We're getting a new balance patch for Hearthstone early next week and its going to be hitting 10 different cards including many changes to Demon Hunter.
Within these 10 card changes, 9 of the changes are nerfs and 1 is a buff to Libram of Justice. We don't yet know what the changes will be, but this is the hardest a single class has ever been hit upon the release of the new expansion. We can give Blizzard a pass on that though, it's good to see them quickly reacting to their new class.
Quote From No Author Specified The second Ashes of Outland balance patch is planned for early next week. Looking to make changes to Battlefiend, Altruis the Outcast, Glaivebound Adept, Kael'thas Sunstrider, Bad Luck Albatross, Frenzied Felwing, Open the Waygate, Bloodbloom, and Sacrificial Pact. Details will come later on official channels.
This update will also include a buff to Libram of Justice and a nerf to Millhouse in BG. We'll continue to monitor live game data and player feedback and make any further changes as necessary.
Upcoming Card Nerfs
How do you think these cards will be changed?
Upcoming Card Buffs
Could we see a cost reduction on Libram of Justice?
Comments
I don't think that they would increase the cost of the reward card solely based on the fact that all other quest rewards from Un'Goro remain at 5. Blizzard, as much as they like to claim that they mix things ups, still holds a number of things still. Keeping the quest rewards aligned at 5 I think would be one of them.
All targeted cards are good condidates. Only what idk - it's buff, strange target, card already pretty good, deck isn t, but card is good.
Oh, and i hate bloodblum nerf, idk how they will nerf it, but almost sure it's cost, coz blizz always nerf cost over other, and that s mean - mecha'thun is dead now. Poor Warlock
Mecha'Thun is far from dead. Going to be using Drakkari Enchanter to discount Mecha'Thun and Cataclysm now for the same results.
it s too much. as said here. 9 mana do nothing will kills you. You can t play Thaurissan sometimes. Eh, but your idea is good, if only it was not super powerful wild.
which is a 9-mana play before your combo meaning you won't be doing anything else that turn
It's not like you were doing a whole lot with your turn in the old model after spending 6 mana on Thaurissan. Playing a couple Novice Engineers, Loot Hoarders, or tapping after dropping him is more or less like a 9 mana do nothing turn. Whether you were spending 6 mana or 9 mana you could also always drop a Plague of Flames first, dealing with all or some of your threats. I really don't think the mana difference in this scenario is as big of an issue as it's being made to seem.
Also keep in mind Mecha'Thun is most likely winning against control decks and other otk decks, and generally losing to aggro and midrange. Spending 9 mana to drop a high priority target 5/5 and a 1/5 usually isn't that punishing against slow decks. In most slow matches if you lost the game playing 9 mana in a turn for a single setup turn then you usually lost that game in normal scenarios pre-nerf. Having 3 extra mana for one setup turn wasn't that amazing in slow games.
Here are my takes
Battlefiend - most people suggested a health nerf (from 2 to 1), but that would straight up kill the card and severely damage DH's early game, which is not something I would be sad of but it certainly isn't the dev's plan. I think an attack nerf is much more reasonable.
In the end, Battlefiend will end up being a 1 mana 1/2
Altruis the Outcast - I agree with the other users here: face damage really looks like an overkill to me. Especially in a class that has access to insane cycle and considerable amounts of damage for not much mana.
Glaivebound Adept - not certain on this one. Like most of the other DH cards, it either has very good stats for the cost or a really good effect, again for the cost. This is an Eviscerate that comes with a 7/4 for just 5 mana and requires you to have attacked before (not that big of a deal for Illidan). It will be a stat nerf (6/4? 7/3?) or a cost nerf (6 mana?).
Kael'thas Sunstrider - cool card that unfortunately enables dumb stuff. Since the devs said that they don't want to kill KT's OTK potential yet, I think that they'll either increase its cost (maybe to 8) or change its effect to that getting the free spell will be more difficult ("Every 4th spell you cast this turn costs 0").
Bad Luck Albatross - Albatross is a tech card and, like every other tech card, you shouldn't reasonably include it your deck if you really card about winning. What I'm trying to say is that tech cards are usually bad, while Albatross is just more than ok. It is not a big problem in this meta, but give that everyone runs it archetypes like Pure Paladin and No Minion Mage get the short end of the stick for no reason.
It is not a really necessary nerf, but I see the logic behind it and therefore I welcome it. Cost raised from 3 to 4 mana.
Frenzied Felwing - Cost bumped to 5 or 6 mana. Doesn't make the card unplayable, just it just slows it down and prevents scenarios like turn 1 Battlefiend, turn 2 hero power all face and double Frenzied Felwing down for 0 and with 1 leftover mana.
Open the Waygate - I was going to suggest an increase in the number of generated spells you have to play, but then I asked myself "would it really slow the deck down considering all the Mana Cyclone/Evocation stuff we have today?". I think a change to the quest reward would be better. Something on the line "Take an extra turn (can't be stacked)". The nerf I'm the most uncertain about together with Glaivebound Adept
Bloodbloom - cost increased to 4 mana
Sacrificial Pact - only targets friendly demons. Now people will have to find other reason to cry about [Hearthstone Card (Lord Jaxarrus) Not Found]' complete uselessness
Why are some people here so hell-bent on having Priestess of Fury nerfed? She sees no play whatsoever right now. The deck that's terrorizing ladder is aggro demon hunter. Do you really think an aggro deck can afford to play a 7drop only to watch it be removed for 0 mana the turn after? Come on now... By the time she becomes a good card demon hunter should already be put in its place with these countless of necessary nerfs.
Demon hunter being non-existent in wild is what was supposed to happen from day 1. Considering the amount of cards it is missing compared to all the other classes. The fact that it wasn't, however, shows how utterly broken Illidan has been so far.
Do you know why? Coz of Sacrificial Pact. Man, none of the dhs never will play mid or big demons coz of 0 mana removal plus heal. After Sac Pact nerf, she will return and midrange DH again will f*ck all, yes, maybe not with 60% wr, but something around 55%.
Oh, I didn't know you were a prophet. Could you give me this week's winning numbers, please? I could use some extra cash.
If, because of these nerfs, midrange demon hunter pops up again it will be but a shell of its former self. The majority of these nerfed cards, in case you haven't noticed, have been cards that are ubiquitous to the demon hunter class. It's not just aggro demon hunter that they're targeting here.
Preemptively nerfing cards is never the solition, bar some exceptional cases (i.e. Reckless Experimenter when SN1P-SN4P was introduced).
I expect most of them to be mana cost adjustments.
Except:
Battlefiend: reduce health to 1.
Open the Waygate: cast 10 spells.
Bloodbloom: targets spells that cost up to (5).
Sacrificial Pact: target friendly demon only.
Altruis the Outcast: deals damage to minions only.
Kael'thas Sunstrider: third spell costs (1).
Man, DH is getting hit hard, but that was probably to be expected. I bet the Devs put the Class out as it is to better figure out what Cards are actually problematic instead of just testing it internally and guess what needs to be worked on.
Anyways, my Predictions:
Battlefiend: Health decreased to 1. Still pretty aggressive but way more manageable for your Opponent.
Altruis the Outcast: Mana increased to 4 (maybe 5). This should limit its Combo-Potential enough where it's still a playable Card.
Glaivebound Adept: Health decreased to 3.
Kael'thas Sunstrider: Mana increased to 8. That should delay the Impact this Card has without losing what makes it so powerfull/unique.
Bad Luck Albatross: Health decreased to 2. I honestly don't know what they wanna change about this Card. In my Eyes it's fine as it is, and I play mainly Highlander.
Frenzied Felwing: Either Mana increased to 5 or Health decreased to 2.
Bloodbloom: Mana increased to 4. That should pretty much take Care of Darkest Hour.
Sacrificial Pact: Only targets friendly Minions. Sad, but has to be done if you want a Class that has big Demons as a Part of their Identity.
Open the Waygate: Deleted from Game.
...or change the Way Archmage Vargoth interacts with the Reward. That's imo the biggest Problem. Cheating out 2 Turns that easily is just fucking broken.
If you wanna change the Amount of Spells you have to play, you might as well nuke it from Orbit. I can't imagine it being less than 12 (or maybe 15) with the Ways that Mage can get Spells. Mana Cyclone generates random Spells. Evocation generates random Spells. Random Spells generate random Spells! And then there's also Sorcerer's Apprentice...
I'm just glad they finally address this Card.
The Vargoth interaction for the quest is irrelevant. You already win in 2 turns with Antonidas and giants. The 3rd turn just lets you win with a different flair of combo, but breaking the interaction with Vargoth means you just go back to the traditional 2 turn win conditions anyway.
I wish I'd face that Kind of Quest-Mage. You can at least hope to pull one of the Pieces with Dirty Rat or sometimes survive by having a Taunt up.
But every Time I decide to play it out, I get greeted with a „Free from that blasted Tower!" followed up with a smug „Hello!"
Idk. I just want this unfair Interaction to be gone.
Getting rid of Vargoth isn't going to change that. Dirty Rat can still miss against the mage and if you're facing the 2 turn win giant version even if you hit a giant they will still kill you with the quest.
Finally nerfs, though there are cards I didn't except to see on the list.
Prediction:
Battlefiend: Increase to 2 mana or decrease one health.
Altruis: can't dmg face.
Glaivebound Adept: Increase to 6 mana
Kaelthas: condition for fourd or fifth spell or 8-mana cost
Albatross: Increase mana cost
Frenzied Felwing: „Cost (2) less for each ...“
Open the Waygate: 10 or 15 spells
Bloodbloom: 4 mana
Sac pac: friendly demon.
I agree with most of your predictions, but I think Albatross should get decreased stats instead. He is a major tool against singleton Decks and delaying this would too much disrupt his purpose.
Felwing: You just made this card absolutely nuts!
I hope, they don't kill the Albatros. I seem to be the only one, but I hate highlander decks. They all play pretty much the same.
We need a tech card against them. Albatros is "too good" statwise for a tech card, so I can get behind increasing the cost by1. But please don't change the effect.
they won't kill it, they'll just down the statline so it's not just a vanilla 3-drop that cripples your opponent's deck. Either 3/2 or 2/3 (or possibly just push it to 4-mana, either way works)
From my experience highlander decks always draw the albatross on the turn they play alexstraza 100% no nerf needed :(