The Witcher 3 has three Gwent tournaments, and two of them hand out cards you can’t get anywhere else. This guide covers how to enter each one, who you’ll face, what they play according to the game files and what you win. If you just want the card lists, see our Gwent opponent decks.
- High Stakes at the Passiflora in Novigrad: four leader cards, base game.
- The masquerade ball in A Matter of Life and Death: three cards, base game.
- The Pheasantry tournament in Beauclair: the Victor’s Cup and crowns, Blood and Wine.
All three are one-time events, so save before every match.
High Stakes (Passiflora, Novigrad)
High Stakes is the big one. Count Tybalt hosts a Gwent tournament at the Passiflora in Novigrad, and each of the four opponents carries a leader card that you can only get by beating them.
How to enter
- Take the High Stakes notice from a Novigrad notice board, or talk to the scribe at the Passiflora.
- Show him your cards and pay the 1,000 crown entry fee. The game files set the quest at level 26.
- Sort out your deck before you sign up. Once the tournament is under way you can’t leave the Passiflora to go shopping for cards.
- If you lose a match, you’re knocked out and the leaders you haven’t won yet are gone. Save before each game.
Opponents and rewards
You play the four finalists in a fixed order. Each one uses a different faction:
| Round | Opponent | Deck | You win |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernard Tulle | Northern Realms, leader Foltest: The Steel-Forged, 21 cards on Hard | Foltest: The Steel-Forged and 25 XP |
| 2 | Sasha | Nilfgaard, leader Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless, 24 cards on Hard | Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless and 50 XP |
| 3 | Finneas | Scoia’tael, leader Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna, 22 cards on Hard | Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna and 50 XP |
| 4 | Count Tybalt | Monsters, leader Eredin: Bringer of Death, 22 cards on Hard | Eredin: Destroyer of Worlds and 80 XP |
How to beat each opponent
Bernard Tulle plays Northern Realms with most of his strength on the Siege row, so Torrential Rain hurts him badly. He also has three spies, so a Decoy to steal one back is worth its slot.
Sasha is the toughest of the four. Her Nilfgaard deck has three spies, Medics and Scorch, and her leader Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless takes a card from your discard pile, so she keeps finding more cards than you. Play your own spies, keep a Decoy for hers, and don’t stack your strongest non-hero units in one row where Scorch can wipe them.
Finneas plays Scoia’tael with several heroes and Medics. He’s usually the easiest of the four. After the match he picks a fistfight with Geralt, which you have to win to go on.
Count Tybalt brings Monsters with a lot of Close Combat Muster, so Biting Frost is your best friend. Bring your spies as well. The extra cards let you outlast him once his Muster groups are on the board.
In the end, the deck you know best usually works best. A Nilfgaard deck with spies, or a Northern Realms deck with Foltest: Lord Commander of the North to clear weather, are both solid picks. See our best Gwent decks and test yours in the deck builder before you pay the fee.
After the tournament
Beating Tybalt also unlocks the Gwent Master achievement. Then the prize money is stolen, and the quest turns into a hunt for the thief with Sasha’s help. Our High Stakes walkthrough covers the rest.
The masquerade ball (A Matter of Life and Death)
In A Matter of Life and Death, Geralt goes to a masquerade ball at the Vegelbud estate in Novigrad. One of the attractions is a Gwent competition run by a croupier. Win your games there to get three cards:
This is your only chance at the ball. Once the quest moves on, the competition is gone, and the quest itself has to be done before The Isle of Mists. With Blood and Wine you can still get Vampire: Bruxa in Till Death Do You Part. Bring a strong deck to the party, since you can’t step out to fetch cards.
The Pheasantry tournament (Blood and Wine)
Gwent: To Everything – Turn, Turn, Tournament! is Count Monnier’s tournament at The Pheasantry in Beauclair. The twist: you have to play the new Skellige faction.
How to qualify
- Read the notice about the Beauclair Gwent tournament at The Cockatrice Inn, or win a Skellige card from a Toussaint player, to start Gwent: Never Fear, Skellige’s Here.
- Count Monnier gives you a basic Skellige deck with Crach an Craite as leader. It’s too weak to enter on its own.
- Win more Skellige cards from players across Toussaint. Our card guide lists who has what.
- Go back to Monnier. Once he accepts your deck, come back two days later for the tournament. Play the innkeep of The Pheasantry for Draig Bon-Dhu before then, because the inn is closed until the tournament is over.
Opponents
| Round | Opponent | Deck | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamal ogn Dangbahli | Monsters, leader Eredin: Bringer of Death, 22 cards on Hard | He offers a side bet: your silver sword against one of his swords. |
| 2 | Ambassador von Hinn | Nilfgaard, leader Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless, 24 cards on Hard | After this match a group of dwarves tries to break up the tournament, and you fight three of them. |
| 3 | Count Monnier | Skellige, leader Crach an Craite, 30 cards on Hard | The host plays Skellige himself. |
| 4 | Yaki Rafiberg | Scoia’tael, leader Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna, 23 cards on Hard | Mention Zoltan Chivay to the dwarves and their leader joins to play the winner. |
Rewards
- Win the tournament: The Victor’s Cup, 1,000 crowns and 250 XP.
- Lose a match: 100 crowns and 50 XP. Count Monnier also gets your silver sword back if you lost it to Hamal, so the side bet costs you nothing. Win the bet and you get the steel sword Blave.
- Beat Yaki Rafiberg: the game files give King Bran as a reward for beating him after the tournament. Most guides list the Ducal Camerlengo in Beauclair as the source of King Bran, so if you miss one, try the other.
Your Skellige deck gets two random units back from the discard pile at the start of round three, and so does Count Monnier’s. Save your best cards for that round.
More Gwent guides
Read how to win at Gwent for general tactics, check every opponent’s full list on Gwent opponent decks, and track your collection with the Gwent card checklist. The Gwent hub has everything else.