Time Traveling META Thoughts
I am going back in time to CBT. After a point, like in every CCG, a META formulates and things become a bit more boring, predictable. Predictable is bad because equals boring and thus the game becomes stale and uninteresting for most of the people. In CCG's thought they implement new cards on a somewhat regular basis and that mitigates the predictability until a new META forms, at least. The implementation of new cards and other content like new game modes and such also provide a new way to keep a CCG interesting.
Before the Tournament that close an age for Gwent a META had formulated were most of us felt it was pretty stale. At the same time it wasn't the worst thing ever, especially for a new CCG, it was Close Beta nevertheless. Then the Tournament came were surprises happened, Decks and cards we never imagined of playing even as meme in Casual were played and the Final was one of the most exciting games ever. Flawed as it may was, it was an ok meta and we all knew balancing and changes were coming.
- The Downfall
What are the things a CCG wants to have and what are the things it doesn't? Predictability. You don't want that. Is everyone agreeing on that? I wonder how of a "crusade" CDPR has made the "less RNG" theme. We already have 25 limit decks, that's huge consistency for any CCG. Then they added "Orders" and deployable Leaders. Synergy and combos that provide huge tempo swings on...turn 1. On top of that consistency of 25 decks, "Orders" also provide a huge thinning tool for a deck, even less RNG and more consistency. The path narrows. RNG becomes almost non existent and consistency is...more consistent than the word itself. So then, predictability becomes an issue. What was achieved in the end is a very strict meta, a very predictable meta that feels to me far worse than it's previous state.
I got bored much faster than i was hoping. Though i do keep in mind how early it is, that, the fact that i am missing many cards in my collection also restricts my ability to experiment. So let's see what we have...
- Predictavility is bad in general.
- 25 decks means good consistency, less RNG.
- Deployable Leaders, huge tempo swings but also extremely predictable on the archetypes they are used on, also more deck thinnig, thus more consistency and even less RNG.
- Controlling Weather and lack of interaction on board
These things resulted in many things, some of those are quite negative in my opinion. I consider Weather to be a good change. The change that Weather now cannot make a card go from 15 str. to 1. Why is it good? Because it shows no skill was involved, you just play weather as your last card, that was the "strategy". Now Weather has a control feel to it, at the same time (if you haven't noticed), Control archetype has gone extinct, quite literally in Gwent. From "Punisher Rad" we are at the place were 3 unit decks emerge with only spell/special cards and the majority of them are, you guess it, Weather and general soft/hard removals. Control archetype is non existent in the Radovid form but at the same time quite prevalent in the "No interaction" Special decks that emerge now. I hope it just got out of hand us i know CDPR already acknowledges Weather is not in the place they want still.
I am watching a mirror match between two of these decks, say a Scoia Special deck and a new Nilfgaard "Goldgaard" and i feel i would be less bored if i was shoving my head on the refrigerator door. In all seriousness though, there's a meta here which allows simply NO interaction between the opponents. I am watching the same Tournament Final game and Lifecoach and Noxious are playing these decks...
- "The Answer is 42"
Isn't the purpose the viability of every archetype? Why do they push so hard on consistency when you already have 25 limit decks? Weather was an issue, you changed it and at the same time you made it agile as the units, why? There was a -great- discussion i found quite good because it tried to cover all angles and see things from an objective perspective. I urge people to read it and think about it.
I can only talk in general terms because i don't know what CDPR want from the game, from the meta besides the fact of less RNG as possible. 25 Deck limit was enough for that imo. "Orders" and deployable Leaders are just redundant, but they worsen things by adding more predictability imo.
I don't know how to end this in no other way than just expressing my feelings about the current meta vs the previous. I loved the CBT, not besides it flaws but with it's flaws. Mostly because i knew CDPR are working on them. The start of OBT was really misleading for me. I had the most exciting games ever! Literally. But a meta hadn't formulated yet, everything was like the face of Bob Arctor while that transformation thingy went nuts switching to a thousand different faces per second. Now i just don't feel i can contribute anymore. I don't feel ok playing the game while the meta favors this...weirdness. Perhaps it is the total lack of cards in my collection. Opening 45 kegs at the start to only get 1 Gold and a couple of silvers was already quite discomforting to start with (while i was quite happy at how rewarding CPRD was by giving us so many Kegs just for participating in CBT).
What i know is how i feel. I may be wrong on a thing here and there but the overall sentiment of this meta is not positive for myself at least. I almost wish the previous meta to come back, minus the Faction passives and the OP Weather.
I sincerely hope the best for the game and CDPR, GL!
- A Prelude of Greatness
I am going back in time to CBT. After a point, like in every CCG, a META formulates and things become a bit more boring, predictable. Predictable is bad because equals boring and thus the game becomes stale and uninteresting for most of the people. In CCG's thought they implement new cards on a somewhat regular basis and that mitigates the predictability until a new META forms, at least. The implementation of new cards and other content like new game modes and such also provide a new way to keep a CCG interesting.
Before the Tournament that close an age for Gwent a META had formulated were most of us felt it was pretty stale. At the same time it wasn't the worst thing ever, especially for a new CCG, it was Close Beta nevertheless. Then the Tournament came were surprises happened, Decks and cards we never imagined of playing even as meme in Casual were played and the Final was one of the most exciting games ever. Flawed as it may was, it was an ok meta and we all knew balancing and changes were coming.
- The Downfall
What are the things a CCG wants to have and what are the things it doesn't? Predictability. You don't want that. Is everyone agreeing on that? I wonder how of a "crusade" CDPR has made the "less RNG" theme. We already have 25 limit decks, that's huge consistency for any CCG. Then they added "Orders" and deployable Leaders. Synergy and combos that provide huge tempo swings on...turn 1. On top of that consistency of 25 decks, "Orders" also provide a huge thinning tool for a deck, even less RNG and more consistency. The path narrows. RNG becomes almost non existent and consistency is...more consistent than the word itself. So then, predictability becomes an issue. What was achieved in the end is a very strict meta, a very predictable meta that feels to me far worse than it's previous state.
I got bored much faster than i was hoping. Though i do keep in mind how early it is, that, the fact that i am missing many cards in my collection also restricts my ability to experiment. So let's see what we have...
- Predictavility is bad in general.
- 25 decks means good consistency, less RNG.
- Deployable Leaders, huge tempo swings but also extremely predictable on the archetypes they are used on, also more deck thinnig, thus more consistency and even less RNG.
- Controlling Weather and lack of interaction on board
These things resulted in many things, some of those are quite negative in my opinion. I consider Weather to be a good change. The change that Weather now cannot make a card go from 15 str. to 1. Why is it good? Because it shows no skill was involved, you just play weather as your last card, that was the "strategy". Now Weather has a control feel to it, at the same time (if you haven't noticed), Control archetype has gone extinct, quite literally in Gwent. From "Punisher Rad" we are at the place were 3 unit decks emerge with only spell/special cards and the majority of them are, you guess it, Weather and general soft/hard removals. Control archetype is non existent in the Radovid form but at the same time quite prevalent in the "No interaction" Special decks that emerge now. I hope it just got out of hand us i know CDPR already acknowledges Weather is not in the place they want still.
I am watching a mirror match between two of these decks, say a Scoia Special deck and a new Nilfgaard "Goldgaard" and i feel i would be less bored if i was shoving my head on the refrigerator door. In all seriousness though, there's a meta here which allows simply NO interaction between the opponents. I am watching the same Tournament Final game and Lifecoach and Noxious are playing these decks...
- "The Answer is 42"
Isn't the purpose the viability of every archetype? Why do they push so hard on consistency when you already have 25 limit decks? Weather was an issue, you changed it and at the same time you made it agile as the units, why? There was a -great- discussion i found quite good because it tried to cover all angles and see things from an objective perspective. I urge people to read it and think about it.
I can only talk in general terms because i don't know what CDPR want from the game, from the meta besides the fact of less RNG as possible. 25 Deck limit was enough for that imo. "Orders" and deployable Leaders are just redundant, but they worsen things by adding more predictability imo.
I don't know how to end this in no other way than just expressing my feelings about the current meta vs the previous. I loved the CBT, not besides it flaws but with it's flaws. Mostly because i knew CDPR are working on them. The start of OBT was really misleading for me. I had the most exciting games ever! Literally. But a meta hadn't formulated yet, everything was like the face of Bob Arctor while that transformation thingy went nuts switching to a thousand different faces per second. Now i just don't feel i can contribute anymore. I don't feel ok playing the game while the meta favors this...weirdness. Perhaps it is the total lack of cards in my collection. Opening 45 kegs at the start to only get 1 Gold and a couple of silvers was already quite discomforting to start with (while i was quite happy at how rewarding CPRD was by giving us so many Kegs just for participating in CBT).
What i know is how i feel. I may be wrong on a thing here and there but the overall sentiment of this meta is not positive for myself at least. I almost wish the previous meta to come back, minus the Faction passives and the OP Weather.
I sincerely hope the best for the game and CDPR, GL!
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