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Update 11:57PM EDT: Added blue tweets.
Leeroy Jenkins & Starving Buzzard Changes Confirmed
Earlier this morning, some people noticed changes to Leeroy Jenkins and Starving Buzzard. These changes were quickly reverted on the server side but it seems that they were intended changes and will be going live on or around September 22nd.
Quote from ZeriyahBoth before and after the release of Curse of Naxxramas: A Hearthstone Adventure, we have been monitoring card balance as more Hearthstone games are played along with the new cards that have been added. After careful consideration we have decided to make balance changes to Leeroy Jenkins (Neutral) and Starving Buzzard(Hunter).
The following balance changes will be made in an upcoming patch:
- Leeroy Jenkins now costs 5 (up from 4)
- Starving Buzzard now costs 5 (up from 2) and now has 3 Attack and 2 Health (up from 2 Attack and 1 Health)
Leeroy Jenkins created a strategy that revolved around trying to defeat your opponent in one turn without requiring any cards on the board. Fighting for board control and battles between minions make an overall game of Hearthstone more fun and compelling, but taking 20+ damage in one turn is not particularly fun or interactive. This was occurring when Leeroy was used in combination with other cards like Power Overwhelming, Faceless Manipulator, Cold Blood, Shadowstep, and Unleash the Hounds, among others.
The amount of cards Starving Buzzard allowed Hunter players to draw ultimately ended up being too excessive for its low cost. This change will allow the Hunter’s opponent more time to react to both the Starving Buzzard and the cards drawn by its power.
Expert cards that are being changed can be disenchanted for their full cost for a limited time once this balance change goes live. The currently targeted date of this balance change is September 22nd.
After these balance changes go live on September 22nd, we will not be making additional card changes between September 22nd and the Hearthstone World Championship at BlizzCon.
We will continue to make balance changes to Hearthstone only when we feel they are completely necessary in order to increase the variety of cards seen at all levels of play and make Hearthstone a more fun and interactive game for everyone.
Blue Tweets
Twitter, and the rest of the Hearthstone community outlets have been on fire this evening with questions and various emotions. Below are some important tweets from the Hearthstone team on the nerfs.
Quote from Blizzard on TwitterI cant stop thinking how Buzzard nerf is just too much, I believe in your balance team but this seems like a overnerf.
It's possible. But if I had to choose a card to over-nerf, it'd be buzzard! :) (But we'll see, time will tell!)
Coupled with maybe Hunter's Mark from 0 to 1 mana cost.
Didn't want to change too much right now. It's important that game feels stable. - Ben Brode (Source)You say it's possible that the Buzzard nerf is overkill. Does that mean you'd be open to a buff later if the change kills hunters?
I don't think this will kill hunters :) - Ben Brode (Source)My thoughts on Buzzard nerf: Gadegetzan Auctioneer is a 4/4 for 5. Buzzard is 3/2 for 5. Similar abilities. Can't buzzard be 3 health @ 5mana?
We tested lots of numbers and this felt best :) - Ben Brode (Source)Buzzard, 2 or 3 mana, 2-1 "Whenever a beast dies, draw a card." - what's wrong with going this route?
Our balance team tried a lot of options - we feel pretty good about the one we settled on. Give it a try! - Ben Brode (Source)Can Leeroy be a 7/2 for 5 please I'm kinda gonna miss him
He's still around! - Ben Brode (Source)
You're right still good at 5 manaWhy no Flare nerf? i wanna play my secrets pally already.
Buzzard nerf is indirect flare nerf. You might see less Hunter, which means you run into flare less.
Also, less Hunters might mean less reason to run flare for remaining hunters, since less secrets to run into.
That said, we are still looking at Flare. It's possible we could see a change to it in the future, if it's still frustrating. - Ben Brode (Source)Buzzard should be 2/1 for 3 battlecry draw a card. Draw 2 if you have a beast in play
That's a pretty different card. We could make that card, too! It's very different, emotionally, though. - Ben Brode (Source)Just to clarify, we will get to disenchant these for full value after the changes, right?
Buzzard is basic and cannot be disenchanted. Leeroy can be disenchanted for full cost once the change goes live. - Zeriyah (Source)
now we need a ragnaros nerf and we're done
why?
You're going to craft the cards and then disenchant them for the full cost? You mean, the cost you paid to craft it? ... Pretty sure you aren't profiting anything.
To all the qq'ers: the leeroy nerf is not only affecting miracle. it also kills the PO+FM combo in handlocks AND any other similar combo in other decks (athene deck any1? :D). leeroy is still pretty good in any of those decks. the "only" change for miracle is that the deck cannot triple leeroy PLUS CB the same turn. The buzzard is the source of all hunter combos and had to be nerfed. the change was unexpected but fair. i would have rather changed it to something like this: 3mana 3/3 for every beast summoned, deal one dmg to itself and draw a card. so the card draw would be limited and could not be abused.
Sorry if this has been asked already, but did we get this much lead time for the Hounds nerf? I seem to recall that one being announced and going live the next day, We've got 10 days to complain about these nerfs, which seems odd in Hearthstone.
The reason why is because blizzard accidentally made these changes server side so some people experienced the cards as nerfed. So they had to explain why this happened and it's because upcoming nerf.
I have 1 Golden and 4 Regular LeeRoys! It pays to horde cards!! Wahoo!
Tanks!XD
Arcane Golem will take the place of Leeroy.
I absolutely hate these changes.
Buzzard is now way too weak, and imo completely unplayable. Practically removing one of the staple cards of Hunter decks is a horrible idea. Leeroy needs to get at least +1 health. It would keep the point of the nerf intact and keep him still playable.
I am surprised to see these nerfs. Blizzard has said in the past that they don't want to nerf cards, but want to introduce new ones to help counter the decks that people feel need nerfing. With an upcoming expansion in the works, this nerf feels pointless.
Welcome to SHAMAN'S Era !!!
I don't agree with any changes to any cards. What I feel they should do is release new cards faster to counteract old cards. If the card makes the game broken, It should not be usable in certain modes. As the game gets older, cards will cycle out of play and possibly new modes with old cards will exist. To change a card is absurd.
I would rather one existing card get changed rather than releasing a shit ton of new better cards out outclass it.
I think the idea of making counter cards is just retarded as well.
Additionally Blizzard has stated that they don't want to add more game modes because it will lengthen queue times.
I like this, I mean I play hunter right now and I am not upset, I have also played Miracle in the past and Leeroy double shadowstep is no longer gonna be a thing so thats nice too. Well unless you save coin until turn 10...
Overall good job I just cant wait for more cards to come out!
It would turn into 4 mana unleash unplayable even at a 4- drop it is too late
After UTH went to 3 mana, everyone said hunters will slowly die. And now, after all this time, they are all over the place. Hunters will still be there, but MAYBE, they won't use Buzzard so much.
Idd, miracle will suffer from this (no Leeroy + double shadowstep in one turn) and also Handlock - no Leeroy + poweroverwhelming + faceless anymore. But we'll see..
I think at the minimum, don't kill Miracle that already is suffering. Hunter is king atm, let Hunter be the only one that is hurt.
A solution here for partial nerf would be to buff Shadowstep to make the minion it targets cost 3 less... I mean hell that still makes the Leeroy combo cost more than original 4 mana Leeroy. It would in this case be 5+2+2 so 9 total rather than 11 and you could do 1 step for 7 rather than 8. This is a fair halfway point between current and nerf that allows for a full combo but would still delay Miracles if Blizzard REALLY wants to do so.
Hunters did die after UTH went to 3. Naxx brought them back with two cheap beasts. The reason they were capable of it was because they comboed so well with the rest of the Hunter kit, especially the Buzzard. The whole point of Hunters right now is that they can draw almost all of their deck, every game. Nerfing the buzzard like this is just going to straight up kill that entire playstyle, and in turn, Hunters as a viable class.
RIP miracle.
I think people were still playing around the buzzard + unleash combo against that deck despite it not having it.