Posts from Shadowverse

What kind?

Awesome :3

Probably some kind of alchemists.

Including.

That awkward feeling when you play "dead" Gwent, but you only log into Hearthstone and Shadowverse once a week.
Although, to be fair, with the latest patches, the online presence in Gwent (in my opinion) has improved - I've already forgotten when I last spent more than half a minute looking for a match (before, it could take 3-4 minutes). I hope the upcoming mobile release will further improve the situation.

I mentioned earlier that I got tired of Shadowverse and stopped playing ranked. So, I decided to pay attention to other CCGs.
I chose Gwent because of its decent visuals and familiar universe. Although I'm not an expert on the Witcher theme (I've only read the first two books and played the first game), it's not that important for a card game. What's more important is that I like the theme, even if it doesn't captivate me. But playing cards has captivated me, as my experience in Shadowverse shows.

In Gwent, I especially liked the fact that the battle format encourages real tactical thinking. After Shadowverse, this is very refreshing.

I'm getting the hang of it gradually. Speaking of tactics, Vish, I'd like to ask an experienced player. Is it always worth pushing for a win in the first round? Is there an optimal point difference at which you should pass to save your hand? If you win the first round, how do you decide whether to push for a 2-0 victory or pass and save cards for the final round?

Does beating all the AI opponents in Gwent in The Witcher 3 make me an experienced player? I really enjoyed it.

I got tired of "The Witcher" and stopped playing ranked.

I chose Gwent because of its decent visuals and familiar universe.

Everything is the same. I just got tired of Hearthstone too (a little later than "The Witcher"). Actually, now my interest in Hearthstone has returned thanks to the release of auto-battlers - I only log in for them, I don't even do daily quests.

I only read the first two books, and only played the first game.

Now I'm reading the fourth book and started the third game (in 2019, my computer finally allows it, lol).

Is it always worth pushing for a win in the first round?

I don't consider myself a very good player, but a lot depends on what you're playing. For example, if you have a deck with a super-powerful last move, and it's desirable that your opponent doesn't counter it (Glaive on Arachas, Squirrels on Gorde), or if it's very beneficial for you to go into a long third round (Northern Realms on Charges, Squirrels on Harmony), then it's better to win the first round so that you're not pressured in the second.
If you have a deck with just strong cards without focusing on combos (Northern Realms on the Marketplace, Nilfgaard with Knights and Turtles), then it doesn't really matter - depending on the situation, you either push or give up the first round. There are also decks that will throw out three useless cards in the first round and pass - there used to be Henselt, now I can't remember any like that right away.

Is there an optimal point difference at which you should pass to save your hand?

In my opinion, usually if you feel that your opponent can't catch up to you with one card (or vice versa - if you play now, and your opponent passes, and you won't catch up), then it's better to pass. Although not always)
Or when you have a very good hand, and you want to save all these cards for the third round, where they will be more effective. I often pass in such situations, and then I sometimes regret that I did it too early.

If you win the first round, how do you decide whether to push for a 2-0 victory or pass and save cards for the final?

It depends more on what your opponent is playing. If a long third round is beneficial for him, and not very much for you, then you need to push.
And also on your deck. Monsters on Larva (Fruits of Ysgith) and on Wills (Shadow of Death) almost always push in the second round because the ability allows it. Accordingly, it's better to try to win the first round against these guys - they will then be in an unfavorable position.
Or, if you're playing Syndicate and found Louise with Savolla, you can push until you have only these two cards left - and then in the 3rd round, 23 stats for 2 turns, balance)

Sorry for the long text, I hope I explained something)

Added 10 minutes ago

Am I considered an experienced player if I beat all the NPCs in the single-player mode of Gwent in "The Witcher 3"?

Gwent is now very different from what it was in "The Witcher," but I think in some ways, yes - many of the mechanics have remained. I feel like I'll be playing like that too (there needs to be a meme of Geralt reaching out - find Ciri - play Gwent, I just can't find it).

I'm just starting out, so my decks are mostly modified versions of the starting ones. At lower ranks, I mostly encounter Skellige and Northern Realms, which are the starting factions. However, a monster deck focused on symbiosis and the worm ability worked well against them; I won 5 games in a row with it. One win was due to a disconnect, which was fortunate because it was against Nilfgaard, who were stealing and blocking my creatures. Now I have a daily quest to win with Nilfgaard. Their abilities are almost all very specific... I've put on a universal ability and a blocking ability; I'll try that.

The worm ability is the one that summons a larva (it's actually more like a leech, but I'm used to calling it that) with symbiosis, right? It should be strong in the early game. With that ability, you can confidently play a second round.
Blocking is also good, it should work well against Skellige, and against the Northern Realms if they have the "maneuver" ability. Now, Nilfgaard usually plays with "enslavement" (capturing a unit with 5 or 6 strength), but you need to build your deck accordingly, with many tactic cards.
I remember when I started playing, I always played with Demavend (now the "accumulation" ability). I got a few good cards with orders, and I really liked the gameplay, even though this ability was considered (and still is) one of the weakest in the game. And the Northern Realms were also much worse back then than they are now, but in the early game, it doesn't matter. True, when I started, the starting decks were really bad, but they've been improved a lot since then.

Hey, did you see the new surprise expansion pack in Gwent? What do you think about the new strategies and scenarios? For a new player, is it worth crafting them?

I still don't have any scenarios. But they are cool. At the very least, the Skellige and Nilfgaardian ones are now essential maps if you want to play with those classes – they are powerful. The Elven and Monster ones are good maps, but not essential; you can play without them. The Northern one is only useful for fun decks based on machines. I haven't seen the Syndicate one in the game at all, but the Syndicate isn't very good overall right now.

As for strategies, the Nilfgaardian class strategy (collar) is very strong. The Elven one is very useful, but I'm doing fine playing Harmony without it. The magic lamp works well in many decks, but I don't think it's essential. I wouldn't craft the others specifically, at least not yet.

Added 6 minutes later
The expansion was really unexpected, and I didn't save up for it at all. But I'm glad that decks with the Lavka are playing well: I crafted Radye, Matta, and now I'm enjoying the game with almost any class.

I still don't have any of the scenarios. But they're cool. At the very least, the Skellige and Nilfgaardian ones are great maps right now; if you want to play those classes, they're a must-have. The Elven and Monster ones are good maps, but not essential; you can play without them. The Northern one is only good for fun decks based on machines. I haven't seen the Syndicate one in the game at all, but the Syndicate isn't very good overall right now.

I don't have any yet either, but I've seen some in action, and they looked impressive, especially the Skellige one, which seemed particularly interesting. I'd like to play all the classes, but it's difficult at the moment. I do have decks (except for the Syndicate, which I decided to save for later), but they don't really match the meta. They work well in the lower ranks, but it gets harder after that. But yes, in the holiday event, I chose the Skellige, Nilfgaard, and Northern factions; I'll focus on them.

As for the stratagems, I'll probably craft the Lamp; it's neutral and will be useful for different classes. I won't craft the others yet; I don't have enough resources, and I still want to craft a lot of other things...

The expansion was really sudden; I didn't save up for it at all.

It's surprising that it wasn't announced in advance; I didn't expect it at all, and I wasn't saving up for it; on the contrary, I was spending because I needed cards. And then, bam, 70 new cards that I know nothing about, and the Mahakam season hadn't even finished yet...

Northern – only for fan decks based on machines.

I’m laughing at myself. Now I’d call a Tier 2, or even Tier 1, deck a fan deck. I hadn’t encountered them much before this post, but the very next day, every second or third opponent in the ladder was using a machine-based Northern deck. The deck is really strong, and the scenario is one of the strongest; it just took a while for people to realize it.

By the way, I sometimes stream Gwent on Twitch, and today, after Gwent, I’m even thinking of checking out our beloved (not) and eternally alive (not) Japanese card game. I’ll play the Grand Prix final (yes, I decided to play it for once) and maybe do some story mode. So, if anyone is interested, you’re welcome: https://www.twitch.tv/wishmaster_hw (I’ll start it within half an hour) (I hope I don’t get banned for advertising)

Let's liven up the thread a bit. With 24 packs:



Do I think, or is this map... stronger than Bahamut? (Unless the opponent has an evolved Bahamut, Dagon, or a similar creature on the board)



There was a lion from the golden city, now there's an eagle... Are we waiting for a bull, full of eyes?

With 57 packs (regular gold and legendary cards, animated):



Today, I received 1000 rupees from the developers; if anyone hasn't claimed it yet, they can still open some packs.

However, I'm not sure if these cards will be useful to me... Right now, Gwent is much more appealing than Might & Magic: Heroes. Unless the storyline in Might & Magic: Heroes still holds some interest.