Learn the basics and fundamentals of how to play Gwent - victory conditions, round dynamics, card abilities, Leaders, and more, in this Gwent the Witcher Card Game Tutorial.

This guide has a gameplay mechanics tutorial for Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. It is meant for new players, or for intermediate players who want to get a refresher on basic rules and mechanics.

Basic Mechanics [ edit ]

The goal of the game is to gather more total strength than your opponent.

You can see the total strength of your units at the bottom of the screen. Your opponent's total strength is at the top.

Placing units on the battlefield increases your total strength.

Each player can play only one card per turn.

There are 3 rows on the gameboard: Melee, Ranged, Siege.

Each unit can only be played on a certain row or rows For example, you can only play the Fiend on the Melee Row . The Ancient Foglet can only appear on the Ranged Row . And you have to place the Griffin on the Siege Row .

The icon on the left side of each card shows where it can be played.

To play a unit card, highlight it and double press Enter, or use LMB to drag and drop it onto the battlefield. When you play a unit card, its strength will be added to your total.

The round ends when both players pass. The player with the higher total strength wins that round.

Advanced Mechanics [ edit ]

Swap up to three cards for new cards drawn from your deck. To swap, highlight the card and click LMB or press Enter.

Many cards have special abilities. For example, some cards can summon other copies of themselves onto the board when deployed, resulting in several copies of the unit being played at once. Other cards can cause damage to an enemy card upon deploying.

If you reduce a unit's strength to 0, it is destroyed and sent to the graveyard.

Gold cards are immune to most card abilities. You can recognize them by their gold frames.

Having more cards than your opponent is crucial to winning. Never play more than you need - they must last you for the rest of the match.

You only need to win two out of three rounds. Once you pass, you can't play any more cards that round, while your opponent can continue to play as many as they want.

To pass, highlight the coin, then click and hold LMB or press and hold Space.

At the start of the second round, both players draw 2 cards from their decks.

Having more cards in your hand than your opponent gives you a significant advantage - it puts you in control of the flow of the battle.

If you have more total strength than an opponent who has just passed, you should pass to win the round. You'll win no matter what since your opponent has passed and cannot increase their strength.

At the start of round 3, both you and your opponent draw 1 card from your deck.

Special Mechanics [ edit ]