Gwent: The Witcher Card Game is based on the minigame contained in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but if you think you will be able to climb the ranks of Gwent only because you were good at The Witcher 3 think again: this stand alone version of the game is different, deeper and more complex, especially for those not used to trading card video games.
First, there are two main differences from The Witcher 3:
- In Gwent: The Witcher Card Game you play against real people, far more intelligent and unpredictable than any AI. You won't be able to use any of the tricks to win against computer-controlled characters in The Witcher 3, and if you meet a human opponent as good as you are, the one with the best deck will win.
- You will not get a new card after every match won, and you will not be able to buy cards in the inns: you will start the game with a very poor collection of cards, which you can improve by purchasing boosts to be paid with the in-game currency. This operation will require some effort, since earning money in the game is not at all easy nor fast.
In this guide, after a short glossary you will find the four rules to know to climb the rankings without spending tons of virtual money, building a powerful deck in the shortest possible time.
GLOSSARY
Faction: set of particular cards that can only be played together with other neutral cards (and not with those of other factions)
Deck: deck of cards consisting of neutral cards plus cards of a single faction; the player chooses his deck before entering the battle
kegs: Random boosts for some cards
Milling: action of destroying a card to get Scraps
Scraps: useful parts to create cards, to be obtained through Milling or by winning matches and leveling up
Hours: in-game currency, required to purchase Kegs. To earn Hours played and level up
Lay the foundations, let's get to the heart with the 4 golden rules to best play Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
RULE NUMBER 1: choose a faction and don't change it
In the game you will always have a limited selection of resources, and for this you will want to exploit it as much as possible without wasting even a pinch. Choosing your faction will not be easy, since during the beta each being has proven its worth in battle; nevertheless, some factions are better for novice players, while as you level up you may feel the need to choose different ones. A smart move is to consult the GwentDB website and copy the deck of the highest rated players: by doing so you will certainly have a better chance of winning matches against novice players who are still trying to understand how the various cards work.
We advise you to look for pre-packaged decks where the most experienced players have also included instructions on how to use the various possible combos: if whoever originally created the deck does not provide any instructions, you can copy it but you will hardly get benefits compared to a deck composed entirely of you without outside help. In any case, do not despair: a few hours of play and you will be able to start composing a deck by choosing the cards according to your needs, understanding which faction is the best for your style of play and thus avoiding, as we said above , to waste hours on useless purchases.
RULE NUMBER 2: build your deck
Without many cards, composing the perfect deck involves buying many Kegs and hours of play to invest in level-up. How then? Simple: with Milling, destroying double or useless cards to get the parts needed to create better cards. But be careful not to fall into the temptation to destroy every unused card: by leveling up it may be useful to modify your deck or change Faction, and if you have destroyed every available card you will have to invest time and money in finding the cards you need and of which maybe you were already in possession.
The best solution is therefore to destroy only the duplicate cards: it is not possible to have more than three identical cards in a deck - for some cards it is not even possible to have more than one - so at least at the beginning concentrate on destroying all the useless duplicates to obtain Scraps from them, keeping good cards of which you have only one copy.
Crafting is the best solution to get new cards without spending Hours: it is certainly a slow operation, but once you understand the cards you are interested in obtaining, you can spend the bare minimum of resources to get them. Choose wisely, because even by destroying all the duplicates in your deck you will never have all the resources you need to create all the cards that would suit you. The trick is to think step by step: start composing your deck with cards that can be played in combo rather than immediately aiming for the most powerful cards. Spending useful resources in the latter is an operation to be carefully evaluated, since many rare cards behave differently if played alone or in combination with other rare cards, in turn to be won or created by sacrificing many resources.
What if you're short on resources and your deck isn't complete yet? The only solution, in this case, is to take a deep breath and throw yourself into a challenge: you win to level up and earn other resources necessary to improve the deck in your possession.
RULE NUMBER 3: level after level
With one of last year's updates, CD Project RED decided that in Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, players earn experience points and a small amount of resources to be allocated to crafting even when they lose a match, based on a system that doesn't limit itself. to reward the winner, but which also calculates the behavior of the players during the game. Obviously, the winner gets the best prizes and the most XP, but such a system allows even the poorest (but patient) players to be able to improve themselves and their deck game after game.
After a few hours spent playing you will have a fair amount of Hours and Kegs, as well as the Scraps needed to create new cards. Not to mention the experience that will allow you to choose how to invest these resources in creating the cards that will allow you to be more competitive in the games to come. We are talking about at least ten hours, varying according to your skill and the number of wins, but the point is that it is possible for anyone to build the deck of their dreams and become stronger after each match.
RULE NUMBER 4: Arm yourself with elbow grease and steal the job
If collectible card games are your daily bread in Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, you just need to choose a deck and throw your head down against your opponents to improve yourself and become perfect players. We recommend that all non-veterans consult all the online communities full of important tips on the game, in order to “steal the job” from the most experienced players.
Gwentify and Gwentlemen's Club are two online resources where you can find useful tips for beginners, as well as entire analysis articles on cards, combos and possible game tactics.
So we just have to wish you good luck. We have already told you several times how Gwent: The Witcher Card Game is much more than the little fun pastime you saw in The Witcher 3: let yourself be hooked and you will not tire so easily.
