The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its expansions are known for having excellently written quests, an engaging and explorable world, and a widely praised balance of narrative and gameplay elements. Winning a plethora of awards over its lifetime including Game of the Year in 2015 and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design at the 2016 DICE Awards, the game set a new benchmark for narrative-driven RPGs. Contributing to all the hype is a mini-game called Gwent, which became so popular it spawned a game of its own.
Gwent has a simple setup but can be complex in the hands of talented players. As it originally appears in The Witcher 3, Geralt can duel other players from around The Continent to obtain all the cards from four different factions: Northern Realms, Nilfgaard, Scoia'tael, and Monsters. Each deck has its own strategy and play style and can make use of Neutral faction cards as well. CD Projekt Red added the Skellige faction to The Witcher 3 before creating a game fully focused on Gwent called Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, which adds new cards and mechanics to further complicate the game but keeps its three round core setup.
It's no surprise then with so many different Gwent cards that The Witcher 3 fans would eventually make their own. While some are serious artistic depictions of fan favorite characters, others are made for more comedic effect. One Reddit member named vi_orion made a card of their dog, Leo, and it captures the spirit of the original game. Leo is a Monster faction card, but he looks more cute than menacing as he waddles around and chews on some grass.
Leo is of course a close combat Leader card with 15 strength, the highest possible in the original game. This would put him within the ranks of the Geralt and Ciri cards, which are both 15 strength as well. But Leo also has the added benefit of the Morale Boost ability, which adds one extra strength to every other unit in the row when played. Considering the Monster faction deck relies heavily on mustering several close combat units at a time and has no 15 strength heroes, Leo would be the best Monster card in the original Gwent deck, no contest.
Although basic Gwent can only be experienced inside The Witcher 3 and its expansions, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game is still supported on PC, MacOS, and iOS, and even has an esports scene called Gwent Masters. There are several qualifier rounds happening over the next few months, which interested parties can watch online. Last weekend's WitcherCon 2021 didn't reveal any new developments for the game, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of new content in the future.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is currently available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S planned to launch in 2021.
