The Northern Realms deck is the first Gwent deck that the player receives in The Witcher 3. This makes it the one that players will use the most in early Gwent battles as they slowly acquire cards for the other faction decks. The primary strength of the Northern Realms is the powerful siege-type cards that it contains.
Players should focus on building up their siege row and countering NPCs with any weather cards that are necessary. This guide will exclude any non-faction specific hero/special cards and stick to cards exclusively attached to this faction. Here are the best cards players can use in this deck throughout their Gwent journey in The Witcher 3.
Thaler
Spy-type cards are necessary for most deck builds and Thaler is one of the best options for the Northern Realms. Spies are cards that are placed on the enemy’s side of the board. They do add points to the enemy’s total power but allow the player to draw two more cards. With Thaler only having a measly one point of power players can place him with little worry and enjoy a larger hand. This is especially important in early games where opponents may draw players out of cards quickly. The Thaler card can be purchased from the innkeep in Arinbjorn on the isle of Skellige.
Catapult
The Catapult cards are an essential piece of the Northern Realms deck. These siege cards have a whopping eight power along with the tight bond ability. This ability comes into play when two cards of the same name are placed alongside each other causing their power to be doubled. This brings 32 power to the siege row if two catapults are on the field at the same time. Two catapult cards can be found rather early on. One can be purchased from either Elsa or Bram in White Orchard while the other is available from Marquise Serenity at the Passiflora located in Novigrad. Another can be purchased from the merchant at the circus camp near Carsten if the player has the Hearts of Stone expansion installed.
Kaedweni Siege Expert
The Kaedweni Siege Expert may seem unassuming with only one point of power, but it comes along with the useful morale boost ability. The morale boost adds +1 power to all units in the siege row excluding itself. This card can easily turn the tide of battle the player’s way when slotted next to a row of catapults and other siege cards. The player starts with this card already in their base deck.
Dun Banner Medic
The Dun Banner Medic card has the useful medic ability. When it is placed on the field it instantly revives cards from the discard pile excluding hero and special cards. This comes in handy to retrieve a powerful card or an enemy spy and place them back on the field. If the player has the Yennefer card, which also features the medic ability, they can even revive the Dun Banner Medic from the discard pile and still activate its effect to revive another card. The player receives this card immediately along with their base deck.
Foltest the Siege Master
This leader card doubles the power of the player’s entire siege row unless a commander’s horn has already been used to the same effect. Leader cards are a very important part of every deck and this card can beef up the powerful cards on that row.
This card can take the 32 power of two catapults and double them further to 64. The ability can be used anytime during a game, but only once so players should save it for when it is absolutely needed for a dramatic shift in power. Foltest the Siege Master can be obtained by beating the nobleman in a game of Gwent at the Vizima palace.
The Witcher 3 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.