I know this video ended up being pretty long so I’ll put a summary here for those of you just interested in the steps I take or who don’t have the time to watch the whole thing. Remember this is just my process and there are other ways to build a deck, this is just what works best for me. *1. Identify Deck Type* - 12:00 I decide if I want to make an engine, pointslam, control, or combo deck. (Ex: I decide to make an engine Rain Deck) *2. Identify Win Conditions* - 17:43 I decide how I want the deck to win. I add the cards in that the deck needs to do this. I normally include a secondary way to win in situations I’m not building most of the deck for such as a high pointslam finisher in an engine/control deck. (Ex: I put in Messenger from the Sea, Rioghan, Rite, and Fucusya for long rounds as that’s the way I normally want to win. I added Melusine to have the option to revive her to win a short round in case I end up in one even though I would prefer not to with this deck) *3. Support Win Conditions* - 26:55 I add in cards that synergize with the win conditions I identified in the previous deck and enhance the deck’s primary strategy. (Ex: I add Kelpie, Melusine Cultist, and Little Havfrue to support the Rain strategy and Freya’s Blessing to bring back the Messenger’s from the Sea as they are my primary win condition) *4. Add Consistency* - 30:50 I add in the cards I want to make sure the deck is consistent enough to execute the strategy I’m going for. (Ex: I add Royal Decree, Anglerfish, Tempest, and Torrential Rain to thin the deck a lot and have a tutor to find important units when I need them. This deck is unusual for having so many consistency cards but they synergize with the Rain strategy and are also cards that support the win conditions so it’s fine) *5. Covering Weaknesses* - 37:34 Identify what my deck is weakest to and decide if I want to do anything to address it. I don’t always add cards in this step but I like to at least think about it. (Ex: The Rain deck lacks control so I add Heatwave and Dorregaray) *6. Tech Cards* - 40:34 Can tie in with the last step. I decide if I want to add Tech cards as a way to address the deck’s weaknesses or against the meta. (Ex: I add Gremist since the deck is very weak to locks and a Squirrel against the decks I see a lot of) *7. Filling Up the Corners* - 45:27 I make sure I didn’t forget any key parts of my strategy or combo and then fill in the few remaining spaces in the deck with the cards I think fit best. These can either help address the weaknesses again, support your win conditions, or just be filler. (Ex: I add Fulmar to support the Rain strategy, realized I forgot the Torrential Rains, and then added a Sea Serpent) *8. Finalizing* - 51:02 I look over the deck and count how many of the different kinds of cards (win condition/primary strategy cards, control cards, tech cards, and consistency cards). I decide if there are any changes I want to make based on the decklist I ended up with. (I removed Gremist for Pellar since I didn’t have many Alchemy cards, swapped Squirrel for Megascope since I partially included Squirrel to be a Beast for Kelpie and I had enough, and dropped the Sea Serpent to fit Axel Three Eyes to address a lack of tempo cards and as a secondary win condition to help in short rounds) *9. Revising* - 54:56 After playing several games I go back and see what changes would improve the deck. I keep in mind alternatives when playing and think if the alternate option would’ve been better when I draw/play the card in consideration. That’s my process. If you do something different feel free to share it in the comments. This took a long time to make so hopefully it’s useful :) It’s also the start of a more general Gwent strategy series so let me know what other topics you want covered. If you want to see me using the deck I made in this video: czcams.com/video/Lsvw72wjYAA/video.html
In regard to synergies there's an easy way to identify them. almost every archetype is built around 2 keywords: deathwish+consume, druids+alchemy, intimidate+crime, ogroid+might, relicts+relicts, etc. but to avoid decks "building themselves" there are always crossroad cards. An example being salamandra assassin that is both a bounty and poison card, which then feeds into tesham mutna, or running tugo + plague maiden with deathwish leader to set up might and 7 tugo targets in 2 actions which then builds into a second leader target.
@@chiefs260 resupply and warfare, crew and soldiers, zeal and order. northern realms is very cyclical as a faction since basically everything comes back to orders.
Great collection of info! Glad to see you've decided to tackle this subject as well -- and I think I like your take best of all! Back when I'd first started playing during the start of Once Upon a Pyre, I envisioned win conditions and cards around them as "cores" (like "the NR Immortals core" for the Immortals and the two Cursed Sorceresses, or "the Siege core" for the Siege and an assortment of Siege Engines with at least one Reinforced Ballista). My most successful decks were based around 2 or 3 "cores" that would combine well. No surprise that some of the more newbie-friendly decks (ST Dwarves, MO Frost...) use several wincons that revolve around one similar mechanic (statuses, racial tags, traps, token spam...). That was, of course, highly subjective -- but it also really helped me visualize deckbuilding early on.
That's a good method too. I imagine that works quite well for more midrange decks or decks that combine a lot of smaller packages like the Ursine Ritual deck that's good right now.
Thank you man this game is overwhelming for beginners, this has been so helpful 👏🏼 Most of the other videos I’ve saw say do this & that but they don’t explain what this & that actually means
Dude loved the format, perhaps the cherry on top of the cake (next video) would be to show 2-3 games with the deck you've just built! Thanks for these nuggets of wisdom :)
First thing I learned when trying to build a deck was that you will only be playing 16 cards. So when building a deck, any thinning card which adds points to your board are like being able to play more than 16 cards. This makes knickers and roach less like 4 points for 10 provisions but rather 4 more points than you would have played if you didn’t have him. Obviously this only makes sense when you have 10 provisions available for something like a tutor or something like roach. If your deck doesn’t need a card in round 1 but relies on consistency for round 3 then roach is better then a 0 point tutor.
This is gold, thank you! Can definitely tell you put a lot of effort in laying down the thought process, so I hope this video does end up getting the views it deserves.
This is awesome! I have been referencing TheaBeasty and Lionhart beginner guides to new players, yet those are nearly 2 years old, so having a more up-to-date guide is great And for veteran, deck building has always been a great topic of discussion and learning. A good deck pilot is not necessarily a good deck builder. So thanks for awesome video!
I'm glad it helped! Before I decided to make the video I looked up other deck guides to see how old they were and found there weren't any recent ones either. That was a big part of why I chose to make my own
It sure was! In the past pointslam cards in particular played for much less than they do now while a lot of control cards were similar. For the most generic example, Elder Bear was 5 power for 6p and Alzur's Thunder was 5 damage for 6p. Now Elder Bear is 6 power for 4p while Alzur's Thunder is just 5 damage for 5p. For a gold example, Old Speartip, was 13 power for 15p and was even nerfed to 12 power for 15p because the pointslam was considered too strong while Bekkar's Rockslide was considered fine at 8 damage for 9p. Whereas today Old Speartip is still a 12 power unit but only costs 11p while Bekkar's Rockslide is 8p. As you can imagine, the smaller difference in value between pointslam and control cards made control the dominant deck type. Engine decks were pretty much unplayable because of how good control was and pointslam didn't really have the value be advantaged against control like they do today. This combined with better value control cards like Sandstorm (3 damage to both units on the end of the row for 5p) made control the objectively best type of deck. The top decks were mass control Monsters with Force of Nature finisher and mass control Skillige with Dagaur + Reckless Flurry finisher. There were a few Scoia'tael relying on Saesenthesis Immunity too but they weren't as good. They would play like 23 control specials and then a unit to win each round after the opponent passed. This meta was a problem because only 1 type of deck viable (mass control) and the matches between them were just plain stupid. If you both only have control cards then you just sit there discarding cards at each other. You can't play one of your very few units until the opponent passes since you know it will die and you don't have other units to actually get any points on the board. This also means that the games were almost coinflips. You really needed last say to be able to win. Going 2nd was infinitely better then since your opponent is forced to play their unit first. On the other hand, you naturally can play your unit after they pass by virtue of winning the coinflip and going 2nd. It was a very dumb meta and incredibly boring to play in. There were some decks that had ways to beat these mass control decks, but even they mostly sat there watching every single unit they played die until the last turn or two of the game. I was so glad when they put a stop to it by adding the unit minimum, but it must look funny seeing that randomly in the deck requirements. That meta was around for a while and is probably also while pointslam cards have so dramatically outscaled the value of control cards since then.
@@platinumpatrol2964 two control decks discarding cards at each other is hilarious. I guess playing vs sihil was sort of like that.. not really but sort of. Thanks for the detailed response. I think I had heard the limit was added in a patch but didn't know the circumstances
No problem! The unit minimum is definitely something that when you see it you think there must be a reason why. I'd be surprised if other people hadn't wondered about it too
I know this video ended up being pretty long so I’ll put a summary here for those of you just interested in the steps I take or who don’t have the time to watch the whole thing. Remember this is just my process and there are other ways to build a deck, this is just what works best for me.
*1. Identify Deck Type* - 12:00
I decide if I want to make an engine, pointslam, control, or combo deck. (Ex: I decide to make an engine Rain Deck)
*2. Identify Win Conditions* - 17:43
I decide how I want the deck to win. I add the cards in that the deck needs to do this. I normally include a secondary way to win in situations I’m not building most of the deck for such as a high pointslam finisher in an engine/control deck. (Ex: I put in Messenger from the Sea, Rioghan, Rite, and Fucusya for long rounds as that’s the way I normally want to win. I added Melusine to have the option to revive her to win a short round in case I end up in one even though I would prefer not to with this deck)
*3. Support Win Conditions* - 26:55
I add in cards that synergize with the win conditions I identified in the previous deck and enhance the deck’s primary strategy. (Ex: I add Kelpie, Melusine Cultist, and Little Havfrue to support the Rain strategy and Freya’s Blessing to bring back the Messenger’s from the Sea as they are my primary win condition)
*4. Add Consistency* - 30:50
I add in the cards I want to make sure the deck is consistent enough to execute the strategy I’m going for. (Ex: I add Royal Decree, Anglerfish, Tempest, and Torrential Rain to thin the deck a lot and have a tutor to find important units when I need them. This deck is unusual for having so many consistency cards but they synergize with the Rain strategy and are also cards that support the win conditions so it’s fine)
*5. Covering Weaknesses* - 37:34
Identify what my deck is weakest to and decide if I want to do anything to address it. I don’t always add cards in this step but I like to at least think about it. (Ex: The Rain deck lacks control so I add Heatwave and Dorregaray)
*6. Tech Cards* - 40:34
Can tie in with the last step. I decide if I want to add Tech cards as a way to address the deck’s weaknesses or against the meta. (Ex: I add Gremist since the deck is very weak to locks and a Squirrel against the decks I see a lot of)
*7. Filling Up the Corners* - 45:27
I make sure I didn’t forget any key parts of my strategy or combo and then fill in the few remaining spaces in the deck with the cards I think fit best. These can either help address the weaknesses again, support your win conditions, or just be filler. (Ex: I add Fulmar to support the Rain strategy, realized I forgot the Torrential Rains, and then added a Sea Serpent)
*8. Finalizing* - 51:02
I look over the deck and count how many of the different kinds of cards (win condition/primary strategy cards, control cards, tech cards, and consistency cards). I decide if there are any changes I want to make based on the decklist I ended up with. (I removed Gremist for Pellar since I didn’t have many Alchemy cards, swapped Squirrel for Megascope since I partially included Squirrel to be a Beast for Kelpie and I had enough, and dropped the Sea Serpent to fit Axel Three Eyes to address a lack of tempo cards and as a secondary win condition to help in short rounds)
*9. Revising* - 54:56
After playing several games I go back and see what changes would improve the deck. I keep in mind alternatives when playing and think if the alternate option would’ve been better when I draw/play the card in consideration.
That’s my process. If you do something different feel free to share it in the comments. This took a long time to make so hopefully it’s useful :)
It’s also the start of a more general Gwent strategy series so let me know what other topics you want covered.
If you want to see me using the deck I made in this video: czcams.com/video/Lsvw72wjYAA/video.html
In regard to synergies there's an easy way to identify them. almost every archetype is built around 2 keywords: deathwish+consume, druids+alchemy, intimidate+crime, ogroid+might, relicts+relicts, etc.
but to avoid decks "building themselves" there are always crossroad cards. An example being salamandra assassin that is both a bounty and poison card, which then feeds into tesham mutna, or running tugo + plague maiden with deathwish leader to set up might and 7 tugo targets in 2 actions which then builds into a second leader target.
What are the keywords for NR?
@@chiefs260 resupply and warfare, crew and soldiers, zeal and order.
northern realms is very cyclical as a faction since basically everything comes back to orders.
@@urnx6172 TY. would Boost and Inspired be included?
Great collection of info! Glad to see you've decided to tackle this subject as well -- and I think I like your take best of all!
Back when I'd first started playing during the start of Once Upon a Pyre, I envisioned win conditions and cards around them as "cores" (like "the NR Immortals core" for the Immortals and the two Cursed Sorceresses, or "the Siege core" for the Siege and an assortment of Siege Engines with at least one Reinforced Ballista).
My most successful decks were based around 2 or 3 "cores" that would combine well. No surprise that some of the more newbie-friendly decks (ST Dwarves, MO Frost...) use several wincons that revolve around one similar mechanic (statuses, racial tags, traps, token spam...).
That was, of course, highly subjective -- but it also really helped me visualize deckbuilding early on.
That's a good method too. I imagine that works quite well for more midrange decks or decks that combine a lot of smaller packages like the Ursine Ritual deck that's good right now.
Aahh, been waiting for this, and it does not disappoint! Thanks a lot! As thorough as always, just what I was hoping for 👍
Also glad to see youre planning to keep on playing now that its gwentfinity, as am i 😊
Thank you man this game is overwhelming for beginners, this has been so helpful 👏🏼
Most of the other videos I’ve saw say do this & that but they don’t explain what this & that actually means
Thanks! I tried to go through as much as I could. I'm glad it helped!
Dude loved the format, perhaps the cherry on top of the cake (next video) would be to show 2-3 games with the deck you've just built! Thanks for these nuggets of wisdom :)
czcams.com/video/Lsvw72wjYAA/video.html :)
This video was long so I didn't include it, but for other topics I plan to include more gameplay.
You’re great bro, I’ve learned a lot by watching your videos
First thing I learned when trying to build a deck was that you will only be playing 16 cards. So when building a deck, any thinning card which adds points to your board are like being able to play more than 16 cards. This makes knickers and roach less like 4 points for 10 provisions but rather 4 more points than you would have played if you didn’t have him. Obviously this only makes sense when you have 10 provisions available for something like a tutor or something like roach. If your deck doesn’t need a card in round 1 but relies on consistency for round 3 then roach is better then a 0 point tutor.
This is gold, thank you! Can definitely tell you put a lot of effort in laying down the thought process, so I hope this video does end up getting the views it deserves.
great content , we really need this for gwent community. hopefully we can bring / invite new player with this informative content
This is awesome! I have been referencing TheaBeasty and Lionhart beginner guides to new players, yet those are nearly 2 years old, so having a more up-to-date guide is great
And for veteran, deck building has always been a great topic of discussion and learning. A good deck pilot is not necessarily a good deck builder. So thanks for awesome video!
I'm glad it helped! Before I decided to make the video I looked up other deck guides to see how old they were and found there weren't any recent ones either. That was a big part of why I chose to make my own
Thanks for the video. Been looking for it since you mentioned it.
Thanks for still making this content! ✌️
A needful video. Great!
more videos like theses please !
0:52 You got that ryt.. Hahaha m not here coz I don't enjoy the game, but I love the game and guides have been wonderful
Thank you!
That's the video i needed. Thank you friend
Why is this game so underrated its by far the best card game ive played
Probably a lack of widespread advertising if I had to guess
Really love the idea of strategy guide for gwent. I find myself falling victim to losing last say a lot. Hopefully you cover topics like this
That's something I can talk about
Was the 13 unit minimum added as a response to some meta?
It sure was! In the past pointslam cards in particular played for much less than they do now while a lot of control cards were similar. For the most generic example, Elder Bear was 5 power for 6p and Alzur's Thunder was 5 damage for 6p. Now Elder Bear is 6 power for 4p while Alzur's Thunder is just 5 damage for 5p. For a gold example, Old Speartip, was 13 power for 15p and was even nerfed to 12 power for 15p because the pointslam was considered too strong while Bekkar's Rockslide was considered fine at 8 damage for 9p. Whereas today Old Speartip is still a 12 power unit but only costs 11p while Bekkar's Rockslide is 8p.
As you can imagine, the smaller difference in value between pointslam and control cards made control the dominant deck type. Engine decks were pretty much unplayable because of how good control was and pointslam didn't really have the value be advantaged against control like they do today. This combined with better value control cards like Sandstorm (3 damage to both units on the end of the row for 5p) made control the objectively best type of deck.
The top decks were mass control Monsters with Force of Nature finisher and mass control Skillige with Dagaur + Reckless Flurry finisher. There were a few Scoia'tael relying on Saesenthesis Immunity too but they weren't as good. They would play like 23 control specials and then a unit to win each round after the opponent passed.
This meta was a problem because only 1 type of deck viable (mass control) and the matches between them were just plain stupid. If you both only have control cards then you just sit there discarding cards at each other. You can't play one of your very few units until the opponent passes since you know it will die and you don't have other units to actually get any points on the board. This also means that the games were almost coinflips. You really needed last say to be able to win. Going 2nd was infinitely better then since your opponent is forced to play their unit first. On the other hand, you naturally can play your unit after they pass by virtue of winning the coinflip and going 2nd.
It was a very dumb meta and incredibly boring to play in. There were some decks that had ways to beat these mass control decks, but even they mostly sat there watching every single unit they played die until the last turn or two of the game. I was so glad when they put a stop to it by adding the unit minimum, but it must look funny seeing that randomly in the deck requirements. That meta was around for a while and is probably also while pointslam cards have so dramatically outscaled the value of control cards since then.
@@platinumpatrol2964 two control decks discarding cards at each other is hilarious.
I guess playing vs sihil was sort of like that.. not really but sort of.
Thanks for the detailed response. I think I had heard the limit was added in a patch but didn't know the circumstances
No problem! The unit minimum is definitely something that when you see it you think there must be a reason why. I'd be surprised if other people hadn't wondered about it too
Do you have any list of staples for the faction or neutral that you use to fill in the corners?
I could make one