Blizzard just published probably one of the biggest patch notes ever, featuring a big Battlegrounds update as well as a completely new Wild expansion & More.
Quote from BlizzardPatch 27.2 is a massive patch, launching both Battlegrounds Season 5 and the first official Twist season, our first-ever direct-to-Wild expansion, and more!
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Season 5 & Anomalies --- BG Hero and New Minions --- BG Minion & Pool Updates --- Caverns of Time Set & Wild Updates --- Twist Season 1 --- Standard Balance Changes --- Duels Updates --- Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
Battlegrounds Season 5 is Here!
Competitors throughout Azeroth are gathering in the Tavern for a gladiatorial contest to earn the favor of the Titans and their keepers. With over 30 new minions, 7 opponents, and slew of new Anomalies to master, the competition has never been fiercer!
On August 22, Battlegrounds Season 4 will end and Season 5 will begin. That means rankings will reset, Battlegrounds Quests will be removed, minion pools will update, and the Battlegrounds Track will switch over. All rewards that were earned from the Season 4 Track, but not yet claimed, will automatically be claimed.
New Gameplay System—Anomalies
Battlegrounds Season 5 introduces a chaotic new seasonal system: Anomalies! Anomalies are game-changing effects that are randomly set at the start of each game. All players in the game get the same Anomaly for that game.
Anomaly appearance rates vary, with some more common than others. Some minions, minion types, and heroes won’t be offered if a particular Anomaly applies to your game. You’ll know your game’s Anomaly when you’re picking your hero.
Anomalies at Launch
There will be an initial pool of Anomalies at the Season launch, and then new Anomalies will be added to the pool each week throughout Battlegrounds Season 5. The following Anomalies will be available from the beginning of Season 5:
Prudence of Amitus Unspent Gold carries over to your next turn. If you saved at least 5, gain 1 extra. Anti-Gravity Stadium Minions in the Tavern have their Attack and Health swapped. Might of Khaz-goroth At the end of your turn, set your left and right-most minions' Attack to the higher of the two. Fortitude of Khaz-goroth At the end of your turn, set your left and right-most minions' Health to the higher of the two. Money Match Start at 10 Gold. Denathrius’ Anima Reserves All heroes are Sire Denathrius. Uncompensated Upset Start at 1 Gold. Minions cost (1) but sell for (0). Upgrading the Tavern costs (2) less. Secrets of Norgannon Tavern Tier 7 exists. Start with 10 extra Armor. Transient Treasures At the start of your turn, choose from 2 new Quest Rewards. Nguyen's Shifting Disks All heroes are Master Nguyen. Bring in the Buddies Buddies are in the Tavern. Oops, All _______! This Anomaly has a version for Beasts, Pirates, Dragons, Elementals, Mechs, Murlocs, Naga, Quilboar, Undead, and Demons. What it means is that only that minion Type and Neutrals are in the Tavern for that game. When this Anomaly is active, the number of each minion in the pool is increased to fill out the Tavern: 5x the number of each minion of the selected Type and 2x the number of each Neutral minion.
Oops, All Pirates! also has one extra adjustment: Cap’n Hoggarr is added to the minion pool. Yaharrr!
A Faire Reward Instead of a minion, Triple Rewards Discover a Tier 1 Darkmoon Prize. (Upgrades in 3 turns!) Finicky Hourglass Start at Tavern Tier 2. Packed Stands The Tavern always has 7 minions Double Header The first time you buy a minion each turn, get an extra copy of it. Echoes of Argus Your Battlecries and Deathrattles trigger an extra time. False Idols You only need 2 copies of a minion to make it Golden. Instead of a Triple Reward, get a Gold Coin. Grapnel of the Titans The first minion you buy each turn is free. The Golden Arena ALL minions are Golden, but you do not get Triple Rewards.
Dev Comment: This includes cards that are Discovered or generated by other cards.
Anomalies Coming Throughout Patch 27.2
Additional Anomalies will be added to the Anomaly pool each week throughout Patch 27.2. When Anomalies are newly added to the Anomaly pool, they’ll have an increased appearance rate for that week. The additional Anomalies coming throughout Patch 27.2 are:
Big League Only Tavern Tiers 3, 4, 5, and 6 exist. Little League Only Tavern Tiers 1, 2, 3, and 4 exist. Everything’s On Fire! At the start of the game, take 30 damage. Whenever another hero dies, regain 5 Health. Dev Comment: This is fine. Wisdom of Ulduar At the end of every 3 turns, set your right-most minion’s stats to 15/15. Overseer’s Orb After you upgrade the Tavern, Refresh it with minions of your most common type. Perfected Alchemy Start with a “Goldenizer” that makes a friendly minion Golden. Blood of Sargeras At the start of your turn, set your hero’s Health to 12. Mimiron’s Clockwork Stadium You cannot upgrade the Tavern with Gold. It upgrades itself every 2 turns. Path of the Treasure-Seeker After you Refresh 5 times, find the Golden Monkey! New Hero
Thorim, Stormlord
- Choose Your Champion
- Passive. At the start of the game, Discover a Tier 7 minion to get after you spend 65 Gold.
Thorim, Stormlord will be offered in every game for the first two weeks after launch.
27.2 Hero and Minion updates will be represented in the official Card Library with the launch of Patch 27.2.
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Hero Updates
Cariel Roame (Conviction)
- Old: Give 3 friendly minions +1/+1. (After you upgrade the Tavern, choose an improvement!)
- New: Give 2 friendly minions +1/+1. (After you upgrade the Tavern, choose an improvement!)
Kurtrus Ashfallen (Glaive Ricochet)
- Old: Passive: Once per turn, after you buy 4 minions, Discover a plain copy of one of them.
- New: Passive: Once per turn, after you buy 3 minions, Discover a plain copy of one of them.
New Minions
Oozeling Gladiator [Tier 2]
- 1 Attack, 2 Health. Battlecry: Get two Slimy Shields that give +1/+1 and Taunt.
Iron Groundskeeper [Tier 3]
- 5 Attack, 6 Health. Battlecry: Give a minion Taunt. If it already has it, remove its Taunt.
Living Constellation [Tier 3]
- 4 Attack, 2 Health. Battlecry: Give a minion +1/+1 for each type you control.
Fairy Tale Caroler [Tier 4]
- 2 Attack, 4 Health. Battlecry: If you lost your last combat, give your other minions +2/+1.
Free-Flying Feathermane [Tier 3, Beast]
- 5 Attack, 5 Health. After a friendly Beast dies, summon this from your hand for this combat only.
- Dev Comment: This minion will be summoned once there is board space, after all Deathrattles and Reborns resolve.
Niuzao [Tier 6, Beast]
- 7 Attack, 6 Health. Whenever this attacks, deal damage equal to its Attack to another random enemy minion.
The Glad-iator [Tier 3, Naga]
- 1 Attack, 1 Health. Divine Shield. Whenever you cast a spell, gain +1 Attack.
Daggerspine Thrasher [Tier 3, Naga]
- 3 Attack, 5 Health. Whenever you cast a spell, gain Divine Shield, Windfury, or Venomous until next turn.
Briarback Bookie [Tier 2, Quilboar]
- 3 Attack, 4 Health. If you have any unspent Gold at the end of your turn, get 2 Blood Gems.
Murcules [Tier 2, Murloc]
- 5 Attack, 2 Health. Whenever this kills a minion, give a minion in your hand +2/+2.
Murky [Tier 6, Murloc]
- 6 Attack, 5 Health. Battlecry: Give a friendly Murloc +1/+1. (Improved by each Battlecry minion you played this game!)
Time Saver [Tier 3, Dragon]
- 3 Attack, 5 Health. If you have any unspent Gold at the end of your turn, this sells for 2 more Gold.
Hunter of Gatherers [Tier 5, Dragon]
- 3 Attack, 6 Health. After this gains Attack, give your minions +1 Health.
Warpwing [Tier 6, Dragon]
- 12 Attack, 4 Health. Immune while attacking.
Bejeweled Duelist [Tier 2, Elemental]
- 3 Attack, 4 Health. Taunt. Whenever you Refresh, gain +1 Health.
Spark-ling [Tier 3, Elemental]
- 5 Attack, 2 Health. Battlecry: Give all other minions +1/+1.
Emergent Flame [Tier 4, Elemental]
- 5 Attack, 3 Health. Battlecry: Give an Elemental +1/+1. (Improved by each Refresh this turn!)
Carbonic Copy [Tier 5, Elemental]
- 5 Attack, 6 Health. Start of Combat: Summon a copy of this minion.
Invent-o-Matic [Tier 2, Mech]
- 2 Attack, 3 Health. Whenever you Magnetize a minion, give it +1/+1.
Adaptable Barricade [Tier 5, Mech]
- 12 Attack, 1 Health. Taunt. Whenever this attacked, it shifts its stats to survive with 1 Health (if possible).
- Dev Comment: This respects Venomous/Poisonous. If it is going to take damage from a minion with one of those effects, it will not shift its stats.
Relentless Sentry [Tier 3, Undead]
- 5 Attack, 1 Health. Avenge (4): Gain Taunt and Reborn.
Sore Loser [Tier 3, Undead]
- 1 Attack, 4 Health. Your Undead have extra Attack equal to your Tier.
Champion of the Primus [Tier 5, Undead]
- 1 Attack, 8 Health. Avenge (2): Your Undead have +1 Attack for the rest of the game (wherever they are).
Surf n’ Surf [Tier 1, Naga/Beast]
- 1 Attack, 1 Health. Spellcraft: Give a minion “Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Crab” until next turn.
Seaborn Summoner [Tier 2, Naga/Elemental]
- 2 Attack, 4 Health. Spellcraft: Choose a minion. Add a minion of its type to the Tavern.
Withered Spearhide [Tier 3, Undead/Quilboar]
- 2 Attack, 2 Health. Reborn. Deathrattle: Get a Blood Gem.
Dreadbeard [Tier 3, Demon/Pirate]
- 4 Attack, 4 Health. At the end of your turn, deal 1 damage to your hero and get a Gold Coin.
Peckish Feldrake [Tier 4, Demon/Dragon]
- 0 Attack, 1 Health. Battlecry: Consume 3 minions in the Tavern to gain their stats.
Mannoroth [Tier 5, Undead/Demon]
- 1 Attack, 10 Health. Venomous. After this kills a minion and survives, gain its maximum stats. (Once per combat).
Mechanized Gift Horse [Tier 5, Mech/Beast]
- 4 Attack, 4 Health. Deathrattle: Summon two 2/2 Mechorses with “Deathrattle: Summon a 1/1 Mechapony.”
Transmuted Bramblewitch [Tier 5, Elemental/Quilboar]
- 4 Attack, 4 Health. When this attacks, set the defender’s stats to 3/3. (Once per combat).
Relentless Mur’ghoul [Tier 6, Undead/Murloc]
- 5 Attack, 4 Health. Venomous. Avenge (4): Gain Reborn.
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Tier 7 Minions
Tier 7 Minions are only accessible through Thorim’s Hero Power or in games with the Secrets of Norgannon Anomaly. In games with the Secrets of Norgannon Anomaly active, Tier 7 can be accessed through any normal means (upgrading the Tavern, getting triples, Patient Scout, etc.). When Tier 7 is active, there are five copies of each Tier 7 minion that’s in that game’s minion pool.
Argent Braggart [Tier 7]
- 1 Attack, 1 Health. Battlecry: Set this minion’s Attack and Health to the highest in the battlefield.
King Varian [Tier 7]
- 9 Attack, 9 Health. When you sell this, Discover two tier 6 minions.
Moira Bronzebeard [Tier 7]
- 3 Attack, 9 Health. Your Battlecries and Deathrattles trigger twice.
Papa Bear [Tier 7, Beast]
- 12 Attack, 12 Health. Deathrattle: Summon 3 Mama Bears.
Champion of Sargeras [Tier 7, Demon]
- 10 Attack, 10 Health. Minions in the Tavern have +10/+10.
Recurring Nightmare [Tier 7, Undead]
- 5 Attack, 5 Health. Deathrattle: Give a different friendly Undead “Deathrattle: Summon a Recurring Nightmare.”
Captain Sanders [Tier 7, Pirate]
- 7 Attack, 7 Health. Battlecry: Make a friendly minion Golden.
Tide Oracle Morgl [Tier 7, Murloc]
- 1 Attack, 10 Health. Poisonous. When this attacks and kills a minion, give its maximum stats to a minion in your hand.
Granite Guardian [Tier 7, Elemental]
- 1 Attack, 17 Health. Taunt. Whenever this is attacked, reduce the attacker’s Health to 1.
Sea Witch Zar’jira [Tier 7, Naga]
- 4 Attack, 5 Health. Spellcraft: Choose a different minion in the Tavern to get a copy of.
Obsidian Ravager [Tier 7, Dragon]
- 4 Attack, 4 Health. Whenever this attacks, deal damage equal to its Attack to the target and an adjacent minion.
The Boommobile [Tier 7, Mech]
- 12 Attack, 12 Health. Magnetic, Reborn, Divine Shield, Taunt, Windfury
Sanguine Champion [Tier 7, Quilboar]
- 9 Attack, 3 Health. Battlecry and Deathrattle: Your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+1 this game.
Amalgadon [Tier 7, All]
- 6 Attack, 6 Health. Battlecry: For each different minion type you control, randomly Adapt.
- Dev Comment: Note that this is a reversion to a prior version of this card, but now at Tier 7.
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Minion Pool Updates
- The following 49 minions have been removed from the minion pool: Sparring Partner; Spawn of N’Zoth; Vigilant Stoneborn; Qiraji Harbinger; Tortollan Blue Shell; Champion of Y’Shaarj; Lightfang Enforcer; Rat Pack; Eventide Brute; Pufferquil; Prophet of the Boar; Gemsplitter; Upbeat Flutist; Plagued Tidewalker; Ring Matron; Tarecgosa; Sanctum Rester; Nadina the Red; Prized Promo-Drake; General Drakkisath; Molten Rock; Felemental; Upbeat Upstart; Magmaloc; Crackling Cyclone; Smogger; Annoy-o Troupe; Harvest Golem; Mecha Jaraxxus; Wargear; Grease Bot; Ghoul of the Feast; Xylo-bones; Radio Star; Mini-Myrmidon; Thorncaptain; Snail Cavalry; Thorncaller; Backstage Security; Briny Bootlegger; Annihilan Battlemaster; Colossus of the Sun; Scavenging Hyena; Cyborg Drake; Mantid Queen; Bonemare; Bristlemane Scrapsmith; Mistake; Tavern Tempest.
- The following 11 minions have returned to the minion pool: Reef Explorer; Treasure-Seeker Elise; Mythrax the Unraveler; Bannerboar; Captain Flat Tusk; Floating Watcher; Razorgore, the Untamed; Party Elemental; Mechano-Tank; Omega Buster; Nightmare Amalgam
Minion Updates
Eternal Summoner
- Old (Regular): 8 Attack, 1 Health.
- Old (Golden): 16 Attack, 2 Health. Reborn. Deathrattle: Summon 2 Eternal Knights.
- New (Regular): 6 Attack, 1 Health.
- New (Golden): 12 Attack, 2 Health. Reborn. Deathrattle: Summon a Golden Eternal Knight.
Saltscale Honcho
- Old: After you play a Murloc, give two other friendly Murlocs +1 Health.
- New: After you play a Murloc, give two friendly Murlocs +1 Health.
King Bagurgle
- Old: 6 Attack, 3 Health. Battlecry and Deathrattle: Give your other Murlocs +2/+2.
- New: 6 Attack, 4 Health. Battlecry: Give your other Murlocs +2/+3.
Young Murk Eye
- Old (Regular): 9 Attack, 6 Health. At the end of your turn, the minion to the left of this triggers its Battlecry.
- Old (Golden): 18 Attack, 12 Health. At the end of your turn, adjacent minions trigger their Battlecries.
- New (Regular): 8 Attack, 5 Health. At the end of your turn, adjacent minions trigger their Battlecries.
- New (Golden): 16 Attack, 10 Health. At the end of your turn, adjacent minions trigger their Battlecries twice.
Party Elemental
- Old (Regular): [Tier 2] 4 Attack, 2 Health. After you play an Elemental, give another random friendly Elemental +1/+1.
- Old (Golden): [Tier 2] 8 Attack, 4 Health. After you play an Elemental, give another random friendly Elemental +1/+1 twice.
- New (Regular): [Tier 3] 2 Attack, 5 Health. After you play an Elemental, give an Elemental other than it +1/+2.
- New (Golden): [Tier 3] 4 Attack, 10 Health. After you play an Elemental, give an Elemental other than it +2/+4.
Wildfire Elemental
- Old: After this attacks and kills a minion, deal excess damage to a random adjacent minion.
- New: After this attacks and kills a minion, deal excess damage to an adjacent minion.
- Dev Comment: This is a text-only change with no functional update.
Lava Lurker
- Old: The first Spellcraft spell cast on this each turn is permanent.
- New: The first Spellcraft enchantment on this each turn is permanent.
- Dev Comment: This change means that Lava Lurker’s effect won’t be consumed if it is targeted by Spellcraft spells that don’t leave enchantments, like Seaborn Summoner’s or Sea Witch Zar’jira’s.
Bannerboar
- Old: [Tier 3] 1 Attack, 3 Health
- New: [Tier 4] 3 Attack, 5 Health
Piloted Whirl-O-Tron (Sneed’s Buddy)
- Old: Battlecry: Copy a friendly minion’s Deathrattles.
- New: Battlecry: Copy a different friendly minion’s Deathrattles.
- Dev Comment: This change was made to avoid a bugged interaction. With this change, Sneed has been returned to the hero pool and Piloted Whirl-O-Tron has been returned to E.T.C.’s hero power pool.
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Updated Armor Levels
All Armor Tiers at the launch of Patch 27.2 will be as follows:
Hero Name Armor Armor (At Higher Rating)* A.F. Kay 18 - Al’Akir 13 - Alexstrasza 17 - Ambassador Faelin 15 - Aranna Starseeker 12 - Arch-Villain Rafaam 10 - Bru’kan 12 - C’Thun 10 13 Cap’n Hoggarr 10 - Captain Eudora 19 - Captain Hooktusk 15 11 Cariel Roame 10 - Chenvaala 12 15 Cookie the Cook 7 - Dancin’ Deryl 7 - Death Speaker Blackthorn 10 - Deathwing 10 - Dinotamer Brann 18 - Drek’Thar 7 - E.T.C., Band Manager 10 5 Edwin VanCleef 17 - Elise Starseeker 13 - Enhance-o Mechano 13 - Forest Warden Omu 12 - Fungalmancer Flurgl 8 12 Galakrond 17 - Galewing 8 - George the Fallen 15 - Greybough 16 - Guff Runetotem 16 - Heistbaron Togwaggle 13 - Illidan Stormrage 14 - Infinite Toki 13 - Inge, the Iron Hymn 6 10 Ini Stormcoil 6 8 Jandice Barov 16 - Kael’thas Sunstrider 15 - King Mukla 10 - Kurtrus Ashfallen 12 - Lady Vashj 13 - Lich Baz’hial 7 - Lord Barov 19 10 Lord Jaraxxus 10 19 Maiev Shadowsong 18 15 Malygos 14 - Master Nguyen 8 - Millhouse Manastorm 10 5 Millificent Manastorm 6 10 Mr. Bigglesworth 16 - Murloc Holmes 10 - Mutanus the Devourer 11 - N’Zoth 12 - Nozdormu 13 - Onyxia 7 - Overlord Saurfang 14 - Ozumat 12 - Patches the Pirate 5 10 Patchwerk 0 - Professor Putricide 15 - Pyramad 14 - Queen Azshara 13 - Queen Wagtoggle 7 13 Ragnaros the Firelord 13 16 Rakanishu 15 - Reno Jackson 16 - Rock Master Voone 15 10 Rokara 12 - Scabbs Cutterbutter 10 - Shudderwock 10 7 Silas Darkmoon 10 - Sindragosa 16 - Sir Finley Mrrgglton 12 - Sire Denathrius 11 - Skycap’n Kragg 15 - Sneed 14 - Sylvanas Windrunner 14 - Tamsin Roame 10 - Tavish Stormpike 15 - Teron Gorefiend 10 12 Tess Greymane 17 - The Curator 13 - The Great Akazamzarak 10 - The Jailer 17 - The Lich King 10 - The Rat King 9 - Tickatus 12 - Thorim, Stormlord 15 - Trade Prince Gallywix 10 6 Vanndar Stormpike 10 - Varden Dawngrasp 13 - Vol’jin 15 11 Xyrella 15 10 Y’Shaarj 14 - Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End 14 - Ysera 5 12 Zephrys, the Great 17 -
Some Heroes have high winrate disparities between lower-MMR and higher-MMR players. To account for this, those Heroes are given an alternative Armor value, depending on the average internal rating of the lobby you’re in. Any Hero that only lists one Armor amount has the same Armor at all levels of play.
New Battlegrounds Track
The Season 5 Battlegrounds Track, with the Season Pass, features 40 levels of rewards, including 5 Legendary Hero Skins, 12 Epic Hero Skins, 6 Rare Hero Skins, 6 Epic Emotes, 8 Rare Emotes, and Epic Bartender and a Legendary Strike!
For more details about the Season 5 Battlegrounds Track, and the new Battlegrounds Season Pass, see our Season 5 Announcement Blog.
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New Special Set: Caverns of Time!
The Infinite Dragonflight is trying to go back in time and change the way the Battle of Ahn’Qiraj went against the Old God C’Thun. The fate of the world—and the true timeline—hangs in the balance! It’s up to you to hold off their attack... or join them instead...
Caverns of Time is a new type of Hearthstone expansion, including card reprints, new cards, and some new card cosmetics! It’s also Hearthstone’s first-ever direct-to-Wild expansion, meaning that the cards in it will not be legal in Standard (and can be balanced towards Wild). Caverns of Time launches on August 31, and it includes 147 cards: 113 buffed reprints* and 34 brand new cards!
Caverns of Times packs can also include special Signature versions of other iconic Wild cards. Keep an eye out for a dedicated Caverns of Time blog, coming August 22, with more details about the 34 new cards, the special Signature variants, and more.
* Duplicate protection applies for these reprints. So, if you already have (or disenchanted) the original versions, you won’t open them again in Caverns of Time packs until you’ve opened all new cards from that rarity.
Wild Card Updates
113 Wild cards are getting buffs with Patch 27.2! These are the cards that are being reprinted as part of the Caverns of Time set. If you already have the cards in your collection from their original release, they will be automatically updated with the patch. If you don’t already have the cards, you can still get them through all current means, or from Caverns of Time packs once the set goes live.
Card Name Change Druid Jade Behemoth 5 Mana Dark Arakkoa Battlecry: Give your C’Thun +4/+4 (wherever it is). Knight of the Wild Costs (1) less for each Beast you’ve summoned this game. Menagerie Warden 5 Attack, 4 Health Mire Keeper 3 Attack, 4 Health Virmen Sensei [4 Mana] 4 Attack, 4 Health. Battlecry: Give a friendly Beast +3/+3. Addled Grizzly [2 Mana] 2 Attack, 3 Health. After you summon a Beast, give it +1/+1. Klaxxi Amber-Weaver Taunt. Battlecry: If your C’Thun has at least 10 Attack, gain +5 Health. Malorne Deathrattle: Go Dormant. Revive after 2 friendly Beasts die. Aviana 9 Mana Hunter Cobra Shot 4 Mana Snipe Secret: When your opponent plays a minion, deal 6 damage to it. Smuggler’s Crate 0 Mana Shaky Zipgunner 4 Attack, 3 Health King of Beasts [3 Mana] 1 Attack, 5 Health. Taunt. Has +1 Attack for each other Beast you control. Ball of Spiders [3 Mana] Summon three 1/1 Webspinners with “Deathrattle: Get a random Beast.” Explorer’s Hat 1 Mana Lock and Load 0 Mana Acidmaw [3 Mana] Whenever an enemy minion takes damage, destroy it. Dreadscale At the end of your turn, deal 1 damage to all enemies. Mage Dalaran Aspirant Spell Damage +1
Inspire: Gain Spell Damage +1.Flame Lance Deal 25 damage to a minion. Mana Wyrm 1 Attack, 3 Health Spellslinger Battlecry: Both players get a random spell. Yours costs (2) less. Soot Spewer 3 Attack, 4 Health. Spell Damage +1
Battlecry: If you control another Mech, get a random Fire spell.Kabal Crystal Runner 6 Attack, 5 Health Goblin Blastmage Battlecry: If you control a Mech, deal 6 damage randomly split among all enemies. Servant of Yogg-Saron Battlecry: Cast a random spell that costs (5) or MORE (targets chosen randomly). Cabalist’s Tome 4 Mana Flame Leviathan Rush. When you draw this, deal 2 damage to all characters except Mechs. Paladin Silvermoon Portal 3 Mana A Light in the Darkness Discover a Paladin minion. Give it +2/+2. Keeper of Uldaman 3 Mana Steward of Darkshire 4 Attack, 3 Health Ivory Knight 4 Mana Grimestreet Enforcer 4 Mana Lay on Hands 6 Mana Mysterious Challenger [5 Mana] 5 Attack, 5 Health Enter the Coliseum 3 Mana Wickerflame Burnbristle 3 Attack, 3 Health Priest Hooded Acolyte Taunt. Whenever a character is healed, give your C’Thun +1/+1 (wherever it is). Shrinkmeister Battlecry: Give a minion -3 Attack this turn. Museum Curator Battlecry: Discover a Deathrattle card. It costs (1) less. Darkshire Alchemist 5 Attack, 5 Health Onyx Bishop 4 Mana Spawn of Shadows [5 Mana] 5 Attack, 5 Health. Battlecry and Inspire: Deal 4 damage to each hero. Convert [3 Mana] Put a copy of an enemy minion into your hand. It costs (1). Shadowfiend [2 Mana] 2 Attack, 3 Health Shadowbomber 3 Attack, 1 Health Confessor Paletress Battlecry and Inspire: Summon a random Legendary minion. Rogue Jade Swarmer 1 Mana Shado-Pan Rider Combo: Gain +4 Attack. Tomb Pillager 6 Attack, 4 Health Jade Shurikan Deal 3 damage. Combo: Summon a Jade Golem. Burgle Get 3 random cards (from your opponent’s class). Undercity Huckster 2 Attack, 3 Health Dark Iron Skulker [4 Mana] 4 Attack, 3 Health Poisoned Blade 2 Mana Blade of C’Thun 6 Mana Anub’arak [8 Mana] Deathrattle: Summon a 4/4 Nerubian with “Deathrattle: Summon Anub’arak.” Shaman Reincarnate 1 Mana Tuskarr Totemic 2 Mana Jade Lightning [3 Mana] Deal 3 damage. Summon a Jade Golem. Wicked Witchdoctor 3 Mana Jade Chieftain [6 Mana] 5 Attack, 5 Health Thunder Bluff Valiant Battlecry and Inspire: Give your Totems +2 Attack. Call in the Finishers 3 Mana Healing Wave Restore 8 Health. Reveal a minion in each deck. If yours costs more, restore 16 instead. Charged Hammer [3 Mana] 2 Attack, 3 Durability Hallazeal the Ascended Spell Damage +1 Your spells have Lifesteal. Warlock Demonfuse Give a Demon +3/+3. Usher of Souls [4 Mana] 3 Attack, 5 Health. Whenever a minion dies, give your C’Thun +1/+1 (wherever it is). Darkbomb Deal 3 damage to a character. If it dies, draw a Shadow spell. Dark Peddler 2 Attack, 3 Health Spreading Madness Deal 13 damage randomly split among ALL characters. Silverware Golem 4 Attack, 3 Health Tiny Knight of Evil Whenever you discard a card, gain +2/+2. Dark Bargain [3 Mana] Bane of Doom Deal 3 damage to a character. If that kills it, summon a random Demon. Krul the Unshackled 9 Attack, 9 Health Warrior I Know a Guy Discover a Taunt minion. Give it +1/+2. Ironforge Portal 4 Mana Grimy Gadgeteer 3 Mana Axe Flinger 2 Attack, 6 Health Stolen Goods Draw a Taunt minion. Give it +2/+2. Ancient Shieldbearer 6 Mana Alley Armorsmith 3 Attack, 7 Health Bouncing Blade 2 Mana Brass Knuckles 3 Mana Iron Juggernaut Battlecry and Deathrattle: Shuffle a Mine into your opponent’s deck. When drawn, it explodes for 10 damage. Neutral Jade Spirit 3 Attack, 3 Health Worgen Greaser 6 Attack, 5 Health Street Trickster Spell Damage +2 Mukla’s Champion 5 Attack, 3 Health Blackwing Corruptor Battlecry: If you’re holding a Dragon, deal 5 damage. Cult Apothecary 4 Mana Twilight Geomancer Taunt. Battlecry: Give your C’Thun +1/+1 and Taunt (wherever it is). C’Thun’s Chosen Divine Shield. Battlecry: Give your C’Thun +3/+3 (wherever it is). Acolyte of Pain 1 Attack, 4 Health Grimestreet Informant 2 Attack, 2 Health Disciple of C’Thun 2 Attack, 2 Health Sludge Belcher 3 Attack, 6 Health Small-Time Buccaneer 1 Attack, 2 Health Kabal Courier 2 Mana Lotus Agents [3 Mana] 3 Attack, 3 Health Crazed Worshipper 4 Mana Emperor Thaurissan [5 Mana] 4 Attack, 4 Health Twin Emperor Vek’lor 6 Attack, 7 Health C’Thun 8 Mana Aya Blackpaw 6 Attack, 3 Health Don Han’Cho [5 Mana] 5 Attack, 5 Health
Be sure to catch The State of Wild podcast on August 17 for an exclusive developer interview with Matt London and Chadd Nervig to discuss these changes and more.
Kean-eye readers will note that two of the 113 cards aren’t listed here (wow, we can’t believe you counted all of them, that’s commitment). The two missing cards are more akin to “reworks” than “buffed reprints,” so they will be revealed in the August 22 full explainer blog.
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Twist Official Launch
Twist is back! On September 1, at your local ladder reset time, we’ll be kicking off the first official season of Twist. This season will feature the Wonders format, a fun throwback format celebrating the early years of Hearthstone. It includes all expansions from Legacy (not Core or Classic) through Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, plus the new cards from the Caverns of Time set, launching on August 31. That means the legal sets will be:
- Legacy (not Core or Classic)
- Curse of Naxxramas
- Goblins vs Gnomes
- Blackrock Mountain
- The Grand Tournament
- The League of Explorers
- Whispers of the Old Gods
- One Night in Karazhan
- Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
- Caverns of Time
There will be no Demon Hunter or Death Knight classes in this season of Twist, as they didn’t exist during the Wonders era. There’s no special rules modifier for this first Wonders season—the Twist is that you get to use the buffed cards and the brand new cards from Caverns of Time! You can learn more about Caverns of Time and this new Twist format in our dedicated Caverns of Time blog, coming on August 22.
Standard Balance Changes
The following cards are being adjusted down in power:
Hollow Hound
- Old: 3 Attack, 6 Health
- New: 3 Attack, 4 Health
Costumed Singer
- Old: 2 Attack, 1 Health
- New: 1 Attack, 1 Health
Bioluminescence
- Old: 3 Mana
- New: 4 Mana
Thaddius, Monstrosity
- Old: Taunt. Your odd-Cost cards cost (1). (Swaps polarity each turn!)
- New: Taunt. Your odd-Cost cards cost (4) less. (Swaps polarity each turn!)
The above cards will be available for full dust refunds for two weeks following Patch 27.2.
The following card are being adjusted up in power:
Down with the Ship
- Old: Deal 3 damage to a minion. If it dies, shuffle two random Plagues into your opponent’s deck.
- New: Deal 3 damage. Shuffle two random Plagues into your opponent’s deck.
Mythical Terror
- Old: 3 Attack, 10 Health
- New: 4 Attack, 10 Health
Frost Lotus Seedling (and Frost Lotus Blossom)
- Old (Seedling): Draw 1 card. Gain 4 Armor. (Blossoms in 3 turns.)
- Old (Blossom): Draw 2 cards. Gain 8 Armor.
- New (Seedling): Draw 1 card. Gain 5 Armor. (Blossoms in 3 turns.)
- New (Blossom): Draw 2 cards. Gain 10 Armor.
Disciple of Amitus
- Old: [6 Mana] 4 Attack, 6 Health
- New: [5 Mana] 4 Attack, 5 Health
Tyr
- Old: 7 Mana
- New: 6 Mana
Astral Automaton
- Old: 1 Attack, 1 Health
- New: 1 Attack, 2 Health
Felstring Harp
- Old: 2 Mana
- New: 1 Mana
Bladestorm
- Old: 3 Mana
- New: 2 Mana
Stoneskin Armorer
- Old: [3 Mana] 3 Attack, 4 Health
- New: [2 Mana] 2 Attack, 2 Health
Craftsman’s Hammer
- Old: After your hero attacks and kills a minion, gain 4 Armor.
- New: Whenever your hero attacks, gain 4 Armor.
- Dev Comment: This change means that it now works to give you extra damage after you’ve played Odyn.
Trial by Fire
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- Old: 7 Mana
- New: 6 Mana
New In-Game Event: Battle of Ahn’Qiraj
Starting on September 5, join the Battle of Ahn’Qiraj with this special in-game event, celebrating the launch of Twist! From September 5 to September 19, complete Event Quests to earn Event XP on the special event rewards track. Complete the rewards track to earn a total of 6 card packs (1 The Grand Tournament Pack, 1 Goblins vs Gnomes Pack, 1 Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Pack, 1 Whispers of the Old Gods Pack, and 2 Caverns of Time Packs), 2 Signature Northshire Cleric Common cards, and 2 Signature Deathlord Rare cards!
Heroic Tavern Brawl
Heroic Tavern Brawl is returning on September 6, and this time it’s taking a walk on the Wild side. See where the dust settles after the Wild updates with this week-long competition for top prizes! The competition will be fierce, but the victors will be greatly rewarded.
Duels Updates
With Patch 27.2, the following card pool adjustments will be made:
- Thundra Rhino, Anub’Rekhan, Seafloor Gateway, and Mister Mukla are banned from deckbuilding and all card pools.
- Symphony of Sins is banned from deckbuilding.
- Solid Alibi and Cloak of Shadows are removed from draft buckets.
- Caverns of Time cards will be added to all card pools.
Once Caverns of Time launches on August 31, it will be added to initial deckbuilding as well. There will not be a season change with any of these updates, so ongoing runs will continue and ratings will be preserved.
Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
- [Hearthstone] Updated Disciple of Eonar’s text to indicate it works with Choose One cards or hero powers. Fixed a bug where, if it buffed a Choose One hero power, the aura would not be spent after the hero power was used.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where cards that reduce their own Cost were able to cost less than 2 when Razorscale was in play.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Titanforged Traps didn’t cast off “cast a random spell” effects. It now offers Hunter Secrets to classes that don’t have Secrets.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Chameleos and Disguised K'thir did not count as copies for Harvester of Envy.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Fate Splitter wouldn’t create a copy of a hero card if killed by that card’s Battlecry effect.
- [Hearthstone] Updated the Core Priest deck recipe to replace Crimson Clergy with Beaming Sidekick. This resolved a bug where that deck couldn’t be played in Practice or other adventures that use the Wild card pool (where Crimson Clergy is banned).
- [Battlegrounds] Your “Last 5 Warbands” stats page will now show your hero with your equipped Hero Skin, instead of always the default skin.
- [Battlegrounds] Zesty Shaker, Critter Wrangler, Tidemistress Athissa, and Kel’Thuzad’s Kitty (Hero Power) now use “When” or “Whenever” instead of “After” timing.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where giving a Divine Shield minion a temporary Divine Shield with Glowscale’s Spellcraft effect will then remove that minion’s original Divine Shield the next turn.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Dynamic Duo wouldn’t receive in-combat buffs from its effect.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a visual-only bug where Humming Bird plus another card that adds stats would display the wrong number.
- [Battlegrounds] Updated the Battlegrounds tutorial to better match modern Battlegrounds rules.
- [Duels] Fixed a bug where hero Health was not displaying on the pre-match loadout for Duels and Dungeon Run style solo content.
- [Duels] Fixed a bug with the Death Games Hero Power.
- [Solo Content] Fixed a bug where the new/returning player Loaner Decks were not useable in Solo Adventures.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where the Sargeras Hero Skin was missing its hero tray.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where the Legendary Rafaam Hero Skin’s hero power didn’t animate if you had fewer than 500 Warlock Ranked wins.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where using the hero power would cause visual issues with animated Hero Skins.
- [Achievements] Fixed a bug where the TITANS achievements were missing the TITANS icon.
- [Achievements] Fixed a bug where the Hats on Hats on Hats achievement couldn’t be progressed.
- [General] Added support for Android 13.
- Misc. other bug fixes and game improvements.
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They forgot Acolyte of Pain is in Standard
My problem with Hollow Hound has always been how much Hunters are allowed to heal. Because of all the ways they can buff it, stat changes aren’t gonna fix what I think is wrong with the card; especially Health. They would never do this, but I think a better way to fix the card would be to replace it with a minion with all the same effect and numbers, but just isn’t a Beast. If you take away the Beast tag, it loses support from Thornmantle Musician, Selective Breeder, Faithful Companions and Stranglethorn Heart. If Hunters are gonna be able to deal huge damage and heal for so much off of one minion, they should only be allowed to have two. That’s just my thought on that though.
Amalgamers rejoice!
This Twist season is looking absolutely amazing! Back to the golden days of Hearthstone!
Hollow Hound - Deleted from the game.
Costumed Singer - A big nerf, but still good for sure.
Bioluminescence - A massive nerf, especially since Shaman often wants to play two on the same turn. This might completely kill that deck, the OTK might come so late that Rainbow Mage is a better choice.
Thaddius - Huge nerf, but I think Warlock will still need it just for the body.
Down with the Ship - A very minor buff, the nerfs to other decks will probably have more impact than this buff.
Mythical Terror - A big buff, but I still don't know what deck would want this.
Frost Lotus - Also a minor buff.
Disciple of Amitus - Big buff, though the deck has a long way to go.
Tyr - Also a big buff. It might even be playable outside of Earthen Paladin.
Astral Automaton - A decent buff. I still don't think it will see play.
Felstring Harp - A big buff. It might compete with Armor Vendor now.
Bladestorm - Another big buff, but I still think it's too awkward to use effectively.
Stoneskin Armorer - Not strictly a buff for all decks, but certainly a big one for anything more combo oriented.
Craftman's Hammer - A buff for Odyn, but also a nerf for cards like Shield Slam that care about your current armor.
Trial by Fire - A big buff, and a needed one. Warrior board clears kind of suck.
Why do you think this nerf deletes Hollow Hound from Hunter? It currently used as either a board clear/health recovery or face damage with overkill damage (with ABG) (or all of the above at the same time). All of those functions remain it's just much less likely that the hound survives the initial trade.
Personally I think both Hound and Slinger will still see play in hunter decks as they're both still very good cards.
thadius makes 4less, its means can cost 0🙃 like U do a free reverb on thadius, boom -8cost ofc on your current polarity
It is absolutely baffling to me that multiple hunter decks can have a legit 80% winrate over MULTIPLE SEASONS and still never get nerfed. Whoever makes the big boy decision for Blizzard obviously would be hardstuck in Bronze if it weren't for their love of Hunter and the ability to get high legend while simultaneously putting zero thought or skill into your play.
But hey. hollow hound now have -2 HP and Singer -1 attack. LMAO
Why would they bother with balance when there is more shit to sell you? Caverns really seems like something that all players should have full access to it.
But nah.
Let's just repackage it as a whole new expansion and sell it at full fucking price.
Talk about irrelevant. If anything, the hollow hound nerf HELPS hunter because other decks are much more reliant on getting hollow hound heal/survivability than hunter is.
Warlock and DK seem pretty dead...
[General] Added support for Android 13
Wow, it took them a year to do so.
It's pretty irrelevant tbh with guff existing, and druid can already make their entire deck cost 1 or 0 with alignment.
I was disappointed in the lack of new cards.
However I suppose 34 new cards is ok for an expansion.
They said there will be 34 new cards.
So, I finally crafted Symphony of Sin to play in Duels....
fml
THIS Twist is literally everything I could've possibly wanted from Blizzard, which makes it so much more painful that it's all going to be gone in a month. Just leave premodern(?) as a permanent game mode, gosh darn it!
what about diamond Thaddius, Monstrosity? any refunds on that?
and dont start with "he was just an extra so why would there be a refund"
BOI some of us bought the golden set because of diamond
Whale problems are never gonna be adressed. Don't know if it's good or bad, it's just how it is