Patches the Pirate Loses Charge - Four Card Nerfs Coming in February
Four cards are being nerfed! These changes are not yet live and will be available in a February patch. They will all be disenchantable for their full value once to patch arrives. Please do not disenchant these cards until that patch - Blizzard won't help you out get the correct dust value.
- Bonemare now costs 8 mana, up from 7.
- Corridor Creeper now has 2 attack, down from 5.
- Patches the Pirate no longer has charge. His voice line will also be changing. (Source)
- Raza the Chained's effect now sets your Hero Power to 1 mana, up from 0.
We've got dedicated threads available to discuss each card nerf.
Discuss the Nerf Discuss the Nerf Discuss the Nerf Discuss the Nerf
Quote from BlizzardIn the upcoming 10.2 update, we will be making balance changes to the following cards:
Bonemare - Now costs 8 mana. (Up from 7)
Bonemare has been quite strong in both constructed and Arena. It has a big, immediate impact on the board, and since it’s neutral, it’s been finding its way into a wide variety of decks.
Increasing its mana cost by 1 will give opponents more time to utilize powerful late-game cards to counteract Bonemare’s effect on the board.
Corridor Creeper - Now has 2 Attack. (Down from 5)
Due to the way that Corridor Creeper’s mana cost reduction works, it can cause big swings based on whether or not it happens to be in-hand at the start of the game.
Since it’s a very strong neutral card, Corridor Creeper has been played by a lot of classes. By lowering its attack, we reduce the overall swing potential and power level of the card, but still allow players who draw it early to benefit from having a low-cost minion to play when the game state is ideal.
Patches the Pirate - No longer has Charge.
As we move closer to the new Hearthstone Year, we had some concerns about allowing Patches to remain in his current state after moving out of Standard. Patches’ strength has caused almost every class to add some Pirates just to benefit from him, and his early game power forces control decks to include a good answer to him. This change should give Wild players more flexibility when building their decks.
Removing Charge will lower his power level, ensuring he shows up in fewer decks and allowing opposing players some additional time to respond to Patches, making him less “in charge” of the early game.
Raza the Chained - Now reads: Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, your Hero Power costs (1) this game.
In a similar vein to Patches the Pirate, we had some concerns about allowing Raza to remain in his current state forever. Raza is currently an important combo piece along with Shadowreaper Anduin, and can lead to games that rely heavily on drawing him by turn 5. Adjusting his Battlecry will lower his overall power level when combined with Shadowreaper Anduin in Standard, and keep his power level reasonable in Wild as we prepare for the new Hearthstone Year.
Once these card changes are live with Update 10.2 next month, players will be able to disenchant the changed cards for their full Arcane Dust value for two weeks. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in the tavern!
OOOOBLIVIOOOON!!! ~Lord Jaraxxus.
Disenchanted my 2nd Patches over a year ago when it seemed no nerf was ever in sight, ugh.
The dusting system sucks; you can’t use mass disenchant even if there’s only 1 card you suspect of a nerf. There’s no way to deselect cards from being included in the mass dusting. Which means if you speculate a nerf, you have to individually dust cards until said nerf or you give up waiting for a nerf which may never come.
Patches will be at least still viable in Aggro-Druid (= one free target for the Aoe-buffs) and Pirat Decks in Wild because of Ships Canon.
Blizzard nerf hammer strikes again - and it hits hard as usual.
Raza: I get the problem with Raza - especially in wild. However, I think the card will be more or less useless. You have to remove all duplicates to reduce your heropower by (1)? That seems excessive to me.
Patches: He is no longer a tempo play. Sure you get a 1/1 body but you can't trade with him - which was one of his strongest assets. Worthless card.
Corridor creeper: This card was problematic. I still think some decks will use it if they can buff it's attack somehow. I mean a 0 mana 2/5 is not terrible - especially not if it is buffed somehow. The biggest problem for the card will probably the that it trades poorly.
Bonemare: fair nerf. I will still see some play.
Patches is in Wild still one free extra-shot with Ships Canon, which is still very strong. And for Aggro-Druid he is still one free token for the Aoe-buffs.
Prepare for 2 months of Spiteful Summoner decks,Cubelocks,Jades and some other decks coming to the rise,which raza priest opressed before,like Elemental Shaman.
And then there will be me with Malygos quest druid EZ BIG EZ DRUID EZ
holy shit, Creeper got fucking obliterated.
Might still work in Hunter or Shaman though. Shaman can use it for super evolve value and in Hunter any extra tempo with a beast tag is appreciated.
Feels good though, getting free dust for Patches and being able to refund Raza.
Don't feel like Bonemare is particularly necessary however. Would rather they nerfed Scalebane which is just more snowbally in general.
Creeper will still be viable in hunter and aggro druid for sure.
Bonemare is just better than scalebane because you get to control what gets buffed on the board AND get to use that buff the turn you play the card, not to mention giving the minion taunt which can really matter. Scalebane would need to stay on the board for more than a turn for you to get comparable value out of it.
Patches no longer in charge PogChamp
ok, but one thing I really hate. I've been collecting dust for a very long time to craft some of these cards, specially Raza and Patches, and I just dont want to dissenchant them. They should just give us 1600 dust for them, I think it would be fair!
dude, I want to keep my cards that I have been investing time to craft them.
That's what you will get. Full dust if disenchanted during the first 2 weeks since update.
I read somewere that paches should have had an Battlecry gain charge so when you drawing him it isnt that bad (atleast he would be an stone tusk boar then). And after reading it i have to agree. and 1 mana 1/1 when drawn is horrible were already seeing win rates drop when drawn.
Have a downvote
Have all the downvotes!
WTF? That corridor creeper nerf makes it absolutely unplayable...
Corridor Creeper is now statted like a very good three-drop, eh? This is definitely a "let's sink this badboy" nerf. I'm surprised they nerfed Patches, I know people hate him with a passion, but I almost expected Blizzard to sleep on it. So now he's just a card which slightly increases your deck speed if you bother to play some Pirates... Very fair change.
In general I like the nerfs, I would've loved to see something target Cubelock, like making Dark Pact cost 2 mana or changing the text of Possessed Lackey to "Deathrattle: Recruit a Demon with 3 Attack or less." but oh well... I now hope Doomguard will go to the Hall of Fame when the first expansion of 2018 hits.