Gwent: The Witcher card game

Hey there! We’re going to review and feature about Gwent: witcher card game , a game published by CD Projekt.

After a lot of changes from the its development years, it finally got released on Google play where we expect it to be more competitive. I have been playing this game since around 2018 when it was still on beta on Ps4 where the cards used to be smaller. I also played the Witcher 3: Wild hunt version of this game. When the homecoming version of the game started, I was also able to play this game on the PC, and when they also announced it on iOS, I was also able to tell difference playing it first on a mobile device which is kindly hard at first to be honest since you drag cards but the animation is not designed for a phone, also I think it’s wide for me on an iPad. It’s still the same issue on the android though but I hope it gets better. I really had high hopes when they first announced it for android, as I could play it on a smaller screen on my phone.

As the Netflix series of the Witcher seems to be rising in popularity, I hope this game will soon most likely to get a shed of spotlight from it’s mother game, the Witcher 3: wild hunt which sold 5 times it’s sales after the Netflix series showed up.

The game seems to be simple. Just to make sure that you get 2 wins out of 3 rounds. Your aim per round is to make sure you have enough points on the board than your opponent. It might be tempting to show off how strong your cards on the first round, but you need to consider the remaining two rounds. Passing the first round while keeping more number of cards on you hand than your opponent could secure your victory on the third round.  Also consider that your hand can only hold 10 cards at a time, anything you draw extra more than 10 via an effect of a card will be discarded and also you get to draw 3 cards after each rounds 1 and 2.  Putting at least 2 strategies on your deck could ensure 2 rounds win. Investing in winning round 1 is a good strategy, but keep in mind you will either need to pass on round 2 or keep going with a hand card number disadvantage if you keep on playing round 2. Deck building requires skill and practice, it takes more than luck to win the game.

actual gameplay shot from a ps4

Gwent is quite unlike the usual Hearthstone/Yugi-oh formulas we have in recent games where the player needs to reduce the “life points” on the opponent to zero. Gwent also fully utilizes deck, board, graveyard and hand synergy potential of the player giving the player a lot of freedom in making strategies. One of the few interesting strategies I played in this game involves card milling or removing cards from decks to either for the benefit of the player or demise of the opponent. Strategies like hyper thinning your own deck is also a thing in this game, where in benefit of beginners, let’s you purposely “thin” your own deck by discarding unwanted cards from the deck first in order for you to get the best cards when you draw them later in the game. Also, being unable to draw a card on your deck does not make you lose in this game, so you have to keep that in mind.

There are total of 6 basic factions currently in the game, plus neutral faction cards which can be played on all factions.  Northern realms, which focuses on protecting their units by boosting, and adding armor to their units and playing with siege machines. Nilfgaard, which focuses on diplomacy and deception, they prefer tactics than pure power. Scoia’tael, which is led by nonhuman like elves and dwarves that rely on guerrilla warfare and ambushes but ultimately just wants harmony among races. Skellige, are warriors and pirates which hidden power relies on the wounds and death of combat itself. Monsters, which only goal is survival of the fittest, and will do anything for power even consume their own kind. Syndicate, the newest faction are driven by coin and grows deeper pocket to gain power.

Gwent gives a new unique experience for card game players and serves justice to players which are witcher fans alike. Players, for example playing Monsters faction should really feel the strength of each monster card as it reflects how the creature adapts in the witcher universe like how individually strong giant monsters’ base powers are and how smaller monsters either thrive to get stronger or gets consumed in the food chain.

Examples of the best strong power monster card is the Yghern, literally strong giant insect card at 13 power by itself, but if you manage to reduce it’s armor to zero, it gets destroyed automatically. It gets max armor when played early as its armor depends on the number of cards on your hand, while it gets little to none if played later in the game. There is a provision limit on the deck you will create, the limit depends on how useful your leader ability would be. provisions keeps the game balanced, initial strong cards gets higher provision value, while weaker cards are smaller provisions, but it is not always the case.

There is also a monster card called Ozzrel. In the witcher lore it is considered a ghoul like creature which feeds on the corpses. This card on has only 1 power which is very useless if played early, however when played correctly or specifically perhaps when you have a strong creature on either your own or your opponent’s graveyard depending where in the field you play it. there are two areas in the field, melee row or top row, and the range row or bottom row, Ozzrel can consume that card on the graveyard and add its power to it’s own. Cards like Yghern when sent to the graveyard in the previous round can be used as an advantage to Ozzrel on the next round!

Of course, we can’t forget the smaller monsters like the Endrega larva. for starters it is really a cheap card, for only 5 provisions, and has only 1 power. however it also has a default armor (as of the current game) of 2 armor, which can protect the card from enemy card attacks and you get 2 of them on the board when you play it. You better take a good look before ignoring this card because as the game progresses and you keep on playing strong cards, this card grows or “thrives” by 1 point each time you play a stronger power card than its current power. for a round that plays at least 5-6 turns, this card can grow up to 5-6 points too.

Now where’s Geralt of Rivia?

Geralt of Rivia is a neutral card, which means you get to play him on any faction you want. There are multiple versions of Geralt in the game, but the best one I consider is the basic one you get at the start of the game. This card, let’s you destroy an opponent card which has a power of 9 or above (currently at 9 as we speak). Now to kill those monsters!

Gwent: The Witcher Card Game is a free-to-play digital collectible card game developed and published by CD Projekt for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2018, for iOS in 2019, and for Android in 2020.  The game is derived from the card game of the same name featured in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher novels and playable in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt video game.