The best Gwent decks for beginners

Glossary of Gwent key terms

Thanks to Vulkk for collating all CD Project’s in-game keywords to create this glossary. 

Ally – A Unit on your side of the Board
Ambush – Play face down and only reveal when certain conditions are met
Armor – Absorbs a given amount of Damage dealt to a Unit
Banish – Remove the card from the game
Bond – Trigger this ability each time another copy of this Unit is played on the same side
Boost – Increase a Unit’s current Power
Brave – Trigger this ability if your opponent is winning the current round
Clash – Trigger this ability only if neither player has passed
Consume – Destroy a card (or Banish it, if it is in the Graveyard) and Boost the Consuming Unit by its Power
Counter – Reduce the counter whenever the given condition is met. When it reaches 0, trigger the Activation ability. Reset the Counter when the Unit leaves the Board
Crewmen X – When a Unit with a Fresh Crewmen ability is played adjacent to this Unit, trigger that ability X times
Damage – Decrease a Unit’s current power
Damaged – A Damaged Unit’s current Power is less than its base Power
Deathwish – Trigger this ability when the card is moved to the Graveyard
Demote – Convert the card to silver (or Bronze, if Bronze was the card’s original color)
Deploy – Trigger this ability when the card is played on the field
Destroy – Move the card to the Graveyard
Discard – Move the card to the Graveyard from the Hand or Deck
Disloyal – A Unit played on your opponent’s side
Doomed – Units: Banish when Destroyed; Special Cards: Banish after triggering the card’s ability
Draw – Move the top card of cards from your Deck to your Hand
Effort – Perform the specified action for every card targeted by the preceding ability
Enemy – A Unit on your opponent’s side of the field
Fresh Crew – Trigger this ability when this Unit is played adjacent to a Unit with a Crewmen ability
Gamble – Guess whether the top Bronze or Silver Unit in your opponent’s Deck is Higher or Lower than 5. The consequences of winning or losing your Gamble are written on the card
Heal – Restore a Damaged Unit to its base Power
Highest – The Unit with the highest Power. Ties are resolved randomly
Lock – Disable a card’s abilities. Disables and reveals Ambushes
Lowest – The Unit with the lowest Power. Ties are resolved randomly
Loyal – A Unit played on your side of the Board
Mulligan – Exchange a certain number of cards in your Hand for cards from your Deck including Golds (unless stated otherwise)
Orders – Triggers this ability when your Leader card is played (but before the Leader’s ability is resolved)
Promote – Convert the card to Gold until the round ends
Reload X – When a Unit with a Reloaded ability is played adjacent to this Unit, trigger that ability X times
Reloaded – Trigger this ability when the Unit is played adjacent to Units with the Reload Ability
Retaliation – Trigger this ability whenever this Unit is Damaged, but not Destroyed.
Reset – Reset the Unit to its base Power
Resilient – A Resilient Unit remains on the Board at the end of the Round (for 1 round only)
Resistant – A Resistant Unit is immune to the specified Weather effect
Resurrect – Play a card from the Graveyard
Reveal – Turn a card or cards in the Hand over, exposing them to both players
Revealed – A Revealed card has been turned over, exposing it to both players
Round End – Trigger this ability when the Round ends
Shield – Protects a Unit from the next Power-reducing effect
Spawn – Add the card to the game and play it
Spring – Reveal a face down Ambush card and trigger its ability
Spying – A Unit is Spying when it is on the opposite side of the Board from the player who played it
Strenghthen – Increase a Unit’s base Power
Stubborn – this card cannot return to the Hand
Summon – Play the specified cards from your Deck
Timer – Reduce the Timer by 1 every turn while this Unit is on the Board. Trigger the ability when it reaches 0 (at Turn Start or Turn End). Reset the Tmer when the Unit leaves the Board
Transform – Convert into a different card
Trio – Trigger this ability when 3 Unlocked copies of this Unit are present on the same row
Turn Start – This card’s ability triggers at the start of its current owner’s turn
Veteran – Trigger this ability at the start of Rounds 2 and 3 when this card is in the Hand, Deck or Graveyard
Weaken – Decrease a Unit’s base Power