GWENT: The Witcher Card Game News

The first card drop of 2023 is releasing tomorrow and we can not wait for you to get your hands on the 24 new cards.

As usual, there are also some changes to existing cards and we also celebrate 2 birthdays this month!

For the 4 final reveals, a rundown of the most important balance changes, and a personal message from Jean, make sure to check out the latest Developer Update:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

New Features
Claw and Dagger - It is the time of trickery, concealment, and deceit, of carving your own path, no matter the cost. After all, who's going to be able to stop you?

This card drop introduces four new cards to each playable faction.

Yen and Ciri's Birthday Event - Join the birthday party and unlock special vanities by completing time-limited contracts. But that's not all! Visit the Shop to find even more themed goodies!

This event will be live from April 25th to May 9th.

Gameplay Changes


Neutral

No changes.


Monsters

Armored Arachas - Power changed from 6 to 5. Ability changed to: Deploy: If there is another card on this row, Lock self. Timer 3: If this row is full, boost self by 12.

Endrega Queen - Deploy ability changed to: Consume an allied unit and gain Armor equal to its provision cost.

Idr - Provision cost changed from 7 to 9. Ability changed to: Whenever your opponent plays a unit on their side of the battlefield, damage it by 1 and gain a Charge. Order: Spawn a Drone on this row. Charges: 0

Kikimore Queen - Has a new part of ability: Whenever you pay an Organic card, trigger own Thrive.


Nilfgaard

No changes.


Northern Realms

No changes.


Scoia'tael

No changes.


Skellige

Corrupted Flaminica - Ability changed to: Deploy: Boost self by 2 for each unique beast in your graveyard.

Tuirseach Bearmaster - Power changed from 4 to 2. Ability changed to: Deploy: Boost self by the number of unique allied beasts. Order: Damage self by own boost, then damage that many enemy units by 1.


Syndicate

Boris - Ability changed to: At the start of your turn, wherever this card is, randomly change own Fee to a different cost between 1 and 9. Fee 1: Move self to the other row, then boost self by the Fee cost. If you have 0 Coins, also gain 1 Coin for each allied unit on that row. Cooldown: 1


Game Fixes

Stockpile, King Henselt, Rivian Pikeman, Siege Support, and Winch now work correctly with Fee cards that Cooldowns.

Dwimveandra no longer grants Zeal to Locations

The contracts for the Master Mirror evolving cards now count the number of times you play the final evolution, rather than how many times you reach the final evolution.

Hey everyone!

While the first card-drop of 2023 is only one more month away, we are introducing some keychanges with Update 11.3, specifically to Draft and bandits like Gascon!

Before jumping into the update, make sure to check out our Developer Update for more thoughts on the changes.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Changes

Draft Mode: GWENTFINITY update - Introducing several key changes to future-proof Draft Mode, and make the experience more distinct overall:

-The drafting process has been changed. After drafting the leader ability, players draft packages of three cards, eight times, and then draft their stratagem. Players will receive the option to add, and then remove a single package after each match.

-The packages are no longer manually built, but randomly generated from the ownable card pool. Each package is assigned a faction faction, and has a total provision cost ranging from 20 to 26.

-The in-game timer has been reduced from the usual 60 seconds to 25 seconds.

These changes aim at making Draft a more varied environment and to future-proof the game mode in the context of GWENTFINITY. The change of the turn timer also aims at making matches quicker, further differentiating Draft mode from standard matches. For more info, tune in to the developer's video!


Neutral

Angoulême - Provision cost changed from 10 to 11. Ability changed to: Deploy: Create and play an artifact from your opponent's starting deck. If your opponent has no artifact in their starting deck, boost self by 6 instead.

Free Company - Armor changed from 1 to 0. Provision cost changed from 8 to 10. Ability changed to: Order: Choose an allied Bonded unit, then play its top copy from your deck. Cooldown: 3

Gascon - Power changed from 1 to 2. Ability changed to: When in hand, deck, or on the battlefield, whenever you play the second copy of a Bonded unit this match, boost self by 3.

Gimpy Gerwin - Power changed from 3 to 5. Armor changed from 0 to 1. Provision cost changed from 7 to 9. Ability changed to: Whenever you play another unit, damage all enemy units with the same provision cost by 1.

One-Eyed Betsy - Power changed from 4 to 7. Provision cost changed from 10 to 8. Ability changed to: Deploy: Draw up to 2 Bonded units, then shuffle the same number of cards back into your deck. Order: Replay an allied Bonded unit.

Renfri, Renfri's Gang - The Deploy abilities now also trigger when all cards in the deck are units. This is a change for Draft Mode, where the starting deck size is reduced to 24.

Bomb Heaver - Provision cost changed from 5 to 4.
Cutthroat - Power changed from 3 to 5. Provision cost changed from 4 to 5. Ability changed to: Deploy: Destroy an enemy unit with 2 or less power. Bonded: Destroy an enemy with 4 or less power instead.

Highwaymen - Power changed from 4 to 1. Provision cost changed from 4 to 5. Ability changed to: When you play a Bonded unit that you already control a copy of, Summon self from your deck to your Melee row. Exposed: Move self to the top of your deck.

Iron Falcon Infantry - Power changed from 4 to 3. Ability changed to: At the end of your turn, boost self by 1 if this is the only card on its row. Bonded: At the end of your turn, boost self by 1 instead. Iron Falcon Knife Juggler - Power changed from 2 to 4. Provision cost changed from 4 to 5. Ability changed to: Zeal. Order: Damage an enemy unit by 1. Bonded: Also give it Bleeding (1). Whenever you play a Bonded unit, refresh the Order. Iron Falcon Troubadour - Ability changed to: Deploy: Spawn a 1-power Locked copy of a Bonded unit from your starting deck on this row.

Sapper - Bandit tag changed to Soldier. Power changed from 5 to 2. Armor changed from 0 to 2. Provision cost changed from 5 to 6. Ability changed to: Deploy: Play a Bomb from your hand, then draw a card. Barricade: Whenever you play a Bomb, damage a random enemy unit by 1.

Scout - Power changed from 5 to 4. Ability changed to: Deploy: Move a unit to the other row.

Strays of Spalla - Provision cost changed from 5 to 4. Ability changed to: Deploy: Shuffle a gold card from your hand to your deck, then draw a bronze card and boost self by 4. Bonded: Boost self by 4 instead. Wagon - Power changed from 4 to 5. Armor changed from 0 to 3. Provision cost changed from 4 to 6. Ability changed to: Deploy: Banish the bronze unit to the right, then gain Resilience. Order: Transform self into a base copy of the Banished unit. Exposed: Purify self.


Monsters

Carapace, Caranthir Ar-Feiniel, Lilit's Omen, The Manor's Dark Secret, Witches' Sabbath - Ability restrictions changed from Monsters to non-Neutral.

Plumard - Ability changed to: Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding (2). Bonded: Give an enemy unit Bleeding equal to its base power instead.


Skellige

Blaze of Glory, Eist Tuirseach, Fucusya, Magic Compass, Sigrdrifa's Rite, Svanrige Tuirseach, Tyr: Master of An Skellig, Freya's Blessing - Ability restrictions changed from Skellige to non-Neutral.

Northern Realms

Inspired Zeal, Pincer Manoeuvre, Stockpile, Amphibious Assault, Ildiko, Viraxas: Prince, Viraxas: Outcast, Viraxas: King, Queen Adalia - Ability restrictions changed from Northern Realms to non-Neutral.

Scoia'tael

Harmony, Call of the Forest, Dana Méadbh: Provider, Dana Méadbh: Caretaker, Dunca, Ithlinne Aegli, Mysteries of Loc Feainn, Pavko Gale, Saskia: Commander, Circle of Life - Ability restrictions changed from Scoia'tael to non-Neutral.


Nilfgaard

No changes.


Syndicate

No changes.


Game Fixes

Certain players are no longer blocked from creating decks with specific leader abilities (mainly from the Monsters faction).

The deckbuilder search bar now recognizes all special characters. Certain diacritics were previously unrecognized.

Guillaume de Launfal no longer ignores the self boost by the number of allied Knights, if there is no enemy target available.

Traveling Priestess' Order no longer becomes temporarily disabled when being boosted from an injured state to another non-boosted power level.

Hello and welcome everyone to the Update 11.2 Patch Notes!

In the spirit of February, we are giving our Witchers a bit of love, which fits right in with our new event starting very soon!

Check out the Developer Update for a rundown of the most important changes and our thoughts behind them.



[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




New Features

Love Event- Love is in the air, together with the smell of freshly made Chocolate Hearts. You can collect these treats by playing the game, and then spend them on either special vanities in Shupe's Shop, or on resources in the Reward Book.

The event starts on February 8th and ends on February 22nd.


Changes

Updated the icons and ability types for four leader abilities: Deadeye Ambush, Tactical Decision, Uprising, and Ursine Ritual.


Neutral

Berengar - Power changed from 9 to 12. Ability changed to: At the beginning of your turn, if there are no other Witchers on this row, destroy self.

Commander's Horn - Provision cost changed from 8 to 7. Has a new part of ability: Boost bronze units by an additional 1 for each gold unit adjacent to them.

Geralt: Axii - Power changed from 5 to 3. Provision cost changed from 10 to 11. Ability changed to: Deploy: Seize a unit with power up to the number of allied Witchers on this row.

Geralt: Professional - Ability changed to: Deploy: Damage 3 units by 1. If you control another Witcher, also gain Zeal. Order: Damage an enemy unit by 3. If its power is a multiple of 3, destroy it instead.

Trial of the Grasses - Ability changed to: Set a unit's power to 13. If it's not a Witcher, damage it by 6 and Infuse it with the Witcher category first.

Vial of Forbidden Knowledge: Unsealed - Now has Doomed.


Monsters

Necromancer's Tome - Has a new part of ability: Zeal, Order: Trigger a bronze allied unit's Deathwish.
Yghern - Power changed from 13 to 15.


Skellige

Magic Compass - Provision cost changed from 8 to 9.

Sove - Provision cost changed from 11 to 12.

Terror of the Seas - Power changed from 5 to 4.

Feral Bond - Provision cost changed from 4 to 5.

Northern Realms

Griffin Witcher Mentor - Power changed from 5 to 4.

Scoia'tael

No changes.


Nilfgaard

Assassination - Ability changed to:
Damage a unit by 6. Decrease the damage by 1 for each adjacent non-Spying unit.

Syndicate

Blood Money - Provision bonus changed from 15 to 16.
Fabian Hale - Power changed from 5 to 6.
Graden - The Deploy ability now targets the unit with Bounty automatically (Similarly to The Scoundrel).
Pulling the Strings - Provision cost changed from 5 to 6.
Shady Vendor - No longer has the Blindeyes tag.

Game Fixes

Melitele can no longer: attempt to Spawn a unit on a full row; reset its Counter after being shuffled to deck; move from board to deck on round transition.

Fixed a bug where Melitele would move to the top of the deck at the end of the round.

Fixed the Maiden effect not buffing Immune targets.

Svanrige Tuirseach now correctly resets the boost value on round transition.

Torres var Emreis: Highest Priest no longer lets you Create specials or artifacts.

Playing Duchess's Informant through Syanna and Letho: Kingslayer no longer terminates the match.

Trained Hawk now correctly limits its damage to enemy units.

Happy new year everyone!

We are starting this year off with balance changes which mostly focus on Neutrals, Skellige and Syndicate.

Jean and Burza go over the most important changes and our thoughts behind them:


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Changes

Neutral
Black Blood - Now has the Alchemy tag.

Chironex - Provision cost changed from 8 to 9.

Has a new part of ability:

If you have Unicorn in your hand, play it, then draw a card.

Unicorn - Provision cost changed from 8 to 9.

Has a new part of ability:

If you have Chironex in your hand, play it, then draw a card.

Decoy - Now has the Warfare tag.

Lady of the Lake - Now has the Relict tag.

Ornate Censer - Now has the Alchemy tag.

Sangreal - Ability changed to:

Purify and boost a unit by 12, then Infuse it with "Once both players have passed, damage self by 12".

Summoning Circle - Now has the Spell tag.

Bone Talisman - Now has the Organic tag.

Epidemic - Provision cost changed from 5 to 4.

Now has the Organic tag.

Petri's Philter - Now has the Alchemy tag.

Thunderbolt - Now has the Alchemy tag.


Monsters
Lilit's Omen - Provision cost changed from 12 to 11.


Skellige
Axel Three-Eyes - Ability changed to:

Deploy (Melee): Spawn and play Crow's-eye Rhizome.

Deploy (Ranged): Transform adjacent Crows into Crow Messengers.

Dracoturtle - Power changed from 5 to 6.

Armor changed from 5 to 6.

Crow Clan Druid - Power changed from 3 to 4.

Ability changed to:

Zeal. Order: Banish an allied Crow, then play a 4 provision Alchemy card from your graveyard and give it Doomed.

Feral Bond - Ability changed to:

Spawn Skellige Wolves on an enemy row and damage it by 1, then Create a bronze Skellige Warrior that was not in your starting deck.

Bloodthirst 3: You may Spawn and play any bronze Skellige Warrior that was not in your starting deck instead.

Northern Realms
Melitele - Provision cost chaged from 14 to 13.

Crone effect changed to:

Boost self by 1, then increase this card's ability values by 1.

Vandergrift's Blade - Now has the Cursed and Warfare tags.


Scoia'tael
Malena - Power changed from 4 to 5.

Milva - Ability changed to:

Immunity.

Whenever an allied unit moves, boost self by 1.

Treant Boar - Power changed from 5 to 6.

Vrihedd Dragoon - Ability changed to:

Deploy: Move a unit to the other row. If it's an enemy, damage it by 1. If it's an ally, boost it by 2.


Nilfgaard
Torres var Emreis: Highest Priest - Ability changed to:

Doomed.

Assimilate.

Deploy: Return a non-Doomed allied unit that is not from your starting deck to your hand, excluding self, boost it by 2 and give it Doomed, then play a card.

If there is no valid target, Create and play a bronze unit from your opponent's faction and boost it by 2 instead.


Syndicate

Blood Money - Provision bonus changed from 16 to 15.

Ability changed to:

Order: Damage an enemy unit by 6, then gain Coins equal to any excess damage dealt.

Whenever an enemy unit with Bounty is destroyed, increase the damage by 1. If the Order is used up, refresh it and set its damage to 1 instead.

Count Reuven's Treasure - Provision cost changed from 12 to 11.

Now has the Crime tag.

Fabian Hale - Power changed from 4 to 5.

Ignatius Hale - Power changed from 12 to 18.

Provision cost changed from 6 to 9.

Ability changed to:

At the beginning of the game or when Spawned, set own power to 1.

While in hand, deck or on the battlefield, whenever an enemy unit with Bounty is destroyed, Heal self by its base power.

Octavia Hale - Fee ability changed to:

Fee 2: Boost an allied Witch Hunter by 2. If you destroyed an enemy unit this turn, boost by 3 instead.

The Brute - Ability changed to:

Profit 0.

Deploy: Boost self by 0.

The boost is equal to the base power of the highest-power enemy unit with a Bounty you destroyed this game.

Whenever you place a Bounty on an enemy unit, increase the Profit by 1.

Confession Extractor - Provision cost changed from 5 to 4.

Profit amount changed from 5 to 4.

Scapegoat - Power changed from 1 to 2.

Profit amount changed from 6 to 7.


Game Fixes
Tyr: Master of An Skellig's ability no longer triggers during the opponent's turn.

Vandergrift's Bladeno longer destroys itself without boosting a unit if that unit was killed after being played (e.g. through An Craite Longship).

Hey everyone,

We have lots to cover in the Update 10.12 Patch Notes including new cards, a Winter Event and balance changes!

As usual, we also have a brand new developer update for you to enjoy:


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Sacred and Profane - Pray and worship, or live in fear; the advent of the gods is near!

The Sacred and Profane card drop introduces two new legendary cards for each playable faction.

A Greedy God- Welcome the winter by making a series of offerings... and hope for blessings in return! Help six unlikely pilgrims satisfy the greedy Allgod's endless appetite, by completing quests for him on the new event page, to unlock new vanity rewards, including titles, cardbacks, and a coin.

The event starts on December 8th and ends on December 27th.

Changes

Neutral

Allgod - Power changed from 4 to 5.

Provision cost changed from 9 to 10.

Has a new part of ability:

Increase the number of targets by 1 for each Offering in your starting deck.

Offering - Provision cost changed from 6 to 5.

Ability changed to:

Destroy a unit with 4 power or less, then boost an allied unit in your deck by 2.

Renfri: Blessing of Kindness - Ability changed to:

The first time you play a unit on your side of the battlefield each turn:

-If it is odd-power, boost it by 1 for each adjacent even-power unit.

-If it is even-power, boost it by 1 for each adjacent odd-power unit.

Renfri: Curse of Sloth - Ability changed to:

Order: Play a bronze unit from your hand, then look at the top 3 units from your deck and draw 1.

Doppler - Power changed from 1 to 2.

Ability changed to:

Deploy (Melee): Choose a unit in your hand, then boost self by the number of units in your hand with the same primary category.

Deploy (Ranged): Boost self by 1 for each unique primary category among units in your hand.


Monsters

Ruehin - Power changed from 4 to 3.

Ability changed to:

Deathwish: Summon self from your graveyard to your Melee row and Consume your lowest-power unit, excluding self.


Skellige

Draig Bon-Dhu - Power changed from 4 to 5.

Ability changed to:

Deploy: Move a bronze Warrior from your deck to your graveyard.

Zeal. Order: Trigger the Veteran ability of an allied unit in your graveyard.

Cooldown: 1

Svanrige Tuirseach- Power changed from 6 to 3.

Provision cost changed from 7 to 8.

Ability changed to:

Deploy: Boost self by the base power of the last Skellige unit that went to your graveyard this round.



Northern Realms

Griffin Witcher Mentor - Ability changed to:

Deploy: Draw your top unit and boost it by 1, then shuffle a card from your hand back to your deck.

Adrenaline 4: Draw your 2 top units and boost them by 1, then shuffle 2 cards from your hand back to your deck instead.


Scoia'tael

No changes.


Nilfgaard

Imposter - Has a new part of ability:

Whenever you play an Aristocrat on your side of the battlefield, if there are at least 4 different statuses on your opponent's side of the battlefield, boost it by 1.

Guillaume de Launfal - Power changed from 6 to 2.

Ability changed to:

Deploy: Boost self by the number of allied Knights on this row, then boost self and an enemy unit by half of their combined power.

Order, Grace 14: Move all statuses from an enemy unit to self.

Ivar Evil-Eye - Power changed from 4 to 5.

Milton de Peyrac-Peyran - Provision cost changed from 6 to 7.

Palmerin de Launfal - Provision cost changed from 8 to 7.

Tibor Eggebracht - Provision cost changed from 13 to 12.

Spotter - Power changed from 4 to 3.


Syndicate

Tunnel Drill - Ability changed to:

Profit 2.

Fee 2: Damage an enemy unit by 3.

Cooldown: 1

Whenever you play a Crime, reduce the Cooldown by 1.


Game Fixes

Arachas Queen now respects the trigger order when played with both Syanna and Weavess: Incantation.

Menagerie Keeper now recognises War Council as a Tactic in hand.