We've got our hands on those promised patch notes that Blizzard teased earlier this week. The balance patch is arriving "later today" and will contain the following balance changes:
- Theotar, the Mad Duke - Now costs 5 (Up from 4)
- Harpoon Gun - Now reduces cost by 2 (Down from 3)
- Stag Spirit Wildseed - Now has 4 Attack and 3 Health (Down from 5/4)
- Bear Spirit Wildseed - Now has 4 Health (Down from 5)
The patch also makes note that the team has "something fun" planned for the next major update, Patch 24.6, and because of this, they aren't changing Prince Renathal yet. You can read more about this, and why the above cards were changed, down below. Looking for Battlegrounds Changes? We've got those covered too!
Since this a data-only client patch, mobile clients aren't at any disadvantage compared to the desktop version - only a small download is required from within the game, without the need to wait for any separate storefront approval.
Which Cards Can Be Disenchanted For Full Value?
The collectible cards in this game update, and the ones that generate the above tokens, will be able to be disenchanted for their full crafting values. These cards are:
Remember to make sure you're getting the correct disenchant value before pressing the button! They will be disenchantable for full value for the next two weeks, until October 27.
Balance Patch Notes - Hearthstone Update 24.4.3
Quote From Blizzard Dev Comment: The meta is relatively stable right now, with just a few outliers. Our goal with this patch is to reduce frustration and give weaker decks a bit more breathing room by reducing the overall power level of Hunter.
The one notable outlier that is not getting changed, but which we are keeping a close eye on, is Prince Renathal. He is powerful and popular, but we don’t want this patch to completely shake up the meta, because we have something fun coming in Patch 24.6 and we want to see how Renathal performs in the next expansion before making changes to him.
The following cards have been adjusted down in power:
Theotar, the Mad Duke
- Old: Costs 4
- New: Costs 5
Dev Comment: Theotar is a defining card in the current meta. He plays an important role in giving players agency against powerful late-game plays, but he can also be very frustrating to lose to. We don’t want him to be one of the most popular cards in the next expansion, and our goal with this change is to lower his playrate across all ranks. If his playrate doesn’t drop significantly with this change, we’ll evaluate further changes at the next opportunity.
Stag Spirit Wildseed
- Old: 5 Attack, 4 Health
- New: 4 Attack, 3 Health
Bear Spirit Wildseed
- Old: 2 Attack, 5 Health
- New: 2 Attack, 4 Health
Harpoon Gun
- Old: After your hero attacks, Dredge. If it’s a Beast, reduce its cost by (3).
- New: After your hero attacks, Dredge. It it’s a Beast, reduce its cost by (2).
Dev Comment: Hunter has been the most popular and arguably the most powerful class in the game for some time, especially in lower ranks. These changes are meant to address some of the sharper play patterns this class is capable of, while simultaneously lowering the overall class power level.
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 24.4.3.
Comments
Theotar nerf did nothing. His effect is so powerful (and so necessary in so many of the matchups in the current meta) I see no reason not to run him. My opponent was also playing him in both games I played yesterday post-nerf. I'm sure some decks will cut him because of the mana cost, but this does nothing to curb that extra bad feeling of losing to your own win condition. They needed to alter his effect: make it more random, or change it to discard.
Or because he is nerfed and can be'd for full dust now, so people do that, until they realize he isnt bad at all suddenly and he should still be in deck.
Prolly still with the hunter nerfs, theyre worse now but they dint just become terrible cards
Probably unpopular opinion, but to me Theotar, the Mad Duke should get the Mindrender Illucia or perhaps even the Warsong Commander treatment to solve the feelsbad issue.
How cool is it that the card with the most annoying effect has imo the coolest art?
That feeling when your opponent steals the one and only...
Why does theo not give a full dust refund? is it because they already plan to change him again?
It does. If you're not seeing the full disenchant value for the cards, just close your game client and log in again. Then it should all work correctly. It's a persistent weird bug (or an out-of-sync issue, if you will); to the point that we actually always bring it up during any of our dust refund reminders.
Really expected more changes (be it more nerfs or buffs) based on the orginal tweet wording (cards like these). But seems not
they said in the 24.6 we will have something "fun", so maybe they are holding some buffs until next major patch
I really hope it is, ive been hoping for service bell buff all expac long.
Its worse then almsot evry 2 mana draw spell there is (ofc not worse then like ancestral knowledge but still) and it costs 3, and its effect of only class cards is often a donwisde (espciallyl atm) and if its a legendary it aslo cant draw a second card.
I dont think itd even be broken at 1 mana hoenstly (though id certainly be quite good at 1)
It's possible that they have some Paladin "shuffle into deck and cast when drawn" effects in mind soon, which would make Service Bell much better. We'll have to see.
quite a poor nerf ... nothing will chenge
They weren't teasing more changes, apparently: that's literally all we get. Guess we'll have to wait and see what 24.6 does; I for one will be continuing my break from Hearthstone until such a time.
I don't know why but this carries so much threatening energy
Not enough to take Hunter down from holding every spot in the top 15-20 decks from Diamond-Legend globally.
Downvoted when the entire first page in HS Replay sorted by highest win rate is all Hunter decks.
Is hunter still good even after the nerf? Haven't tried it yet.
Based on my last two games, yes.
If they wanted a significant drop in play rate for Theo they should have made him 6 or 7 mana. Or deleted him! I don’t think 5 mana is enough to change anything.
It'll probably reduce his playrate by virtue of the fact that many players will simply dust him to get back value, rather than the effects of the nerf itself. To be honest, the card is not dead by any means, but its clear that team5 is only concerned with the play rate and not the card's power level.
Yes it is. Many decks don't even run the guy anymore. NOw he becomes even less appealing for a majority of decks that previously just ran him basically for fun.
Trust me, you're gonna see him a lot less now (although he's probably still core in Shaman and Priest or something)