Dear CDPR: the balance problems are going beyond people complaining on Reddit

So I've seen this notion discussed by some that this subreddit is a sort of negative echo chamber that doesn't reflect the real mood of the playerbase. And while this may be true to some effect, I'd like to share my experience.

Over the past months I've introduced 4 friends to Gwent, because I thought as card game/witcher fans they might enjoy it and we could play together. All of them were very happy with the game initially and quickly got above rank 10 or so. One bought a starter pack and one bought a journey.

However, 2 of said friends tapered off and stopped playing the game during the NekkerNova meta. The reason? They said it just got boring facing the same cards and strategies over and over again. One more quit this season due to Renfri, leaving just one still actively playing the game.

This was saddening for me as I enjoyed playing and discussing Gwent with my friends. But perhaps more critically, these were fledgling dedicated players who could have become lucrative customers for CDPR.

"But Random Redditor, this is just one anecdote!"

Maybe. But it's still a worrying sign and is supported by steam charts showing Gwent player numbers very slowly but steadily declining.

So I'm just saying to anyone listening, these additions in the name of "fun" are having the opposite effect. Extremely polarizing cards go beyond the top ranks and harm the player experience even at casual/mid levels. And player retention is essential for a game to survive (and make money).