A new patch was just announced, and it contains a lot of balance changes – mostly Battlegrounds, but also a couple of Constructed changes. The patch has no release date yet, it will be coming out “in the coming days”. Here’s a full list of changes:
Constructed
Kael’thas Sunstrider
- Old: Every third spell you cast each turn costs (0). → New: Every third spell you cast each turn costs (1).
Mindrender Illucia
- Old: [Cost 2] → New: [Cost 3]
Mindrender Illucia will be eligible for a full dust refund for two weeks after the 18.0.2 patch goes live.
Battlegrounds Minion Updates
- Gentle Megasaur has been removed from the Battlegrounds minion pool.
- Arcane Cannon has been removed from Battlegrounds minion pool.
Rabid Saurolisk
- Old: 3 Attack, 2 Health → New: 4 Attack, 2 Health
Rat Pack
- Old: [Tier 2] → New: [Tier 3]
Pack Leader
- Old: [Tier 3] → New: [Tier 2]
Monstrous Macaw
- Old: 3 Attack, 2 Health → New: 4 Attack, 3 Health
Primalfin Lookout
- Old: [Tier 5] → New: [Tier 4]
- Now only Discovers minions from your current Tavern Tier or below.
Nat Pagle, Extreme Angler
- Old: Overkill: Summon a 0/2 Treasure Chest. → New: After this attacks and kills a minion, add a random minion to your hand.
- Minions generated are from your Tavern Tier or below.
Mama Bear
- Old: [Tier 6] 5 Attack, 5 Health. Whenever you summon a Beast, give it +5/+5.→ New: [Tier 5] 4 Attack, 4 Health. Whenever you summon a Beast, give it +4/+4.
Goldrinn, the Great Wolf
- Old: Deathrattle: Give your Beasts +4/+4. → New: Deathrattle: Give your Beasts +5/+5.
Battlegrounds Hero Updates
- Lady Vashj has been removed from the Battlegrounds Hero pool.
Captain Eudora
- Buried Treasure
- Old: Dig for a Golden minion! (4 Digs left.) → New: Dig for a Golden minion! (5 Digs left.)
Reno Jackson
- Gonna Be Rich!
- Old: [Cost 2] → New: [Cost 0]
The Lich King
- Reborn Rites
- Old: [Cost 1] → New: [Cost 0]
Galakrond
- Galakrond’s Greed
- Now freezes the minion added to Bob’s Tavern.
Bugs Fixes & Game Improvements
- Fixed a visual bug with Archwitch Willow’s play animation.
- Fixed a bug where Southsea Strongarm was showing incorrect art.
- Fixed a bug where casting Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron with Rattlegore on board would cause the game to freeze.
- Fixed several technical bugs that would cause the game to crash.
I was hoped for Druid and Priest nerfs but Team 5 has so bad thoughts on that matter as always. I expecting they nerfing “Guardian Animals” and put it at 8 mana. Also i expecting to nerfing some “Lightning Bloom” or some mana card. It’s little annoying in turn 3 druid can drop “Ysera” or at 1 turn “Guardian Animals”. If happens that, the game is over. But “Kael’thas” nerf is ok even is too late but still druid can be powerful with “Maly” deck or even with “Guardian Animal”.
But Team 5 surprised me about “illucia” nerf. This card is wrong and ultra broken. When this card go down, the game is over. You just losing the game from a single, 2 mana card. This card destroy any combo you try to make in the whole game and also destroy any value you have in your hand. In general Priest is very annoying to play against but this card make him disgusting. At “3” mana the card still can destroy combo decks, still can destroy value games and still can win games. This is not nerf. This is a joke from Team 5. The right choice is to make the card 5 mana (at least) or they change the effect. Is not other way.
I’m pretty sure the card will get nerf again in the future like “Kael’thas” and so many other cards. Ordinary troll Nerfs from Team 5.
I agree wholeheartedly. I just played DH against a priest. The key to beating a priest as DH is to go for a big Altruis combo. Somewhere midgame after waiting and waiting, played 2x Skull of Gul’dan, had Altruis in my hand and about to go for the Altruis combo… Priest plays Mindrender Illucia and drops my entire hand on board. What really pisses my off is that the Hearthstone team acknowledged some time ago that cards that pulls or messes with cards from an opponents hand ain’t fun (remember Dirty Rat). Meh they’ll never learn.
What’s even stranger about the card is that it’s an obvious fact that blizzard has tried to push hand buff archetypes meant times (warlock, paladin, hunter, etc.). This card directly hard counters any such strategy.
My thoughts on the nerf though, it may be enough. Time will tell. Now that it’s understated, it may not be an auto-include any more. Like any tech card that’s match specific, you need to decide if it’s worth running for the matches where it’s strong. Players would probably stop running it if hunter became top meta for example. I understand your pain as DH, but having cards that control specific decks from going rampant is usually good for a balanced meta.
Imagine there’d be an understatted card that reads “next turn your opponent’s cards can’t be played at reduced value”. People would complain that it “kills DH, pali, rogue and druid”. I think such a card would be amazing at keeping a meta balanced. Having strong decks in existence is fine (hi pali). Going against the same 2 decks every time isn’t. Enter tech cards.
Secret passage is such a problematic card – absolutely broken and WAY too strong.. You would even play it for 3 cards I think… And its playable in every single rogue deck, because its just way too strong. Also, it makes no sense that you can create cards and then keep those plus your old hand.. Such a terribly designed card… If you want it to remain as 5 cards, it should at least be a legendary like Myras.
And I like they nerf Kaelthas so they dont give out any free dust – very typical of blizzard… Really think the problem lies with overgrowth and/or guardian animals. Its just way too highrolly and not fun to play against.
Dont think the Illucia nerf is going to change that much, but it makes it a bit worse vs aggro. Expecting a 2nd nerf in the future.
“And I like they nerf Kaelthas so they dont give out any free dust – very typical of blizzard”
Yes, its not like they ever nerfed DQA. Oh wait, they did. Twice. But babies gotta whine, right?
I even gave an additional explanation as to why I think the Kaelthas nerf isnt the right way to nerf the class. One of my points is that often they nerf some cards that make the deck unplayable but you are still left with the legendary/epic cards that didnt get nerfed, which you have spent dust on crafting.
It seems you just missed the entire point of my post. But kids gotta be smart online, right?
Probably because your whole rant is pointless.
They might as well remove the comment section then, if all comments are useless 🙂
That’s his whole schtick, moving goal posts and trolling. I generally agree with you though, not like druid will have any trouble coming up with that extra Mana anyway.
Your user name clearly identifies you as a troll. So fuck off.
Did you abusive alcoholic father never tell you he loved you? It’s obvious your mother was never in the picture.
No, overgrowth and Guardian Animals are still playable against. Druid needs the right hand most of the time to work, so no matter the buffs If you don’t draw Guardian Animals or overflow tô keep up. Got myself losing plenty of times because of that. It’s not like other classes that can still play even when they don’t get their perfect Mulligan, so this doesn’t make overgrowth or Guardian Animals the main problem and even less unfair
Kaelthas also needs the right cards to work, so what is your point? The problem about Kaelthas and Guardian Animals is that they come out on T3-T4, not so much their powerlevel as such.
KT and GA are possible to deal with later in the game, but almost always impossible when they come out too early.
And you are exactly right and that is the massive problem about druid. Either you run them over because they draw badly, or you get destroyed without a chance because they draw the nuts. Thats why the design should be fixed, imo starting with overgrowth. A 4 drop that has a 97% kept in mulligan, 67% winrate when drawn (just took the most played deck on hsreplay to get a reference)
Secret Passage could also use a slight nerf.
So they nerf priest and druid cuz they are too strong, but not paladin, paladins are in a perfect spot.
idk about you, but when playing as, or playing against pure pally, it never feels unfair.
So where’s the pally nerfs… Or we just ignoring the absurd winrate and over population? This has to be the worst expansion I’ve ever seen smh
Paladin is only OP at the super scrub ranks. Try learning to play.
Dude, I’ve made legend plenty, and am playing in upper diamond atm, every other deck is libram pally… It’s just annoying as hell. And if it isn’t pally, it’s guardian druid.
I think I will stick will the data amalgamated data by HSR rather than believe your absurd exaggerated statements despite your LOL HS credentials.
Small fix to Druids that will move to Mountseller builds (worse imo) and if population of Druid falls, the meta shifts to see more Rogues, DHs and Hunters. The Mindrender change has a big impact in T2 to steal coin/inervate/bloom in Druid match-up so the presence of this card will be meta dependend as a combo disruptor and not an autoinclude in every Priest decks.
Exactly my thoughts.
agree. this is also indirect but explicit nerf to the ten mana epic spell with no dust refund
Uhm…that’s it?
Can’t they switch back the casting cost then? 1mana per pay off spell is a huge difference with 0…
The cost of mind render is imho still low enough to use it I think. It is still a very good disruptive tool, taking one turn and at least one card away from the opponent.
They just killed murlocs as strategy. Noone will play it anymore. It’s probably even good.
Kael’thas nerf it’s ok i think but I would have her power activated, after Kael land on the ground so you can’t cast the spell before.
Mindreader, it’s a joke don’t change anything at all
yeah kael’s nerf doesnt change anythging – in my opinion. you never really do kael then ironbark or bogbeam then drop gardian or survival of the fittest. its still playable.
on turn 7