Blizzard has posted the full patch notes ahead of next week's 22.2.0 game update which brings in new content for Battlegrounds, Duels, Mercenaries, and more!

New Information That Wasn't Datamined

If you want to see all our datamined information, we have a dedicated post with links to everything we covered yesterday.

  • Below, you'll find developer commentary for each of card balance changes.
  • Armor is being deactivated in Battlegrounds. It will return after they gauge how good Buddies are.
  • Battlegrounds Hero selection time increased by 10 seconds while players learn about Buddies.
  • Kael’thas, Silas Darkmoon, and Chenvaala will be temporarily disabled when the 22.2 patch launches, while we address a bug found late in testing.
  • New card buckets will be added to better support the new heroes in Duels.
  • Diablo has been removed from Duels. He will return one day.
  • A special Tavern Brawl is coming - Tavish vs. Rokara on January 26.
  • Tavish is joining the book of Mercenaries on February 1.
  • Dancing Lion Card Back is free in the shop starting on January 25.
  • Updated Friends List rank and mode display.
  • Fixed a bug where cards on the Rewards Track were not appearing in Arena offerings.
  • Several fixes to Alterac Valley achievements.

How the Buddy System Works

Quote From Blizzard

Every battle’s better with a buddy! In this patch, we’ll be introducing a new Battlegrounds Buddy System! A Battlegrounds Buddy is a special minion that’s unique to each Hero, designed to synergize with that Hero’s gameplan.

Buddies are played like normal minions, but they can’t be bought from the shop. Instead, every Hero has a “Buddy Meter” that fills up during the combat phase whenever you: enter combat, deal damage to enemies, pop Divine Shields, or win or tie a combat phase. You also get a small bonus each turn for how many minions you have at the start of combat. Buddies are earned at three different rates, with those at lower Tavern Tiers being earned more quickly than those at higher Tavern Tiers. Finally, there’s a limit to how much a Buddy Meter can be filled in a given round, so that no Buddy runs away with the game.

The Buddy Meter has two sections. Fill the first section to get 1 copy of your Hero’s Buddy added to your hand. Fill the second section to get 2 more copies! After both sections have been filled, the Buddy Meter breaks and is no longer available for the rest of the match (regardless of whether you tripled your Buddy or sold any copies off along the way).

Quote From Blizzard

Patch 22.2, launching on January 25, includes a massive Battlegrounds update, tons of Duels changes, balance changes for Standard and Wild, a new building to the Mercenaries Village, bug fixes, and more!

Card Updates

The following cards have been adjusted down in power level:

Shadowcrafter Scabbs

  • Old: [Costs 7] → New: [Costs 8]
    • Dev Comment: Rogue has seen significant increases in playrate and winrate since the last patch, and Scabbs is a pretty clear outlier in terms of power. We expect this change to make a fairly large impact in the strength of Rogue archetypes across the board.

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Wildpaw Gnoll

  • Old: [Costs 5] 4 Attack, 5 Health → New: [Costs 6] 3 Attack, 5 Health
    • Dev Comment: Wildpaw Gnoll was intended to be a strong payoff for Maestra of the Masquerade’s fun effect, but it has been overperforming in this role—even in decks that don’t have dedicated Burgle strategies. We’re adjusting Gnoll to both come down a bit later, as a slightly smaller threat when it does.  

ROGUE_AV_298_enUS_WildpawGnoll-70395_NORMAL.png

Cloak of Shadows

  • Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 4]
    • Dev Comment: We’re happy with Poison Rogue when it’s a niche player in the metagame, but the current playrate of the archetype is much higher than intended. Cloak of Shadows also combined with Shadowcrafter Scabbs for frustrating play experiences. Reducing the power levels of both these pieces should bring Poison Rogue’s overall power level back in line.

ROGUE_DMF_512_enUS_CloakofShadows-61154_NORMAL.png

Raid the Docks

  • Create a Distraction (the second part of the Questline)
    • Old: Questline: Play 2 Pirates. Reward: Deal 2 damage to a random enemy twice. New: Questline: Play 3 Pirates. Reward: Deal 2 damage to a random enemy twice.
    • Dev Comment: Pirate Warrior is not a power outlier at the highest ranks of play, but it is overperforming at many of the lower ranks of play. Going from 7 total Pirates to 8 total will promote deck diversity in the Bronze through Diamond ranks.  

 

WARRIOR_SW_028t_enUS_CreateaDistraction-64281_NORMAL.png

Incanter’s Flow

  • Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 4]
    • Dev Comment: When combo Mages play Incanter’s Flow on an early turn, they can assemble their game winning combo at a very fast rate. Similar to our goals for combo-based decks in the previous patch, pushing Incanter’s Flow up a Mana will slow down combo Mages by a turn or two, giving slower strategies a better chance to thrive in the overall meta.

 

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Sorcerer’s Apprentice

  • Old: [Costs 2] → New: [Costs 4]

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Rapid Fire

  • Old: [Costs 1] → New: [Costs 2]
  • Old: Twinspell Deal 1 damage. → New: Twinspell Deal 2 damage.
    • Dev Comment: The Rapid Fire and Sorcerer’s Apprentice changes are targeted at some of the strongest decks in the current Wild metagame, to improve the long-term, overall health of the format. Both of these balance adjustments are aimed at decks with extremely efficient from-hand damage, which puts big constraints on which strategies can find success in Wild. By removing power here, the format should open up for a few more viable archetypes to see play, and for the Wild format to slightly slow down overall.

HUNTER_DAL_373_enUS_RapidFire-52076_NORMAL.png

The cards listed above will be eligible for a full dust refund for 2 weeks after the 22.2 patch goes live.

The following card has been adjusted up in power level:

Rokara the Valorous

  • Old: [5 Armor] → New: [10 Armor]
    • Dev Comment: Rokara is one of the less viable Hero cards right now. We want each class to have exciting play options, so we’re increasing her Armor to give her more leeway in swinging into high-Attack minions, and to better synergize with some of Warrior's Armor-focused cards.

 

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Battlegrounds Updates

GENERAL UPDATES

  • Battlegrounds Buddies are here! Learn more about the new Battlegrounds Buddy System below.
  • The Battlegrounds Armor System will be deactivated while we try out the new Buddy System. As of now, we plan to re-activate the Armor System in a later patch once we’ve reassessed the power levels of the Heroes with their new Buddies.
  • Hero selection has also been temporarily extended by 10 seconds (to a total of 70 seconds) while players learn the new Buddy System.
  • The Cost to upgrade to Tavern Tier 5 has been increased by 2 Gold. Its Cost now starts at 11 Gold.
  • On January 25, the current Battlegrounds season will end, ratings will be reset to zero, and the new season will begin.

NEW BUDDY SYSTEM

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Every battle’s better with a buddy! In this patch, we’ll be introducing a new Battlegrounds Buddy System! A Battlegrounds Buddy is a special minion that’s unique to each Hero, designed to synergize with that Hero’s gameplan.

HS_BuddyMeter_Open_2ndPip_300x300_EK001.png

Buddies are played like normal minions, but they can’t be bought from the shop. Instead, every Hero has a “Buddy Meter” that fills up during the combat phase whenever you: enter combat, deal damage to enemies, pop Divine Shields, or win or tie a combat phase. You also get a small bonus each turn for how many minions you have at the start of combat. Buddies are earned at three different rates, with those at lower Tavern Tiers being earned more quickly than those at higher Tavern Tiers. Finally, there’s a limit to how much a Buddy Meter can be filled in a given round, so that no Buddy runs away with the game.

The Buddy Meter has two sections. Fill the first section to get 1 copy of your Hero’s Buddy added to your hand. Fill the second section to get 2 more copies! After both sections have been filled, the Buddy Meter breaks and is no longer available for the rest of the match (regardless of whether you tripled your Buddy or sold any copies off along the way).

You can meet all 75 Battlegrounds Buddies by clicking on their corresponding Hero here!

NEW HEROES

Bru’kan

  • Embrace the Elements [Costs 0]
    • Choose an Element. Start of Combat: Call upon that Element.
      • Fire Invocation – Start of Combat: Double your left-most minion’s Attack.
      • Lightning Invocation – Start of Combat: Deal 1 damage to 5 random enemy minions.
      • Earth Invocation – Start of Combat: Give 4 friendly minions “Deathrattle: Summon a 1/1 Elemental.”
      • Water Invocation – Start of Combat: Give your right-most minion +3 Health and Taunt.
HS_Patch22p2_enUS_Brukan_EK01.png

 

Drek’Thar

  • Lead the Frostwolves [Costs 0]
    • Choose a friendly minion. It copies the Attack of your highest Attack minion for next combat only.

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Vanndar Stormpike

  • Lead the Stormpikes [Costs 0]
    • Choose a friendly minion. It copies the Health of your highest Health minion for next combat only.

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Tavish Stormpike

  • Deadeye [Costs 0]
    • Take aim! Start of Combat: Deal 1 damage to your target. (Upgrades each turn!)
      • Aim Left! – Passive. Start of Combat: Deal 1 damage to the left-most enemy minion.
      • Aim Low! – Passive. Start of Combat: Deal 1 damage to the lowest Health enemy minion.
      • Aim High! – Passive. Start of Combat: Deal 1 damage to the highest Health enemy minion.
      • Aim Right! – Passive. Start of Combat: Deal 1 damage to the right-most enemy minion.
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Players with Battlegrounds Perks will have early access to the four new Heroes before they are formally released on February 8.

HERO UPDATES

Alexstrasza

  • Odds for Tier 6 Dragons are no longer reduced.

Ysera

  • Bob’s Tavern no longer counts as being Refreshed at the start of turn if no new minions are added.

George the Fallen

  • Hero power now reads: “Give a minion Divine Shield.”
  • Developer Note: This allows you to target shop minions as well as your minions.

Kael’thas, Silas Darkmoon, and Chenvaala will be temporarily disabled when the 22.2 patch launches, while we address a bug found late in testing. They will be added back into the Hero Pool in a future update.

MINION UPDATE

Annihilan Battlemaster

  • Text now reads: “Battlecry: Gain +1 Health for each Health your Hero is missing.”
  • Developer Note: This text change more accurately describes how the card currently works (specifically, in games where the Hero had Armor at some point). This is not a functional change to the card.

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Mercenaries Updates

VILLAGE UPDATE

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The Training Grounds (previously announced as the “Training Hall”) has come to Mercenaries! The Training Grounds is a new space for your Village that allows your Mercenaries to passively gain experience as you do Bounties with your other Mercs, play other game Modes, or even while you sleep! Just enter the Training Grounds, select a Mercenary you want to train, and leave them there for as long as you want. Check in on them periodically to claim their accrued experience and see how they’re doing, or pull them out when you think they’re ready to start joining you on your adventures!

The Training Grounds costs 100 Gold to create (with one slot for training) and 200 Gold to upgrade (to a total of two training slots).

NEW MERCENARIES

Balinda Stonehearth (Legendary Fighter)

  • Human
  • 10/73 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Flame Dart 5 (Fire): (Speed 3) Deal 10 damage. Give them +3 Frost Weakness.
    • Frost Dart 5 (Frost): (Speed 4) Deal 12 damage. Give them +3 Fire Weakness.
    • Frost Burn 5: (Speed 7, Cooldown 1) Deal 11 damage to all enemies. Either gain +3 Frost Damage or +3 Fire Damage.
  • Equipment:
    • Lesser Fire Elemental 4: Battlecry: Summon a 10/15 Lesser Fire Elemental that applies +3 Fire Weakness to characters it damages.
    • Lesser Water Elemental 4: Battlecry: Summon a 10/15 Lesser Water Elemental that Freezes characters it damages.
    • Stormpike’s Salvation 4: Passive: At the end of each turn, give all your characters +5 Health.

 

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Captain Galvangar (Epic Fighter)

  • Orc
  • 11/71 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Rending Cleave 5: (Speed 5) Attack an enemy. If it has not acted this turn, apply Bleed (8) to it and adjacent enemies.
    • Fatal Strike 5: (Speed 3) Deal 8 damage to an enemy. It can’t heal for 2 turns.
    • Frightening Shout 5: (Speed 6, Cooldown 1) Deal 10 damage to all enemies. If they have acted, the ability they used gains +3 Cooldown.
  • Equipment:
    • Fury of the Frost Wolf 4: Passive: Friendly characters have +5 Attack.
    • Drek’Thar’s Boom 4: Fatal Strike also applies Bleed (5).
    • Deafening Howl 4: Frightening Shout deals 5 more damage.

 

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Wrathion (Epic Fighter)

  • Human
  • 12/73 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Creeping Madness 5 (Fel): (Speed 8) Attack an enemy. Next turn they must use a different Ability or take 20 damage.
    • Tail Swipe 5 (Shadow): (Speed 6) Deal 20 damage, randomly to the left or right-most enemy.
    • True Form 5: (Speed 3, Cooldown 2) Become a Dragon. Gain +0 Health. (Health increased by damage dealt by this Merc). (Transform into Fel Reign 5).
      • Fel Reign 5 (Fel): (Speed 8, Cooldown 1) Deal 3 damage to all enemies. Repeat 4 times. (Starts off cooldown.)
  • Equipment:
    • Chimera of Fear 4: Creeping Madness makes the enemy (4) Speed slower.
    • Black Dragon Scales 4: Tail Swipe also applies Bleed (5).
    • Horn of Wrathion 4: True Form has no cooldown and also grants +6 Attack.

 

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Lokholar (Rare Protector)

  • Elemental
  • 9/82 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Hail Storm 5 (Frost): (Speed 5) Deal 3 damage to a random enemy. Repeat 5 times.
    • Frost Shock 5 (Frost): (Speed 9) Deal 10 damage to an enemy. Their next ability gives them +5 Frost Weakness for that turn.
    • Snowball 5 (Frost): (Speed 7, Cooldown 1) Deal 10 damage. Damage increases by +5 every time another Frost ability is cast. Resets after use.
  • Equipment:
    • Icy Focus 4: Hail Storm repeats 4 more times.
    • Frigid Winds 4: Passive: After an enemy acts, gain +4 Frost damage until the end of the turn.
    • Shroud of the Ice Lord 4: Passive: Friendly Elementals have +20 Health.

 

HS_22p2_Mercs_HeroOnly_Lokholar_180x220_EK01.gif

Sinestra (Rare Fighter)

  • Dragon
  • 13/75 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Wracking Swipe 5: (Speed 6) Attack an enemy. If you control another Dragon, apply Bleed (10).
    • Mana Barrier 5 (Arcane): (Speed 2, Cooldown 1) Restore 50 Health to a Dragon, its next ability is (3) Speed slower.
    • Twilight Extinction 5 (Shadow): (Speed 5, Cooldown 1) Restore 20 Health to this Merc. At the end of next turn, deal 30 damage to all enemies.
  • Equipment:
    • Hooked Talons 4: Wracking Swipe applies an additional Bleed (5).
    • Mana Brooch 4: Mana Barrier restores 10 more Health and reduces damage taken by 5 this turn.
    • Shard of Woe 4: Twilight Extinction restores 20 more Health and deals 10 more damage, but has +1 Cooldown.

HS_22p2_Mercs_HeroOnly_Sinestra_180x220_EK01.gif

EQUIPMENT UPDATE

For the five new Mercenaries introduced in this patch, their third Equipment will be earned by completing a specific Heroic Bounty while that Mercenary is in your Party. The Heroic Bounty needed for each Mercenary will be listed under the Equipment’s unlock criteria. This change will not be retroactive, but our current plan is to use this new system for upcoming Mercenaries in future patches. We will monitor how the new system ends up working in this patch and make adjustments if needed.

NEW BOUNTIES

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A new Zone is coming to Mercenaries: Alterac Valley! The Battle for Alterac Valley has spilled over into Mercenaries, bringing with it six new Bounties:

  • Ravak Grimtotem
  • Louis Philips
  • Captain Galvanger
  • Popsicooler
  • Drek’Thar
  • Lokholar the Ice Lord

Dodge Stormpike bullets and Frostwolf fangs on this mammoth hunt for those sweet, sweet prizes.

Duels Updates

GENERAL UPDATES

  • On January 25, the current Duels season will end, rankings will be reset, and a new season will begin.
  • Duels Achievements will be updated to be hero-specific, instead of class-specific. Various in-game text will be updated to mention hero names instead of classes.
  • New card buckets will be added to better support the new heroes.

NEW HEROES

The battle for Alterac Valley rages on with Vanndar Stormpike and Drek’Thar joining Duels! They will be Hearthstone’s first Neutral Heroes, with special Treasures that allow them to ally with one of the classes in their faction! If they ally with one of their faction’s classes, they will be changed from Neutral to the Allied class for deckbuilding and throughout the run. Each also has one signature treasure that keeps them Neutral for the run, but gives them a taste of all their faction’s classes!

Drek’Thar has 3 new hero powers that you can unlock as you play:

  • Warmaster’s Frenzy [Costs 2]
    • Deal 1 damage to ALL minions. Honorable Kill: Gain +1 Attack this turn.

NEUTRAL_PVPDR_AV_Neutralp4_enUS_WarmastersFrenzy-82037_NORMAL.png

  • Harness the Elements [Costs 1]
    • Draw a spell. Reduce its Cost by (1).
    • Unlock criteria: Play 40 spells that cost 3 or more.

NEUTRAL_PVPDR_AV_Neutralp5_enUS_HarnesstheElements-82038_NORMAL.png

  • War Commands [Costs 2]
    • Draw a Neutral minion that costs (3) or less. It costs (0) this turn.
    • Unlock criteria: Play 60 Neutral minions that cost 3 or less.

NEUTRAL_PVPDR_AV_Neutralp6_enUS_WarCommands-82039_NORMAL.png

Drek’Thar also has 6 new signature treasures that you can unlock as you play:

  • Valorous Display
    • 6 mana Spell. Discover a weapon and equip it, then destroy all minions. Allied: Warrior.

WARRIOR_PVPDR_AV_Neutralt7_enUS_ValorousDisplay-82043_NORMAL.png

  • Elemental Chaos
    • 6 mana Spell. Call upon the power of all four Elements! Allied: Shaman.
    • Unlock criteria: Play 20 Battlecry minions.

SHAMAN_PVPDR_AV_Neutralt8_enUS_ElementalChaos-82044_NORMAL.png

  • Pact of the Lich
    • 4 mana Spell. Shuffle 5 Fel Rifts into your deck. Draw 3 cards. Allied: Warlock.
      • Fel Rifts: [3 Mana Fel Spell] Casts When Drawn Summon a 3/3 Dread Imp.
    • Unlock criteria: Play 25 Fire spells.

WARLOCK_PVPDR_AV_Neutralt9_enUS_PactoftheLich-82045_NORMAL.png

  • Magister Unchained
    • 1 mana Spell. Until the end of your turn, after you cast a spell, draw a spell. Allied: Mage.
    • Unlock criteria: Play 50 Frost spells.

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  • Gift of the Heart
    • 5 mana Spell. Gain 4 empty Mana Crystals. Allied: Druid.
    • Unlock criteria: Play 25 cards with Honorable Kill.

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  • For the Horde!
    • 1 mana Spell. Start of Game: Draw this. Shuffle 15 Tradeable spells into your deck that Discover a spell from the Horde.
      • Power of the Horde: [0 Mana Spell] Tradeable. Discover a spell from the Horde. (Druid, Mage, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior).
    • Unlock criteria: Play 200 Neutral minions from the Year of the Gryphon.

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Vanndar Stormpike has 3 new hero powers you can unlock as you play:

  • Promote! [Costs 1]
    • Give a minion +1/+1 and Rush, Poisonous, Taunt, Windfury, Divine Shield, or Stealth.

NEUTRAL_PVPDR_AV_Neutralp1_enUS_Promote-82024_NORMAL.png

  • Send in the Scout [Costs 2]
    • Summon a 2/2 SI:7 Scout.
      • SI:7 Scout: [1 Mana 2/2 Minion] Deathrattle: Add a random card to your hand (from your opponent’s class).
    • Unlock criteria: Play 40 Deathrattle minions.

NEUTRAL_PVPDR_AV_Neutralp2_enUS_SendintheScout-82025_NORMAL.png

  • Battle Tactics [Costs 2]
    • Reduce the cost of Neutral minions that cost (4) or more in your hand by (2).
    • Unlock criteria: Play 60 Neutral minions that cost 4 or more.

NEUTRAL_PVPDR_AV_Neutralp3_enUS_BattleTactics-82027_NORMAL.png

Vanndar Stormpike also has 6 new signature treasures you can unlock as you play:

  • Forge in Light
    • 6 mana Spell. Give all minions in your hand +3/+3 and Divine Shield. Allied: Paladin.

PALADIN_PVPDR_AV_Neutralt1_enUS_ForgeinLight-82031_NORMAL.png

  • Spymaster’s Gambit
    • 7 mana Spell. Summon copies of each minion in your hand and give them Stealth. Allied: Rogue.
    • Unlock criteria: Play 20 Tradeable cards.

ROGUE_PVPDR_AV_Neutralt2_enUS_SpymastersGambit-82032_NORMAL.png

  • Stalker’s Supplies
    • 3 mana Spell. Shuffle each Improved Secret into your deck. Allied: Hunter.
    • Unlock criteria: Play 25 Secrets.

HUNTER_PVPDR_AV_Neutralt3_enUS_StalkersSupplies-82033_NORMAL.png

  • Rending Ambush
    • 6 mana Spell. Summon the left and right-most minions from your hand. They attack random enemy minions. Allied: Demon Hunter.
    • Unlock criteria: Attack 30 times with your hero.

DEMONHUNTER_PVPDR_AV_Neutralt4_enUS_RendingAmbush-82034_NORMAL.png

  • Devout Blessings
    • 4 mana Spell. Add a copy of each friendly Deathrattle minion that died this game to your hand. Allied: Priest.
    • Unlock criteria: Play 50 cards with Deathrattle.

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  • For the Alliance!
    • 1 mana Spell. Start of Game: Draw this. Shuffle 15 Tradeable spells into your deck that Discover a spell from the Alliance.
      • Stand as One: [0 Mana Spell] Tradeable. Discover a spell from the Alliance. (Demon Hunter, Paladin, Hunter, Priest, and Rogue).
    • Unlock criteria: Play 200 Neutral minions from the Year of the Gryphon.

NEUTRAL_PVPDR_AV_Neutralt6_enUS_FortheAlliance-82036_NORMAL.png

HERO CHANGES

Diablo

  • Removed from the Hero Pool.
  • Dev Comment: Diablo has been defeated in Duels, but can a Prime Evil ever be so easily vanquished?! We expect Diablo to return one day, it’s only a question of time, and he may have one more trick for you when he does. . .

Bruising (Warrior Hero Power)

  • Old: [Costs 0] → New: [Costs 1]

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NEW PASSIVE TREASURES

Ring of Phaseshifting – Pool 1

  • After you play a Legendary minion, add a random Legendary minion to your hand.

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Shadowcasting 101—Pool 1

  • After you play your first minion each turn, add a 1/1 copy of it to your hand. It costs (1).

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Unstable Magic—Pool 2

  • After you cast an Arcane spell, transform a random enemy minion into a 1/1 Sheep.

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Guardian Light—Pool 2

  • After you cast a Holy spell, summon an Ancient Guardian with stats equal to its Cost.

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Flames of the Kirin Tor—Pool 2

  • After you cast your first Fire spell in a turn, add a Fireball to your hand.

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Mulch Madness—Pool 2

  • Whenever a Neutral minion dies on your turn, gain 1 Mana Crystal for that turn only.

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Draconic Dream—Pool 2

  • After you summon a Dragon, shuffle a Dream Portal into your deck that summons a Dragon when drawn.

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Ring of Refreshment—Pool 2

  • After you cast a spell, refresh your Hero Power.

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Heavy Armor—Pool 2

  • At the start of the game, set your Health to 10. You can only take 1 damage at a time.

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Sunstrider’s Crown—Pool 2 Ultra Rare

  • Every third spell you cast each turn costs (1).

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TREASURE POOL CHANGES

  • Fireshaper, Ever-changing Elixir, LOCUUUUSTS!!!, and Conduit of Storms have been removed from their respective treasure pools.
  • Bag of Coins was moved from Treasure Pool 1 to Treasure Pool 2.
  • Expedited Burial was moved from Treasure Pool 2 to Treasure Pool 2 Ultra Rare.
  • Expedited Burial was removed from the Hunter (Professor Slate) Treasure Pool.
  • Mantle of Ignition was moved from Treasure Pool 2 to Treasure Pool 2 Ultra Rare.
  • Mantle of Ignition was removed from the Priest (Mindrender Illucia) and Warrior (Rattlegore) Treasure Pools.

TREASURE BALANCE CHANGES

Royal Greatsword

  • Old: [Costs 5] 6 Attack → New: [Costs 6] 5 Attack

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Shadow Word: Void

  • Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 4]

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Payload Totem Specialist

  • Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 4]

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Blade of Quickening

  • Old: [Costs 4] → New: [Costs 5]

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Deathstrider

  • Old: [Costs 2] → New: [Costs 4]

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Dragonbone Ritual

  • Old: Passive: After you play a Dragon, give it Deathrattle: Go Dormant. Revive in three turns.  → New: Passive: After you play a Dragon, give it Deathrattle: Go Dormant. Revive in two turns.

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Special Tavern Brawl—Tavish vs. Rokara

Edwin VanCleef was defeated in the Deadmines, but agents of Lady Prestor have taken the shards of naaru to Alterac Valley, where Kazakus awaits. The Alliance and the Horde mercenaries face off for the right to retrieve the shards. In this special Tavern Brawl, you play as Tavish or Rokara and select one of your mercenary companions to join you (as your Hero Power). Each combination has unique dialogue interactions that tell more of the Mercenaries story. Try them all when this Tavern Brawl launches on January 26! Your prize for your first win in this Tavern Brawl is a Standard pack, which can include cards from any set in Standard.

Book of Mercenaries—Tavish

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The hunter Tavish Stormpike never wanted anything to do with his stuck up, overbearing cousin Vanndar, but fate (and the promise of loot) have brought him back to Alterac Valley. The troll Kazakus plans to restore the shattered naaru and use its power to complete a mysterious ritual. To stop him, Tavish must overcome the Frostwolves, Horde mercenaries, angry troggs, his own family, and food poisoning! Can he stomach it? Find out when Book of Mercenaries Tavish launches on February 1. Defeating all 8 bosses in this linear adventure will reward 1 Hunter pack, containing on Hunter cards from Standard.

The Lunar New Year Celebration Starts Soon!

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Hearthstone’s annual Lunar New Year celebration is coming soon, featuring legendary quests, and more! Look for more information about the celebration next week. In the meantime, start the celebration early with the Dancing Lion Card Back, available for free in the Shop, starting on January 25!

Bug Fixes & Game Improvements

  • Updated more individual card timings to make them match the general timing rules. The most notable update in this pass is that cards with “while damaged” effects will persist through enchantments. For example, a damaged Grommash will now have 7 Attack after a Wave of Apathy, instead of 1. In this pass, Lightborn Cariel (the final reward from the Paladin Questline, Rise to the Occasion) was also updated to now work like similarly worded cards, such as Southsea Captain, when a card like Equality is played (your Silver Hand Recruits would have 3 Health).
  • Updated Friends List rank and mode display.
  • Fixed a bug where Wildpaw Gnoll would occasionally have its cost increased by cards being added to your hand.
  • Fixed a bug where the demons summoned by Kurtrus, Demon-Render would not get upgraded if he attacked a minion with Divine Shield.
  • Fixed a bug where Maestra of the Masquerade doubled your Armor when she revealed your true identity.
  • Snowfall Guardian no longer gets the stat bonus if Living Dragonbreath prevented it from successfully Freezing any minions.
  • Doubling a Flanking Maneuver (like with a Solar Eclipse) will no longer give you two 4/2 Demons per initial 4/2 Demon that dies that turn.
  • Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the game to crash after playing Bloodsworn Mercenary.
  • Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the game to crash when playing Zephrys the Great.
  • Fixed a bug where Pilfered Power was limited to the player having up to 10 mana, even if the player was able to have more.
  • Fixed a bug where Consume Magic lost its Shadow spell school.
  • Fixed a bug that sometimes caused players to get stuck on a “Waiting” screen when trying play Battlegrounds as a group.
  • Fixed a bug where Scabbs was a bit too stealthy and would not appear in the Battlegrounds Collections display.
  • Updated the representation of Mercenary Portraits while opening Mercenary Packs to make it clearer whether you got a new Portrait versus a new Mercenary Card.
  • Fixed a bug where the “Maxed Out!” celebration image was uncentered and clipped.
  • Fixed a bug where if the “Challenge a Friend” quest was completed in Mercenaries, only the player who had the quest would get credit for its completion.
  • Fixed a bug where Antonidas’s Searing Pendant Equipment did not add +1 Cooldown to Fireball Storm.
  • Fixed a bug where the Rolling Fireball Ability did not properly calculate modifiers such as Divine Shield, Fire Resistance, Fire Weakness, or Spell Damage.
  • Updated the text of Valeera’s Hidden Paths Equipment to match its function.
  • Fixed a bug where Cairne’s Endurance Aura would remove Taunt in situations where it wasn’t supposed to be removed (like if it was also granted by a Boon or another effect).
  • Fixed a bug where Old Murk-Eye’s Primordial Fin 4 did not grant Giantfin Divine Shield.
  • Fixed a bug where Bru’kan’s Chain Lightning would overkill targets that were already dealt lethal damage. Now it will skip targets that are already functionally dead.
  • Updated the text of Grommash Hellscream’s Task 12 to match its function.
  • Fixed a bug where Grommash Hellscream’s Staggering Slam’s Speed reduction would not be cleared if the target’s next Ability was one that summoned a minion.
  • Fixed a bug where cards on the Rewards Track were not appearing in Arena offerings.
  • The Collection Manager “missing” search term will now work for non-card cosmetics. This will also work for Mercenaries, Battlegrounds Heroes, and Battlegrounds Bartenders. The functionality will be added for Battlegrounds Boards in a later patch.
  • Fixed a bug that blocked players from using the term search function in the Collection Manager while building a Wild deck on mobile.
  • Fixed a bug where Steel Guardian Malfurion was missing his Hero Power sound effects.
  • Fixed a text issue where the level 70 Rewards Track reward’s text did not match the image or effect.
  • Fixed a bug where Alterac Valley collection Achievements did not count Vanndar or Drek’Thar as being owned if they were claimed before Alterac Valley launched.
  • Fixed a bug where the Gesundheit achievement was not tracking correctly.
  • Fixed a bug where the Third Cousins Twice Removed achievement could not be completed as written.
  • Misc. other performance improvements, bug fixes, and visual issues.