A major patch for Hearthstone will be dropping tomorrow (September 19th), bringing with it the Fall of Ulduar Mini-Set, Anomalies in regular Hearthstone matches, new Anomalies in Battlegrounds, as well as updates for Twist, Duels, and Arena!
- The Fall of Ulduar Mini-Set for TITANS will be available for purchase.
- 38 new cards, available to be opened in TITANS packs or purchased all at once as a 72-card set.
- The normal set is $14.99 or 2000 gold, while the all-Golden version is $69.99 or 10,000 gold.
- Anomalies will start appearing in all Standard, Wild, Twist, Casual, Arena, and Practice Mode games!
- There are 20 potential Anomalies that can trigger.
- They will occur 100% of the time for the first week, then only 25% of the time until Patch 28.0.
- Running Cho'gall, Twilight Chieftain in your deck means there's a chance for two Anomalies at once!
- The Great Yogg Escape is a new event starting September 26th.
- It runs until October 10th and features six rewards:
- 5 packs (2 Standard, 2 TITANS, and 1 Golden Standard), and a Kabal N'Zoth skin for the Warlock!
- It runs until October 10th and features six rewards:
- Battlegrounds will roll out new Anomalies, and feature a major quality-of-life update.
- The 15-damage cap will now last until only the Top 4 remain, instead of ending when the first player loses/quits.
- Twist will be updating starting in October with its "Wonders XL" format!
- You can build your deck with 30 to 40 cards in it, and your starting Health total will match your deck size.
- All current Arena and Duels runs will end tomorrow (September 19th) to prepare for a new season, so make sure to set yourself up for a free Ticket beforehand!
Quote From Blizzard Patch 27.4 brings the Fall of Ulduar Mini-Set; Yogg-Saron has escaped and is spreading his Anomalies across Hearthstone!
Ulduar Has Fallen
The titans left their charges to watch over the imprisoned Yogg-Saron, but no prison lasts forever. The Old God has escaped to once again wreak havoc on Azeroth! Will you fight back, or will you succumb to the madness within?!
There’s a new Titan in town. Cast spells to fuel the Old God’s power, bring madness to the Tavern with Chaotic Tendrils, and unleash Yogg-Saron on your opponents with this Mini-Set of 38 all-new cards. Get them in TITANS packs, or as a complete 72-card* Mini-Set. Get the normal version in-game for $14.99 or 2000 Gold, or get the all-Golden version for $69.99 or 10,000 Gold. The all-Golden version also comes with a bonus Diamond copy of the Yogg-Saron, Unleashed Legendary minion! You can see all the cards from the Fall of Ulduar Mini-Set in the official Card Library.
* 4 Legendary cards, 1 Epic card (2x), 17 Rare cards (x2), and 16 Common cards (x2).
Yogg-Saron's Anomalies Consume Hearthstone!
It’s all so clear now: Yogg-Saron's whispers have been corrupting Battlegrounds this entire Season. Now, Yogg-Saron has escaped, and Anomalies are appearing in Standard, Wild, Twist, Casual, Arena, and Practice Modes, too! The following Anomalies have been unleashed upon the Tavern:
Twist Reality After a player plays a card this game, shuffle a copy into their deck. Approaching Nightmare Both players start with Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End in their hand. Opportunity Knocks The first card drawn on a player’s turn is one they can afford to play. Shifting Fate Both players start with Gear Shift in their hand. Light in the Dark Both players’ Hero Powers cost (1) less. Gift of Gluttony Both players start with two more drawn cards. Shifting Futures Both players start with 2 copies of Shifter Zerus in their hand. Control the Makers Both heroes have +1 Attack on their turns. Severed Souls Both heroes start with +5 Health. Surging Inspiration Both heroes start with upgraded Hero Powers. Driven to Greed Whenever a player ends their turn with unspent Mana, they get a Coin. Driven to Excess Whenever a player ends their turn with unspent Mana, they draw a card. Uncontrollable Growth Both players start with an extra Mana Crystal. Seeing Double Both players start with 2 cards copied from the other players’ hand. Unimaginable Horrors Both players Discover a new basic Hero Power on their first turn. Fortifications At the end of each player’s turns, give a random one of their minions +1 Health. Fast Track Reduce the Cost of all cards in both players’ starting hands by (1). Your Eyes Betray You Both players’ cards are Golden. Army of the Corrupted The first minion played on each player’s turns costs (1) less. Spread of Corruption The first spell played on each player’s turns costs (1) less. For one week following the launch of Patch 27.4, Anomalies will appear in 100% of Standard, Wild, Twist, Casual, Arena, and Practice Mode games. After that one-week period, they will appear in 25% of games until Patch 28.0. Cho’gall, Twilight Chieftain’s effect offers an additional chance for an Anomaly, meaning that you could have up to two Anomalies active in a game during this event period if you and/or your opponent have Cho’gall in your deck(s). In games where Anomalies are present, all Anomalies have an equal chance of appearing.
In-Game Event: The Great Yogg Escape
So how did Yogg-Saron escape anyway? Starting September 26, join a rag-tag group of Old Gods as they spring their buddy, Yogg-Saron, from the slammer! From September 26 to October 10, complete Event Quests to earn Event XP on the special event reward track. Complete the rewards track to earn a total of 5 packs (2 Standard, 2 TITANS, and 1 Golden Standard) and the new Kabal N’Zoth Warlock Hero Skin.
New Legendary Skin: C’Thun
C’Thun’s massive eye watches your every move with this new Legendary Druid Hero Skin. Celebrate Yogg-Saron's escape and terrorize your opponents with the visage of an Old God!
Battlegrounds Updates
Damage Cap Update
The damage cap now persists for all players until the Top 4. The primary goal of the damage cap in Battlegrounds is to protect players from taking too much damage too early. We’ve heard a lot of feedback from the community that the system was not fully achieving that goal, so now we’re expanding it even further. We’ll closely monitor this change and make additional changes to the damage system as needed.
New Anomalies
The following Anomalies will be added to Battlegrounds throughout Patch 27.4:
The Yogg-iseum At the start of each turn, spin the Wheel of Yogg-Saron.
Dev Comment: Each turn, the Wheel is spun and one result is chosen for all players.Blessed or Blighted? Start of Combat: Give your left-most minion Divine Shield and your right-most minion Reborn. Golganneth’s Tempest Minions cost 2 Gold. You cannot Refresh the Tavern. It Refreshes itself after you buy a minion. Match Fixing Guess which player will win your next combat. If you're correct, get 3 Gold Coins. Up-Prizing After you upgrade the Tavern, Discover a Tier 1 Darkmoon Prize. (Improves in 3 turns!) Gladiator’s Spoils After you win a combat, Discover a minion of your Tier. Otherwise, get a random one of a Tier lower. Shackles of the Primus After each combat, remove your warband. At the start of your turn, triple your Gold. Summoning of Champions At the start of the game, all players Discover a Tier 6 minion from the same choices. Curse of Aggramar Start at 5 Health and 5 Gold. Your hero can only take 1 damage at a time. Reckless Enhancement Minions in the Tavern each randomly gain Taunt, Windfury, Divine Shield, or Reborn. Tavern Special All minion types are in the Tavern. It always has 7 minions. Eonar’s Overgrown Arena At the start of your turn, give minions in the Tavern +1/+1 for the rest of the game. Anomaly Updates
- The “A Faire Reward” Anomaly now upgrades every 5 turns, instead of every 4 turns, and appears less frequently.
- Piloted Whirl-o-Tron (Sneed's Buddy) has been removed from the “Bring in the Buddies” Anomaly.
New Battlegrounds Cosmetics
Battlegrounds is getting in the Twist spirit with new Wonders-themed cosmetic options! The Wonders Battlegrounds Mega Bundle celebrates Hearthstone’s past with 4 Epic Hero Skins, 1 Rare Hero Skin, 1 Rare Board, and 8 Epic Emotes, all inspired by Twist’s Wonders format. Or, experience an alternate timeline with the new Epic Bartender: Bartender Roberta!
Twist Seasonal Update
The Wonders format is back for another season in October, but with an extra Twist! For the October season, Wonders is going XL—players can play with a deck of anywhere between 30-40 cards, and a life total equal to the number of cards they put in their deck! As a reminder, the sets that are legal in the Wonders format are:
- Caverns of Time
- Legacy (not Core)
- Curse of Naxxramas
- Goblins vs Gnomes
- Blackrock Mountain
- The Grand Tournament
- The League of Explorers
- Whispers of the Old Gods
- One Night in Karazhan
- Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
Duels Updates
New Duels Season
On September 19, with Patch 27.4, the current Duels season will end, ratings will be reset, and current runs will be concluded.
Card Set Updates
On September 19, the following sets will be added to initial deckbuilding and all card pools:
- Fall of Ulduar Mini-Set
- Rise of Shadows
- Mean Streets of Gadgetzan*
- The Grand Tournament*
- New: Blackrock Mountain
* Mean Streets of Gadgetzan and The Grand Tournament were already added to card pools in a prior update, but have now been added to initial deckbuilding as well.
Other Card Pool Updates
- Updated: Blackwald Pixie, Caldarra Drake, Fallen Hero, Garrison Commander, Maiden of the Lake, Justicar Trueheart, Raza the Chained, Auctionmaster Beardo, Zayle, Shadow Cloak and Cho’gall, Twilight Chieftain are banned from initial deckbuilding and all card pools.
- Yogg-Saron, Unleashed is banned from all card pools, but is legal for initial deckbuilding.
- New: Astral Communion, Aviana, Patches the Pirate, and Wilfred Fizzlebang, have been banned from draft buckets.
New Arena Season
On September 19, when the the Fall of Ulduar begins, all current Arena runs will end and a new Arena season will begin. The eligible sets will rotate so that the following sets will make up the Arena card pool:
- Core
- Path of Arthas
- Rise of Shadows
- Madness at the Darkmoon Faire
- Forged in the Barrens
- Festival of Legends
- TITANS
Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
- [Hearthstone] Souleater Scythe will now generate a Signature version of the card if the card it consumed was Signature to begin with.
- [Hearthstone] One Amalgam Band, Drone Deconstructor, From the Scrapheap, Elemental Inspiration, Power Slider, Party Animal, Rock Master Voone, and Roaring Applause have all had text-only updates for clarity, no functional changes.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where weapons that adjusted their stats while in play were not updating.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Prison of Yogg-Saron failed to contain Yogg’s chaotic energies, resulting in spells that targeted sometimes targeting something other than what was selected.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where SP-3Y3-D3R would still lose Stealth after one turn if it was granted permanent Stealth by an outside source (like a Sparkbot).
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where a Forged Bellowing Flame’s effect happened all at once, instead of in two steps, resulting it in not hitting minions spawned from the initial target’s Deathrattle or Reborn effect.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Love Everlasting’s discount was not used up if the first spell played was Countered.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Lady Naz’jar’s transformation in your hand was visible by your opponent.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Al’Akir, Winds of Time did not always get the optimal combination of cards to maximize draws.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Thunder Bluff Valiant’s new Battlecry effect was not treated as a Battlecry.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where, on the turn Jotun, the Eternal was played, its effect would trigger on the next spell drawn, even if it was not the first spell drawn that turn.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Jotun, the Eternal caused a crash when its effect played Glide.
- [Battlegrounds] Zesty Shaker has had a text-only update; no functional change.
- [Battlegrounds] Blood Gems can now target minions in the Tavern, not just friendly minions.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where pirates generated by a Golden Fleet Admiral Tethys did not automatically triple, but instead tripled once an action was taken.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Octosari, Wrap God would spawn an extra tentacle when goldenized by The Golden Hammer.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where some strikes did not appear correctly from the opponent’s perspective.
- [Duels] Updated the Treasure offerings to better align with hero power and classes (like not offering some weapon-based treasures to non-weapon classes).
- [Arena] Fixed a bug where False Disciple only offered Legendary cards from a few sets.
- [Collection] Fixed a bug that prevented players from crafting Golden versions of certain Demon Hunter cards.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a visual bug with Diamond Murozond, Thief of Time’s animation.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where some of Felblaze Illidan’s emotes showed the wrong text.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where the TITANS board constellation effect would occasionally obstruct your hand on mobile.
- [General] Raised the minimum spec requirements for Android devices to Android 9.
- Misc. other bug fixes and game improvements.
What do you think of Yogg's Anomalies, now that we know the full list? Will you be buying the C'Thun legendary skin? Let us know in the comments below!
Comments
Is anyone else absolutely dreading this anomaly:
Games will last forever, your deck will get diluted with cards you don't really want extra copies of, what a nightmare.
And forget about Dredging. The second you do it, your deck gets shuffled.
The anomalies seems to be balanced: enough impact to matter, but not so big that it completely dominates the game. At least, that's my impression after reading them; we won't actually know until playing with them.
I expect the C'Thun skin to also get a legendary price tag, in which case I won't be buying it.
For Wonders XL, I think the XL approach is very interesting from a deck building perspective. In the case of the Wonders sets though, there isn't all that much card draw available and while some cards were buffed, the average old card isn't very powerful. This means watering down the quality of the average card in your deck is going to hurt a lot more compared to modern Hearthstone. We haven't seen Reno decks be all that successful, for example.
I'm calling it now, the Anomalies will not last until patch 28.0. They'll either scrap them entirely way sooner, or massively rebalance them. Cause right now...holy shit. Let's go over some of the juiciest examples:
Light in the Dark: against Even Shaman. Good luck.
Upgraded hero power: hard to say how that interacts with Genn. Might completely screw over some even decks if it overrides the discount.
Driven to Greed and Driven to Excess: Tony Druid's wet dream. They don't have much to do early, so they sit back for 2 turns, and then OTK you with ease with the extra mana/cards.
Discover a new basic Hero Power: every single Genn/Baku deck immediately concedes. If you have any deck with major synergy with your hero power, you're done. Questline Druid, Questline Hunter, every single Warlock deck, any dude Paladin enjoyers, Control Warriors.
This will generate so many non-games I wouldn't be surprised if the one week 100 % anomaly chance doesn't even last the week.
EDIT: forgot to mention a big one:
The first card drawn on a player’s turn is one they can afford to play.
If you're playing a deck reliant on a specific high cost card to go off, like Rommath or Odyn, you will NEVER even have a chance to draw the card before the turn you can play it. Not unless you play additional card draw. So aggro decks will be rolling you with their curve-out plays, while control and combo decks will not even have a chance to draw their key combo pieces or board clears until they have the mana to play them. Imagine only getting the first chance to draw Hysteria against an aggro deck on turn 4. And only a chance. You're not guaranteed to start drawing 4 mana cards on 4 mana. You can draw your 1 mana trash. This is mind-bogglingly dumb design.
I think team5 anticipated some trouble which is why the anomalies are only 100% for a week. They likely wanted to gauge player enjoyment and whether they gain more new players in because these 'tavern brawl' effects on competitive is what makes card games 'fun'.
Unfortunately, Im with you on the opinion that these anomalies are bad for competitive. No one wants to concede turn 1 and no one wants to see their well crafted and deserved wins be turned into losses because of bs mechanics. Stuff like driven to greed is easily way too tilting to suffer through if youre an aggro deck facing control. Whereas if youre playing hunter and you get either of the genn/baku effects your opponent might just auto concede because whats the point of even trying.
That said, no way team5 claw back the push until patch 28. If it proves wildly successful in increasing new player counts, they might even extend it assuming the anger dont reach levels where they start losing money.
I don't see how this effect can possibly bring in new players. Hearthstone is already notorious among CCGs as an RNGfest, and this just doubles down on that. People who weren't interested in the shitshow that is Hearthstone RNG definitely won't be interested now. People who are interested in Hearthstone and want to try and learn it will be getting swamped by random effects screwing with their learning experience. And if, god forbid, they run into an actual good deck and that deck happens to get a favourable Anomaly to boot, those new people are gone, uninstalling, never coming back. Entrenched players, in the meantime, will be losing every single ounce of their shit when their decks randomly turn off. Forget "competitive play", some of these effects straight up make "play" a problem.
I think team5 misjudged this massively. They wanted to bring more excitement to the launch, possibly because they're aware the miniset itself might not be all that exciting. Instead, I think people will be actively avoiding playing the game after miniset lauch just so they don't have to flip tables because of Anomalies.
To play Devil's Advocate, doubling down on the RNG could be their exact strategy. Almost every other competitive card game out there is more strategic than Hearthstone. I play Hearthstone because it's fun and dumb and fits in easily on a second monitor. That's the selling point - it's easy and fun.
Also, while some of the anomalies might make certain decks more powerful (and note that all of the above problem decks are Wild decks, and remember kids, do we care about Wild?), only a couple can rarely 'randomly turn off' decks. I agree that Opportunity Knocks (only draw cards you can play) and Unimaginable Horrors (new basic hero powers) can be ruinous.
Okay, the C'Thun skin is pretty sick. That's the first 3D portrait that's really done something above and beyond.
Agreed! And seeing as the mini-set releases a day before my birthday, I'm gonna treat myself and get it 😁
As for that Kabal N'Zoth skin, why N'Zoth? What's wrong with a Yogg skin seeing as the mini-set is centered around him...
Also I'd imagine Yogg would be a mage skin considering he's spell centric
Yogg will most likely be a shop skin