With the brief accidental release of the planned patch - and its consequent rollback over the past weekend - we've been given an unexpected preview of some of the upcoming balance changes coming to Constructed Hearthstone. Following the rumors and glimpses shared by various players, Team 5's Final Designer Aleco has decided to partially lift the curtain and tell us about certain nerfs and buffs in greater detail. But we still didn't get to learn everything there was. Until now, with the patch notes hot off the press!
We've known about all of the planned nerfs already, so there are no great surprises here. But the full extent of the class buffs has been shrouded in mystery, and it turns out there are a lot of them headed our way! The balance patch is already live - it's also 'data-only', with mobile clients able to start downloading straight away from within the game rather than having to wait for their storefront's approval.
Quote From Blizzard Card Updates:
Dev Comment: The current power level of the top decks after the launch of Murder at Castle Nathria is pretty close to the level that we’d like it to be. We’re happy with decks like Imp Warlock and Control Shaman being powerful, but we’re less happy with the power level of the weakest classes. So while we did a few touches to the top decks with the goal of reducing play-against frustration, the primary goal of this patch was to elevate the classes that are struggling in the current meta.
You can find all the exact details below, along with relevant developer commentary:
Constructed Hearthstone - 5 Card Nerfs
A few of the card nudges here are surprisingly tame, considering Team 5's track record with heavy-handed nerfs. But changing some of the functionality for Druid's and Shaman's staple choices goes a long way.
Quote From Blizzard The following cards have been adjusted down in their power:
Celestial Alignment
- Old: Set each player to 0 Mana Crystals. Set the cost of all cards in hands and decks to (1). → New: Set your Mana Crystals to 0. Set the cost of all cards in your hand and deck to (1).
Dev Comment: We hear you. Alignment has been a frustrating card to play against for a while now and has remained that way after the release of Murder at Castle Nathria, even if it is not a balance outlier. This change is targeted at removing as much of that frustration as possible while still retaining the primary effect for players who enjoy the big turns it can allow.
Stag Spirit Wildseed
- Old: Dormant for 3 turns. When this awakens, equip a 4/2 Greatbow. → New: Dormant for 3 turns. When this awakens, equip a 3/2 Greatbow.
Dev Comment: The Wildseed package has been a fun addition to Hunter, but Stag Spirit Wildseed has been putting out more face damage than we intended. We hope Wildseeds will remain a key part of Hunter decks going forward, but will be a little less ubiquitous across all Hunter archetypes.
Snowfall Guardian
- Old: 3 Attack, 3 Health. Battlecry: Freeze all other minions. Gain +1/+1 for each Frozen minion. → New: 5 Attack, 5 Health. Battlecry: Freeze all other minions.
Dev Comment: Control Shaman has been one of the most dominant decks since the expansion launch. A big part of their power comes from their ability to repeatedly freeze enemy boards while also pressuring their life totals, thanks to Snowfall Guardian. We hope that by removing the pressure this card applies, it will be less difficult for players to navigate.
Vile Library
- Old: Give a friendly minion +1/+1. Repeat for each Imp you control. → New: Give a minion +1/+1 for each Imp you control.
Dev Comment: We’re happy to see that Imp Warlock has been one of the top performing decks in this expansion, but a little bit too much of its power is coming from the burst damage this single card allows. We’re lightly touching Vile Library because we don’t want it to go away, we just want to bring the deck more in line with the other decks in the meta.
Kobold Illusionist
- Old: [Costs 4] → New: [Costs 5]
Dev Comments: Big Rogue has developed into a powerhouse that too consistently summons powerful minions too early in the game for players to meaningfully interact with. We’re adding a mana cost to Kobold Illusionist to slow the deck down and break up some of its consistency.
The above craftable cards, as well as Spirit Poacher, Stag Charge, Wild Spirits, and Ara'lon will be eligible for full dust refunds for two weeks following Patch 24.0.3.
As some people were expecting (or at least hoping for), that's the entire Wildseed package eligible for dust refunds! We've seen this happen before with Kargal Battlescar and Watch Posts during Forged in the Barrens.
And yes, it means you could effectively craft these cards (if you don't own either) and play with them 'free of charge' for about 2 weeks (while also ensuring your Standard/Castle Nathria packs won't pull them due to existing duplicate protection). There are relevant XP achievements to hunt down for the class meanwhile!
However, don't do it outright if you wish to maximize your potential dust numbers by still finding Epics Stag Charge and Wild Spirits or Legendary Ara'lon. And if you end up following through with this, just don't forget to disenchant them back before the time is up! We'll be sure to keep our usual reminder at hand.
Constructed Hearthstone - 22 Card Buffs
At least three of these classes have definitely needed a helping hand. It will be very interesting to observe just how much the metagame and power levels are going to shift following various card updates.
Quote From Blizzard The following cards have been adjusted up in their power:
Demon Hunter
Quote From Blizzard Relic Vault
- Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 2]
Relic of Extinction
- Old: [Costs 2] → New: [Costs 1]
Dev Comment: Relics are a fun and flavorful new archetype from Murder at Castle Nathria, but they haven’t had their chance to shine. We’re hoping that a couple buffs will make these cards easier to squeeze into turns and make the whole package feel better to try in a variety of decks.
Bibliomite
- Old: 4 Attack, 4 Health → New: 5 Attack, 4 Health
Magnifying Glaive
- Old: 2 Attack, 2 Durability → New: 3 Attack, 2 Durability
Dev Comment: We were a little too safe on the numbers for the new Aggro Demon Hunter cards. We hope these buffs will make the low-hand-size deck a little more appealing!
Abyssal Depths
- Old: [Costs 4] → New: [Costs 3]
Battleworn Vanguard
- Old: 2 Attack, 1 Health → New: 2 Attack, 2 Health
Irebound Brute
- Old: [Costs 8] → New: [Costs 7]
Dev Comment: Demon Hunter has been struggling in a big way this expansion. We felt that changes to new cards alone might not be enough to bring the power level of this class in line with the rest of this meta. So we’re buffing a few older cards to help bridge the gap. We’re hoping that Abyssal Depths can now function as a powerful tool for a variety of Demon Hunter decks, new and old alike. The reverts to Battleworn Vanguard and Irebound Brute should make them more attractive options for the class. Broot me dood!
Paladin
Quote From Blizzard Legendary Invitation (generated by The Countess)
- Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 2]
Dev Comment: As the big reward for the Pure Paladin archetype, the Countess wasn’t, well, rewarding enough. This change should make her feel better in decks that are willing to pay the cost of cutting all Neutral cards.
Stand Against Darkness
- Old: [Costs 5] → New: [Costs 4]
Warhorse Trainer
- Old: Your Silver Hand Recruits Have +1 Attack. → New: Your Silver Hand Recruits have +2 Attack and Taunt.
Promotion
- Old: Give a Silver Hand Recruit +3/+3. → New: Give a Silver Hand Recruit +3/+3 and Taunt.
Dev Comment: The new Silver Hand archetype has come up much shorter than we hoped it would. Cards like Stand Against Darkness and Warhorse Trainer were simply not at the power level of modern Hearthstone, so we're buffing them up to see what they can do in this new age. To top it off, Promotion now comes with a raise!
Rogue
Quote From Blizzard Edwin, Defias Kingpin
- Old: [Costs 4] 4 Attack, 4 Health → New: [Costs 3] 3 Attack, 3 Health
Sprint
- Old: [Costs 6] → New: [Costs 5]
Silverleaf Poison
- Old: [Costs 2] → New: [Costs 1]
Halkias
- Old: Deathrattle: If you control a Secret, store Halkias' soul inside of it. It resummons Halkias when triggered. → New: Stealth. Deathrattle: Store Halkias's soul inside of a friendly Secret. It resummons Halkias when triggered.
Dev Comment: Card draw has traditionally been one of Rogue’s strengths, but it doesn’t feel like a strength in the current meta. The buffs to Edwin, Sprint, and Silverleaf Poison are all made with the intention of reinforcing card draw as a strength of the class. Miracle Rogue has not been overperforming in power, but we are aware it can win in frustrating ways, so we’ll be keeping an eye on how it develops following these buffs. We also wanted to show a little love to the new secret package. We’re starting with a buff to Halkias that makes him feel better to play, but we may revisit this package later if it needs additional support.
Warrior
Quote From Blizzard Sanguine Depths
- Old: Deal 1 damage to a minion and give it +1 Attack. → New: Deal 1 damage to a minion and give it +2 Attack.
Imbued Axe
- Old: After your hero attacks, give your damaged minions +1/+1. Infuse (3): +2/+2 instead. → New: After your hero attacks, give your damaged minions +1/+2. Infuse (2): +2/+2 instead.
Cruel Taskmaster
- Old: 2 Attack, 2 Health → New: 2 Attack, 3 Health
Dev Comment: Along with Demon Hunter, Warrior has been struggling this expansion. A big part of that is that their new Enrage Warrior archetype hasn’t been nearly as powerful as we’d hoped it to be. These three buffs are targeted at improving the Enrage Warrior archetype, which we hope to see become a player in the metagame.
Tidal Revenant
- Old: Battlecry: Deal 5 damage. Gain 5 Armor. → New: Battlecry: Deal 5 damage. Gain 8 Armor.
Shield Shatter:
- Old: Deal 4 damage to all minions. Costs (1) less for each Armor you have. → New: Deal 5 damage to all minions. Costs (1) less for each Armor you have.
Slam:
- Old: [Costs 2] → New: [Costs 1]
Bash:
- Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 2]
Dev Comment: We may have been a little over zealous when we were addressing Control Warrior in the last balance patch. We’re correcting that here. We’re also giving them a couple new tools in Slam and Bash, which might even make their way into non-control Warrior lists.
Are you satisfied with this first round of nerfs and buffs for the new expansion, or do you believe something else might be still missing? Which improved class cards are you going to take for a spin as soon as you can?
Comments
Nerfs were pretty much as expected, and Im glad to know I'll be getting a bunch of dust thanks to the very slight wildseed nerf.
But buffs hmmmm...
- The buffs to the two relic cards in dhunter are a bit strange because I was sure they'd just buff Relic of Phantasms instead, that card being shit for obvious reasons at 3. I guess the idea here is that dhunter does so badly against implock that Relic of Extinction got the nod instead.
The change to Relic Vault makes it so it curves into Relic of Dimensions on second use. A not insignificant buff. Abyssal depths is at least competent, but I doubt it'll suddenly make the class tier 2.
- Changes to pally's dude cards are still not going to make the class playable. Team5 should just bite the bullet and call this expansion a dud for paladin. And why not? Implock and hunters are too fast, build bigger boards, shaman and mage can freeze the board for 4-7 turns, and pure pally's a meme, even after this pathetic buff to the invitations.
Should have at least reverted Cariel's nerf. I doubt these changes bring pally anywhere above midtable.
- Warrior buffs are good, but without any solid card draw options the class will remain weak. Probably at least they wont be below 40% power level. Honestly though, just revert the nerfs to From the Depths. I know its unpopular, but the power level of other decks have gone to the point that I dont think that matters too much. And besides which, there's no more scam nellie, so what's the problem with warrior having conditional discounts? We're quite content to have shaman cheat a billion murlocs out after 3, rogue playing their whole hand in one turn, or druid getting a 5 mana advantage, and apparently this is a problem?
- Rogue buffs would be impactful. But secret rogue will remain shit. Halkias may have stealth now, which substantially makes the card more powerful but that wouldn't alter the fact that the secret package itself is shit. If Kidnap got buffed to 'when' instead of the current 'after' I'd be singing another tune. But guess that's not forthcoming.
The buffs to Bibliomite and Magnifying Glaive are perhaps an indication of how difficult it is to balance the game between 30 and 40 health. The mite can do about 10 damage or at least 5 early game before being removed. And that matters, but not so if you have 40 health. And so where does this end? Now every aggro deck has to have reload, or be able to push a massive minion by turn 3, because if they dont they get destroyed by value because with 40 health the opponent can afford to greed. Druids will likely never play without renathal for that reason.
Eventually we're going to reach a point where aggro decks simply destroys 30 health simpletons whereas struggle against 40 health chads. Is this really where we want to head towards? Game being decided after hearing the intro sound effects? Pally's too slow, warrior has no reload, dhunter can no longer burst, and they all suck because they're facing 40 health greed classes and 30 health ultra aggro decks.
Maybe team5 should review Prince Renathal before the damage gets worse.
I am not understanding the change to Halkias. Does it now work even if the secret is still in your hand?
The difference is that the new version has Stealth. The rest of it is just rewording it to fit on the card (and, IMO, improving clarity)
Not a fan of the battlecry packages for Control Shaman. They should have touched macaw/Sire combo.
Wonder how DH turns out.
What worries me a bit is that most of the dev comments talk about how a card functions in the current Standard meta. Those same cards are playable in Wild, Duels and Arena as well though, so I think balance changes should be more about what the correct power level for a card is and less about the meta.
I understand you can't fully judge a card in a vacuum, but over-focusing on the current Standard meta means you can break balance in other modes and also that you might have to undo nerfs and buffs when new cards enter Standard.
Also there might be fun cards that see no play because their power level is way too low. Those may not get the attention they need if your question is "how do we boost this class?" instead of "why is no-one playing these cards?"
Had really hoped that they wouldve buffed metamoprhis and warglaives for DH
The dude pally buffs are pretty insane but without better and more ways to summon them, i dont think will matter
And i still dont see odd pally commpeting against rest of the meta, same for odd dh in wild.
Disapointed is no macaw nerf, though i lvoe snowfall change, macaw repeating iti was the annoying thing, the thign that made you not able to play the game
Anyone able to explain to me the change to Vile Library? It looks like they just removed the "friendly" restriction. How is it effectively different now?
Vile Library gave the minion +1/+1, then repeated for each Imp you control. Have four Imps? That's +5/+5. Now it doesn't have that initial +1/+1.
For some reason, I was happy enough to have all the Wild Dormant seed cards. But then, I remember I haven't touch the Wildseed achievements yet. So, might want to do this first and then disenchant everything. I think dudes Pally will see play now so many buff adds Taunt, plus doing their achievements easier.
EDIT. To those of you who doesn't have epics and legend card for Wild seeds, this is your 2 weeks chance to craft them and finish their achievemnts.
That's a good point! I've also added a detailed note about this at the end of the 'Card Nerfs' section. If maximizing your dust collection is the main goal, then not crafting the Wildseed cards you don't own is the way to go - as then you still have 2 weeks to be able to pull them from packs and disenchant for full value. This can't be done if you craft them outright, as then the duplicate protection will have kicked in. Choices, choices.
The good chance to have "refunded" epics when you open packs, and also the bad chance to open the "free" epics on Reward Track.
Choices indeed.
Now I can Abyssal Depths on 3 for Vanndar Stormpike on 4, instead of having to wait another turn. Sweet!
Snowfall Guardian got its arm chopped off, and I'm saddened by that. At least make it enemy minions only: there's literally zero reason to Freeze your own minions anymore, unless you're crazy enough to use Moorabi.
Control Warrior comin' back, happy with those reverts and buffs.
i ever hated and always will hate the nerfs done not because of balance outlier but caused by "frustration" of the bronze players
there will always be more bronze players than the rest. i think there is less than 1% of accounts that have ever reached legendary. so yeah blame the devs for trying to make the game more fun for the vast majority.
Hearthstone isn't an abstract game where all that matters is the numbers. The developers put a lot of effort in artwork, animations, voice lines and sound effects for a reason. If a card makes a lot of players have a bad experience, then that is a problem, even if balance-wise the card is not an outlier.
Also I don't buy the argument that it's the "bronze" players doing most of the complaining. I think that the most vocal people tend to have a lot of time and thought invested into the game and that typically translates into being well above average in terms of MMR.
Couldn't have said it myself. 'Bronze players' bemoan the game 1 per 1k as much as the diamond and legend players do. That is a standard statistical real fact!!
Seriously, the top squeaky wheels receive the most grease...
sorry i was totally wrong i must comprehend that most of the players are special kids like you who prefer flashing lights and shiny animations (and above all the rimotion of mechanics and cards that are perceived as unfair)
to a balanced game that includes aforementioned cards and mechanics, and i promise i will not keep the "bronze players argument" even if seems that the average MMR is low as much as the understanding of the game and the playing skill
seems you have no other arguments........but im sure you think that you are still right....seek help boy
Always take a good look at yourself in the mirror when you wake up and brush your teeth!