Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered: Best Northern Realms Gwent Deck

TL;DR

• Northern Realms is the strongest Gwent faction in Witcher 3.
• The deck wins by using Spy cards to draw more cards than your opponent.
• Tight Bond combos with Blue Stripes Commando, Crinfrid Reavers, and Catapults are your main damage dealers.
• Keep your deck at around 22 units. Do not bloat it with weak cards.
• The best leader is Foltest: Lord Commander of the North.
• Start building this deck in White Orchard. Most key cards are available early.

Gwent is one of the best side activities in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It looks simple at first. But once you dig in, it becomes a deep and rewarding mini-game with real strategy behind it.

Out of all four factions, Northern Realms is the best Gwent deck in the game. It is the first deck you build. It is the most complete deck you will have early on. And when played right, it is nearly unbeatable.

This guide explains exactly which cards to use, where to get them, and how to play them to win.

Why Northern Realms Is the Best Gwent Faction

Northern Realms has three things no other faction does as well.

• More Spy cards — You get four Spy cards. That is the most of any faction. Spy cards let you draw two cards while adding strength to your opponent’s side. It sounds bad, but it fills your hand faster.
• Strong Tight Bond sets — You get three complete Tight Bond groups. When you play two or more cards with the same Tight Bond ability, their strength doubles. This can create massive swings in a single turn.
• A faction bonus that rewards winning rounds — Every time Northern Realms wins a round, you draw one extra card. This snowballs fast over a three-round match.

These three things together make Northern Realms the best deck for newcomers and veterans alike. If you want to learn more about collecting all the Gwent cards needed to complete this deck, check out our Witcher 3 Remastered: How to Get Every Gwent Card guide.

Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered Best Northern Realms Gwent Deck

Best Northern Realms Gwent Deck Build

The goal of this deck is simple. You use Spy cards to draw more cards than your opponent. Then you unleash your Tight Bond combos to score massive points in one or two rounds.

Keep your deck at around 22 unit cards. The more cards you add, the lower your chance of drawing the key cards you need. Less is more in Northern Realms.

Leader Card: Foltest, Lord Commander of the North

This is the best Foltest variant for most matchups. His ability clears all weather effects from the board. This is free and does not cost you a card. It acts as a safety net against decks that use Biting Frost, Torrential Rain, or Impenetrable Fog.

There is another option — Foltest: The Siegemaster — which doubles the strength of all Siege units when a Commander’s Horn is in the same row. This can produce enormous numbers with your Catapults. But Lord Commander is safer and more consistent across all matchups.

Spy Cards (Play These First)

Spy cards are placed on your opponent’s side of the board. They add to their score temporarily. In return, you draw two cards from your deck. You want to play these in Round 1 to load up your hand.

• Thaler — 1 strength, Close Combat, Spy
• Sigismund Dijkstra — 4 strength, Close Combat, Spy
• Prince Stennis — 5 strength, Close Combat, Spy
• Mysterious Elf — 0 strength, Spy, Hero (won from High-Stakes Gwent tournament)

All four of these Spy cards together give you eight extra draws across a match. That is a massive card advantage. Use Decoy cards to replay them and draw even more.

Tight Bond Cards (Your Main Damage)

When two or more identical Tight Bond cards are played in the same row, their strength doubles. This is where Northern Realms becomes nearly unstoppable.

• Blue Stripes Commando (x3) — 4 strength each. Close Combat row. When all three are in play together, each becomes 12 strength for a total of 36 points. This is one of the best combos in the game.
• Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunter (x3) — 5 strength each. Ranged row. Three together hit 15 each, for 45 total. Pair with Commander’s Horn for even bigger numbers.
• Catapult (x2) — 8 strength each. Siege row. Two together become 16 each for 32 total. Foltest: The Siegemaster can double this further if you use that leader variant.

Hero Cards (High Value, Immune to Abilities)

Hero cards cannot be affected by weather, Scorch, or Commander’s Horn. They always count at face value. Include these for reliable high-strength plays.

• Geralt of Rivia — 15 strength, Close Combat
• Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon (Ciri) — 15 strength, Close Combat
• Vernon Roche — 10 strength, Close Combat
• Esterad Thyssen — 10 strength, Close Combat
• John Natalis — 10 strength, Close Combat
• Philippa Eilhart — 10 strength, Ranged

Medic Card

• Dun Banner Medic — 5 strength, Siege. Medic ability lets you revive a non-hero card from the graveyard. Use this to bring back a Spy card and draw two more cards. Or use it to re-play a Tight Bond card for a second combo activation.
• Yennefer of Vengerberg — 7 strength, Ranged, Medic and Hero. She is a neutral card but works perfectly here. Her Medic ability lets you revive a unit from the discard pile.

Special Cards

• Decoy (x3) — Return any unit card from the board to your hand and play it again. Use this on Spy cards to draw four more cards. Use it on the Dun Banner Medic to trigger Medic twice. This is one of the most powerful cards in the entire game.
• Commander’s Horn (x1 to x2) — Doubles the strength of all non-hero cards in a single row. Drop this on a row with three Crinfrid Reavers and watch your score explode.

Where to Find Every Key Card

The good news is that most of these cards are available early. You can build a strong version of this deck before you even leave White Orchard.

White Orchard (Start Here)

• Blue Stripes Commando (1 copy) — Buy from the White Orchard innkeeper, Elsa, or from Bram the Rescued Merchant.
• Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunter (1 copy) — Also available from White Orchard vendors early in the game.
• Catapult (1 copy) — Buy from the innkeeper in White Orchard Tavern.
• Decoy (x3) — Buy all three from vendors in White Orchard. Do this immediately.
• Zoltan Chivay — Neutral card, won by defeating the Scholar in the White Orchard tavern in your first Gwent tutorial match.

Velen

• Blue Stripes Commando (2nd and 3rd copy) — Buy from the Quartermaster at Crow’s Perch and the trader in Midcopse.
• Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunter (2nd copy) — Buy from the trader in Midcopse.
• Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunter (3rd copy) — Buy from the merchant in Claywich Village, The Mire (after rescuing him).
• Sigismund Dijkstra — Win from the Bloody Baron at Crow’s Perch during the Gwent: Velen Players quest.
• Vernon Roche — Win from Hadko the Card Prodigy in Midcopse, also part of Gwent: Velen Players.

Novigrad

• John Natalis — Obtained from Ravvy at the Golden Sturgeon Tavern during the A Dangerous Game secondary quest.
• Esterad Thyssen — Win from Sigismund Dijkstra at the Bathhouse during Gwent: Big City Players.
• Philippa Eilhart — Won from a random Gwent player. Check merchants and crafters.
• Catapult (2nd copy) — Buy from the store trader at the Passiflora in Novigrad.
• Yennefer of Vengerberg — Win from Stjepan at The Alchemy Inn in Oxenfurt during Gwent: Playing Innkeeps.

For a full breakdown of every missable card in the game, see our Witcher 3: All Missable Gwent Cards guide. And if you have the DLC, our Witcher 3: How to Get All DLC Gwent Cards guide covers Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine additions.

How to Play the Northern Realms Deck

Knowing which cards to use is half the battle. The other half is playing them in the right order.

Round 1: Spy Spam

Do not try to win Round 1. This sounds strange, but it is the correct strategy.

Play all your Spy cards in Round 1. This gives strength to your opponent but loads your hand with extra cards. Play Decoy cards to return Spy cards and play them again. If you have Dun Banner Medic, use her to revive a Spy from the discard pile and draw two more cards.

Your opponent will often take a big lead and think they are winning. Let them. They will pass early to conserve cards. Then you pass too. You lose Round 1 on purpose, but you now have a hand full of powerful cards.

Round 2: Mid-Range Pressure

You now have more cards than your opponent. Play a few medium-strength cards and try to win Round 2. If your opponent is running low, they may struggle to match you. Win Round 2 and trigger your faction bonus to draw one extra card going into Round 3.

Round 3: Tight Bond Finish

This is where you close the match. Drop your Tight Bond sets. Play Commander’s Horn on the row with the most Tight Bond units. A full set of Crinfrid Reavers with Commander’s Horn can score over 90 points in a single row. Your opponent usually cannot come back from that.

Play Hero cards if the opponent still has high-value units remaining. Geralt and Ciri at 15 strength each are reliable closers.

Key Tips for Winning

• Never lead with Blue Stripes Commando or Crinfrid Reavers. Wait until your opponent has passed or played a Scorch card before dropping your Tight Bond groups. Playing them too early invites Scorch to wipe them out.
• Always use Decoy on a Spy first. Do not waste Decoy on a unit card unless it wins you the round on the spot.
• Keep your deck at 22 units max. Every weak card you add dilutes your hand. Cut Poor Fucking Infantry, Ballistas, Trebuchets, and low-value filler unless you have no better option.
• Do not add weather cards to this deck. Foltest already counters weather for free. You do not need Clear Sky cards taking up space.

Full Northern Realms Deck Card List

Here is the complete recommended deck at a glance.

• Foltest: Lord Commander of the North (Leader)
• Thaler — Spy, 1 strength
• Sigismund Dijkstra — Spy, 4 strength
• Prince Stennis — Spy, 5 strength
• Mysterious Elf — Spy Hero, 0 strength
• Dun Banner Medic — Medic, 5 strength
• Yennefer of Vengerberg — Medic Hero, 7 strength (neutral)
• Blue Stripes Commando x3 — Tight Bond, 4 strength each
• Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunter x3 — Tight Bond, 5 strength each
• Catapult x2 — Tight Bond, 8 strength each
• Geralt of Rivia — Hero, 15 strength
• Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon — Hero, 15 strength
• Vernon Roche — Hero, 10 strength
• Esterad Thyssen — Hero, 10 strength
• John Natalis — Hero, 10 strength
• Philippa Eilhart — Hero, 10 strength
• Decoy x3 — Special
• Commander’s Horn x1 — Special

That is 22 unit cards with a clean special card package. This setup gives you consistent draws, reliable Tight Bond combos, and enough high-strength heroes to close any round.

What Not to Include in Your Deck

Knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to include.

• Poor Fucking Infantry — Only worth 1 strength. Not worth the deck slot.
• Ballista, Trebuchet, Kaedweni Siege Expert — Siege filler cards with low individual value. They crowd your hand and do not contribute enough.
• Weather cards — Foltest clears weather for free. These are wasted slots.
• Clear Sky — Same reason. You already have the answer built into your leader.
• More than 22 units — Every extra card lowers the chance you draw your Spies and Tight Bond cards when you need them.

Northern Realms Gwent Deck in the Remastered Version

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered on Nintendo Switch 2 and other platforms includes the full Gwent card game. The Northern Realms faction, card abilities, and deck-building rules are unchanged from the original. All the advice in this guide applies to the Remastered version directly.

If you are playing on a fresh save and want to complete everything Gwent-related for achievements, check out our Witcher 3 Remastered: Ultimate Achievement Guide. For comparisons with other faction decks, our Best Nilfgaardian Empire Gwent Deck guide is a good next read.

How Northern Realms Compares to Other Factions

To understand why Northern Realms stands out, here is a quick look at how it stacks up.

• Nilfgaard — Also strong with good Spy options, but relies more on card manipulation than raw power. Northern Realms typically builds larger totals faster.
• Monsters — Relies on Muster abilities to flood the board, but is weak to weather cards and Scorch. Northern Realms handles these threats easily.
• Scoia’tael — Flexible and tricky, with Agile units that can slot into any row. Fun to play but harder to build and weaker in the late game.
• Skellige (DLC) — Introduced in Blood and Wine. Competitive but requires DLC content to fully build.

For all the other things you can do in the game, see our Witcher 3: All Quests in Order guide and our full Witcher 3: How Long to Beat guide including all DLCs.

Frequently Asked Questions

For more guides covering the full game, visit our Best Builds guide, our Skill Tree breakdown, and our Level Up and XP Sources guide to get the most out of your playthrough.