Balance changes are coming! Hooray!!! What are your predictions?
I think we'll see something along these lines
Druid: Needs a nerf badly. The whole class is busted. Ultimately, I think the biggest culprit is the classic set (Wild Growth, Nourish), but I don't know if they'll touch that at this time. I think we'll see some manner of nerf to Spreading Plague, Ultimate Infestation, or both.
Quest Rogue: Again, I think one of the biggest culprits is the classic set (Preparation, Vanish), but they might not touch that. The nerf should probably be an entire rework of the quest, but that seems too extreme for a balance change. Maybe another tweak? Like the reward is a 5/5 stealth minion that makes all other minions 5/5's or something. That way, you can interact with the stealth minion through AOE.
Giggling Inventor: People have forever said that "you can counter" giggling inventor. But the fact that every deck needs to counter it is the problem. To bust out a pokemon reference, Giggling Inventor is Garchomp circa 2008. I personally think it needs a nerf, but I don't think it will get one. That said, I only think they'll nerf Giggling Inventor if they don't do much to Quest Rogue.
Wild: I think balancing Wild format is fundamentally a sisyphean mistake. That said, people whine really loudly. I think Aviana is probably changed into a 10 mana card. That way 1 melon doesn't get the whole combo, and the whole combo also requires an unsearchable Innervate.
Baku: Short of an entire rework, I think maybe they'll just make the Baku Hero Powers cost 3? I don't really know, there is a lot here to unpack.
Since they previously stated they were keeping their eyes on Giggling Inventor, I think it is safe to say that card gets hit somehow. The card is certainly being played a ton, in both ladder and tournaments. Is that enough to stop Quest Rogue? I doubt it. I expect that deck to get hit, either the Quest itself, or some other piece of it.
I think the card blizzard should nerf for druid is Branching Paths, that card is just WAY too flexible, and gives druid too much survivability, so I predict an armor nerf from 6 to 4. That would make Star Aligner Druid in wild also much more manageable, but I think blizzard will nerf that deck further by hitting Juicy Psychmelon somehow or Aviana by making her ability a battlecry.
As for Quest Rogue, I think they will be ashamed of having to nerf the quest a THIRD time, so they will probably hit Sonya instead, and of course nerfing Giggling Inventor (probably making it cost 6 mana) will hurt it a little bit.
The last nerf I expect is on Fungalmancer, also probably making it cost 6 mana or maybe give 2/1 instead, in order to nerf Odd Rogue and Zoo, though I think this is probably the least important nerf.
This card has been a staple in Druid, and is by far it's best 2 drop. The early ramp can really make a difference especially in combination with Druids insane armouring up ability. The Nerf: It will cost 3 mana
I think Aviana is actually the main culprit, as long as that card exists new problems will always arise. However I think Blizzard doesn't want to change that card, but rather focus on one of the newer cards. which would mean Juicy Psychmelon. The Nerf: It will no longer draw 4 cards, but 3 cards.
This card is part of the reason that Druid has become a massive armour class. Being able to gain 24 HP in a single on top of the max HP is absolutely broken. The other two options are harder to nerf aswell, as they are already at the minimal amount. The Nerf: The armor option gives 1 less armour.
With blizzard having nerfed quest twice already, I think they will look at other cards to weaking it first. Probably Sonya. The Nerf: Either a mana cost increase or give the minion at the end of the turn.
This card has pretty much been a mistake. I think Blizzard realises this too. The nerf: If they are going to do something about this quest, it has to be that they change the fundamental reward of it.
Gaining 4 HP on top of the max possible Hp for 2 mana recastable every turn is pretty frustrating to play against. But I think this suffers from the same problem as Quest Rogue, It is almost an auto lose match-up, however the main victim this time is aggro, not control. The Nerf: I think it should be reduced to 3 armour each turn.
I see a problem rising if they nerf Giggling Inventor to 6 mana. Yeah it's gonna stop Odd decks from having an amazing Aggro/ Control/ Tempo card, but it'll just give that option to Even decks, I know we don't see them a lot of them currently, but watch out. Paladin, Shaman and Warlock are waiting... ever vigilant.
The only nerfs I want to see are to quest rogue and Druid as a class. Everything else is okay. Even Giggling Inventor. I'll be pretty sad if they need that.
I also disagree with the OP about Fungalmancer. That cannot be nerfed. It isn't even slightly overpowered for its cost. It's a dead card with one or less minions on the board. Something that happens a lot.
The Caverns Below: the reward turns all minions currently in your hand, field and deck into 4/4s. This means that, if bounced back or silenced/Polymorphed/Hex'd they won't retain the buff. This also means that minions summoned by effects (example: the Annoy-o-Trons of Giggling Inventor) won't have the buff either.
Baku the Mooneater: The Warrior Hero power now gives 3 Armor, instead of 4.
According to the Twitter post, they are literally saying a couple of changes so it is safe to say that at least 2 cards will be changed.
For my thoughts on what the balance changes could be:
Giggling Inventor [/card] - The only reason why the card will be nerfed is because it is overused by ever type of agro. It will probably be nerfed to a 6-cost card so the popular odd decks can't use it plus it would really slow down Quest Rogue.
[card]Juicy Psychmelon - I am not sure if this card will be nerfed just because of wild but that card is ruining Wild so badly. To be honest, the card needs a complete rework in order to save Wild. The best rework would be to make it make it draw 2 minions that are 7-10 cost but anything other than the current effect. Sadly, the card is unused in Standard, which is why it will escape a nerf for the time being
Spreading Plague - It is one of the many cards that makes Druid frustrating to play against. To be honest, there are other cards that need nerfs to make Druid just decent and not godly. The taunt minions should be a 1/3 or a 1/4. Any type of cost increase won't do anything good because Druid got ramp, so nerfing the minions directly should be the next solution.
The Caverns Below: the reward turns all minions currently in your hand, field and deck into 4/4s. This means that, if bounced back or silenced/Polymorphed/Hex'd they won't retain the buff. This also means that minions summoned by effects (example: the Annoy-o-Trons of Giggling Inventor) won't have the buff either.
Baku the Mooneater: The Warrior Hero power now gives 3 Armor, instead of 4.
Rogue: Nerf Quest again, this time into oblivion. Or get over your bullshit reasoning and rotate this crap early.
Warrior: Nerf the upgraded hero power or change it entirely.
Druid: Nerf everything. Seriously, it doesn't matter where you kick this guy but it needs several changes to be reasonable. I suggest the entire package. Druid can be in poor state for a few sets while you find a newer more healthy path to take him in.
Shaman: I would love to see a change to shudderwock so that it's no longer a brain dead control killer that is almost as bad as quest rogue.
Mage: Get rid of Mana Wyrm already. An early rotation could be the answer.
Hunter: I would like to see Deathstalker rexxar nerfed or rotated early. Again, this crutch of a card allows you to build your deck in anyway you please while giving you a win condition even after the opponent survives your deathrattle onslaught and finally stabilizes.
Paladin: Meh. Perhaps you could buff something here. Sick of this class being boring ass that does everything worse than others. Make dudes and buff them. If you can't give 9 classes unique fun identities, then maybe it's time to reassess your decision to have 9 classes.
Warlock/priest: I think is fine. Priest is a victim of a weak core set. That is another problem entirely and if anyone has any intelligence at Blizzard, this will be the last year of classic and basic as we know it.
Neutral: Nerf Oakheart to 10 mana or have him pull less. Keleseth only gives attack buffs. Henchclan Thug only receives attack buffs.
I don't expect all these changes, but if they don't change enough, we are going to be bored again in a week. This is Blizzard's moment. Their hand has clearly been forced by the arrival of MTGA and they underestimated how many streamers and players would walk away. If the meta ends up even close to the same spot it was in before these nerfs, people will leave again almost immediately. As Gordon Ramsey would say. "Balance your fucking game!"
That is the only nerf i can foresee with reasonable clarity (the card stays still insanely powerful for a Ramping Combo deck, but at least at (6) it clashes with Spreading Plague, and chances are you draw at least a Combo piece before casting the Melon).
After that i would not know exactly, even tho i have my own ideas on the matter (mainly Wild stuff tho).
With all due respect, OP, the baku nerf would make their decks literally unplayable. Who in their right mind would ever use 3 mana gain 4 armor or 3 mana gain a 2/2 weapon over playing cards of that cost? Especially considering that the 3-drop slot is an incredibly valuable slot for Baku decks. Having built Baku decks of nearly every class, I want to pose a few questions.
What's a t2 2/2 weapon w/o hench-clan thug on 3? What's a t2 gain 4 armor without a shield block/stonehill defender to follow it up?
The whole point of the even-odd mechanic, what makes it work, is that the hero power fills in the gaps. When you have overlap between the hero power and the cards, your curve is thrown off. Making the Baku hero power cost 3 would leave Baku decks with very little options but to pass their T2 (or coin hero power/card).
Rather, I feel that the Baku hero powers should/could either be reworked. The hero powers originally were created (in my opinion) to create a lategame overall power boost at the cost of a 5 mana 6/3. They worked well in this regard, some better than others. However, giving the decks this power boost from the beginning has obviously caused problems. The only real way to solve this problem now while keeping the archetypes intact is to either: rework the hero powers, or provide enough strong/synergizing cards of different types (odd/even) to create decks that can compete at a high level with the odd/even decks of its kind. It should be a deckbuilding choice, not a forced archetype. In my opinion, it should be a conscious choice, and a tough one, whether to build a certain archetype using even cards, odd cards, or both.
With all due respect, OP, the baku nerf would make their decks literally unplayable. Who in their right mind would ever use 3 mana gain 4 armor or 3 mana gain a 2/2 weapon over playing cards of that cost? Especially considering that the 3-drop slot is an incredibly valuable slot for Baku decks. Having built Baku decks of nearly every class, I want to pose a few questions.
I mean - I did make it pretty clear that I have no idea how they need to correct it.
Rogue: Nerf Quest again, this time into oblivion. Or get over your bullshit reasoning and rotate this crap early.
Warrior: Nerf the upgraded hero power or change it entirely.
Druid: Nerf everything. Seriously, it doesn't matter where you kick this guy but it needs several changes to be reasonable. I suggest the entire package. Druid can be in poor state for a few sets while you find a newer more healthy path to take him in.
Shaman: I would love to see a change to shudderwock so that it's no longer a brain dead control killer that is almost as bad as quest rogue.
Mage: Get rid of Mana Wyrm already. An early rotation could be the answer.
Hunter: I would like to see Deathstalker rexxar nerfed or rotated early. Again, this crutch of a card allows you to build your deck in anyway you please while giving you a win condition even after the opponent survives your deathrattle onslaught and finally stabilizes.
Paladin: Meh. Perhaps you could buff something here. Sick of this class being boring ass that does everything worse than others. Make dudes and buff them. If you can't give 9 classes unique fun identities, then maybe it's time to reassess your decision to have 9 classes.
Warlock/priest: I think is fine. Priest is a victim of a weak core set. That is another problem entirely and if anyone has any intelligence at Blizzard, this will be the last year of classic and basic as we know it.
Neutral: Nerf Oakheart to 10 mana or have him pull less. Keleseth only gives attack buffs. Henchclan Thug only receives attack buffs.
I don't expect all these changes, but if they don't change enough, we are going to be bored again in a week. This is Blizzard's moment. Their hand has clearly been forced by the arrival of MTGA and they underestimated how many streamers and players would walk away. If the meta ends up even close to the same spot it was in before these nerfs, people will leave again almost immediately. As Gordon Ramsey would say. "Balance your fucking game!"
Isn't Mana wyrm a classic card? So rotation is not an option?
@everyone who wants a warrior heropower nerf. Warrior does have a horrible winrate vs combo, so it should at least crush aggro (odd rogue). If you want to nerf Baku for warrior, you should also cry for a neutral combo breaker (which I do). Besides that, the Baku heropowers rule is that offensive options get +1 attack/ damage, while defensive get doubled.
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https://www.hearthpwn.com/news/6013-hearthstone-balance-changes-incoming-information
Balance changes are coming! Hooray!!!
What are your predictions?
I think we'll see something along these lines
Druid: Needs a nerf badly. The whole class is busted. Ultimately, I think the biggest culprit is the classic set (Wild Growth, Nourish), but I don't know if they'll touch that at this time. I think we'll see some manner of nerf to Spreading Plague, Ultimate Infestation, or both.
Quest Rogue: Again, I think one of the biggest culprits is the classic set (Preparation, Vanish), but they might not touch that. The nerf should probably be an entire rework of the quest, but that seems too extreme for a balance change. Maybe another tweak? Like the reward is a 5/5 stealth minion that makes all other minions 5/5's or something. That way, you can interact with the stealth minion through AOE.
Giggling Inventor: People have forever said that "you can counter" giggling inventor. But the fact that every deck needs to counter it is the problem. To bust out a pokemon reference, Giggling Inventor is Garchomp circa 2008. I personally think it needs a nerf, but I don't think it will get one. That said, I only think they'll nerf Giggling Inventor if they don't do much to Quest Rogue.
Wild: I think balancing Wild format is fundamentally a sisyphean mistake. That said, people whine really loudly. I think Aviana is probably changed into a 10 mana card. That way 1 melon doesn't get the whole combo, and the whole combo also requires an unsearchable Innervate.
Baku: Short of an entire rework, I think maybe they'll just make the Baku Hero Powers cost 3? I don't really know, there is a lot here to unpack.
Since they previously stated they were keeping their eyes on Giggling Inventor, I think it is safe to say that card gets hit somehow. The card is certainly being played a ton, in both ladder and tournaments. Is that enough to stop Quest Rogue? I doubt it. I expect that deck to get hit, either the Quest itself, or some other piece of it.
I think the card blizzard should nerf for druid is Branching Paths, that card is just WAY too flexible, and gives druid too much survivability, so I predict an armor nerf from 6 to 4. That would make Star Aligner Druid in wild also much more manageable, but I think blizzard will nerf that deck further by hitting Juicy Psychmelon somehow or Aviana by making her ability a battlecry.
As for Quest Rogue, I think they will be ashamed of having to nerf the quest a THIRD time, so they will probably hit Sonya instead, and of course nerfing Giggling Inventor (probably making it cost 6 mana) will hurt it a little bit.
The last nerf I expect is on Fungalmancer, also probably making it cost 6 mana or maybe give 2/1 instead, in order to nerf Odd Rogue and Zoo, though I think this is probably the least important nerf.
The Crystal Core buff to minions will become silence-able/hex-able, and won't be persistent if a minion is bounced to hand and replayed.
Giggling Inventor will cost 6-mana.
Aviana will cost 10-mana.
Juicy Psychmelon will cost 6-mana.
Here are my predicitions based completely on my feelings as I have no clue what Blizzard can be thinking.
Druid:
Wild Growth
This card has been a staple in Druid, and is by far it's best 2 drop. The early ramp can really make a difference especially in combination with Druids insane armouring up ability. The Nerf: It will cost 3 mana
Juicy Psychmelon
I think Aviana is actually the main culprit, as long as that card exists new problems will always arise. However I think Blizzard doesn't want to change that card, but rather focus on one of the newer cards. which would mean Juicy Psychmelon. The Nerf: It will no longer draw 4 cards, but 3 cards.
Branching Paths
This card is part of the reason that Druid has become a massive armour class. Being able to gain 24 HP in a single on top of the max HP is absolutely broken. The other two options are harder to nerf aswell, as they are already at the minimal amount. The Nerf: The armor option gives 1 less armour.
Rogue
Sonya Shadowdancer
With blizzard having nerfed quest twice already, I think they will look at other cards to weaking it first. Probably Sonya. The Nerf: Either a mana cost increase or give the minion at the end of the turn.
The Caverns Below
This card has pretty much been a mistake. I think Blizzard realises this too. The nerf: If they are going to do something about this quest, it has to be that they change the fundamental reward of it.
Warrior
Tank Up
Gaining 4 HP on top of the max possible Hp for 2 mana recastable every turn is pretty frustrating to play against. But I think this suffers from the same problem as Quest Rogue, It is almost an auto lose match-up, however the main victim this time is aggro, not control. The Nerf: I think it should be reduced to 3 armour each turn.
Neutral
Giggling Inventor
Blizz said it was on their radar, so it will probably be nerfed, most likely to a 6 mana cost so odd decks can't run them anymore.
My guesses for nerfs are Juicy Psychmelon , Giggling Inventor and maybe Ultimate Infestation (which is the main culprit that Druid only ramps with nourish) and/or Spreading Plague .
I don't expect a nerf to The Caverns Below (including Crystal Core ).
I see a problem rising if they nerf Giggling Inventor to 6 mana. Yeah it's gonna stop Odd decks from having an amazing Aggro/ Control/ Tempo card, but it'll just give that option to Even decks, I know we don't see them a lot of them currently, but watch out. Paladin, Shaman and Warlock are waiting... ever vigilant.
Branching paths should just be "choose once: gain 8 armour, draw two cards or give your minions +2 attack"
Kill it right off.
Also, I hope they don't nerf Sonya.
The only nerfs I want to see are to quest rogue and Druid as a class. Everything else is okay. Even Giggling Inventor. I'll be pretty sad if they need that.
I also disagree with the OP about Fungalmancer. That cannot be nerfed. It isn't even slightly overpowered for its cost. It's a dead card with one or less minions on the board. Something that happens a lot.
In my opinion,
Giggling Inventor will cost 7
Fungalmancer will cost 7
Hench-Clan Thug will cost 4
My predictions:
The Caverns Below: the reward turns all minions currently in your hand, field and deck into 4/4s. This means that, if bounced back or silenced/Polymorphed/Hex'd they won't retain the buff. This also means that minions summoned by effects (example: the Annoy-o-Trons of Giggling Inventor) won't have the buff either.
Baku the Mooneater: The Warrior Hero power now gives 3 Armor, instead of 4.
Wild Growth: now costs 3 mana, instead of 2.
Branching Paths: either give less armor or the same option cannot be picked twice.
Juicy Psychmelon: now tutors less cards (either 2 or 3 minions).
According to the Twitter post, they are literally saying a couple of changes so it is safe to say that at least 2 cards will be changed.
For my thoughts on what the balance changes could be:
Giggling Inventor [/card] - The only reason why the card will be nerfed is because it is overused by ever type of agro. It will probably be nerfed to a 6-cost card so the popular odd decks can't use it plus it would really slow down Quest Rogue.
[card]Juicy Psychmelon - I am not sure if this card will be nerfed just because of wild but that card is ruining Wild so badly. To be honest, the card needs a complete rework in order to save Wild. The best rework would be to make it make it draw 2 minions that are 7-10 cost but anything other than the current effect. Sadly, the card is unused in Standard, which is why it will escape a nerf for the time being
Spreading Plague - It is one of the many cards that makes Druid frustrating to play against. To be honest, there are other cards that need nerfs to make Druid just decent and not godly. The taunt minions should be a 1/3 or a 1/4. Any type of cost increase won't do anything good because Druid got ramp, so nerfing the minions directly should be the next solution.
They are not going to change hero power rewards because of it would affect Justicar Trueheart too
I would give blizzard my house and all my money if they removed priest from the game.
Rogue: Nerf Quest again, this time into oblivion. Or get over your bullshit reasoning and rotate this crap early.
Warrior: Nerf the upgraded hero power or change it entirely.
Druid: Nerf everything. Seriously, it doesn't matter where you kick this guy but it needs several changes to be reasonable. I suggest the entire package. Druid can be in poor state for a few sets while you find a newer more healthy path to take him in.
Shaman: I would love to see a change to shudderwock so that it's no longer a brain dead control killer that is almost as bad as quest rogue.
Mage: Get rid of Mana Wyrm already. An early rotation could be the answer.
Hunter: I would like to see Deathstalker rexxar nerfed or rotated early. Again, this crutch of a card allows you to build your deck in anyway you please while giving you a win condition even after the opponent survives your deathrattle onslaught and finally stabilizes.
Paladin: Meh. Perhaps you could buff something here. Sick of this class being boring ass that does everything worse than others. Make dudes and buff them. If you can't give 9 classes unique fun identities, then maybe it's time to reassess your decision to have 9 classes.
Warlock/priest: I think is fine. Priest is a victim of a weak core set. That is another problem entirely and if anyone has any intelligence at Blizzard, this will be the last year of classic and basic as we know it.
Neutral: Nerf Oakheart to 10 mana or have him pull less. Keleseth only gives attack buffs. Henchclan Thug only receives attack buffs.
I don't expect all these changes, but if they don't change enough, we are going to be bored again in a week. This is Blizzard's moment. Their hand has clearly been forced by the arrival of MTGA and they underestimated how many streamers and players would walk away. If the meta ends up even close to the same spot it was in before these nerfs, people will leave again almost immediately. As Gordon Ramsey would say. "Balance your fucking game!"
Juicy Psychmelon cost to (6).
That is the only nerf i can foresee with reasonable clarity (the card stays still insanely powerful for a Ramping Combo deck, but at least at (6) it clashes with Spreading Plague, and chances are you draw at least a Combo piece before casting the Melon).
After that i would not know exactly, even tho i have my own ideas on the matter (mainly Wild stuff tho).
I bet making some of the suggested changes to the Rogue Quest would require a full reprogram of the Quest which seems unlikely on Bliz's part.
With all due respect, OP, the baku nerf would make their decks literally unplayable. Who in their right mind would ever use 3 mana gain 4 armor or 3 mana gain a 2/2 weapon over playing cards of that cost? Especially considering that the 3-drop slot is an incredibly valuable slot for Baku decks. Having built Baku decks of nearly every class, I want to pose a few questions.
What's a t2 2/2 weapon w/o hench-clan thug on 3? What's a t2 gain 4 armor without a shield block/stonehill defender to follow it up?
The whole point of the even-odd mechanic, what makes it work, is that the hero power fills in the gaps. When you have overlap between the hero power and the cards, your curve is thrown off. Making the Baku hero power cost 3 would leave Baku decks with very little options but to pass their T2 (or coin hero power/card).
Rather, I feel that the Baku hero powers should/could either be reworked. The hero powers originally were created (in my opinion) to create a lategame overall power boost at the cost of a 5 mana 6/3. They worked well in this regard, some better than others. However, giving the decks this power boost from the beginning has obviously caused problems. The only real way to solve this problem now while keeping the archetypes intact is to either: rework the hero powers, or provide enough strong/synergizing cards of different types (odd/even) to create decks that can compete at a high level with the odd/even decks of its kind. It should be a deckbuilding choice, not a forced archetype. In my opinion, it should be a conscious choice, and a tough one, whether to build a certain archetype using even cards, odd cards, or both.
Just my thoughts.
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There's all my notable achievements.
I mean - I did make it pretty clear that I have no idea how they need to correct it.
Isn't Mana wyrm a classic card? So rotation is not an option?
@everyone who wants a warrior heropower nerf. Warrior does have a horrible winrate vs combo, so it should at least crush aggro (odd rogue). If you want to nerf Baku for warrior, you should also cry for a neutral combo breaker (which I do). Besides that, the Baku heropowers rule is that offensive options get +1 attack/ damage, while defensive get doubled.