Card Nerf Reverts Go Live March 25, but They Don't Rotate Out Until March 30 - What Does It Mean for the Meta + Full List of Unnerfs

By Stonekeep - March 23, 2021

One of the biggest features of the upcoming patch are nerf reverts for 36 cards, including a couple of partial ones (where the card gets buffed, but not to its original state). Many of those cards used to be problematic in Standard, but once they rotate out (or already rotated out) to Wild, they should no longer be a big deal.

However, the timing on this is very interesting. Patch 20.0 drops on March 25, and all the reverts happen then. However, rotation is scheduled for March 30 (Forged in the Barrens launch), which means that we'll have five days of nerfs reverted, but those cards remaining in Standard. What does it mean for the meta?

Well, in some cases - nothing. There are cards that most likely won't see play even after their nerfs get reverted. For example, I don't imagine that unnerfed Ancient of Lore or let's say Scion of Ruin will suddenly dominate the meta. Yes, there's a chance they see play, but their impact isn't likely going to be massive given the current power level.

That said, some of those cards will absolutely make a difference. When it comes to Wild format, what most of players are waiting for (or afraid of) is Rogue's Quest - The Caverns Below. In its original state, back in Standard, it was absolutely dominating the meta. Even after a nerf it became one of the best decks and has even seen a decent amount of play after TWO nerfs a couple expansions later, before finally falling off after a stealth nerf to Sonya Shadowdancer (1/1's produced by her were no longer buffed to 4/4 by the Quest, making her quite useless). The card is going back to its original form - but Sonya's nerf is still in place, so it's hard to say how it will look like in the Wild. But there's a chance that even if it doesn't dominate (because let's face the truth - it probably won't), it at least becomes a viable build. But Wild isn't as interesting here, because those cards will remain in unnerfed form in Wild.

But Standard will also have its fair share of interesting builds coming back to life. First of all - Starving Buzzard. The card is going back to 2 mana - which is a HUGE deal that can buff Hunter a lot. Combine it with Unleash the Hounds for 5 mana semi-board clear and massive card draw. With Hunter's Mark going back to 1 mana and Dinotamer Brann back to 7, Highlander Hunter can make a real comeback. Or maybe not, because Bad Luck Albatross, the notorious counter to Highlander decks, is also back at 3 mana.

Mage is looking good too, mostly thanks to Conjurer's Calling becoming 3 mana again. The card is strong even at 4 mana, but at 3 it was simply broken. We might see some decks built around it popping again. Heck - Mages might even try out Mana Wyrm again, now that it costs 1 mana, but luckily it's "only" a 1/2, so it won't be as broken as it was back in the day.

If you played around Descent of Dragons launch, you definitely remember Galakrond Shaman - and right now it's getting unnerfed. Corrupt Elementalist, Invocation of Frost and Dragon's Pack are all back to their original form, so I would be surprised if players didn't try it out now that it's back to its glory days.

And if you're a fan of Combo decks, you definitely will be happy to know that Charge is back in action - it costs 3 again, but actually gives minion what its name would suggest - Charge. Combine it with Raging Worgen, Inner Rage and Bloodsworn Mercenary and you have a combo that's very easy to pull and just OTK's your opponent. We might see it replacing E.T.C., God of Metal package, or maybe a completely new deck will be built around it.

Of course, that's not all, those are just a few possible builds off the top of my head. There are definitely more ways to utilize those cards, and players will surely find a way to "break" some of them. But if you aren't a fan of a crazy, possibly unbalanced meta - don't worry, in the worst case scenario it will last for only a few days. I, for one, will definitely enjoy playing around with unnerfed cards before rotation.

In case you're interested in doing your own theorycrafting, you can find a full list of nerf reverts below. We'll mostly cover the short-lived "revert meta" by adding new decks with those cards, but you shouldn't expect a ton of coverage - after all, any articles or guides about it would have a very short shelf life, since everything goes back to normal on March 30.

Current version is on the left side, unnerfed version is on the right side.

Druid

Hunter

Mage

Note: Mana Wyrm nerf is only partially reverted - it's now a 1 mana 1/2. The reason is that the card is very likely to come back to Standard at one point. Wyrm Weaver, a card that will remain in Standard (since it's from Scholomance), is also getting changed because changing Mana Wyrm to 1/2 effectively nerfs it.

Paladin

Priest

Rogue

Note: Blade Flurry is only a partial revert - it costs 2 mana, but no longer deals face damage. Caverns Below goes back to both its original cost and stat boost (5/5).