Five Card Nerfs Coming in the Next Hearthstone Update - Druids, Win Axe, Murlocs, Hex
Five card changes are coming to Hearthstone in an upcoming patch which brings nerfs to several fan favourites, three being basic cards.
- The reason for nerfs to basic cards is due to too many cards from this set being included in those classes' decks.
- They're trying to limit additions to the Hall of Fame, so they're instead nerfing Murloc Warleader.
Discuss the Nerf Discuss the Nerf Discuss the Nerf
Discuss the Nerf Discuss the Nerf
Blog Post
In an upcoming update, we will be making balance changes to the following cards:
Innervate
Now reads: Gain 1 Mana Crystal this turn only. (Down from 2)
Fiery War Axe
Now costs 3 mana. (Up from 2)
Hex
Now costs 4 mana. (Up from 3)
Murloc Warleader
Now reads: Your other Murlocs have +2 Attack. (Down from +2 Attack, +1 Health)
Spreading Plague
Now costs 6 mana. (Up from 5)
Developer’s Note: Basic Cards and Our Stance on Hall of Fame
After careful consideration, we chose to make changes to three Basic class cards: Innervate, Fiery War Axe, and Hex. While they can be regarded as staples in those classes’ card repertoires, too many Basic and Classic cards played in individual decks means less fun when new expansions are released.
Cards in the Basic set serve several purposes in the game, so we would rather make balance adjustments to them instead of moving them to the Hall of Fame, like we have done for cards in the Classic set. We are also trying to limit Hall of Fame changes to the start of each Hearthstone Year, which is why Murloc Warleader—a Classic card—is receiving a balance change instead of moving to the Hall of Fame.
Innervate
Several powerful variations of Druid are currently seeing play, and all of them utilize Innervate. Innervate creates explosive starts to the game that can be difficult for the opposing player to recover from. This change leaves Innervate as a simple Basic card and slows down the explosive start potential, while ensuring that it will be utilized in decks that revolve around playing inexpensive spells.
What other changes did we consider?
We considered a few other options for Innervate:
- Refresh 2 Mana Crystals.
- Gain 2 Mana Crystals this turn only and increase the mana cost to 1.
- Gain 6 Mana Crystals this turn only and increase the mana cost to 4.
Since Innervate is a basic card, we need it to be clear and simple. Along with Wild Growth, these cards inform newer players that Druids create mana as a part of their class identity.
We kept in mind that cards like Counterfeit Coin were strong in combination with other support cards, such as Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Edwin VanCleef, and Combo cards. With the right support cards for Innervate, it may end up still seeing play, but won’t be in every deck—which is ultimately what we’re aiming for with this change.
Fiery War Axe
Fiery War Axe has been a powerful Warrior weapon since the launch of Hearthstone. Already great tempo for its cost, Fiery War Axe is well complimented by Pirates and cards that synergize with weapons. Raising its mana cost by 1 will slow down the Warrior’s tempo and lower the overall power level of the card.
What other changes did we consider?
The other option we considered for Fiery War Axe was to lower its attack to 2, but that change didn’t feel intuitive enough. Generally, changing the mana cost of a card is less disruptive, because you can always see the mana cost of cards in your hand. Despite the increased mana cost of Fiery War Axe, we expect that it will still see play—other 3 mana 3/2 weapons, like Eaglehorn Bow, can be found in decks that may not have synergy with the weapon’s card text.
Hex
We’re not making the change to Hex due to a current power-level problem. Shaman is a class that currently has a lot of flexibility, but is lacking in both class identity and identifiable weaknesses. Changing Hex makes Shaman a bit weaker against big minions and worse at silencing—having both strengths and weaknesses in a class is important.
We are very wary of cards that also incidentally work as a silence. If a player wants to utilize a card with a silence effect, they should be giving up something else. For example, if a player decides to include Spellbreaker in their deck, then they are playing a card that is weak in some situations. Priest is an exception to this rule—silence is a part of their class identity.
Even though Hex is not always played in the more aggressive Shaman decks, we will be making this forward-thinking change with the overall identity of the class in mind. This includes avoiding Shaman cards that function as direct and powerful removal. We will continue moving forward with this design philosophy to help reinforce that ideal.
Developer’s Note: Regarding Murloc Warleader and Spreading Plague
Murloc Warleader
Murlocs are good at taking an early lead, and if a player can’t clear the board in time, the game can ultimately snowball to victory using cards like Murloc Warleader. Removing the Health buff from Murloc Warleader will make it easier for players to clear the board of murlocs, and still have it remain a Classic build-around card. Simplifying health buff interactions is an additional benefit of this change. For example, in its current state, having a Murloc Warleader in play then using Wild Pyromancer and Equality would not destroy other murlocs on the board, leading to unclear interactions for some players.
What other changes did you consider?
We considered changing both Rockpool Hunter and Murloc Warleader due to the current strength of Murloc Paladin in the early stages of the game. Changing either Rockpool Hunter or Murloc Warleader would accomplish this, but there are extra advantages to changing just Murloc Warleader: The simplification of health-giving buffs and additional room for future Murlocs since Warleader will be around longer than Rockpool Hunter.
Spreading Plague
Spreading Plague is a great defensive tool for Druid to protect themselves against aggressive decks, but it was too efficient at 5 mana. Raising the mana cost to 6 will slow the card down slightly, while still allowing for the defensive minions Spreading Plague creates to be utilized in the later stages of the game.
What other changes did you consider?
We considered changing Spreading Plague to 7 mana rather than 6, since it is currently the top performing card in Jade and Taunt Druid decks. However, since we are also changing Innervate, we decided to only add 1 mana to the cost of Spreading Plague.
Developer’s Note: Regarding Other Community Card Discussions
The community has mentioned other cards in balance-related discussions, such as Ice Block and Ultimate Infestation, and we wanted to talk about those cards as well even though we are not making any changes to them at this time.
Ultimate Infestation
Our team has discussed making a change to Ultimate Infestation since it feels bad to lose to. However, our data shows us how good each individual card performs in a deck relative to other cards in that deck. Spreading Plague ended up being the best performing card in Jade and Taunt Druid, Innervate was in the top three, and Ultimate Infestation was somewhere around the middle—but it felt much more powerful since it has a huge effect when played.
We considered changing all mentions of the number 5 in Ultimate Infestation to 4, or removing one of the effects entirely. With the other changes we are making to Druid, ramping out Ultimate Infestation before turn 10 should happen less often, so we decided to leave it as is.
Ice Block
We’ve seen discussions about moving Ice Block to the Hall of Fame. As previously mentioned, moving cards to the Hall of Fame occurs at the start of the Hearthstone Year, which will occur with the first expansion release in 2018. Our general stance regarding Hall of Fame is that we want to avoid moving cards mid-year.
We are excited for these changes, and we look forward to seeing how they will shake up the game.
Once these card changes are live, players will be able to disenchant the changed non-Basic cards (Murloc Warleader and Spreading Plague) for their full Arcane Dust value for two weeks. Basic cards cannot be disenchanted and will not be available for an Arcane Dust refund.
Three weeks after MSOG:
Team 5 person, "Ben, we got a real problem with Jade Druid", it's pretty much going to a be a powerhouse unless we nerf it next expansion.
Ben, "I know, I know, it was my idea and I don't want to nerf it. It's not tier one yet and aggro will keep it check".
Three weeks after JTU:
Team 5 person, "Ben, why did we give Druid Earthen Scales".
Ben, "This will make Druid Tier one, but don't worry, Aggro will keep it in check".
Five weeks after KoFT:
Team five person, "Ben Druid is just destroying other decks right now, we really eff'd up".
Ben, "What? When did this happen. Aggro will keep it in check, and Gadgetstan Auctioneer is a high skill card".
Team Five. "Um, Ben, we have pretty much eliminated Aggro and Jade Druid is destroying the meta. They don't even need auctioneer with UI."
Ben "NO NERF TO JADE DRUID, It's MY CREATION!!!"
All the statistics, drawing all the wrong conclusions. Being ignorant to the varying purpose of the cards when put into decks of altering types. Blizzards motivation has to be questioned when focussing on basic and classic cards rather than adressing pressing issues in recent additions.
Is it only me who thinks they made ideas for this changes during a office party while everyone being high as a kite on coke? Druidstone becoming Ultimate Druidstone after update GG.
Poor changes.
Innervate nerf won't impact Jade or Token Druid enough. Helps reduce the amount of degenerate stuff but still, meh, I'd prefer it if it would be moved into Hall of Fame instead of being turned into just a coin.
Since when was Paladin so problematic that all Murloc decks needed this big nerf? Clumpsy change.
Spreading Plague change doesn't matter, 6 mana and it's still worth playing.
Axe Nerf? Dear god why, this is not why Pirate War was OP, PIRATES is why pirate war is OP. Why hit control war decks with a nerf in order to try to get Pirate War in control?
Hex nerf? Wtf why, because Shaman should not have an answer to coin prep + spell edwin bullshit etc?
I really, really like most of the nerfs, I'm just not sure the timing was right. They nerfed some of the OP or omnipresent cards, and that is OK, it's just that they didn't address the biggest problem right now in the proper way. We'll see though, the changes to some decks can make other, less played decks, more viable, and maybe we get a better counter to Jade Druid.
However, while some of the arguments in the comments below are valid, some are just plain stupid. I mean, 'FWA is now worse than any 3/2 weapon' trumps them all. Who would've thought that Rare weapons wielded by weapons-suitable classes(it's not like Hunters and Paladins are devoid of weapons) should be better than a Basic one... Mindblowing.
Hex nerf is OK, it's now on par with Polymorph. Innervate, I don't know. It could've been done better, definitely. Spreading Plague is OK, being that one mana crystal can mean a lot for an aggressive or board-centric deck trying to establish a board. Murloc Warleader is done right IMO, and I like playing with murlocs, especially with Shaman quest. It really emphasizes their aggressive nature, helps with the board clears and makes this card a bit less of a buff.
We will see what the meta will look like, but right now I think these nerfs are 50/50. They didn't directly nerf Jade Druid, for sure, but they tried to deal with some genuinely problematic cards.
Thought the same thing. Guess, if your name is Kibler and you want to play the world's greediest Priest decks -- Blizz will make that happen.
Meanwhile, Hunter has been garbage for 2/3s of the life of the game. SeemsGood
Dunno if most people here actually played the game but agaisnt druid the moments I felt the game was the most unfair was when they use innervate and spreading plague
Blizzard are right in nerfing those 2 cards though I don't agree with their light change to spreading plague, and the unflavourful nerf to innervate (it's a coin with a different name...)
"fake math behind the match making system" - what are you even talking about? You play against people of similar rank on ladder. What's fake about that?
And yes, Hex and Axe have been problems for a long time, and have had people crying for nerfs for YEARS.
give a free prepurchase of the next 3 expansions to this guy
Wow, it's like you "discovered" how every CCG has worked since the genre began. Impressive.
So, when you will discover the basic sense of humour?
I work in comedy, so... let me know if someone in the comments actually says something funny and I'll take a look. ;)
maybe your "sense of humour" needs a buff
Yeah, responding to sarcasm with more sarcasm sure is humorless... you nailed it. Kappa, my dawg.
Cool, now I can play hex in my Nzoth Shaman
They were expecting meta would change to control massively, it didnt quite happen. now they are butt hurt about it and starting to nerf agro decks. Longer games means less F2P gold generated and so more players will be forced to buy packs. its not a nerf to make heartstone more "balanced" but more profitable.
Stop crying, these nerfs make the game more skill-based and less dependant on having the right cards at the right time.
First of all learn to address people, no one is crying here this is not your kinder garden. second, those changes thosent make this game more skill based, it slows down some decks and indirecly speeds up other decks. Also i am talking about hidden goal behind these nerfs not the "vaule" of it. They want a slower game to make more money and i find it unfriendly and inconsidered.