Hearthstone's Next Balance Update Goes Live on May 22
We've now got official confirmation that the upcoming balance changes will be going live on May 22. When we first got word balance changes were on their way, it was stated we'd see them after the conclusion of the summer playoffs but we didn't think it would be that soon!
Quote from BlizzardUpdate: These balance changes are currently scheduled to go live on May 22 PDT.
The Nerfs
For those out of the loop, here's the nerfs that are coming in the update.
- Naga Sea Witch - Cost is now 8, up from 5.
- Spiteful Summoner - Cost is now 7, up from 6.
- Dark Pact - Now restores 4 Health, down from 8.
- Possessed Lackey - Cost is now 6, up from 5.
- Call to Arms - Cost is now 5, up from 4.
- Crystal Core - Effect now makes all minions in your deck 4/4, down from 5/5.
We've got dedicated threads available to discuss each card nerf.
Why wait, do it now
IT'S LIVE. PRAISE BRODE.
What? He's no longer... oh ok.
:(
rip brode he will forever be in our hearts
These changes will create a new meta here for sure!
These nerfs are not good enough and Doomguardis going to get nerfed... The problem is the key term recruit... The whole mechanic is not healthy... I agree with this guy from Tempostorm.
https://tempostorm.com/articles/is-recruit-the-biggest-problem-with-the-witchwood-meta
While I agree that the draw component of Recruit is sorely broken (my favoured comparison being Call to Arms vs Lay on Hands, where the draw-3 costs a whopping 5.5 mana over Holy Light), I sincerely doubt that Doomguard is the problem. YelloRambo has good points, but that's [Tempo] YelloRambo shouting hail mary, and the card has existed in classic (albeit with its downside and no way to cheat it) without needing changes.
The real thing about Call to Arms (or any other Recruit mechanic) is that it's broken in tempo, not necessarily in value. I regularly get punished by Controlock decks playing Hellfire when I coined it out it in testing up to the nerf yesterday; now *many* classes have 6 mana deal 2 AoE or taunts (Blizzard, Rexxar, Spreading Plague, Spikeridged in mirror). So how does that affect lackey, because you're not trying to kill it? Well, by the time you play and kill it, it'll be turn 7. By then you're probably dead to aggro and can't have healed (Pact nerf), so the problem will probably correct itself. Voidlord gets normally played only two turns later, and Doomguard could have been played with Charge two turns earlier. I think that with the cost nerfs it checks out in tempo, generally speaking.
The main concern I have is like Kibler, Zalae, and Thijs that Crystal Core + Vicious Scalehide will be insane. Even if it's much harder for Crystal Core to pull off any OTK BS, it now has a solid position in the meta (because it was previously constrained by Tauntlords) and has ridiculous lifesteal potential against aggro. 2 mana lifesteal & rush is pretty insane, especially with Shadowstep (remember there is it counts as a 2 for Prince Keleseth though).
Their nerfs are 90% of the time so badly done ,they end up removing a card from play,example Buzzard and Hunter still has no card drawing after all these seasons.
Let's give Mage premium removal,armor gain,card draw,counterspell,infinite health gain with Jaina etc etc but can't give Hunter ANY card draw?
The game is also relying too much on those same two mechanics,the death knights and the quests,where is the versatility of the game?Oh then we have Shaman also relying on the DK but using neutral cards to be remotely viable.Let's give Druid Nourish for choice of 3 card draw or mana AND Infestation for armor and 5 card draw lol but yep,NO card draw for Hunter.
In other words VERY poor job of balancing the classes.
Loot Hoarder
It has AL:WAYS been the game design and not the cards.
We should be able to react to every single play and every single card.Example quest rogue is only a problem because the effect can NEVER be removed and we cannot interact with the play or stop it,so it is totally a non interactive design which is bad for ANY pvp game.
I find it sad that MTG a VERY long lasting professional tcg has proven the way to do it yet Blizzard in trying to be different has decided to go the non interactive design.Interacting after the play is already DONE is interacting TOO LATE and NOT beneficial to ANY player.
The other problem with the game is that streamers are the main attraction and they will NEVER say anything bad about the game because they are making loads of money from the game and don't want that nice easy living to change.So trying to get the game to improve is near impossible with all the ESPORT money going around,none of the top players want change only these silly nerfs that should not need to happen.
Wile what you say is true, there is something everyone should understand: this is HS and not MTG. Its just another CCG but with completely different design approach. The ability to interact with anything your opponent plays also adds complexity, if you want that you can still play MTG. But HS devs admittedly want their game be smooth and easy. What I am trying to say is, if you want interaction and complexity, play MTG. HS will never be like that, and we have to live and work with this.
MTG plays better on the table than it does on the computer. Turns feel like they just drag out when there is a delay with every possible action. I still regularly play MTG, just never the PC games because of this.
where is the fucking nerf?
should be around 10am pdt... roughly 13 hours from now!
xD
so are you going to get full dust back if you dust the cards that are affected by the nerf?
For about two weeks after the changes go live, yes. Wait a few days for the in-game announcement.
So, they're finally gonna nerf Dr. Boom?!?
Quest Rogue is OK.
Paladin gonna be a dead char.
Spitefull Druid is still broken.
Cubelock is still broken as well.
I think what they need to do to nerf Cubelock is nerf Skull of the Man'ari and nerf the 25 dmg combo Spiritsinger Umbra Carnivorous Cube and Dark Pact
maybe increase Carnivorous Cube mana to 6
the nerf of lackey and dark pact affect Control warlock more.
What if Carnivvorous Cube could be "Battlecry: Destroy two friendly minions." "Deathrattle: Choose a friendly minion destoyed and summon two copies."
Immune to spells would just make the deck nonviable.