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I'll split this up, so we don't get a massive wall of text
Mechanics: The goal of Gwent is to get your strength higher than the enemy. You have to win 2 rounds to win the game. A round ends when both sides run out of cards, or pass the game. You need to have a minimum of 22 unit cards in your deck to use it. You can also have up to 10 special cards, but you don't need to take one with you. You also need one leader card, but each faction starts with one by default. The special cards are: Weather cards, decoys, scorch, and commanders horns. Every other card is a unit card.
Each faction can choose between 5 leader cards. Leader cards have special properties or special abilities, which generally can be used once per game. One for Northern Realms, for instance, will double the strength of all siege cards, while another for Nilfgaard will allow you to take one card from the enemy's discard pile.
When a match begins, you'll draw 10 random cards from your deck into your hand. You can swap out a max of 2 cards in your hand with a random one from your deck.
There's three rows for each side on the board. The inner row is for melee units, the middle for ranged, and the outher row for siege units.
Gwent isn't as simple as filling your deck with every card possible, or just putting in the ones with the highest strength, and randomly slapping them down on the board, however. There are a bunch with special properties that can turn the tide of the game. These are as follows:
Weather cards:
There are three weather cards. Blizzard, which affects melee units, fog for ranged, and rain for siege. When you use one, it'll affect both sides. Every non-hero unit placed in the affected row will have its strength forced to 1. Essentially, it locks off that row for both teams.
Scorch: Destroys the strongest card on the board. Affects you as well. Potentially game changing, but has to be used with caution. There's also unit cards with the scorch effect. They will destroy the strongest card on the enemy's team row in which they belong to, if their strength is above 10. A risk-free scorch, but can only target one row, and only if its strength is above 10.
Decoy: Replaces any card on your side of the board, putting it back on your hand. With it, you can constantly use a unit card with scorch, play enemy spy cards against them, constantly use a medic to revive multiple units, etc.
Commander's Horn: Doubles the strength of any unit card on the row its assigned to. Extremely powerful and game-changing card.
Medic: Revives a card from your discard pile, and automatically puts it on the board. A card is placed in your discard pile when a round passes. Every card on the board at the end of a round moves into here. It also goes here when it is destroyed by a scorch card.
Muster: Once placed on the board, all cards with the same name as it, whether on your hand or your deck (but not the discard pile) is placed alongside it. Take the vampire card, for instance. Once placed, it'll look for any other vampires you may have in your deck or hand, and play them as well. There's at least five 4 strenght vampire cards, and one 5 strengh vampire card. What this means is that the 5 strenght vampire card is acctually worth 25 strength.
Tight Bond: If there's two or more cards with this property and with the same name on the board, they'll double their strength. Can easily turn a weak duo of cards into powerhouses.
Spy: When used, it'll go to the enemy team's side, giving them strength, but in return, two random cards will be pulled from your deck into your hand. Easily the strongest card type out there.
There's another one which name I have forgotten, which increases the strength of all cards placed in its row by one.
And of course, there's different factions, each with its own passive. Northern Realms can draw an extra card from its deck when it wins in a round. Nilfgaard wins in a tie. Scoia'atel can choose who goes first. Monsters will have a random card stay on the board after a round ends. Each deck has its own exclusive cards, but there are also some that can be used with any faction.
Hopefully, this clarifies things. If something still confuses you, tell me, so I can elaborate.
unless your faction has a "draws a card upon round start" or you have spies in your deck (a spy card is one with an eye symbol, you place it in the enemy field, giving points to the enemy, but you get to draw 2 cards yourself when it gets placed), you do not redraw cards between rounds, meaning it's more of a strategy game, getting your opponent to waste their cards.
If you see your opponent placing all his cards in the first round and you can't keep up with the point difference, it might be a good idea to pass on the round and give your enemy a point. That way you can win the next two rounds by HAVING actual unit cards and your enemy not being able to place anything, because they wasted theirs.
Keep your card count in mind always when heading into the next round :)
In Velen you want to buy as many cards as you can. Play against the Innkeeps and Shopkeepers to win other cards. Have the least amount of unit cards in your deck as you can and only have the best cards in it. I take out the weather cards. Then prioritise medics and spies. Once you get a decent deck with some heroes in it you'll find it easier to win and more fun.
My deck consists of about 5 spy cards. I have a leader card that allows me to draw a card from the opponent's discard pile. What this means is that I can reuse one of my own spy cards against the enemy. I also have various medic cards, to revive any potential spy cards. I also take 3 decoys with me, so any spy cards that are played against me, I can play against them. My whole strategy is trying to ♥♥♥♥♥ as many spy cards as possible. I was hesitant to use 3 decoys at first, but its worked out brilliantly. It also makes me extremely effecitve against monsters in particular, since I can reasonably use a scorch unti card multiple times, completely dismantling the enemy team's army.
Of course, thats not something you can take advantage of in the beginning. What you need to do is build your way up. Gwent is meant to be played the millisecond it becomes available to you. A guy in the tavern in White Orchard introduces you to it. Play every merchant and inkeep. if you win, you get a random card. Do this for every single person, to build up a powerful deck. You want to keep your deck at 22 units. The more you have, the less likely you are to get what you want, which is spy cards really. Don't take weather cards. They crowd up your deck, and are generally not worth it (imo). I always take 1 scorch and 1 horn, nothing more. Both can be gamehcangers, but you don't want your hand to get over-crowded with them.
The nobleman in Vizima when you talk to Emhyr has a very powerful deck relative to what you will have at that point. You'll only be able to beat him if you know what you're doing. if you can, though, you'll get a powerful card. At least, I did. Make sure to take advantage of leader cards, if they're good.
And again, play merchants obsessively. Start Gwent early. Always keep up on it. Its designed so its difficulty scales to the cards you're supposed to have if you've done all the quests for it. Always check merchants inventory, and buy any gwent cards they may have. Focus on building a small, strong deck, saturated with spy cards, and decoys.