Only the insane need apply....

[KenLBlack]

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, there's many of us going insane, definitely including me. For the third Homecoming season in a row, I have--yet again--failed to break rank level 10, which means I will once again be hurtling back down to rank 15 to begin the new season, where I have started each season. (The developer's stream information regarding people not going down in rank will not apply, I do not believe, at the end of a season, people will start in the lower end of whatever "bracket" they are in, but someone is welcome to correct me if I'm wrong on that.)

Being shoved down 5 ranks each season because I can't break the barrier of 10 is starting to wear a bit thin. Sure, it's easy to say "just break rank 10" but it's not always quite that easy. There will be a limit to some player's patience if the current method of going down that many ranks at season's end continues for much longer. I like the game, but this is beginning to feel (appropriately enough, given the date) like Groundhog Day.

 

[rrc]

Dear @KenLBlack,
We will always reach the rank we deserve based on our skill and the deck we have. If you can't break rank 10, probably you are missing something. Watch some streams to know the current meta and try to anticipate your opponent moves. Craft the better cards and include them in your deck. The more experienced you become, you will go to the next level (with some luck too). I struggled like hell to reach Rank 7. I was so close and then deranked to Rank 10, but with some luck and experience, I managed to reach Rank 7.

Good luck!

 

[KenLBlack]

Thanks for the reply @rrc , I appreciate it. Oh believe me, I watch streams as often as I can (I work FT), and have a pretty good idea of the meta. There are always a few cards in each deck, however, that I get completely surprised by or are unexpected. A scorch here, an artifact being used with a leader who doesn't usually use one, etc. I am, basically, a netdecker (which I realize is a bad word for many) partly because as a FT worker I don't have the time to play around with possible decks and thus (sure enough...) lose rank. I am hopeful CDPR will eventually change the brackets so you don't go down a full 5 ranks. I guess we'll see. I just re-watched that part of the developer's stream and I guess news will be posted soon. Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Alexander_Volgin]

https://gwentup.com/decks

Use this link for deck inspiration.

 

[quantum_number]

[Image removed because of language]

 

[Alexander_Volgin]

In general, dont get frustrated, play each match with intention of winning.

 

[C7Racehead]

Remember that they're changing the ladder system for the upcoming season. You'll no longer go down ranks when losing; you'll only lose part of the mosaic.

 

[KenLBlack]

Believe me, @Alexander_Volgin, I study the GwentUp site quite a bit....and support it monthly, for that matter, via Patreon. (A habit I started pre-HC when they were a deck tracker.) They have definitely kind of risen to the top now for deck sharing. I'm now back down to level 11 from 10 yet again after facing freakin' No-funilfgaard yet again. (I really despise that faction.) Perhaps things will be better next season with the new rank rules. I certainly hope so.

 

[Alexander_Volgin]

Believe me, @Alexander_Volgin, I study the GwentUp site quite a bit....and support it monthly, for that matter, via Patreon. (A habit I started pre-HC when they were a deck tracker.) They have definitely kind of risen to the top now for deck sharing. I'm now back down to level 11 from 10 yet again after facing freakin' No-funilfgaard yet again. (I really despise that faction.) Perhaps things will be better next season with the new rank rules. I certainly hope so.

I netdecked "value Woodland" and achieved 61% win rate, mastering the deck. (I.e went from rank 11 to 0 by winning 137 matches in total: I.e 224 game played, 137 game won, 91 lost: Difference 49 which corresponds to 10 ranks, thus adjusting for winstreaks).
Now everyone is running the blue dream in their deck, and most people that i faced on higher rank were SK players, Haralds / Crach. However, you eventually learn to play around their strat, improving your win con.

 

[rrc]

@KenLBlack , Just out of curiosity, which faction do you play? The fact that you are struggling could mean that you are either ST or NR? My advice would be to play Big Monsters deck. It is the easiest deck to play. Even a bot can play that deck. You just have to play the cards in certain order and pray to god that the opponent doesn't have the counter. If you hate MO, you can play SK, the most consistent faction. Here also, you can almost get a manual as to how to play. The advantage of these two factions is that, they are CDPR's favorite factions and will hardly ever get nerfed or changed.

 

[kAiSeR007]

I'd suggest you to be patient. Back in beta Gwent, where the seasons were longer, I struggled a bit to get to rank 21 (old pro ladder). 2 or 3 times I almost got there, but failed by just a little bit, and was very frustating. But finally, I managed. I hope the new changes in the ranking system help players fight the frustration of losing ranks senseless.

 

[KenLBlack]

@rrc - I have been playing a variation of Shinmiri's Eist deck (which was great....while it lasted) and most recently I have indeed played various Elves. I am not really a fan of Monsters as you correctly infer! (I think perhaps because I was most annoyed playing against MO and NG that I only play them if I have to just to get experience with playing them so I can see what I'm up against.) Thank you for your suggestions; I've tried some Crach SK, as well, but didn't have as much luck as I did previous with Eist.

@Alexander_Volgin and @kAiSeR007 thank you very much for your comments. I appreciate all of your supporting words! (On a certain other forum that rhymes with "edit" I would probably be skinned alive.) I value this official forum for the nice fan base, overall!

 

[Randy-Lahey]

I got to my highest rank 3 with a variation of shinmiri's midrange morvhan deck it was pretty fun and felt good to play. It also was pretty easy to pilot once you got a handle of it. Eist was really strong until people learned how to play against it so if you're finding your issue is never being able to win R1 and then bleed R2 that might be the problem.

If you have watched streams and are netdecking from shinmiri and still stuck at around rank 10 I don't really have any advice other than.. predict your opponents hand better? It can help to think about what they probably have in hand based on the plays they've made and also it's really important to pay attention to how far you are in the round and if you have the reach to get more points in two cards than them when you're on red coin. Other than that I dunno, try to identify their deck and play around what they should have. That might be harder at lower ranks where people use less optimal decks which might have more surprises?

 

[KenLBlack]

@murph33- , @Alexander_Volgin , @kAiSeR007 , and @rrc - Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I think I've had it, though. I'll tell you one thing...this is NOT a game to play if you have depression, as I do! I was hoping Gwent could take my mind off of things while going into my retirement years, which are not all that far off, given that I am 59. This is clearly a younger person's game; at least more so than I had initially thought. I guess I just get too easily triggered after a loss, as well. I'm just going to stop playing for awhile altogether and see how I feel later. I just managed to lose myself down to rank 12 now, so I imagine it's only going to get worse from here this season. Best wishes to you all.

 

[Lexor]

This is clearly a younger person's game; at least more so than I had initially thought.

Well, I think it's not about age (I'm not young as well) but more about type of game and specific person.
I'm also "kind of new" player (I did not play any Gwent Betas, only HC).
I just love TBS and played some card games in the past - now I do not have big problems with Gwent.
Yes, it's hard to play with not all cards in collection, but it was not so hard for me to get to rank 7 two months in row.
I'm using Nilfgaard deck which is not so easy to pilot but that's the reason I like it.

 

[Imm0rtaleflame]

With my new deck I have 9 wins, 2 loses and 1 draw, per 12 pvp's. And my faction mmr is somehow the same as before I started playing this deck of mine. Before 1236 now 1256, well... And rank is maybe +1 compared to before but I can't play any other faction if I want to stay here... hmmmmmmmmmm