Let’s start with an easy question. What is your favorite and least favorite card from the set of 12 recently dropped?
I like Brouver the most; he has an interesting ability that synergizes with a less popular leader, which can bring a lot of freshness to the game and can have an impact on the meta, but it’s hard for me to say which of the cards I like the least. I think that each of them is interesting, but if I would choose it’s Whoreson Junior.
Do you like the new approach to expansions (smaller card packs but more often).
Yes, I think it’s a great idea that we will more often see new things that can have a positive impact on the development of Gwent, and by getting fewer cards, we can dedicate more time to each of them. Additionally, developers will find it easier to balance cards when they add fewer cards.
Do you remember Harmony 😉 ? It was hard nerfed, then the nerf was reversed but never really managed to come back. Is it only missing points or are there other problems preventing its return?
I think that at this point people started to play a lot more control decks, which made it impossible to play their engines. When there was a possibility to play the leader in Water of Brokilon on these engines, there were so many that the opponent was not able to deal with each of them. Additionally, the deck doesn’t have much control, which also does not make the game easier. Now the meta is starting to turn into more point-slam decks, so maybe Harmony will return to favor, maybe it will see some buffs with the next expansions. I think that at the moment it is not even a tier 3 deck, but it still has huge potential.
In TLG’s Invitational qualifiers 100% of Syndicate players chose Lined Pockets as their leader ability. This is the strongest concentration on one leader in a long time. Do you think meta will revolve around other Syndicate leaders or it just a nerf candidate?
I think the problem is not with the leader – but with the card that uses his potential (Cleaver).
He has an amazing tempo, he is a spender, the engine additionally plays the point slam. Creating crownsplitter, which uses a long-forgotten card (tunnel drill) is amazing too. I think that the deck does not have a positive effect on the meta because it can encourage people to play cards such as Geralt Yrden, which is not healthy for the game. I believe that Cleaver requires a nerf, though maybe not the leader himself. As for the other syndicate leaders… I think Linked Pockets has so much potential with Cleaver that it is simply not worth trading for another.
Finally Lockdown was removed from game. Will you miss it?
Never 😀
Northern Realms popularity is now around 6%; it seems Northern Realms is taking Syndicate’s old place of least-played faction. Is this all because Meve is the weakest of the new cards?
I think this may change. The Witcher deck still looks fine, but it’s true, NR seems to have gotten the weakest cards. But I think Foltest may still surprise us, maybe not on the ladder, but with the tournament cards.
Northern Realms decks are usually control decks or slam points but the purpose of this faction was to be engine heavy.
I think this assumption has changed and NR is now identified as pointslam as shown by the new Meve and Foltest cards
There were not many changes in the Gwent Masters season 3 ruleset. Do you see something that could be changed or added?
I think not. There is really nothing requiring changes. There were CP points for quali, which I think is very good because it will give competition, in the last season 6 players had a big advantage after 4 seasons in CPs and it was possible that if they didn’t stop playing the game altogether, they would qualify for the Gwent masters. Now, thanks to the cp in qualifying, there may be a bit more excitement in recent seasons.
How is occasionally streaming working for you?
I have some other responsibilities, and I focus heavily on the game and the fight whether for an Open or Masters – and playing during the stream lowers my level terribly, although I like to do it and I think that if I can guarantee my participation in Gwent Masters, after I finish high school, I will do it regularly, because it is really cool – you can share what you like to do with others and listen to suggestions and advice live.
As for me it is good as it is, well units look at tier1 but they are not there for a long time; such decks are very dependent on the meta, and playing against them requires a bit more thinking / skills, and I guess that’s what it’s all about 😀
What is the strongest card in the game?
I think Eist, but a lot depends on the situation.
Tournament platform didn’t get updates for long time, do you as a proplayer have any hope in it or you just concentrated on Gwent Masters series?
The tournament platform is the best thing that has ever entered the game and has a lot of potential, for players, it is very intuitive and, above all, comfortable. As for whether it didn’t get the update, I have no idea, but I know that the last qualification was carried out on this platform, there were no errors and as far as I know, manual seeding worked; so far it was not possible.
Is it true that some proplayers would left game already, but they just keep playing to have form when their game on Gwent Masters 1 will finally happen.
Yes, I think that a lot of pro players left the game or rested during the break between Gwent masters 1 and Gwent masters 2, but so the finalists of Gwent masters 1 return to the game min. Adzikov, ProNeo or Damorquis. I know Damorquis has different priorities in life and is not able to focus on top level playing Gwent masters season 3, but he is back in the game because he wants to be 100% prepared for the biggest party that will most likely take place in Gwent.
Do you think it is ok to wait so long for finals of Gwent Masters 1 to be played?
At the moment it is not dependent on CDPR; the situation in the world does not allow the championships to be held, or makes it very difficult to organize them. A tournament with such a large pool, developers want to do LAN, which is understandable, is the best way to advertise Gwent. I had the pleasure to take part in two Lan Opens and the emotions accompanying the game itself are completely different than those in online tournaments, so I think that even the players themselves do not complain; they hope that it can happen in a studio in Warsaw rather than a year ago but online.
What keeps you awake when playing on a ladder all those hours? Coffee? Cake? Screaming at teammates?
I have adopted a slightly different tactic for playing ladder – I know that I am able to play 2-4 hours, after which my concentration level drops – so I try not to “overwork” and do not analyze my Ladder games in depth; I prefer to play intuitively and quickly, often doing a few things at the same time. Only in the last days of the season, or on a high peak, do I try to focus and play the best that I can. In addition, playing on the ladder has the disadvantage that I am not sure if the opponent does not play any random cards like Yrden, Igni, etc. So even my best game might not be enough. In addition, playing with full focus and analysis requires a lot of time and often such games take place 15-20 minutes while my quick game takes about 10 so I am able to play 2x more games for a similar amount of time. But when qualifying lasts for several hours, a cup of coffee, cake, or some music helps to keep focus 😀
Do you think there should be limit of games on proladder during one season, so top players don’t spend whole day on gaming? For example 700 games per season.
No definitely not, there are some players who use various “tricks” to play a more effective game – like playing in the last week of the season where all the best players are already in high peaks, they start with theoretically weaker players and even if they hit someone from the top, they either gain 8-10 mmr or they lose 4-6 mmr; with the game limit I think that 90% of players would try similar “tricks” which could have a negative impact on the level and maybe more fortunately for the match-ups.
Do you think the time allotted for making a move on proladder should be a little shorter to keep game-speed more consistent and games dynamic?
I would gladly test the solution on the pro-ladder; the game would be more dynamic, and players would start to make a few more mistakes, which was also more attractive to watch, because it was hard to predict who would win. I am waiting, and I believe that someday there will be a blitz-mode tournament, maybe for streamers; I would watch such competition.
What game (except Gwent) are you playing the most currently?
I play only Gwent.
Thank you for your time, and good luck on the ladder!
