowdrop combos in this seasonal mode. Why?

They both can be countered, if you build a specific deck to counter em. However, if you dont, you still have a chance against NG spies with other decks, against Idarran shenanigans, you dont. I didnt even know about the spy clog and won my 1st match against it with strong engines, a lacerate on my own side to open space for my Yrden.

Against Idarran snowdrop, not even having Yrden is enough, you need scorch or Igni too, because 100-200pts in 2 turns is just broken.

I actually think it could be fun doing a counter deck for NG spy clogs, the best ways are probably SK self damage and MO with forktail and glusty, also some bone talismans or specials that dont need space, you can definitely turn their clogging into your benefit.

 

[bl999]

I just decided to stop playing again for a while. Ill suffer through the Journey but thats about it.

The fact that yet another part of the game that is supposed to be "just for fun" has been ruined by bad game design and agressively toxic players allowed to roam free is too much.

The Idarran-Snowdrop thing is ridiculous, and we can see here that there are people bragging about using it because they think its funny. It is literally the least skilled "deck" I have ever seen in the game (drop 2 cards, wait), and anyone can make the same deck with almost no resources.

So at this point ladder is a toxic grind, unranked is all the same NG decks, and seasonal is totally broken. Whats the point? There are other things to do. If I hadnt paid for the journey already Id probably just stop.

I already advised some friends to avoid starting Gwent after the last few months.

 

[DRK3]

I know we are all very excited with the sub-expansion, getting released in less than 2 weeks.
But i decided its still a good time for another "mini-guide".
These are general hints, always true, but since they're unrelated, i will divide this in 2 segments:

[GUIDE TO DECKBUILDING: THE VALUE OF PLAN B]

This is a problem i see many players committing, even advanced players like streamers. And it affects me because it gives meme cards a bad reputation unfairly, which is something i wont tolerate.

The problem: you make a deck, and you include an expensive card (X), which is part of a combo with another card (Y).
Without (Y), (X) is near useless. So then in-game, you miss (Y) or it gets dealt with, and (X) now sucks and you lose the game, and you blame (X).

That is why you should ALWAYS include a backup plan, a 'Plan B' - it might not be as good as the original plan, but its much better than no combo at all. I will follow with examples:

I) Syanna. This is the perfect example. Syanna is a meme card with so much potential, but very vulnerable. She is also very expensive, and will get countered many times, you dont need to add another fail condition: you only included one card where she is worth it.

II) Operator. Another card with so much potential across all factions. For example, i like to use it with my SK crow messengers, but as backup i use it on savage bears, which also helps my later game.

III) Ihuarraquax. I will show a great example tomorrow, on my 'deck of the day' thread. You can mulligan the highest card you want summoned, but the best way is to include another tall card which you're fine if its summoned, one that doesnt rely on deploy effects.

IV) SY Luiza. Luiza makes a tribute free, so its best combo'ed with expensive tributes. Its usually combo'ed with Savolla, but what if you miss it? Consider also including Tinboy, Moreelse or Salamander (this one only if it makes sense with the rest of the deck).

V) Any specific tutor. If you use Avallach sage, you probably want to tutor a scenario, with Natalis, your AA, with Vabjorn your Blood eagle. But what if you get those in hand? You dont want bricks, that's why you always include other cards they can tutor.

VI) Vivienne cards. These cards are expensive, and rely on having other expensive units on board, often with small bodies. What if they get killed? That's why you include several good targets for them.

Most of these examples i gave are meme cards, but this advice applies to all cards and deckbuilding, whether its a meme or metadeck.

[GUIDE TO DEVOTION DISCLOSURE]

There have been plenty of discussions over if devotion is worth it, devotion vs non-devotion strength.
This is not about that. Its an advanced tactic for devotion users.

-IF YOU'RE PLAYING DEVOTION, YOU SHOULD DELAY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THE REVEAL THAT YOUR DECK IS DEVOTION-

Players often underestimate the value of information. The moment you play a devotion card, the opponent knows you dont have neutrals, which include a lot of threatening cards. And in certain factions, its a green flag for them to play as greedily as possible, that you wont be able to counter.

Why does it make a difference?
Usually there is a safe route, worth a bit less points and a riskier route, worth more. You generally want to bluff your way into making your opponent go the safer route, by threatening if he goes greedy.

Also, the different rounds are a big part of this. If you reveal you're devotion R1, your opponent will mulligan for R2 and 3 knowing this. If you reveal only in R3, then he wont have more mulligans, or ways to fix his hand (with rare exceptions), so he might have kept a card or two in hand that wont see much value after all.

Devotion decks are usually very basic and predictable compared to non-devotion decks, which is a weakness. But its also possible to do the opposite: pretend you're a typical devotion deck, then surprise with a pointswinger - this isnt easy, you cant play the actual devotion cards in a way that reveals devotion (or not), but its achievable by looking at the devotion metadecks and doing slight, smart adjustments.

 

[Lokiat0r]

/.

 

[DRK3]

So, Assimilate is one of the most well-known mechanics in Gwent.
It is quite possibly the most fleshed out archetype in NG, and its present in every meta, ranging from minimal to... a lot.

This creates the wrong idea for many, if not most, players that assimilate is just one deck (usually the most competitive=popular).
That is not true. Whenever an archetype receives enough support, its possible to create 2,3, more entirely different decks within the same archetype. That is the case for SK warriors, for MO deathwish, and for NG... its assimilate!

[GUIDE TO ASSIMILATE TYPES]

Assimilate is one of the strongest mechanics in Gwent regardless of opinion, since its advantage its in its concept:

Most mechanics are "do x" and get 1pt per turn, whether its boost or damage - thrive, harmony, intimidate, resupply, bleeding/vitality, etc.
Well, assimilate works similarly, but its way easier to trigger assimilate twice (or more) in a turn than the other mechanics, right? That's why it can get an absurd amount of points in a long round and its advisable to push assimilate decks R2.

(Each of the following names doesnt have a proper name, so for ease of use, i will call em type A, B, C.)

TYPE A - 100% assimilate
This is a deck that completely relies on its assimilate engines. It will definitely use portal for 4p assimilate soldiers. And why is it so different from other types? It does not care what the opponent its playing, it will play operator + (bronze assimilate engine), and it will copy that card into exhaustion.

This strategy has a few benefits: it cant be played around by not playing bronzes for opponent to copy with informants - btw duchess's informant is probably the cornerstone of the whole assimilate archetype, in case that isnt clear.
Also, the process of setting the engines up, then triggering them its merged together so the tempo is a bit faster than other engine setups, i believe no other archetype is able to do that!
The disadvantage is if the opponent consumes or destroys the unit you put on his side of the board, it greatly hinders your strategy.

I posted a "posterchild" of this type of deck (perhaps without the megascopes) today on my 'deck of the day' thread, i will also share it here:

GWENT: The Witcher Card Game

Join in The Witcher universe’s favorite card game! In GWENT, you clash with your friends in fast-paced duels that combine bluffing, on-the-fly decision making and careful deck construction.

www.playgwent.com

TYPE B - 50-50 assimilate
This is the type most players are familiarized with. It definitely uses Braathens, a couple of informants, probably Vigo and Portal, sometimes Glynnis. But it does not commit to the archetype fully, it leaves half of provisions for something else.

A great example of this type of deck was one that was popular a few months ago, assimilate-ball, where it used Portal and Braathens and assimilate strategy for R1, then completely shifted style and went ball/poison on R3 to have more removal, since assimilate is strong, but a peaceful strategy, unusual for NG.

This type is probably the most competitive for a reason - it cherry-picks the best cards of assimilate and uses them, and by having another strategy its less likely to have terrible matchups. But the disadvantage? It will never get the insane results that a proper assimilate deck gets on a long round and with a bit of RNG luck!

TYPE C - 0% assimilate
This is my favourite type, and the catalyst for the creation of this guide.
I call this style, 'copycat' NG, and its by far the oldest - in Gwent beta, there was no assimilate, but NG could already copy the opponents cards (who remembers slave driver chains? )

It ditches the assimilate engines completely - well, almost, Braathens and Vigo are both engine and triggers. So it actually relies on the old adage - "NG plays your cards, but better than you!"
This is why in my opinion, its the hardest assimilate type, but also the most fun and unpredictable, since you have to totally adapt to each opponent, which requires the player to know EVERY deck's strengths and weaknesses.

This type is the most RNG dependent, and most polarized - it has amazing matchups (pretty much all NR decks) where you just annihilate and humiliate your opponent, but also insta-lose ones (you face arachas swarm, without any bronzes and you're screwed - same applies to Type B if they totally rely on informants for assimilate).

Strategies:
Leader - Doublecross its the most obvious choice for all assimilate types, but imposter and maybe enslave can also work exceptionally well for copycat type
Henrietta - copy your opponent's leader
Bribery (Stefan double bribery) - copy the opponent's best golds (if you pray for RNGesus enough...)
Yen Invo - lets steal one of the best opponent cards and play it later
Angouleme - it seems to me scenarios arent as popular now as they've been for 1-5 years, but it was so satisfying to beat an opponent with their own scenario
Triss TK - the only way to play your opponent's faction bronze specials, otherwise play an experimental remedy or imperial diplomacy)
Shaelmaar - one of my favourite underrated cards, but it fits perfectly on this type, not so much on the others
Warrit, Cantarella, NG location, viper witcher alchemist - if copying your opponent's cards isnt annoying enough, you can try to steal them instead with these

I dont have a Type C deck to showcase now, but i PROMISE i will feature one in my deck of the day thread in the following weeks, but it must be crafted and tuned to perfection, as i really want to spread the amazing (meme) potential of the copycat style!

Hope you liked this guide and have a nice weekend

 

[zBleach25]

So, Assimilate is one of the most well-known mechanics in Gwent.
It is quite possibly the most fleshed out archetype in NG, and its present in every meta, ranging from minimal to... a lot.

This creates the wrong idea for many, if not most, players that assimilate is just one deck (usually the most competitive=popular).
That is not true. Whenever an archetype receives enough support, its possible to create 2,3, more entirely different decks within the same archetype. That is the case for SK warriors, for MO deathwish, and for NG... its assimilate!

[GUIDE TO ASSIMILATE TYPES]

Assimilate is one of the strongest mechanics in Gwent regardless of opinion, since its advantage its in its concept:

Most mechanics are "do x" and get 1pt per turn, whether its boost or damage - thrive, harmony, intimidate, resupply, bleeding/vitality, etc.
Well, assimilate works similarly, but its way easier to trigger assimilate twice (or more) in a turn than the other mechanics, right? That's why it can get an absurd amount of points in a long round and its advisable to push assimilate decks R2.

(Each of the following names doesnt have a proper name, so for ease of use, i will call em type A, B, C.)

TYPE A - 100% assimilate
This is a deck that completely relies on its assimilate engines. It will definitely use portal for 4p assimilate soldiers. And why is it so different from other types? It does not care what the opponent its playing, it will play operator + (bronze assimilate engine), and it will copy that card into exhaustion.

This strategy has a few benefits: it cant be played around by not playing bronzes for opponent to copy with informants - btw duchess's informant is probably the cornerstone of the whole assimilate archetype, in case that isnt clear.
Also, the process of setting the engines up, then triggering them its merged together so the tempo is a bit faster than other engine setups, i believe no other archetype is able to do that!
The disadvantage is if the opponent consumes or destroys the unit you put on his side of the board, it greatly hinders your strategy.

I posted a "posterchild" of this type of deck (perhaps without the megascopes) today on my 'deck of the day' thread, i will also share it here:

GWENT: The Witcher Card Game

Join in The Witcher universe’s favorite card game! In GWENT, you clash with your friends in fast-paced duels that combine bluffing, on-the-fly decision making and careful deck construction.

www.playgwent.com

TYPE B - 50-50 assimilate
This is the type most players are familiarized with. It definitely uses Braathens, a couple of informants, probably Vigo and Portal, sometimes Glynnis. But it does not commit to the archetype fully, it leaves half of provisions for something else.

A great example of this type of deck was one that was popular a few months ago, assimilate-ball, where it used Portal and Braathens and assimilate strategy for R1, then completely shifted style and went ball/poison on R3 to have more removal, since assimilate is strong, but a peaceful strategy, unusual for NG.

This type is probably the most competitive for a reason - it cherry-picks the best cards of assimilate and uses them, and by having another strategy its less likely to have terrible matchups. But the disadvantage? It will never get the insane results that a proper assimilate deck gets on a long round and with a bit of RNG luck!

TYPE C - 0% assimilate
This is my favourite type, and the catalyst for the creation of this guide.
I call this style, 'copycat' NG, and its by far the oldest - in Gwent beta, there was no assimilate, but NG could already copy the opponents cards (who remembers slave driver chains? )

It ditches the assimilate engines completely - well, almost, Braathens and Vigo are both engine and triggers. So it actually relies on the old adage - "NG plays your cards, but better than you!"
This is why in my opinion, its the hardest assimilate type, but also the most fun and unpredictable, since you have to totally adapt to each opponent, which requires the player to know EVERY deck's strengths and weaknesses.

This type is the most RNG dependent, and most polarized - it has amazing matchups (pretty much all NR decks) where you just annihilate and humiliate your opponent, but also insta-lose ones (you face arachas swarm, without any bronzes and you're screwed - same applies to Type B if they totally rely on informants for assimilate).

Strategies:
Leader - Doublecross its the most obvious choice for all assimilate types, but imposter and maybe enslave can also work exceptionally well for copycat type
Henrietta - copy your opponent's leader
Bribery (Stefan double bribery) - copy the opponent's best golds (if you pray for RNGesus enough...)
Yen Invo - lets steal one of the best opponent cards and play it later
Angouleme - it seems to me scenarios arent as popular now as they've been for 1-5 years, but it was so satisfying to beat an opponent with their own scenario
Triss TK - the only way to play your opponent's faction bronze specials, otherwise play an experimental remedy or imperial diplomacy)
Shaelmaar - one of my favourite underrated cards, but it fits perfectly on this type, not so much on the others
Warrit, Cantarella, NG location, viper witcher alchemist - if copying your opponent's cards isnt annoying enough, you can try to steal them instead with these

I dont have a Type C deck to showcase now, but i PROMISE i will feature one in my deck of the day thread in the following weeks, but it must be crafted and tuned to perfection, as i really want to spread the amazing (meme) potential of the copycat style!

Hope you liked this guide and have a nice weekend

The ability to proc engines more than once is mostly limited to golds though and I'd say that thrive and Harmony are faster tempo wise

 

[DRK3]

This guide is complemented by the specific examples of swarm decks im doing for this week, SWARM WEEK, that can be found on the 'Deck of the Day' thread.

[GUIDE TO SWARM]

PART 1 - INTRODUCTION, NEUTRALS, SKELLIGE, NORTHERN REALMS

INTRODUCTION

What is swarm?
Swarm is a non-official term for when you put many units on the board. 18 is the magic number - the max amount of units you can have on your side of the board at any given time (9 slots in each row). Usually swarm relies on units with small base strength (1-3pts), usually tokens, but that is not a strict rule.
Cards that can swarm tend to be weak in the points-provision ratio, but that's not a problem, when you swarm you are more focused on putting as many bodies on the board quickly, than the actual points... because then you have the swarm payoffs.

What is a swarm payoff?
A swarm payoff card is one that gives you great value if you play it after you've successfully swarmed. Its these cards that make swarm decks an option. Remember when i said the swarm cards have weak pt-pr ratios? Well, the swarm payoffs more than make up for it, and usually have tremendous pt-pr ratios (im talking 2.0-3.0!)

Why is swarm awesome?
Swarm, like most other types of decks, lives and dies depending on the meta. To get great value from swarm, there shouldnt be much wide punishment in the meta (lacerate is probably the most iconic wide punishment card, and recently buffed).
Ive been playing for many years, and IMO, wide punishment was never so prevalent that it became a serious issue for swarm decks. Not when compared to other types of control and removal, that target single cards.

If you remove these wide punishments, swarm is generally a much safer option than most decks, since the points are distributed more even, most if not all cards are deploy, no engines or important cards you need to protect.
NG is arguably the most popular faction in Gwent, and guess what? Swarm is the best counter for it, as NG rarely has wide punishment, stuff like poison, locks, removal specials, tall punishment, its all terrible against swarm. So while NG is a popular faction, i standby swarm decks, which dont get much love from the playerbase but they have never let me down and gave me some of my favourite decks ever.

How is swarm played?
Swarm decks generally like long rounds, unless it swarms so quickly it can start playing the swarm payoffs before the opponent has had a chance to generate decent points.
Achieving a good amount of swarm usually takes up to 5-7 turns, then 3-4 more turns for the payoff.

That is one of the reasons why i tend to play less aggressively than most players, and rarely push R2, and dont like this general trend to push R2 no matter what. And also why winning R1 is so important - to determine the length of R2 and 3.
Swarm decks are not the same as engine decks, but they also tend to favour the long round. In a swarm vs engine deck, on a long R3, its hard to say who will come out on top, it depends on finer details (like if the engines are damage based or boost based, or if there's a Yrden)

NEUTRALS

-BONE TALISMAN-
This is the card that best represents swarm payoff, and not surprisingly, one of my favourite cards.
It hasnt been changed in years, its the same 7pr for a max of 18pts, and it still stands tall against the powercreep.

I've played this card in dozens upon dozens of decks, and i can say it should be more played.
There have been many metadecks through the years that accidentally swarmed really well, but players didnt choose to play the swarm payoffs (at the top of my mind, Lippy Cerys and several NR decks like Shieldwall with frigates, blue stripes or revenants).

The threshold i came up with - to decide if bone talismans are worth including in a deck or not - is to ask yourself if that deck is reliably getting 11 or more units on long R3s? If the answer is yes, BT might be a great inclusion.

-TRISS TK-
If you have a 100% swarm deck, its advisable to also have a Triss TK for an extra bone talisman.
Unfortunately, this often backfires depending on the matchup - if your opponent is something like ST Spellatael or SY Crimes, there's a considerable chance you wont get the bone talisman option.

-YENNEFER (RANGED ROW - BOOSTS)-
This one's a little bit tricky, since to get good value, its not just necessary to have many units, you need to have many more units than your opponent. If you use this one, its very important to be able to swarm very quickly, or she will lose value.

However, in optimal conditions, she can provide way more points than Triss TK or bone talismans. Also, if your opponent swarms too hard and has more units than you, it can be used offensively, for also great impact.

-CURSE OF CORRUPTION, SCORCH, VILLENTRETENMERTH-
No, these are NOT swarm cards, but i still want to address them in swarm decks.
CoC specially, isnt used as much as Heatwave... One of the reasons is because it cant target scenarios, you dont have direct control of what the target is, but there's one more reason - it can brick, when you have the highest unit on board, then you must discard it or lose points.

Well, with swarm decks, CoC and these other cards are way more viable, since usually your highest units are pretty small, so its very unlikely you will ever be in a position the card will hit one of your own. Also, the advantage is these cards can destroy units behind a defender or even Immune (those giant Archgriffins and Erlands going around lately...)

-CLEAR SKIES, COMMANDING HORN-
These cards are also swarm payoffs, but they arent good enough at all, specially when compared to bone talisman.
The former is a potential 5 for 9 - doesnt sound bad, but getting 9 units in a row is quite hard, while there's plenty of easy 8s for 5 going around.
The latter was recently buffed, but still 10 for 8 is a terrible pt-pr ratio for the current days.

SKELLIGE
This faction doesnt have many swarm payoffs, although it has a few great ways to swarm: Lippy Cerys, the discard package, beasts and witchers.

-BEASTS
Crow's eye rhyzome (one included in SK scenario) generates 3 crows, crowmother puts 3 bodies and one is carryover, crow messengers are good thinning and put 2 beasts, totem after triggered creates 2 abominations which are beasts, the SK stratagem spawns 2 extra crows.
Unfortunately Morvudd (a MO card that boosts all beasts) isnt available to SK, so you have to rely on the single boosts of Axel 3-eyes and Corrupted Flaminica, the former boosts by the number of beasts on board, the latter by the ones on GY (may require purifying crow tokens to be worthy).

-WITCHERS
Armor ups and bear witcher quartermasters can fill your board with 1/2pt witcher students very quickly. The swarm payoffs however arent faction exclusive, but neutral - Vesemir Mentor for wide boosts, Leo for single boost. The following arent necessary swarm cards but they synergize well with these cards: Arnachad, BWMentor.

-OFFERING TO THE SEA AND HAVFRUE SINGERS
The singers are a quite easy 8 for 5 on deploy, with the potential to be a 2pt engine per turn if you build your deck for healing. And those 2 pts are in the form of spawned sirens, which supports swarming (and are beasts too).
The offering to the sea is a complex card. It damages by 1pt all opponents, so its similar to stammelford's tremors. BUT, it also damages our own units, which is a negative, but it creates a 2pt siren and boosts by that amount, that way it's never negative points, and has the potential to be 30+ pts, depending on your board and your opponents, and if you negate the self damage with armor, berserk or healing.

NORTHERN REALMS
NR is amazing at swarming, and is also one with the best swarm payoffs, but they are rarely used.

-BLUE STRIPES
This is probably the swarm deck with the highest units (4pts). It generates less units than other swarm decks, but has higher tempo.
The simple and cheap play of playing a BS Scout on a BS Commando costs 4pr, but generates 8pts, 2 bodies and carryover for later rounds, if done on R1 and on a double/triple BS deck (single BS is generally a waste of potential, and when its done, its only for the thinning).
Also, there's so many ways to create more Commandos, with replays on Scouts through teleportation, reinforcements, adalia, or Megascopes and Foltest.

-DUN BANNERS
Very similar to BS, but the bodies are 3pt instead of 4, but with 2 advantages: less provision commitment, and paired with a Foltest (ideally protected), becomes a passive engine combo that spawns 4pts per turn, that unlike BS, it doesnt require to click on them to summon the ones in deck.
BS Scouts can also be used on Dun Banners, although this is rarely seen.

-DRAUG/ REVENANTS
There are many ways to play revenants, i wont describe them all, but what they have in common is, if left uncountered, they generate many revenants, and you often struggle with row space. That is a clear sign you're swarming and Bone talismans may be considered, although doing that removes slots that could be used for extra damage that sets up for revenants.
Note: PFI after the reworks is amazing support for Draug, since its the cheapest way to spawn 3 human units, and also its 1pt units can be cannibalized/recycled for new 3pt revenants.

-KERACK FRIGATES/ VOLUNTEERS
This is one of the best NR bronzes (and best bronzes overall), and one of my favourite cards, i've built whole decks around it, and they won a lot.
They are criminally underplayed now, but a bronze 2pt engine is nothing to scoff at, specially one that doesnt go tall and instead goes wide, and that can easily be protected with stratagems, leader charges, boosted by other bronzes or AA boost to put it outside removal range.
Biggest downside is vulnerability to locks and NG, who may copy it and play it with their own soldiers.

(ABOVE: WAYS TO SWARM; BELOW: SWARM PAYOFFS)

-VOYMIR
This amazing 7pr card works well with all of the 4 strategies above, although it usually finds more value with the last 2, where it may boost units filling both rows. Personally, he's almost an auto-include in my NR decks.

-VISSEGERD
Yes i also consider Vissegerd a swarm payoff, although in the form of damage charges, which is much better than single boosts and arguably better than wide boosts. Its biggest weakness is not having zeal anymore, so i prefer to play him in Inspired Zeal decks or with a zeal giver or defender to protect him. If you have a swarm deck, and put all your units "on the green", he can be absolutely devastating, with 10-17 charges.

-QUEEN MEVE
The most binary of NR swarm payoffs. She needs to be boosted for her counter to clock.
When she is countered (by a lock, Yen Invo or Heatwave usually), she is a 7pt body (plus any possible boosts) for 10.
When she isnt countered, she is a 7pt that basically plays a bone talisman every 3 turns, so up to 3 on a 10 card R3. That makes her point potential to 40+pts (with a conservative 8+11+14+7pt body, which isnt hard in a swarm deck)!

-SCYTHEMEN AND TEMERIAN INFANTRY
The former used to be very popular when they boosted by all of the boosted units on your side. Now they only count the ones in a single row.
The latter, which is one of the cards that never saw play, is the opposite of scythemen - does damage by the number of boosted units on one of your rows (but also costs 1 more provision).

Note: the NR deck i will be posting today, as NR Swarm deck of the day, showcases BS + all of the 4 last cards i mention here.

 

[DRK3]

(First of all, i apologize it took me so long to make the part 2 of this guide, it was supposed to be updated each day with the faction i featured a swarm deck in the 'deck of the day' thread, but i ended up delaying it )


PART 2 - SCOIATAEL, SYNDICATE, MONSTERS, NILFGAARD

SCOIATAEL
Scoiatael is another faction that swarms pretty well, but isnt meant to be used for swarm - you can deduce this by how few swarm payoffs it has available. Still, it has 3 main 'species': elves, dwarves and dryads and its viable to swarm with any of those.

-ELVES
Elves are probably the easiest to swarm with, thanks to the leader Deadeye Ambush (the best for ST, IMO), the elf scenario and vernossiel, which can quickly fill up the board with deadeyes, the 3pt elf tokens. Then it has Isengrim, one of the best swarm payoffs in the game.

-DWARVES
Dwarves are known to boost. Brouver Hoog is a powerhouse of wideboosts, since unlike most of those, its not a deploy but every turn effect (on the row), and very hard to beat without contering in some way.
Barclay Eeels and Mahakam guard are very similar and boost by the number of dwarves on a row. Even Zoltan Warrior can be a source of swarm boosts if you manage to put a lot of rowdy dwarves.

-DRYADS (SYMBIOSIS)
Alright, so i cheated, its not exactly the dryads that swarm, its the treants spawned by symbiosis and playing nature cards. There's absolutely no swarm payoff here, you have to fetch one from the other ST or Neutral possibilities.

-ROWSTACKING + ROW MOVEMENT
If swarming is filling the board (both rows), filling a row is half-swarming, so i still consider it.
Plenty of ways to quickly fill a row with ST, then you can use movement Witchers like Gaetan to get damage instead of boosts, Gezras (boosts backrow, turn effect), Great Oak for either selfboost, damage or a mixor Dennis Cranmer to boost backrow, like a 1 time Gezras (i didnt included him in the dwarves section because he can boost any unit, not just dwarves)
(EDiT) Bronze ST witchers added in WOTW also benefit from rowstacking - i forgot cuz i never use them, sorry...

-SPELLATAEL
Just a small nod to the possibility of Simlas + double bone talisman, which has a devastating potential of 38pts on a full board, and can obviously be used in any ST deck, not just Spellataels.

SYNDICATE
Syndicate is a faction divided by gangs, and one of those is clearly meant to be used for swarm: FireSworn (Congregate Leader).

-HELVEED
Probably the best way to swarm quickly with SY, assuming you have plenty of coins (he has 4 profit, so dont overprofit, but no cooldown, so the only limit is the row space)

-LT. VON HERST
A great 2pt per turn passive engine, that is actually more used in Hidden Cache than Congregate due to his hoard condition. He's a 6 for 8 if countered immediately, but 20 for 8 if uncountered and the round is long enough to fill up his row.

-JACQUES AND CONGREGATION
One expensive, one cheap, but for swarm purposes, they both put 3 bodies on the board.

-FALLEN KNIGHT AND ETERNAL FIRE PRIEST
These are swarm payoffs,but unlike other payoffs, they are engines and must be played before the swarming (which is mostly done by spawning). The former boosts for every unit and every crime, the latter is a discount version that only boosts for every time units are spawned (so if you spawn 3 units instantly, it only boosts by 1)

-KEEPER OF THE FLAME
Pay the tribute, boosts the whole row. Boring.

-FIRESWORN SCRIBE
This isnt exactly a swarm payoff, but it allows some insane possibilities: with 2, every unit spawned by Helveed is free, with more, you actually profit from it! Its one of the best ways to generate infinite points in a certain seasonal mode, only limited by fast clicks, animations and 60sec turns.

-LONELY CHAMPION
Another funny little card, that is a sort of 'swarm enabler' - in decks that swarm so much that the board space is an issue, this opens up more space for you to swarm some more (and is immune and protects from wide punishment)

-SACRED FLAME
Similar to a bone talisman on order (only boosts firesworns), with 2 extra bodies (zealots) attached.

-DIES IRAE
Another card similar to a bone talisman, but with a few advantages: echo, so it can be used on two rounds; has a 3dmg effect, and unlike sacred flame, if it has deathblow, it boosts ALL of your units like a BT, so theoretically it can be used with other SY units outside firesworn.

MONSTERS
MO is the 'de facto' faction for swarm. It has swarm tools like no other, a swarm leader and even multiple viable swarm strategies and styles.

-ARACHAS AND INSECTOIDS
Arachas Nest is the cheapest swarm card in the game - 4 prov for 4 units (5 if used with AS leader).
The AS leader spawns an extra drone with every organic, so you can even be using control cards like natural selection, pred dive or parasite and still swarming. WIth this leader you can swarm the whole board cheaper than everyone else, just 2-3 bronze cards.

-ARACHAS BEHEMOT
A unit that both helps swarming and is swarm payoff. 8pr, 13 max point potential (which is easy to achieve). And also helps put the drones outside of 1pt removal range like tremors, toruviel, wererat or gerd.

-KIKIMORE QUEEN
A card that was very popular, used with Caranthir to create multiple copies and generate a ton of points by boosting all insectoids on a row through thrive, in a very similar fashion to the card that replaced it.... Koschey.

-KOSCHEY
Also typically used with Caranthir, since its thrive is immediately triggered by Caranthir himself, giving some value before the opponent has any chance to counter, and with the armor it has, makes countering it much harder.
This can be used to swarm the whole board, but before the adrenaline, it only spawns drones, not endrega larvae, which isnt worth the risk of having the koschey countered before the adrenaline is reached, and would also risk overswarming.

-GLUSTYWORP
Not as popular as it used to be - before, it was the staple of AS decks. It is both a swarm payoff, a control tool (since it also consumes the enemy 1pt units) and a swarm enabler, opening up space on your board (although he's not used this way, usually he's used as finisher, specially with last say in order to avoid having him destroyed).

----------------------------------

-RATS AND BEASTS
Even though Arachas is more known as a swarm archetype for MO, rats and beasts arent worse, they're just different, with some pros and cons.
It has more synergy with deathwish and consumes, and actually has the fastest way to swarm in the game - Overwhelming Hunger leader, caranthir and plague maiden, you can have 17 units in 2 turns!

-PLAGUE MAIDEN
The most expensive DW unit (and one of my all-time favourite cards ). Generates 7 (1pt) rats on consume. Simple and effective way to go wide.

-NIGHWRAITH AND HAUNT SCENARIO
Nightwraith is a sort of mini plague maiden, but spawns 2 rats on deploy, and 2 more on consume. It's also the 2nd chapter of MO scenario, which is based on DW/consumes but also supports swarming.

-WERERAT
A consume, quite tricky to use, but it allows to convert points into units, more specifically, rats.

-CHIMERA
A consume and swarm payoff, that can be used effectively with either arachas or rats that filled a row. And you can easily get a 3rd copy of this with MO location artefact.

-MORVUDD
The best swarm payoff wideboost, boosting all beasts. Remember the double plague maiden i mentioned? That spawns 14 rats, so its a 20pt Morvudd on that case, although then you dont have space for anything else like Yen or Triss TK which are also great in that deck.

----------------------------------

-SELFEATERS
This amazing (OP) unit - which i built a whole deck around - can swarm easily if left uncountered, a new unit every turn, but is also its own swarm payoff, strengthening (even better than boosting) with every relict played.

-BLOODY MISTRESS/ GERNICHORA
Needs Sabbath - no problem, its almost impossible to deny sabbath to MO for a mid-long round.
Spawns 2 fruits, so its 3 bodies, 3 engines. With Caranthir, you get 6 (7 counting Caranthir). With Idarran, even more. Doesnt need swarm payoff has they're thrive engines, which are some of the easiest to trigger.

-MOURNTART
This is a meme card, but it can definitely be considered a swarm payoff... Except not like the others, in this case the swarm must have been done on previous rounds, and be in the graveyard, to get a massive amount of points. It has 2 problems though: all tokens are doomed, so they wont fill your graveyard, so you need to purify them if you want them to count for Mourntart, and also has order and a very little body, which makes her a very risky play, needing protection or zeal with defender, caparace leader charge or zeal potion and with last say.

NILFGAARD
The Empire is not known for swarming... In fact, i will go further and say its both the least adequate to swarm and with least amount of swarm punishes (so swarming is great against NG). But its still possible to make some funny things...

-DAERLAN SOLDIERS
Daerlans are 2 bodies, so its quite a slow process to swarm with them. But with Ramon, Vigo, teleport or Vrygheff, you can swarm effectively with them, and Vreemde is then a great swarm payoff, which boosts those soldiers by 2 instead of 1 like most wideboosters.

-SLAVE INFANTRY AND GERMAIN
Another NG bronze soldier, and it definitely doesnt swarm, as it only transforms another unit... but with Germain, which creates 4 instant cows, with more on a cooldown 3, its a great combo to use him with slave infantries that resembles a swarm + swarm payoff.

-CAHIR AND YENNEFER (RANGED)
Cahir is not a swarm card at all, but it's somewhat related - if you play Cahir, and manage to keep it alive, you can play Yennefer and Cahir will neutralize the boosts on the opponent side (they still happen, but Cahir will receive the same amount), which is a good swarm payoff. And if you manage to get 2 Cahirs (through Letho KS), you even benefit from swarm done by the opponent. But Yrden on either sides is deadly with this deck.

 

[Tucoffin]

-FIRESWORN SCRIBE
This isnt exactly a swarm payoff, but it allows some insane possibilities: with 2, every unit spawned by Helveed is free, with more, you actually profit from it! Its one of the best ways to generate infinite points in a certain seasonal mode, only limited by fast clicks, animations and 60sec turns.

Did you mean "8 sec turns"?

 

[DRK3]

Did you mean "8 sec turns"?

Actually no, that combo i was talking about its not done in my beloved seasonal mode 'Battle Rush', but on 'Trial of the grasses' - spawned zealots instantly die (because of -2 +4 that all non-witcher units in that mode are subject to), so space isnt an issue, but you can still get value from the spawn by generating coins or boosting units like Fallen Knight, fire priest, townsfolk or Bincy.

 

[Tucoffin]

Actually no, that combo i was talking about its not done in my beloved seasonal mode 'Battle Rush', but on 'Trial of the grasses' - spawned zealots instantly die (because of -2 +4 that all non-witcher units in that mode are subject to), so space isnt an issue, but you can still get value from the spawn by generating coins or boosting units like Fallen Knight, fire priest, townsfolk or Bincy.

I stand corrected. I wouldn't know because I hardly play this mode, since full-on witchers is not my cup o' tea. But this is an interesting perspective, as maybe there are things more appealing than simply slamming witcher after witcher.

 

[DRK3]

Swarm guide Part 2 updated with MO and NG, and completed.

If i missed something, please let me know.

 

[DRK3]

Meme decks can take many forms.
One of those is decks centered around a single card.
These dont necessarily have to be bad, they can be very competitive, like Viy or Kolgrim have proven (in nasty ways).

And no faction can replay a single card - bronze OR gold - as many times as Nilfgaard, hence why i consider NG the best meme faction and one of my favourites. And this mini-guide will give a template for both cases

[HOW TO BUILD NG DECKS AROUND ONE CARD]

A) DECK AROUND A BRONZE
The copy package for a specific bronze "X" should be familiar to anyone who has played against Mill.

The key card for this strategy is Operator, which creates 2 copies of X, one on each side of the board.
But while this is just a 3rd copy of X for most factions (and without any possible deploy effects), for NG it allows to copy X a ridiculous amount of times with duchess informants, which can be created and replayed in various ways.

TIER I - Essential
-2x of bronze unit "X"
-Operator
-2x informant
-Braathens (for 1 informant)
-Vigo (for 1 informant or 1pt copy of X, advisable only with low bronze units count)
-Coup de Grace (to use on informant, or on X if its 3pt or less or it has spying status)

TIER II - To consider including
-2x Experimental Remedies (best used on a later round than Operator, there should be copies of X or informants on their graveyard)
-2x teleportations (to replay X, in cases where what you want is their deploy effect)
-Necromancy / 2x Offerings (these allow you to revive X from your own graveyard. Offerings only work with 1pt deathblows, which can be done with informants for great synergy)
-Artaud Terranova (might be a waste, since he can copy golds, but when you use Operators, the X on enemy side gets spying instantly, so it should be a Terranova target without needing to give spying - UNTESTED)
-Enslave or Imposter leader (the former seizes it, the latter copies it)

TIER III - Only if you want to be weird
-Sweers /Amnesty (to seize X from opponent's side. Beware if you do this, you cant copy it anymore with informants or revive it later with experimental remedies)
-Master of Puppets (a very risky, possibly bad way of getting the opponent's X on your side - possible but not recommended)

B) DECK AROUND A GOLD
The copy package for a gold is much trickier, but it is possible. If you've seen a Vypper deck, you will recognize many moves.

NOTE: this is max level meme stuff, usually easy to disrupt, so if you attempt to use this on standard modes, prepare to have a hard time. Its better suited in friendly matches or in the 'Safe Space' (name pending), created specifically to allow this type of decks to achieve their potential. I already have some in mind...

-YOU CAN DO THIS WITH ANY NILFGAARD OR NEUTRAL CARD.
If your target gold is from another faction, its only possible through extreme RNG luck (Uma's Curse or Desert Treasure), or if your opponent's uses that card - in that case you can skip the first part of the strategy.

-The concept is the same as the bronze version - put the gold target "Y" on the opponent's side, then copy it.
The first part of that strategy is the tricky one.

-Also beware if you're successful, and Y is on your opponent's side, if it gets transformed, consumed or destroyed in anyway, you wont be able to do anything to put it back on his board and copy it.

-Both Parts need to be done on single round, making it better suited for a 10 card R3.

Part 1) getting "Y" on the opponent's side

-get Y on top of your deck - if its on hand, with vicovaro novice or tactical decision leader.
If its on deck, with blightmaker, courier (not guaranteed), albricht or fisher king.

-switch Y to opponents deck - with Ofiri merchant or Viper Witcher Alchemist.

-Summon Y to opponents side - with Vilgefortz melee or Tibor.
Or make him draw it with Stregobor or Isbel if you're confident Y will be played.

Part 2) copying "Y"

-Terranova (must give spying to Y before)
-Coup de Grace (Y must have spying or 3pt or less)
-Cadaverine (spawns a copy of Y, but doesnt play it)
-Skellen (for an extra copy of Coup or Cadaverine)

-Imposter or Enslave leader (to spawn a copy, better, or to seize the one on opp side, ill-advised)
-Damien (to replay one of these leaders)

-Letho KS (easy copy)
-Dudu (another easy copy, but can only target enemy units, so Y must really be on enemy side)

-Yen Invo (to put Y back on your deck) then play it with Oneiro, war council, or draw him in any way

-Hen Gaidth sword (Y needs to be 2pts or less, usually easy after Coup de Grace)

-Gorthur Gvaed (if Y is on enemy graveyard) + cantarella/ viper witcher alchemist

-Assire (can put Y from either graveyard back into respective deck, or any of the above cards to do it again)

-Viper witcher (to create extra copies of Y on top of opponent's deck) + Cantarella/ viper witcher alchemist)
(Yup, even bronzes can be used to copy golds this way!)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WIth these strategies, you could theoretically do a 10 card round playing the same Y gold... but since most likely you need to do part 1, which usually takes up 3 turns (or more), 6-7 copies of Y in one round is a more realistic goal.

Also note a lot of these options spawn a copy of Y instead of letting you play it, so these memes are better suited if your chosen gold is an order or a unit with a passive ability and not a deploy.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[DRK3]

Hello everyone.
The following guide is aimed at my fellow meme deckbuilders / players, although its general message can probably be helpful to any player.

This is something that took me quite a long time to learn, and a piece of advice ive never seen shared in any Gwent related "place", which strengthened my conviction on how important it is to share it.

[MEMES VS META]

No, this is probably not what you are thinking - its not a debate on which is better, or a direct comparison between the two.
Its a simple advice that can help meme players have more success and fun with their creations, by allying themselves with a certain concept - TIME.

Creating great meme decks is hard.
And you can create a really smart and versatile meme deck, and then go test it out and be destroyed by metadecks and get your soul crushed. Does it mean your deck is not as good as you thought after all? No! Dont give up yet...

For those unfamiliar with the concept of meta, i will explain it briefly. I remember i didnt know what it meant in the card game context either, when i started reading Gwent content.
The 'meta' (in this context) simply means the standard, the decks that are popular and get the highest playrates and winrates in Gwent.
And the meta is very strong in Gwent indeed, with a vast majority of players sticking to it completely, downloading decks in meta reports without making a single change - i wont pass judgement just this once, remaining unbiased for the integrity of this article.

Another characteristic of the meta is that it changes.
Changes rapidly when there's an expansion or new cards added. Changes mildly when there's a patch with reworks and provision adjustments. And can even change slowly when there arent any changes to the game.

So, despite some constants in the meta - like always some degree of control decks, or NG always not far from the top - its overall feel can change quite a lot, and that's one of the reasons some players like some metas while others dont, depending on each's playstyles.

HOWEVER, particular meme decks remain mostly the same.
And we finally arrive at my advice: Be patient, and wait for your (deck's) time to shine.
Knowing the current meta well is a great advantage even for meme players, and you can assess what will work and what is better for another meta.
(this is quite ironic for me, since i really hate the Patience mechanic and archetype introduced in Gwent PoP expansion )

Your meme deck can be terrible in a certain meta, but absolutely awesome in another.
So sometimes, its best to "go with the flow" and adapt to the meta - put a deck aside, even though you love to play it, and wait for a better meta for it.
Its not easy, specially after you just created it and feel really proud of yourself and want to show to the world its brilliance, but it might take an unknown amount of time - a month, 6 months, a year? - until it works great. But it will be worth it.

And now, EXAMPLES, because everybody loves them, and with good reason, passing the message quite efficiently.

A) this deck is so solid that may not even be considered meme, but the NG Germain (cow guy) + slave infantry had an amazing time (i would know, i certainly took advantage of it ) when one of the most popular decks was NG spies and quadruple joachim, because you had a ton of 1pt informants to transform, plus you transformed that Joachim on the 1st time, making their coups very awkward. I had 100% winrate on this matchup.

B) Angouleme is one of my favourite cards, definitely a meme, and its one of the most meta-dependant cards. Before megascopes were introduced, scenario and locations were the only artefacts being played and there was a meta or two (a few months) were pratically all decks were using these and Angouleme decks became very reliable.

C) From time to time, there comes a meta that is quite swarm heavy, whether its Arachas swarm, NR blue stripes or even ST Symbiosis with a ton of treants. Then its time to pull out any meme decks that rely on wide punishment, like SK pirates with wild boar of the sea, ST movement with dragons dream or even SY Syanna for double TInboy!
(PS - or even better, for full meme power, rat clog!)

D) We just came out of half a year of SY's lined pockets domination, where Cleaver and Drill were dominant. It was very common to see a row with Cleaver, several Cleaver's muscle and Drill, all lined up at 5pts... Igni, anyone? Igni is not exactly a meme card, but it can be a part of a lot of meme decks, and any would be great to counter this tier 1 deck!

E) My 7 Geralts deck (yes, all of them!) is the definition of a meme deck, and it's quite terrible, as 5 of those 7 expensive cards are tall punishment... Hmm, what deck could have so many tall units that all this tall punishment wouldnt be bricked?... Viy! And it worked, i lost almost every match with that deck, but against Viy, in the Viy meta, it beat that crap most of the times!

Feel free to share examples of your meme decks and how they were particularly good in a specific meta!

 

[quintivarium]

I sincerely hope you are correct that old memes may again compete in some future Meta. Until and unless CDPR addresses the extreme power creep seen after Way of the Witcher, I have doubts. None of my decks based on old cards do well against Price of Power decks. Memes can still work, but, at least for me, they must use a healthy dose of new, op cards.

 

[DRK3]

I sincerely hope you are correct that old memes may again compete in some future Meta. Until and unless CDPR addresses the extreme power creep seen after Way of the Witcher, I have doubts. None of my decks based on old cards do well against Price of Power decks. Memes can still work, but, at least for me, they must use a healthy dose of new, op cards.

There's no guarantee a specific meme deck will be viable in the future.
In general, meta cards and decks will be much stronger than memes, what i meant was that from time to time, the stars align and one or more metadecks are perfectly countered by a particular meme deck, because they plays into its strategy.

So, what a meme player (or any player that simply avoids playing meta) can do is take a step back, look into the big picture and compare their repertoire of decks with what's being played currently and consider which ones would work best.
Maybe the examples i posted werent good enough

 

[quintivarium]

There's no guarantee a specific meme deck will be viable in the future.
In general, meta cards and decks will be much stronger than memes, what i meant was that from time to time, the stars align and one or more metadecks are perfectly countered by a particular meme deck, because they plays into its strategy.

So, what a meme player (or any player that simply avoids playing meta) can do is take a step back, look into the big picture and compare their repertoire of decks with what's being played currently and consider which ones would work best.
Maybe the examples i posted werent good enough

Actually, your examples were very good. But I fear that recent rates of power creep are rendering many once-good (or at least adaquate) cards almost impossible to use successfully — no matter your deck building or playing skill.

 

[DRK3]

It may be a bit too early to approach this subject, and i admit i don't have too much experience with the card (only tried it in one deck, one faction).
Still, i believe this information is most valuable now, while most players still dont know much about this new complex card.
I will edit and add info later if needed.

[GUIDE TO YENNEFER: ILLUSIONIST]

BASICS
This card is 12 provisions, 4base power, spawns a 4pt token, does 4 damage. 12 for 12? Not so simple.
The token although is 4pt, dies with any damage. But he is not an engine, you dont need to protect it (although with such beautiful art, you may want to )
On each following turn, she damages based on the power of the FIRST (only once per turn, or it would be OP) unit spawned.
The damage always targets the lowest unit (random, if multiple - i already killed a saskia commander and made my opponent forfeit )

Also, there is a deathblow effect, Yen Illusionist boosts by 1pt when that happens. This is specially important if you dont protect her: 4 or 5 pt might be the difference between whether the opponent can deal with her or not.
Still, she is a 12pr engine, that you probably want to build your deck around, protecting her behind a defender or boosts/shields is a good idea.

SPAWN CARDS
You do not need to stick with 1/2/3pt tokens, in fact that is probably a waste of Yen Illusionist's potential.

-Mushy Truffle's bonded units.
-WotW faction-exclusive locations.
-Mysterious Puzzzle Boz (7pt Djinn).
-Scenarios that spawn units (NG 4-4-4, MO 4-5-3, ST 3-3-3, NR 4-4-0, SY 4-0-4, SK 4-2-0).
-Runestones.
-Spawned leaders (SK Arnjolf 11, MO Woodland Spirit 9, ST Dana 7, NG Morvran 7).
-Leaders that can spawn units (NR Mobilization, Uprising, SK Ursine Ritual, NG Imposter, Doublecross?, SY Pirate Cove).

NEUTRALS
Create cards (Uma's Curse, Desert Treasure, Shupe, Runemage, Operator, Alzur, Gascon Iron Falcon, Hen Gaidth sword 2nd use, Elf and Onion Soup, ...)
NILFGAARD
Terranova, Bribery?, Usurper, Cadaverine, Ramon, blightmakers + MAs, Illusionists, Coup de Grace, Imperial Diplomacy
NORTHERN REALMS
Queen Adalia, Chapter of wizards and runeword, reinforcements, Forbidden Magic
SKELLIGE
Cerys, Queensguards, Totem, Magic compass, Offering to the Sea
SYNDICATE
Ulrich, Cleaver, Novigrad Justice, Savolla, Igor, Adriano, Veritas, Shady Vendor / Eventide Plunder
SCOIATAEL
Waters of Brokilon, Bountiful Harvest/ Sorceress of DB
MONSTERS
Arachas Queen, Selfeater, Harpy Egg

HOW TO BUILD DECK AROUND ILLUSIONIST
Having good spawn targets is only half of the job. It is recommended you also pack 'order damage' to control the enemy side of the board.

Imagine you're playing against Fruits of Ysgith - all too common these days - or against a ST symbiosis or a NR player with frigates. Against these opponents, you may be spawning 4pt or more units every turn, but the Illusionist damage is being wasted on 1/2pt tokens.

That is why I SUPPOSE (not tested yet) the best way to maximize Yen Illusionist's value is to have external damage on order/ charges, to remove these low value targets before you spawn the units that will target the more valuable units, possibly even removing engines.

Some good examples of these 'order damage': NR almost all siege engines, redanian archers, lyrian arbalests, spellweavers; SK brokvar archers, light longships or even leaders like reckless flurry or onslaught; SY freakshow, tunnel drill, whoreson Jr or arena endrega.

That is why I PREDICT that even though NG has by far the best spawn targets, it lacks on this 'order damage' aspect, so the best faction to use with Yen Illusionist will probably be NR, or maybe SK or SY.

DON'T FALL INTO THE TRAPS
There are two traps (so far) i identified when deckbuilding for Yen Illusionist.

The first, is one of the first things i planned to do with Illusionist, but i realized the problem before i tried (and failed): to use NG spies.
That is why i didn't mention Braathens, Vigo, informants, enforcers until now. The problem is when you put the informant on the other side of the board, the Illusionist will damage the 1pt spy, and you would never be able to damage your opponent's units.
Enforcers would not help with this, as you dont get the chance to use their orders to kill the informant you played before the illusionist damage takes it out.

The other trap i am less sure it's even a trap. Idarran.
Idarran is the spawn master. The problem is you might overswarm the board with him, and have a lot of 1pt units.
So, i would say he's not as obvious choice as you first think, only use him if your plan makes sure those 1pt spawns will end up generating a lot of value, most likely if you focus on engines, otherwise he's not recommended.

THE END (for now...)

 

[igor565]

NG

Diplomacies and Coup (with setup) also can trigger Yen.
In addition I’m curious how the newly buffed enforcers feel in the current meta, don’t know how good they play right now. But it of course becomes more complex (and less effective) if we mix 2 archetypes (spies and assimilate create)

 

[StanislavOZZO]

It may be a bit too early to approach this subject, and i admit i don't have too much experience with the card (only tried it in one deck, one faction).
Still, i believe this information is most valuable now, while most players still dont know much about this new complex card.
I will edit and add info later if needed.

[GUIDE TO YENNEFER: ILLUSIONIST]

I am so glad to see you back, my friend.
Your wit and originality will be much appreciated.

My 5 cents: in short, protect Illusionist at all costs (defender, shield, veil, etc.) and build half of your deck around spawned units.
And with the other half of the deck - surprise DRK3! Build something that will impress even him