Why do Spies exist?

[Beloani]

Why do Spies exist?

I have just found this game and I have been looking through the current card base. I have been wondering what is the function of spies such as Dijkstra. I mean, you just play a card to draw a card, so you don't gain anything. You just give your opponent some points/strength/power. So why would you ever want to include such cards in your deck?

 

[ThornTwist]

I believe the reason is that once you have a deck where you can draw a card that gives you a higher amount than the card gives your opponent. And Dijkstra gives 4 pts, big difference, but there is a spy card that gives the opponent 9. There are other reasons to have these cards in your deck as well. Say you know you are going to forfeit a match. What this can do is use a card that eats up an opponent card by way of forcing them to play another card while you have a chance to keep the same amount of cards and possibly get a much better one. You can also use weather cards to largely negate the lead you gave to your opponent. This is why specializing your deck to suit your needs is a big deal - because you can use cards like Dijkstra and know you are going to throw a frost card out so that negates much of the points given to them. Also, certain players are heavy on a particular range.. many monster card users are very heavy in melee combat. For this reason, you can force them to eat through half their hand in one match while giving yourself a win for later matches. So if I am playing as nilfgaard and they are playing as monster, I can play my 9 pt spy card and just use my low number cards forcing them to eat through their hand on the first match. Then all I need to do is win 2 matches in a row with almost double the amount of cards.

 

[Beloani]

I see, thank you.

 

[KingBlackToof]

Spies are useful in the following ways: (Dijkstra types like Draw 1 card)

- You use a turn but still have the same amount of cards in hand (This will effectively mean you have +1 card advantage since you make the opponent play another card)

- You get Double the Chance of pulling an important card you want - I.E: Geralt: IGNI View attachment 62691
Since you Draw 10 cards at the beginning of the game - Is 1 of them Geralt? No? Then if 1 is Dijkstra then when you Play him and Draw a Card, that card could be Geralt.

- Following on from the previous point, When building a Deck, adding Spies adds to the Minimum Unit Card Limit (22 min), So far minimalist Decks seem to be the favoured meta. By adding in Spies you are making a Deck more consistent since, as I mentioned above, You no longer have 22 card minimum - you effectively have 21 cards minimum (For 1 Spy) or 20 Cards minimum (For 2 Spies) because they'll guarantee one of the other cards in your Deck during the match.

- If you win the first round, the opponent - No matter what - cannot pass the 2nd round or he risks losing, You can decide you want to forfeit that round but why not place all your Spies first? You're giving them Strength sure, but they CANNOT pass (Or risk you placing all of your cards and losing), so you're draining their card advantage for Round 3.

- As ThornTwist mentioned, You can use Weather Effects to offset the Strength you give them, useful against certain decks. (Like Monster Weather Decks)

That's all I can think of for the moment, Other Spies have more useful abilities: Banish 1 Card from the opponents Graveyard, -2 to all on that row etc.
Dijkstra and his type of Spy are probably considered the worst kind but are still useful.

 

[ThornTwist]

I didn't even know minimalist decks were a thing. I just started doing that myself like a week ago, lol. That's the way to go because you can trim all the fat and take cards out of your deck that are not good.

 

[wrangman]

I didn't even know minimalist decks were a thing. I just started doing that myself like a week ago, lol. That's the way to go because you can trim all the fat and take cards out of your deck that are not good.

Oh yes. Minimalist deck is my strategy! The problem with it is that you can not get the highest strength, however, you don't run the risk of only getting bad (low) cards!

---------- Updated at 11:18 AM ----------

I have just found this game and I have been looking through the current card base. I have been wondering what is the function of spies such as Dijkstra. I mean, you just play a card to draw a card, so you don't gain anything. You just give your opponent some points/strength/power. So why would you ever want to include such cards in your deck?

As you probably know, in the Witcher 3 Gwent minigame, Spies were kinda (read: very) OP. The Spy would draw two random cards. Now they changed those Spies to show you what card you are going to draw or draw one at random. Other Spies have been added like the Spy: Carcass Eater, which will draw a card at random and let you remove a card from your opponent's Graveyard.

I see many uses for Spies still, however, as you might have thought, not as useful as in the mini-game.

 

[Beloani]

Thank you all for your replies. You have really been a great help.

 

[ShifuoftheCards]

As you probably know, in the Witcher 3 Gwent minigame, Spies were kinda (read: very) OP. The Spy would draw two random cards. Now they changed those Spies to show you what card you are going to draw or draw one at random. Other Spies have been added like the Spy: Carcass Eater, which will draw a card at random and let you remove a card from your opponent's Graveyard.

I see many uses for Spies still, however, as you might have thought, not as useful as in the mini-game.[/QUOTE]

TOTALLY! Spies in the Witcher 3 were the lifeblood of so many of my decks. They are still important as any card that gives you options is a boon. I think the question was answered very well above, but I may have a few ideas to add. Any card that can prolong your turn or serve as a bluff is important. If you only build decks that go face, you lose the nuance of the game. I cannot wait to see all the decks and styles we come up with as a community! At the very least Spies add a little RNG to the game in the form of a draw. Not too much, but just enough.

 

[KristineSteimer]

I have just found this game and I have been looking through the current card base. I have been wondering what is the function of spies such as Dijkstra. I mean, you just play a card to draw a card, so you don't gain anything. You just give your opponent some points/strength/power. So why would you ever want to include such cards in your deck?

Everyone else has done a wonderful job of explaining spy cards, but my favorite thing to do in Witcher 3 Gwent was dump all my spy cards in the first round. The opponent wins, but they waste a lot of cards that I'd easily sweep the next two rounds

 

[Eredin_Breacc_Glas]

Everyone else has done a wonderful job of explaining spy cards, but my favorite thing to do in Witcher 3 Gwent was dump all my spy cards in the first round. The opponent wins, but they waste a lot of cards that I'd easily sweep the next two rounds

The problem with that is that the opponent is highly likely to use a decoy on the spy card, or revive it with a medic unit, the next round. That's why I almost always save my spies for the last round (Except for Avallac'h.).

The down-side to that, though, is you can't do as much planning, since you're only finding out what your new cards will be last minute.

But, if you ARE going to dump them in the first round, I'd at least wait until you're sure that you've lost, so that the enemy doesn't decoy them.

 

[KristineSteimer]

The problem with that is that the opponent is highly likely to use a decoy on the spy card, or revive it with a medic unit, the next round. That's why I almost always save my spies for the last round (Except for Avallac'h.).

The down-side to that, though, is you can't do as much planning, since you're only finding out what your new cards will be last minute.

But, if you ARE going to dump them in the first round, I'd at least wait until you're sure that you've lost, so that the enemy doesn't decoy them.

Yes, my old Witcher 3 strategy will probably not work as well in new Gwent I didn't have much trouble against AI with that previously.

 

[wrangman]

Yes, my old Witcher 3 strategy will probably not work as well in new Gwent I didn't have much trouble against AI with that previously.

So cool to see you CDPR people on the forum! I mean you guys comment even if it's not that big of an issue. It really increases my love for the company and your games! You guys are the best!

 

[Eredin_Breacc_Glas]

Yes, my old Witcher 3 strategy will probably not work as well in new Gwent I didn't have much trouble against AI with that previously.

Did you have your difficulty on "Easy"/"Normal"? That may be why. It's a very common tactic for the A.I. on "Hard".

 

[Keymaker7]

Yes, my old Witcher 3 strategy will probably not work as well in new Gwent I didn't have much trouble against AI with that previously.

Maybe this tactic was useful when playing against AI, but try this out with human I can ensure you that human players know how to counter this tactic with decoys (exactly as Eredin_Breacc_Glas said)

 

[KristineSteimer]

Did you have your difficulty on "Easy"/"Normal"? That may be why. It's a very common tactic for the A.I. on "Hard".

Normal

 

[KristineSteimer]

Maybe this tactic was useful when playing against AI, but try this out with human I can ensure you that human players know how to counter this tactic with decoys (exactly as Eredin_Breacc_Glas said)

Haha, yeah I know Like I said, my use of strategies will definitely have to change!

 

[OptoNick]

I assume, new spies will be kind of 'last hope' instead of spamming tool. More risky, more venturous - it's for the better, I think.

 

[Eredin_Breacc_Glas]

Normal

Ha! Ya' big noob.

 

[KristineSteimer]

Ha! Ya' big noob.

I know

 

[IZOTRON]

Really, really if you change the page number your reply is deleted ? just spent more than an hour for all the quotes and counter arguments, god how i hate forums !


Now the short version, since I can't go to the page number one !


NO you never use unless you have to use your spies in the second round if you won the first round, since you are going to have a hard game if you do that, and you don't use them in the 1. round too!

Spies are the last cards you wanna use, the enemy needs to lose decoys and healers befor you use spies.

Dijkstra is 8 power on gwentDB that's a lot of points to give to the enemy for a card you could have if you didn't have dijkstra!

The chance you drow somthing good is not twice as high !

using dijkstra as a card to bait another card in new gwent is not really a good exchange, sicne you are not playing vs Ai they don't need to use cards until you give up the round, they can just use that spie against you.

People could not use spies in old gwent and the new ones are just looking to ez to counter, I have over 200 online gwnet games northen vs nilf and perheps i seen 10 people who managed to use spies.

Someone said, that dijkstra is probably a low spie card, why him of all people, makes no sanse ?


Currently I am thinking it's better to have no spies in northern deck, the cnahce of getting a card is basically the same but without the extra power up to the enemy, and a clear hand from start.

A few question, I have dijkstra and thaler, if i play one fo them (dijkstra)and see one card for instance it's my man Vernon Roche but i pick the other one then I play thaler will the one from the two cards be Vernon Roche ? if the answer is yes will he be the card I see or is there chance that he will be the hiden one ?

A few question I see a lot of people here don't have much experience playing gwent against humans, but dijkstar and thaler purely depend on the answers for the question above.

And once more, I hate this forum system.

And for love of all thats holy to you, give Roche, Olgierd and Olaf the bear some sick cards.

And I am's till angry because of my lost post !