(Live Now) Hearthstone 34.0.2 Patch Notes – Standard, Wild, Battlegrounds and Arena Balance Changes

Update: The patch is now live! Since it’s a data-only update, it should be out on both PC and mobile. Enjoy!

Blizzard just posted patch notes for the 34.0.2 update launching today. It’s a big balance update with changes for Standard, Wild and Battlegrounds format, as well as some bug fixes. The patch was already teased yesterday, but we now have a full list of changes.

In Standard, we’re getting 16 changes, all of them nerfs:

Standard – Nerfs

• Fyrakk the Blazing now costs 10 mana and casts 15 mana worth of Fire spells (previously costs 9 mana and casts 20 mana of spells).
• Ancient of Yore now gives 3 Armor (previously 5 Armor).
• Arkonite Defense Crystal no longer has Taunt.
• Escape the Underfel now requires 6 Temporary cards played and the reward costs 5 mana (previously 5 Temporary cards and reward costs 3 mana).
• Dive the Golakka Depths now requires 6 Murlocs summoned for every buff (previously 5 Murlocs).
• Sparkling Phial now costs 4 mana (previously 3 mana).
• Corpsicle now costs 3 mana (previously 2 mana).
• Sanguine Infestation now costs 5 mana (previously 4 mana).
• Sandbox Scoundrel now reduces the cost of your next card by 2 mana (previously by 3 mana).
• Resuscitate now costs 6 mana (previously 5 mana).
• Testing Dummy now only damages enemy minions (previously all enemies).
• Chemical Spill now costs 6 mana (previosuly 5 mana).
• Ultralisk Cavern now costs 4 mana (previously 3 mana).
• Metal Detector now gives a Coin on Deathrattle (previously for every minion killed).
• R.C. Rampage now costs 5 mana (previously 4 mana).
• Battlefiend is now a 1/2 (previously 1/3).

In Wild, we have 2 nerfs:

Wild – Nerfs

• Holy Wrath now costs 3 mana but can only target minions (previously 5 mana, can target anything).
• Malchezaar's Imp now costs 2 mana (previously 1 mana).

The patch also comes with a lot of Battlegrounds changes. It’s the final major balance update of the season. The changes are mostly focused on nerfs to Demons and Murlocs (especially their power level ceiling) and buffs to Undead. There are also some changes to Heroes and Buddies. I won’t list them all here, but you can find them below!

It looks like unlike most of the patches, this one doesn’t come with any bug fixes or QoL improvements. Either way, you can check out the full patch notes here:

Patch 34.0.2 launches today with balance updates for Hearthstone, Wild, and Battlegrounds.

Hearthstone Updates

Dev Comment: Well met! We’ve been loving the fresh decks and creative strategies you’ve been brewing with the new cards from Across the Timeways, like Lo-Gosh Warrior and Aura Paladin. Our goal with this balance update is to keep that spirit of experimentation alive by toning down a variety of cards that have long dominated the meta.

Strong decks from the last expansion and influential cards like Fyrakk have shaped the playing field in big ways. By adjusting these, we are opening the door for new ideas and strategies to succeed across all levels of play.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

The power level of these cards has been lowered:

Fyrakk the Blazing

• Old: [9 mana] Battlecry: Cast 20 Mana worth of Fire spells at random enemies.
• New: [10 mana] Battlecry: Cast 15 Mana worth of Fire spells at random enemies.
• Dev Comment: Fyrakk has served as a go-to Neutral finisher for a while, so we’re cooling him off a bit to encourage exploration of more class-specific win conditions.

Ancient of Yore

• Old: Dormant for 2 turns. While Dormant, gain 5 Armor and draw a card at the end of your turn.
• New: Dormant for 2 turns. While Dormant, gain 3 Armor and draw a card at the end of your turn.

Arkonite Defense Crystal

• Old: Taunt
• New: No longer has Taunt

Escape the Underfel

• Old: Play 5 Temporary cards. Quest reward Underfel Rift costs 3 mana.
• New: Play 6 Temporary cards. Quest reward Underfel Rift costs 5 mana.

Dive the Golakka Depths

• Old: Play 5 Murlocs.
• New: Play 6 Murlocs.
• Dev Comment: This Quest has been especially prevalent in lower rank brackets, so we’re scaling it back to shake things up.

Sparkling Phial

• Old: [3 mana]
• New: [4 mana]

Corpsicle

• Old: [2 mana]
• New: [3 mana]

Sanguine Infestation

• Old: [4 mana]
• New: [5 mana]

Sandbox Scoundrel

• Old: Your next card this turn costs (3) less.
• New: Your next card this turn costs (2) less.

Resuscitate

• Old: [5 mana]
• New: [6 mana]

Testing Dummy

• Old: Deathrattle: Deal 8 damage randomly split among all enemies.
• New: Deathrattle: Deal 8 damage split among enemy minions.

Chemical Spill

• Old: [5 mana]
• New: [6 mana]

Ultralisk Cavern

• Old: [3 mana]
• New: [4 mana]

Metal Detector

• Old: After your hero attacks and kills a minion, get a Coin.
• New: Deathrattle: Get a Coin.

R.C. Rampage

• Old: [4 mana]
• New: [5 mana]

Battlefiend

• Old: 1/3.
• New: 1/2.

Wild Updates

Dev Comment: We’re making a few targeted adjustments to outliers in Wild. Holy Wrath has been part of Hearthstone since the very beginning, but its current level of consistency and burst damage goes beyond what we want for the format. As for Discard Warlock, it’s a core strategy for the class and will continue to receive support, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on it to ensure the cumulative impact of its cards doesn’t push things too far.

The power level of these cards has been lowered:

Holy Wrath

• Old: [5 mana] Draw a card and deal damage equal to its cost.
• New: [3 mana] Draw a card and deal damage equal to its cost to a minion.

Malchezaar’s Imp

• Old: [1 mana]
• New: [2 mana]

Battlegrounds Updates

Dev Comment: This patch will likely be our final major balance update for the season. With the new season expected to shake up the meta in a big way, we’ve kept these changes focused on three key types: Demons, Murlocs, and Undead.

• Demons: We’re removing Cultist S’thara and reducing Lord of Ruins to +2/+1. This should lower the ceiling of the damage archetype without removing it entirely. We considered nerfing or removing Hawkstrider Herald instead, but decided against it since that card supports other strategies like Beasts. This also has the side benefit of removing Transmuted Bramblewitch, which should cut down on overall “scam” potential.
• Murlocs: We’ve adjusted Young Murk-Eye and Azerite Empowerment to reduce the power ceiling of the Magicfin Mycologist strategy. We discussed removing Magicfin itself, but kept it in because it creates interesting decisions and strategies. We’ll be monitoring these changes closely.
• Undead: This type has been struggling across the board, so we’ve applied broad buffs to several cards to help it compete. Other minion changes (such as Coldlight Diver, Lost City Looter, All-Seeing Elder, and Fire-Forged Evoker) are targeted at individual outliers rather than entire archetypes.

We also made minor adjustments to various heroes and buddies to keep them more in line. We kept these light since hero power will shift significantly once Buddies rotate out, and we’ll revisit hero balance next season.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this season of Battlegrounds. Big changes are coming to the Tavern soon, and we can’t wait to share more with you. Until then, happy battling, and we’ll see you next time!

Buddy Updates

Tier Changes

The following Buddies have had their Tier increased by 1:

• Tychus Findlay (Jim Raynor) – Tier 2 → 3
• Kil’rek (Lord Jaraxxus) – Tier 2 → 3
• Hunter of Old (Tess Greymane) – Tier 3 → 4

The following Buddies have had their Tier decreased by 1:

• Crabby (Tavish Stormpike) – Tier 4 → 3
• Nexus Lord (Malygos) – Tier 4 → 3
• Karl the Lost (George the Fallen) – Tier 3 → 2
• Piloted Whirl-O-Tron (Sneed) – Tier 5 → 4
• Sub Scrubber (Ini Stormcoil) – Tier 4 → 3
• Baby Y’Shaarj (Y’Shaarj) – Tier 4 → 3
• Spirit Raptor (Bru’kan) – Tier 2 → 1
• SI:7 Scout (Edwin VanCleef) – Tier 2 → 1
• Snow Elemental (Chenvaala) – Tier 3 → 2
• Unearthed Underling (Lich Baz’hial) – Tier 2 → 1
• Festergut (Professor Putricide) – Tier 5 → 4
• Wandering Treant (Greybough) – Tier 5 → 4
• Akali, Rock Rhino (Rock Master Voone) – Tier 3 → 2
• Baby Elekk (Xyrella) – Tier 4 → 3

Buddy Changes

Elementium Squirrel Bomb (Millificent Manastorm)

• Old: Deathrattle: Deal 2 damage to a random enemy minion for each of your Mechs that died this combat.
• New: Deathrattle: Deal 4 damage to a random enemy minion for each of your Mechs that died this combat.

Icesnarl the Mighty (Rokara)

• Old: After a friendly minion kills an enemy, gain +2 Health permanently.
• New: After a friendly minion kills an enemy, gain +3 Health permanently.

Anomaly Changes

• Sylvanas Windrunner has been banned from Audience’s Choice
• Jim Raynor has been banned from Continuing Education
• Rock Master Voone has been banned from Path of the Treasure Seeker
• Treasure Hoard, Scout’s Honor, and The Yogg-iseum have had their appearance rates lowered at high ranks

Minion and Spell Pool Changes

The following Minions have been removed from the Minion Pool:

• Cultist S’Thara
• Transmuted Bramblewitch
• All-Seeing Elder

Minion and Spell Updates

Minion Changes

Young Murk-Eye

• Old: 10/5. At the end of your turn, trigger the Battlecries of adjacent Murlocs.
• New: 9/6. At the end of your turn, trigger the Battlecry of an adjacent minion.

Coldlight Diver

• Old: 3/1. Battlecry and Deathrattle: Get a random Tier 1 Tavern spell.
• New: 1/1. Battlecry and Deathrattle: Get a random Tier 1 Tavern spell.

Lost City Looter

• Old: [Tier 3] 2/2. Taunt. At the end of your turn, get a random Bounty.
• New: [Tier 4] 5/5. Taunt. At the end of your turn, get a random Bounty.

Peggy Sturdybone

• Old: [Tier 4] 4/2. Whenever a card is added to your hand, give another friendly Pirate +1/+1.
• New: [Tier 3] 3/2. Whenever a card is added to your hand, give another friendly Pirate +1/+1.

Eternal Knight

• Old: 4/1. Has +2/+1 for each friendly Eternal Knight that died this game (wherever this is).
• New: 3/1. Has +3/+1 for each friendly Eternal Knight that died this game (wherever this is).

Oranomonos, the Wilted

• Old: [Tier 6] 3/8. After a friendly minion is Reborn, your Undead have +3 Attack this game (wherever they are).
• New: [Tier 5] 2/8. After a friendly minion is Reborn, your Undead have +2 Attack this game (wherever they are).

Noisul of the Many Faces

• Old: [Tier 5] 2/8. Whenever you summon an Undead, give all your Undead +2/+1 permanently.
• New: [Tier 6] 3/9. Whenever you summon an Undead, give all your Undead +3/+2 permanently.

Carapace Raiser

• Old: [Tier 5]
• New: [Tier 4]

Catacomb Crasher

• Old: 5/10. Whenever you would summon a minion that doesn’t fit in your warband, give your minions +1/+1 permanently.
• New: 6/10. Whenever you would summon a minion that doesn’t fit in your warband, give your minions +2/+1 permanently.

Fire-forged Evoker

• Old: 8/5. Start of Combat: Give your other Dragons +1/+1. After you cast a Tavern spell, improve this.
• New: 9/6. Start of Combat: Give your Dragons +1/+1. After you cast a Tavern spell, improve this.

Fauna Whisperer

• Old: 3/8. At the end of your turn, cast Natural Blessing on the minion to the left of this.
• New: 4/9. At the end of your turn, cast Natural Blessing on adjacent minions.

Goldrinn, the Great Wolf

• Old: 5/5. Deathrattle: For the rest of this combat, your Beasts have +5/+5.
• New: 6/6. Deathrattle: For the rest of this combat, your Beasts have +6/+6.

Lord of Ruins

• Old: After a friendly Demon deals damage, give friendly minions other than it +2/+2.
• New: After a friendly Demon deals damage, give friendly minions other than it +2/+1.

Spell Changes

Azerite Empowerment

• Old: Give your minions +3/+3 twice.
• New: Give your minions +2/+2 twice.

Hero Updates

Thorim, Stormlord

Choose Your Champion

• Old: Passive. At the start of the game, Discover a Tier 7 minion to get after you spend 60 Gold.
• New: Passive. At the start of the game, Discover a Tier 7 minion to get after you spend 55 Gold.

Kerrigan

• Old: Spawning Pool [6 Gold]
• New: Spawning Pool [7 Gold]
• Old: Evolution Chamber [8 Gold]
• New: Evolution Chamber [9 Gold]

Mutalisk

• Old: After a friendly minion kills an enemy, gain +1 Attack permanently. (Morphs each turn!)
• New: After a friendly minion kills an enemy, gain +3 Attack permanently. (Morphs each turn!)

Artanis

Carrier

• Old: Avenge (4): Summon a 3/3 Interceptor. Then improve this permanently.
• New: Avenge (4): Summon a 5/5 Interceptor. Then improve this permanently.

Colossus

• Old: Rally: Deal 1 damage to the target’s neighbors. (Upgrades when you spend Gold!)
• New: Rally: Deal 2 damage to the target’s neighbors. (Upgrades when you spend Gold!)

Hero Armor Changes

The following Heroes have had their Armor reduced:

• E.T.C., Band Manager has 12 Armor and 10 in Duos
• Jim Raynor has 14 Armor and 12 in Duos
• Reno Jackson has 14 Armor and 12 in Duos
• Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End has 12 Armor and 10 in Duos

The following Heroes have had their Armor increased:

• Ambassador Faelin has 14 Armor and 12 in Duos
• Dinotamer Brann has 18 Armor and 15 in Duos
• Forest Lord Cenarius has 17 Armor and 15 in Duos
• Fungalmancer Flurgl has 15 Armor and 12 in Duos
• Overlord Saurfang has 18 Armor and 15 in Duos
• Patches the Pirate has 17 Armor and 15 in Duos
• Queen Azshara has 14 Armor and 12 in Duos
• Queen Wagtoggle has 14 Armor and 12 in Duos
• Sindragosa has 10 Armor and 8 in Duos
• The Rat King has 15 Armor and 13 in Duos
• Vanndar Stormpike has 17 Armor and 15 in Duos

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