Dean Ayala has been a popular guy on Twitter recently as he has announced the team is putting together a new Hearthstone balance patch.
- More information will be shared next week once changes are solidified.
- No date is solidified. It can take them at least a week to get a patch together though.
- Some Galakrond decks are more powerful than needed.
- Changes may be coming to Pirate Warrior.
- Changes may be coming to Deathrattle Rogue.
- Hero balance tweaks are coming to Battlegrounds.
- Expect more Battlegrounds changes over the next few months for cards, heroes, and balance.
Since no exact card changes have been announced, we can only speculate. What cards do you think may get hit with the nerf bat?
Quote From Dean Ayalan Planning another balance patch. Will share some more information next week as we solidify. Some of the Galakrond decks are just a touch more powerful than they need to be to be successful. Also contemplating light changes to non-Galakrond archetypes like Pirate War and DR Rogue.
Also planning on some small hero balance tweaks for Battlegrounds in the same patch. Battlegrounds has a bunch of plans for cards, heroes, and balance over the next 2-3 months.
Will this patch affect Arlington?
Not sure yet. Don't have a date in place. Most of the team isn't even back in the office until [Monday].
How separate is the Battlegrounds team compared to live balance? Two totally different teams now?
They were two separate teams, but we are merging now. @mike_donais and @conorkou are still the battlegrounds champions but the team I work on is going to be helping produce content starting this year.
Thanks for the insight! Where does Arena fit in?
Also under the card design team with major support from a data scientist named Tian.
Comments
Hope for invoke changes.. Warrior 2 attack from 3, priest(buff) change hero power to reduce the cost of the minion by or give a priest spell and reduce by 1 or to discover a minion (with neutrals).
Galakroud rogue is fine I think..
The will probably change the neutrals or the 5/2 weapon to a 4/2.
I'm thoroughly convinced that the people that make the decision on the Nerfs, don't play the game but only listen to the people who play one archetype and bitch the loudest.
Methinks they're gonna break Dancin' Deryl's legs. The Hero Power will read: "After you sell a minion, randomly give two different minions in Bob’s Tavern +1/+1." This makes it harder to superbuff a single minion.
Aside from that, I'm not sure what else they'd tweak in terms of hero balance. Maybe make Rafaam's Hero Power more expensive, George's less expensive (-1), and... besides that, I don't know. I think they'd all be pretty balanced.
Not even a light nerf to resurrect? Do they even follow the meta?
idk how they gonna nerf Necrium Apothecary but making it cost 5 destroys the card and archetype. deathrattle is rogue class identity!
Please explain why it costing 5 would destroy the card. Even at 5 I would expect it to be above the usual power level.
On a broader matter, I agree that something being part of class identity should allow overtuned cards of that type in the class. But that should not mean we accept it when something as high-roll-y as Necrium Apothecary comes along, especially after years of complaints aimed at Barnes were finally acted on.
Why doesn't quest resurrect priest get hit? It is such a cancer deck with infinite healing and removal, I hope are least some of their cards get nerfed.
If they nerf how Galakrond upgrades in general as a mechanic i fear the priest version will become well and trully unplayable.
It's already dead, the design of the invoke effect is just too weak.
Probably get rid of the 5 damage weapon you get from full Galakrond. Always though that it was weird that it granted you a 10 damage weapon over two turns when its plainly obviously that 2 out of the 4 Galakrond plays for value and not aggro.
Other predictions;
- Increase mana cost of Necrium Apothecary from 4 to 5
- Reducing the buff from Anubisath Warbringer from 3/3 to 2/2 (My favorite card from SoU. If you get hit, know that it wasn't your fault sniff*)
- Skybarge getting a mana cost increase OR reduce health from 5 to 4 (kinda stupid that this has 5 health. What does team5 think other aggro decks can do to this thing?)
- increase mana cost by 1 to Dragon's Pack (dont hold your breath. This is probably the longest shot)
My personal wishlist:
- Nerf to Ramming Speed (I have a whooping 4 of this thing. Bummer)
- Nerf to Chromatic Egg (when theres SO MANY other epics cards, yeah I have 4 of this as well)
Huh, didn't expect they'd nerf other galakronds so soon. I'm guessing warrior and warlock.
I love some galakrond shaman but even I just feel disgusting when I summon 16/16 with rush, an arcanite reaper, and a shield block all for 7 mana. I do hope they don't nuke the class though because having a deck than finally plays all the cool shaman cards like Electra, Zentimo, Krag'wa is my dream come true.
Warrior in general is too strong as well.
Deathrattle rogue is just toxic. Feels like all I see on the ladder are rogues. Won't be surprised if their Galakrond gets touched as well.
Not sure if warlock gets hit or not. It's pretty strong but definitely not like the other two.
Priest doesn't have anything to worry about LUL
They might just nerf some of the invoke neutrals to hit all the decks but I actually feel like they're pretty appropriately costed, so I don't like that idea much. Raising Galakrond's cost to 8 would be decent.
Goodbye Necrium Apothecary
Maybe Skybarge is going to be upped to 4 mana
Hum I had already planned a long break from HS seeing how the meta was unbalanced....this second wave of balance changes is a good move. I will come back and give it a try. Good move devs!
Warrior gets hit on both pirates and galakrond
Zoo gets hit
Shaman gets hit
Broken 2/5 gets hit in rogue
Would be my guesses
Time for Dragon Warlock, captain of Handlock to prove his quality