The Witcher 3 Gwent guide: deck rules, spies, weather and passing
Learn the original single-player card minigame and conserve cards across rounds.
Edition covered
Unmodded The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt base campaign, covering the established classic and next-generation-update systems. Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine, and later remastered or expansion-specific changes are outside scope. Publisher screenshots are illustrative promotional media, not proof of a particular balance patch.
Build a legal and focused deck
The Witcher 3’s Gwent minigame has its own rules, separate from the standalone Gwent game. Start with Northern Realms and improve it as you win or buy cards. A playable deck needs at least twenty-two unit cards; adding weak extras makes it less likely that the opening hand contains your best options.
| Rule | Requirement or behavior | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Unit minimum | At least 22 unit cards | Special cards do not replace the required units. |
| Opening hand | 10 cards with up to 2 redraws | Most resources must last across the match. |
| Match goal | Win 2 rounds | Avoid spending everything to win only the first. |
| Passing | No more cards from you in that round | The opponent may continue playing. |
| Combat rows | Close combat, ranged and siege | Weather affects the relevant row on both sides. |
Think beyond the current round
A match is normally won by taking two rounds. Passing ends your participation in the current round, so do it only after considering whether the opponent can cheaply overtake you. Losing one round can be worthwhile if the other player commits several valuable cards while you keep a stronger hand.
Use card abilities to preserve options
A spy grants the opponent its strength but draws two cards for you. Decoys, medics and tight-bond groups each work differently, and hero cards are protected from many normal interactions. Read a card’s text before trying a combination, especially when an effect says it only works on non-hero units.
| Effect | What it does | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Spy | Adds strength to the opponent and draws 2 cards for you | Trade current-round points for hand resources. |
| Decoy | Returns a selected eligible friendly unit to your hand | Reuse an eligible unit or recover a spy played onto your side. |
| Medic | Plays an eligible non-hero unit from your discard pile | Choose a useful effect as well as raw strength. |
| Tight Bond | Boosts matching named units played together | Keep enough matching cards to make the group worthwhile. |
| Weather | Reduces affected non-hero row strength | Inspect both sides before damaging your own row. |
| Scorch | Destroys the strongest eligible unit or tied units | It can destroy your own highest-strength units too. |
Collect steadily and save before special matches
Check merchants for cards and play manageable opponents while exploring. Quest matches and tournaments deserve a separate save because some opportunities are tied to story progression. This page teaches play and deck decisions; it is not a complete missable-card checklist or a claim that any opponent can be revisited forever.
The Skellige faction belongs to Blood and Wine; it is not part of the original base-game faction set.
References
| Reference | Website |
|---|---|
| Witcher Wiki: in-game Gwent rules | witcher.fandom.com |
| CD Projekt Red: Gwent card ability manual | cdn-l-thewitcher.cdprojektred.com |