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!
You know what card everyone said was completely dead after its nerf, and would never be played again? Blade Flurry. You know what card is now excellent removal in Kingsbane Rogue? Blade Flurry.
Deleting cards would be silly. If a card isn't a problem anymore, there's no reason it can't stay, and it can find new uses in the future.
Corridor Creeper will still see play in Evolve Shaman. It won't be played in like every deck, but still.
Too late.
"I'm in chaaarge now" - Guldan
Welcome to Cubestone, home of the Voidlord...can I take your order?
Since they don't give a twag about the Blizzard forums i will put it here, the nerfs overall seem fine for the future of Wild, but not touching Anduin Shadowreaper, Prince Keleseth and Warlock in general will make this another meta of just 2 or 3 classes thanks again Mike for your superb work as a desingner no wonder WOTC gave you the boot.
They definitely don't give a twag about comments on here.... So yeah.
Jade Druid Golden Age #2
I certainly can't say that I'm sad to see Patches getting nerfed, although the change Blizzard chose seems extreme and “Battlecry: gain Charge” might have been considered if they didn't want to remove the card from the game entirely.
However, that raises another question. Now that Blizzard apparently realized what the real problem card with Pirate Warrior was, are they going to make good on their mistake and bring back Fiery War Axe, or are they going to leave the whole class in trash tier for any foreseeable future?
I don't like the fiery war axe nerf either, especially how they simply change the mana cost to 3 because "Mana cost change is easier for stupid players to see."
But they nerfed it not only because pirate warrior was strong, but also because it is too good that it is auto included in every warrior deck, which they don't like to see.
I have to agree though that this one nerf has left the whole class unviable in this meta.
Both swipe and fireball have been not included in decks before though
Axe almost never. I dont support the nerf Im just saying
RIP Creeper
Mill Rogue
And that god plays Cubelock
Blizzard staff are hardly Gods...
Take my vote mate. I seriously have to login for this
Really would have liked Bloodreaver Gul'dan and Dark Pact nerfs plus Prince Keleseth changes as well, but dang am I glad that I'll most likely never have to see Patches anywhere again.
I reckon Raza Priest will still be very much viable for the remainder of this rotation, but they'll either need to generate coins from Gilded Gargoyle and Burgly Bully for their burn combo, or perhaps become a pure control deck that cuts all their draw for value.
Also think that Bonemare will remain playable in Zoo and Tempo as a one-of, and will still be an OP 8-drop in arena. It's a 5/5 with a Blessing of Kings, that's definitely still worth 8 mana.
The other two were gutted really hard, but they're both inherently poorly designed cards so I'm actually happy that they overdid it.
I got bored of the whole Raza the Chained + Prophet Velen + DK combo about a month and a half in. I play a loaded Dragon/Highlander priest in wild, where those "totally interactive" combo and card draw cards are switched out with value cards like Lightbomb, Ysera, Brann Bronzebeard, and Entomb. So for a person like me, it doesn't hurt me all too bad.
But it feels kinda bitter knowing that Blizzard is MOSTLY doing this because they don't want it to become a rampant problem in wild, as they are with patches. (I can't recall if they ever nerfed a wild card). A change during KoFT would have made more sense, as this was when the DKs were introduced. A change now is kind of abrupt and jarring to the meta.
The patches change is free dust. That card has been a problem ever since it's release, and has grown to this day. Once again though, it's still jarring that they decide to do it now rather than earlier. They nerfed Small Time B U C C before they nerfed Patches FFS.
I don't have many opinions on the Corridor Crepes nerf. I guess they made it the card that it should have been on release.
Bonemare change isn't bad. It seems like a fair card now. An 8 drop with a big impact, just like almost every other 8 drop
Like you said, I wish Bloodreaver Gul'dan and Dark Pact got a nerf. Maybe Gul'Dan would only summon 3, 4 or 5 demons (a full board of them is kinda disgusting) and Dark Pact would be a mana or two higher.
One thing I haven't seen at all though, is people calling for an Ultimate Infestation nerf. The card is still OP, so I'm very surprised they haven't done anything about it. Giving it numbers different from 5 would make it seem awkward, yes. But a 5/5 golem, 5 cards, 5 damage, and 5 armor for 10 mana is still DISGUSTING