When cdpr make OP neutral cards like Renfri and Golden Kekker, they become the identity for most of the factions, and therefore you have meta's that look and feel very one-dimensional, because EVERYBODY can put those cards in their deck. Neutral cards should not be the central cards of metas, they should compliment or help build a faction deck, not a faction deck that builds around "it". Neutrals should follow, not LEAD the pack…
IMO, cdpr should make devotion cards WAY more worth playing, because you know you're going against a TRUE faction deck when you're facing a devotion deck.
Wouldn't it feel good to have a devotion meta, where you didn't have to worry about seeing a surprise igni, or a heat wave that didn't even let your scenario see chapter 1? Wouldn't it feel good going against a deck that didn't have the SAME cards and COMBOS as you (assuming you're not going against the same faction)?? Focusing on devotion would create way more diverse metas as well.
Devotion cards have been a failure for the most part, cuz neutrals are just TOO GOOD not to put in your decks, and it shouldn't be that way, faction specific cards should always have the edge in power levels imo. And some might say "devotion decks don't have enough consistency in drawing your golds", well that would be up to cdpr to make consistency cards for devotion that are on the same level as a Oneiromancy for example.
At the end of the day, if they're going to have cards be OP, at least let it be devotion cards, just sayin…
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/gwent/comments/x2t4ex/factions_need_their_identities_back/