Update: The patch was supposed to launch at 10 AM PT (19:00 CET) but it has been delayed due to technical issues. We don’t have an exact ETA, but it should be out “later today”.
Blizzard just posted patch notes for the 31.4.2 update launching today. The patch was already teased yesterday, but we now have a full list of changes.
For Standard, it’s a small patch with just three changes. Here’s a full list:
It’s a much bigger patch in both Battlegrounds and Arena. In Battlegrounds, we have over 50 different changes – nerfs and buffs, card reworks, minions entering and leaving the pool. And in Arena, the patch contains a solid round of microadjustments, aiming to adjust the power level between classes (strong cards from the best classes will appear less often and vice versa).
Read the full patch notes below:
Patch 31.4.2, launching today, includes the following updates and bug fixes.
Hearthstone Updates
Dev Comment: The Heroes of StarCraft Mini-Set has brought lots of new and exciting decks across a variety of classes and all three factions. The response to the Mini-Set has been great, so we’re doing a light patch here, only hitting the most extreme play patterns. Nexus-Prince Zerg was a bridge too Shaffar and infinite Snapshots made Fizzle feel overexposed. These changes should help the meta continue developing on its own. Along the same lines, we did not want to use this patch window to make big buffs, but we did find one place where we could safely add a little power across the Protoss classes.
Nexus-Prince Shaffar
Old: Spellburst: Give a minion in your hand +3/+3 and this Spellburst.
New: Spellburst: Give a minion in your hand +3/+3 and this Spellburst (unless it already has these effects).
No longer banned.
Photographer Fizzle
Old: Battlecry: Take a Snapshot of your current hand and shuffle it into your deck.
New: Both Photographer Fizzle’s Battlecry and the Snapshot token are now limited to once per game.
Dev Comment: You can still play more than one Snapshot per game, but after the first one they won’t do anything. Or, you could say that they “fizzle.”
The disenchantable cards above will be eligible for full dust refunds for two weeks following Patch 31.4.2.
Void Ray
Old: 3/1
New: 3/2
Battlegrounds Updates
Dev Comment: There are a lot of changes this patch, with the general goal of providing more options for play. We did this by lowering the power of some popular cards and strategies (like ‘Loc Prince, Ultraviolet Ascendant, and Beetles), while buffing some underrepresented archetypes (like Demons, Dragons, and Naga). We also brought back some old favorites to open up more synergies. We have more content on the way and are looking forward to sharing more soon. We’ll see you in the Tavern!
Card Pool Changes
Outback Smolderer, Razorgore the Untamed, Arcane Cannoneer, and Murky have been removed from the minion pool.
Slitherspear Lord of Gains, Salty Hog, Amber Guardian, Hawkstrider Herald, and Stormbringer have been returned to the minion pool (all with adjustments, see below).
Card Changes
Forest Rover
Old: 4/2. Battlecry: Your Beetles have +2/+1 this game. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
New: 5/2. Battlecry: Your Beetles have +1/+1 this game. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
Runed Progenitor
Old: 2/7. Avenge (4): Your Beetles have +2/+2 this game. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
New: 2/8. Avenge (3): Your Beetles have +2/+2 this game. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
Turquoise Skitterer
Old: 2/4. Deathrattle: Your Beetles have +1/+2 this game. Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
New: 2/5. Deathrattle: Your Beetles have +1/+1 this game. Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
Hawkstrider Herald
Old: Start of Combat: Trigger all friendly Deathrattles.
New: Start of Combat: Trigger your two left-most Deathrattles.
Archimonde
Old: [Tier 4] 4/5. After your hero takes damage, rewind it and reduce the Cost of your next Tavern spell by (1) (but not less than 1).
New: [Tier 5] 5/5. After your hero takes damage, rewind it and reduce the Cost of your next Tavern spell by (1).
Big Brother
Old: [Tier 3] 4/3. Taunt. After you cast a Tavern spell, minions in the Tavern have +1/+1 this turn.
New: [Tier 4] 5/4. Taunt. After you cast a Tavern spell, minions in the Tavern have +1/+2 this turn.
Tichondrius
Old: 3/3. After your hero takes damage, give your Demons +1/+1.
New: 3/6. After your hero takes damage, give your Demons +2/+1.
Nether Drake
Old: [Tier 5]
New: [Tier 4]
Amber Guardian
Old: [Tier 4] 3/3. Start of Combat: Give another friendly Dragon +3/+3 and Divine Shield.
New: [Tier 3] 3/2. Start of Combat: Give another friendly Dragon +2/+2 and Divine Shield.
Prized Promo-Drake
Old: [Tier 5] 5/4. Start of Combat: Give your other Dragons +5/+4.
New: [Tier 4] 3/3. Start of Combat: Give your other Dragons +3/+3.
Stormbringer
Old: [Tier 4] 1/9
New: [Tier 5] 1/14
Hunter of Gatherers
Old: [Tier 4] 3/6. Whenever this gains Attack, give your minions +1 Health.
New: [Tier 5] 3/5. Whenever this gains Attack, give your other minions +2 Health.
Dune Dweller
Old: When you sell this, Elementals in the Tavern get +1/+1 this game.
New: Battlecry: Elementals in the Tavern have +1/+1 this game.
Meteorite Crasher
Old: 2/4. After you sell an Elemental, gain +2/+2.
New: 2/3. After you sell an Elemental, gain +3/+3.
Nomi, Kitchen Nightmare
Old: After you play an Elemental, Elementals in the Tavern have +1/+1 this game.
New: After you play an Elemental, Elementals in the Tavern have +2/+1 this game.
Ultraviolet Ascendant
Old: 5/3. Start of Combat: Give your Elementals +2/+1. (Upgrades after you play an Elemental!)
New: 6/3. Start of Combat: Give your other Elementals +2/+1. (Upgrades after you play an Elemental!)
Holo Rover
Old: 3/5. Divine Shield. Whenever this attacks, get a random Magnetic Mech.
New: 4/8. Whenever this attacks, get a random Magnetic Mech.
Marquee Ticker
Old: 3/5
New: 1/5
Bubble Gunner
Old: 3/2
New: 2/3
Fairy Gillmother
Old: 2/5
New: 1/5
King Bagurgle
Old: Battlecry: Give your other Murlocs +3/+4.
New: Battlecry: Give your other Murlocs +3/+3.
Young Murk-Eye
Old: At the end of your turn, trigger the Battlecry of the minion to the left of this.
New: At the end of your turn, trigger the Battlecry of an adjacent minion.
Dev Comment: This is primarily a quality of life change.
‘Loc Prince
Old: 2/2. Divine Shield. Whenever this gains stats, add +2/+2 to that amount (wherever this is).
New: 2/1. Divine Shield. Whenever this gains stats, add +2/+1 to that amount (wherever this is).
Corrupted Myrmidon
Old: [Tier 5] 4/4
New: [Tier 4] 2/2
Slitherspear, Lord of Gains
Old: 4/6. At the end of your turn, give your other Naga +1/+1. (Improved by each different spell you’ve cast this turn!)
New: 5/6. At the end of your turn, give your Naga +1/+1. (Improved by each different spell you’ve cast this turn!)
Old: [Tier 4] 4/4. Start of Combat: Give your other Pirates “Deathrattle: Summon a 1/1 Pirate. It attacks immediately.”
New: [Tier 5] 5/5. Start of Combat: Give your Pirates “Deathrattle: Summon a Scallywag.”
Note: The Scallywags do not attack immediately.
Salty Hog
Old: [Tier 6]
New: [Tier 5]
Gritty Headhunter
Old: 5/4
New: 4/2
Boar Gamer
Old: [Tier 4] 3/5
New: [Tier 3] 2/4
Thorned Trailblazer
Old: [Tier 4] 5/6
New: [Tier 3] 4/5
Fearless Foodie
Old: [Tier 3] 2/4. Choose One – Your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+1 this game; or Get 3 Blood Gems.
New: [Tier 4] 3/5. Choose One – Your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+1 this game; or Get 4 Blood Gems.
Pokey Thornmantle
Old: 6/6. At the start of your turn, your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+1 this game.
New: 6/7. At the start of your turn, your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+2 this game.
Ensorcelled Fungus
Old: [Tier 5]
New: [Tier 4]
Inspiring Underdog
Old: 2/1. Battlecry: Give your minions from Tier 3 or lower +2/+1.
New: 3/1. Battlecry: Give your minions from Tier 3 or lower +3/+1.
Arid Atrocity
Old: 7/7. Deathrattle: Summon a 7/7 Golem. (Improved by each friendly minion type that died this combat!)
New: 6/6. Deathrattle: Summon a 6/6 Golem. (Improved by each friendly minion type that died this combat!)
Menagerie Jug
Old: Battlecry: Give 3 friendly minions of different types +2/+2.
New: Battlecry: Give 3 friendly minions of different types +3/+3.
Magnanimoose
Old: [Tier 4]
New: [Tier 5]
Loyal Mobster
Old: [Tier 5] 4/3
New: [Tier 6] 6/5
Storm Splitter
Old: [Tier 4]
New: [Tier 5]
Arena Updates
We’re making some draft microadjustments to adjust relative power levels between the class:
The following cards have been removed from the draft pool: Piranha Swarmer, Volatile Skeleton, Sinstone Totem, and Kerrigan Queen of Blades.
The following cards will now appear less frequently in draft pools: Assimilating Blight, Horizon’s Edge, Tide Pools, Nightcloak Sanctum, Collateral Damage, and Patchwork Pals.
The following cards will now appear more frequently in draft pools: High Templar, Dark Templar, Starship Schematic, Arkonite Defense Crystal, Lurker, Starport (in Warrior and Paladin), Lift Off (in Warrior and Paladin), Flash Sale, Salvage the Bunker, Mothership, Ultralisk Cavern, Felfire Thrusters, Bad Omen, Boom Wrench, Yamato Cannon, Carrier, Construct Pylons, Sha’tari Cloakfield, Astral Phaser, Starlight Reactor, Cosmic Phenomenon, and Immortal.
Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
[Progression] Fixed a bug where Nozdormu Day was skipped last month. Nozdormu has traveled the timeline and will be granting a replacement Nozdormu Day tomorrow, February 5! A Bronze Dragon is never late. He arrives precisely when he means to.
[Progression] Fixed a bug where the Proxy Pylon event quest didn’t count Casual, Tavern Brawl, or friendly challenges.
[Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Artanis’s Twin Blades Hero Power text didn’t dynamically update with its effect.
[Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Boar Gamer could be targeted with Efficient Engineer’s Battlecry, even on Boar Gamer’s “off” turns (correctly, but disappointingly, resulting in no effect).
[Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Golden Inspiring Underdog gave the wrong stats buff when paired with Brann Bronzebeard.
[Battlegrounds] Updated Catacomb Crasher and Thundering Abominations animations when triggered multiple times at once, to avoid associated performance issues.
A Hearthstone player and writer from Poland, Stonekeep has been in a love-hate relationship with Hearthstone since Closed Beta. Over that time, he has achieved many high Legend climbs and infinite Arena runs. He's the current admin of Hearthstone Top Decks.
