Gwent is pretty generous in terms of resources. You can earn a lot of scraps in a short time to build your dream decks. But while you gather those precious scraps, let us show you some budget decks that can work with minimal investment.
There are two versions for each faction. The first one is a very basic deck, with a few added cards, and the second deck is more resource-heavy, with more top tier cards.
Some of these listed cards are being played in the decks of our Meta Snapshot so you are safe to craft those, they will be useful in the future as well.
One important point for this guide is that reward book starter tree cards are included as free as well since they are easy to acquire and most of them are strong cards for their factions. Therefore, my suggestion is to finish a faction’s starter tree before creating a deck from the list then you can continue spending your reward points on another starter tree while playing the faction deck you already created.
MONSTERS Basic
840 scraps total
- (200 Scraps) Lord Riptide
Riptide can play for 12 points if you hit a max 10-point opponent unit and if you kill an opponent’s engine or threat with it Riptide will worth even more which makes Lord Riptide a very strong pointslam control card for all MO decks. You can stack Armor on Riptide by achieving Might (having at least one 10-point unit on both rows).
- (200 Scraps) Toad Prince
Great control card that can eat a 3-4 power engine and you can also hit a 6-8 point engine down 4 with Frost and then eat it with Toad Prince which makes him more valuable in this deck but Toad Prince is good card that you can play in most MO decks.
- (200 Scraps) Caranthir: Golden Child
Payoff card for successful Frost hits for 5 turns back-to-back. You can check out how much you hit by looking at his tooltip. Caranthir also gets boosted by 3 for every Frost hit with Eredin on the board while Dominance is achieved.
- (80 Scraps) Ancient Foglet
Foglets help you to put value on your side of the board while damaging with Frost. They synergize well with Aen Elle Aristocrats.
- (160 Scraps) 2x Aen Elle Aristocrat
Aristocrats can spawn more Frost to give more value to your Foglets and Winter Queen.
MONSTERS Advanced
1720 scraps total
- (800 Scraps) Auberon King
This evolving card becomes an engine in round 3 but more importantly if you can keep both Red Riders until round 3 in deck Auberon King can create and play an extra Red Rider to pull out the other 2 which plays for 21 points with leader procs. It is an overall versatile and good value card.
- (200 Scraps) Lord Riptide
Riptide can play for 12 points if you hit a max 10-point opponent unit and if you kill an opponent’s engine or threat with it Riptide will worth even more which makes Lord Riptide a very strong pointslam control card for all MO decks. You can stack Armor on Riptide by achieving Might (having at least one 10-point unit on both rows).
- (200 Scraps) Toad Prince
Great control card that can eat a 3-4 power engine and you can also hit a 6-8 point engine down 4 with Frost and then eat it with Toad Prince which makes him more valuable in this deck but Toad Prince is good card that you can play in most MO decks.
- (200 Scraps) Caranthir: Golden Child
Payoff card for successful Frost hits for 5 turns back-to-back. You can check out how much you hit by looking at his tooltip. Caranthir also gets boosted by 3 for every Frost hit with Eredin on the board while Dominance is achieved.
- (160 Scraps) 2x Ancient Foglet
Foglets help you to put value on your side of the board while damaging with Frost. They synergize well with Aen Elle Aristocrats.
- (160 Scraps) 2x Aen Elle Aristocrat
Aristocrats can spawn more Frost to give more value to your Foglets and Winter Queen.
Northern Realms Basic
740 scraps total
- (400 Scraps) Keldar & Vindhalm of Attre
Both cards are 2 points per turn engines, one of them grows wide while the other one grows tall. Use leader on Keldar to keep him safe from 5 damage removal which should be popular and you can use leader on Vindhalm once if he loses his shield which should get him to 10 points where even if Vindhalm loses his shield again you can just click his order.
- (260 Scraps) Immortals & Damned Sorceress
Once both cards are on the board, they will gain 4 points every turn you click them, which is amazing value in any NR deck.
- (80 Scraps) Pellar
He is a good value purify card that is being played as one copy in many meta decks. For beginners he can mostly be used to purify the Dorregaray lock.
NORTHERN REALMS Advanced
1540 scraps total
- (800 Scraps) Queen Meve
She is not a popular card in the meta, but our Queen is still a strong card especially for this deck, considering this deck can swarm a lot and has a lot of strong engines to answer. Remember not to leader Queen Meve if opponent has not played their Geralt.
- (400 Scraps) Keldar & Vindhalm of Attre
Both cards are 2 points per turn engines, one of them grows wide while the other one grows tall. Use leader on Keldar to keep him safe from 5 damage removal which should be popular and you can use leader on Vindhalm once if he loses his shield which should get him to 10 points where even if Vindhalm loses his shield again you can just click his order.
- (260 Scraps) Immortals & Damned Sorceress
Once both cards are on the board, they will gain 4 points every turn you click them, which is amazing value in any NR deck.
- (80 Scraps) Pellar
He is a good value purify card that is being played as one copy in many meta decks. For beginners he can mostly be used to purify the Dorregaray lock.
Scoia’tael Basic
960 scraps total
- (800 Scraps) Simlas Fin aep Dabairr
Simlas is a great card and can be played in most decks just needs a double of good bronze specials in the deck with him. He thins 2 cards and plays for a lot of points without going tall.
- (160 Scraps) Bountiful Harvest
ST has a lot of elf units so Harvest is a bit RNG dependant, but they are allright nature cards. Don’t forget to keep a unit in hand to boost with Harvests and the best elf choices are Whisperer of Dol Blathanna, Elven Seer and Sorceress of Dol Blathanna.
Scoia’tael Advanced
1900 scraps total
- (800 Scraps) Simlas Fin aep Dabairr
Simlas is a great card and can be played in most decks just needs a double of good bronze specials in the deck with him. He thins 2 cards and plays for a lot of points without going tall.
- (800 Scraps) Aucwenn
Aucwenn has alright deploy value while she is a scary engine that can play for 3-4 points for every nature card you play in her round. Remember to play her before orher Naiad cards to get extra value out of them.
- (160 Scraps) Bountiful Harvest
ST has a lot of elf units so Harvest is a bit RNG dependant, but they are allright nature cards. Don’t forget to keep a unit in hand to boost with Harvests and the best elf choices are Whisperer of Dol Blathanna, Elven Seer and Sorceress of Dol Blathanna.
- (140 Scraps) Naiad Fledgling & Pondkeeper
Naiads get better deploy value thanks to Aucwenn. Fledgling is a 2 points per turn nature engine while also can get boosted by your excess vitality. Pondkeeper can also kill engines and also can make a symbiosis engine if there is no need to kill a an opponent’s unit.
Skellige Basic
860 scraps total
- (800 Scraps) Sove
Great point-slam card that has immunity so he can’t get destroyed by Geralt of Rivia. He has best synergy with Patricidal Fury leader to reach the required Bloodthirst.
- (60 Scraps) Brokvar Warrior
Played in the meta a lot, potentially 8 points for 4 provision warrior cards that can create 3 Bloodthirst so pretty synergistic with warrior decks.
Skellige Advanced
1980 scraps total
- (800 Scraps) Sove
Great point-slam card that has immunity so he can’t get destroyed by Geralt of Rivia. He has best synergy with Patricidal Fury leader to reach the required Bloodthirst.
- (800 Scraps) Fucusya
This is a great value card that can be played in any SK list because of its flexibility. You can either choose to replay a good 9-10 provision gold card or 4-5 provision bronze card and spawn a lot of Rain on an opponent’s row. Therefore, keep in mind to play the card you want to resurrect in an earlier round.
- (160 Scraps) Highland Warlords
Warlords are great R1 cards since they make all your Raid cards 1 point better and help kill stuff easier. You can use Blood Eagle to play one Highland Warlord in round 1 if you need to. You can also resurrect a Highland Warlord with Freya’s Blessing to get more Raid card damage if you need to.
- (160 Scraps) Primal Savagery
Raid card with good Deathblow value that can also kill engines after it’s buffed twice with Highland Warlords.
- (60 Scraps) Brokvar Warrior
Played in the meta a lot, potentially 8 points for 4 provision warrior cards that can create 3 Bloodthirst so pretty synergistic with warrior decks.
Nilfgaard Basic
820 scraps total
- (200 Scraps) Battle Stations
Great thinning card and tempo play. It thins 2 cards while sets up 2 engines. Can be tutored with Menno as well.
- (200 Scraps) Hefty Helge
Helge can single handedly clear the opponent’s board if left unanswered. It has great synergy with Skellen since it can play up to 4 Tactics in a single turn.
- (200 Scraps) False Ciri
She has a low floor maybe, but her ceiling is great since she goes to your side as 8 points and as an engine. She is versatile since she can play any bronze Tactic from your graveyard and has great synergy with Buhurts because she actually brings negative 3 points of Buhurt to your side of the field.
- (160 Scraps) Buhurts
6 points allright Tactics that are great with False Ciri. They can also play for 9 points with a tall punish card like Geralt of Rivia aswell.
- (60 Scraps) Tourney Joust
Good enough as a Tactic control card.
Nilfgaard Advanced
1840 scraps total
- (800 Scraps) Artaud Terranova
Great Assimilate card because while he is an Assimilate engine, he can play a strong unit’s copy. Make sure to put spying to an opponent’s unit that you would want from him with Torturers or even Enslave leader gives spying to an enemy unit so that works with Artaud.
- (200 Scraps) Battle Stations
Great thinning card and tempo play. It thins 2 cards while sets up 2 engines. Can be tutored with Menno as well.
- (200 Scraps) Hefty Helge
Helge can single handedly clear the opponent’s board if left unanswered. It has great synergy with Skellen since it can play up to 4 Tactics in a single turn.
- (200 Scraps) False Ciri
She has a low floor maybe, but her ceiling is great since she goes to your side as 8 points and as an engine. She is versatile since she can play any bronze Tactic from your graveyard and has great synergy with Buhurts because she actually brings negative 3 points of Buhurt to your side of the field.
- (160 Scraps) Mage Torturer
Torturers are hard to answer engines that can also set up targets for Terranova.
- (160 Scraps) Buhurts
6 points allright Tactics that are great with False Ciri. They can also play for 9 points with a tall punish card like Geralt of Rivia aswell.
- (60 Scraps) Tourney Joust
Good enough as a Tactic control card.
Syndicate Basic
800 Scraps Total
- (800 Scraps) Saint Gregory: Justicar
Gregory has insane potential in his second form. You can even use him as a finisher and to answer an opponent’s threat. Remember to spend coins before Gregory’s order if you are not going to use Gregory’s order to kill another engine.
Syndicate Advanced
1600 Scraps Total
- (800 Scraps) Saint Gregory: Justicar
Gregory has insane potential in his second form. You can even use him as a finisher and to answer an opponent’s threat. Remember to spend coins before Gregory’s order if you are not going to use Gregory’s order to kill another engine.
- (800 Scraps) Jacques: Miracle Child
Jacques is overall a good point-slam gold spender which is rare. In his third form he can gain bunch of coins since most of your cards are Firesworn cards.
