Intro
You asked for it, you'd all better read it!
Ah Gwen; she’s always been a big part of my Shadow Era play. Not that I used her at first, but I came into the game in 1.25 where her ability was a passive +2 on attack and she made up 50% of the QM meta (in my ranges anyway). The combination of Rapid Fire + Soul Seeker is the most hated weapon play in the game (probably one of the most hated plays period), and the amount of times people have screamed to have Gwen nerfed is incalculable (usually Mage and Zaladar players ). But she’s not overpowered (not even close), she’s merely misunderstood.
Overview
Like all weapon based heroes, Gwen is a bit of a one-trick pony, and even more so than most in my opinion. Any self-respecting Gwen deck will have 4 Soul Seekers and at least 3 Rapid Fire, which means anyone who faces a Gwen deck will know what they’re up against immediately and will take steps to counter that strategy. Still, she is very powerful when you know how to use her.
One thing that you need to know about Gwen is that she is what I call a “sniper” hero, solo Gwen builds in particular. She excels in a very specific meta; i.e one that is dominated by heroes with little heal or item destruction. This usually means a mage/elemental meta.She can perform against most heroes with a level of success, but it’s not always easy to come away with the win.
Now, as far as the hunter pool goes we have access to lots of niche abilities (even the allies are very niche in their use really), but most notably we have traps, which are currently unique to the class. Traps are the closest thing this game has to instants (cards playable in opposing players turn) and can potentially swing the game, particularly the early game. Of the four traps, Snare Trap is the one seeing the most play for reasons I’ll explain later. The other big thing in the hunter pool and the reason so many people cry broken is Into the Forest.
Allies
Now, many people believe that Gwen is a solo hero only (including some very notable players). I am of the belief that a solo Gwen is way too focused and specific, and too easy to shut down for many classes (Rogues, Priests, Wulven in particular), so I advocate an ally based strategy. It adds a layer of consistency to the deck and allows a two pronged assault. It also gives you a backup in case your weapons are reliably countered (which sadly happens a lot).
Call of the Crystals
- Tainted Oracle: Your number one ally for both (semi)solo and allied decks. He gives you the draw you need to bring out the big guns, your weapons. The best part is that it’s no win for your opponent; they either kill him and give you cards or leave him alone and take 2 damage per turn. Still he cannot be completely relied on, there are plenty of ways to shut him down without actually killing him.
- Lily Rosecult: Your number two ally. She allows you to get those weapons back into play and draw out your opponent’s item destruction. A brilliant utility ally for a weapon based build, and she gives you a threat on the board as well.
- Jasmine Rosecult: The other Rosecult sister does what she always does, provides a kill or be killed threat in the early game for your opponent, and gives you the opportunity to assert early board dominance. If left alone she will take over the board all by herself.
- Aldon the Brave: The other early game ally staple, his +1 bonus will give you control going first and can mean the difference between winning and losing. There’s nothing more to really say here.
- Armored Sandworm: A bit of an oddball choice because you don’t see many Gwen decks running it, but it’s a tank that gives you a very tough to remove threat that will combo damage up to 6 with weapon + ability and will wipe most things from the board in a single sweep. Also a great card to use with A Perfect Shot (similar to how Victor is played).
Dark Prophecies
- Champion of Irum: A nice solid 2 drop, with the ability to grow in response to your opponent’s threat level. Which means unlike Puwen he can be useful throughout the game (nothing like dropping a 3/5 for 2 ).
- Layarian Seductress: I really love Seductress with Gwen. I personally find I tend to stop at 6 resources in my games so I will almost always trigger her ability, and she’s great for buying you an extra turn when your opponent drops some monster threat that would normally distract you. Also is a great counter to FTA (First Turn Advantage).
- Artful Squire: Gives Gwen something she never had previously, the ability to destroy items cost 4 and lower. Can be a real boon when something just has to be dealt with (like Jeweler’s Dream, Wrath of the Forest, Tome of Knowledge, etc), and if not he still has some use as an ally. Bear in mind he cannot target support abilities like Portal.
- Wendith Eagle-Eye: Wendith is a great ally for Gwen for a couple of reasons. One is that her weapon buff completely counters the basic anti-Gwen strategy, drop lots of 5 health allies (and in DP there’s plenty to choose from). She also renders Karash impotent (as he is often used as weapon destruction). The second reason is this…. Ambush. With Wendith out you can essentially do a single swing for 8 (3 Ambush damage from Wendith, 4+1 from your boosted weapon). The only allies that’ll survive that sort of punishment (without buffs) are Gunther and Sandworm, good news for Gwen, bad news for anyone else. Still, she conflicts with so many core cards due to her resource costing, which can sometimes make it difficult to play her at the right moment.
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