19.2.1 Patch Notes - Edwin & Boggspine Nerfs - Battleground Change
Blizzard just announced some balance changes to both Constructed and Battlegrounds. Read all about it below!
Quote from BlizzardWe’ve got a small balance patch with a few big changes planned for release this Friday, January 8!
Standard Balance Updates
Edwin VanCleef
- Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 4]
- Dev Comment: The last few weeks have been the best Edwin has ever performed as an individual card (the highest win rate card in multiple Rogue archetypes). Alongside cards like Foxy Fraud and Shadowstep, the frequency of early 8/8 or 10/10 Edwin VanCleefs reached a point we are no longer comfortable with. We want to evaluate how the rest of Rogue's kit performs without this very powerful iteration of Edwin. Cards like Foxy Fraud, Swindle, and Prize Plunderer are important pieces for future expansions and card interactions, so we'll be keeping close tabs on how they perform with the influx of new cards and Edwin's nerf.
Boggspine Knuckles
- Old: 4 Attack → New: 3 Attack
- Dev Comment: We're lowering the attack on Boggspine Knuckles in order to cut into the fluidity of Evolve Shaman, increasing the required investment of playing a 5-mana weapon without a free Dread Corsair, and reduce the overall damage output the deck is capable of over multiple weapon charges. This change lowers the amount of explosive plays available to Evolve Shaman and should create an overall healthier meta.
Edwin VanCleef and Boggspine Knuckles will be eligible for a full dust refund for 2 weeks after the 19.2.1 patch goes live.
Battlegrounds Balance Update
Elistra the Immortal
- Old: 7 Attack, 7 Health → New: 4 Attack, 4 Health
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug where Infinite Toki’s Temporal Tavern would not function correctly with the New Recruit Darkmoon Prize.
- Fixed a bug where Ysera’s Dream Portal, when used with the New Recruit Darkmoon Prize, would not offer a Dragon when Bob’s Tavern is full.
Also sorry this didn't get into the notes but: Yes Edwin will still rotate later this year and yes we will be reverting the nerf (along with others) at that time.
— Alec Dawson (@GW_Alec) January 8, 2021
We'll be looking at Wild more frequently throughout the year, setting some things up to help us do that better.
— Alec Dawson (@GW_Alec) January 8, 2021
Any card release has the chance to shift Wild to some degree, the upcoming mini-set being no different. There's some good stuff!
So, Elistra becomes completely useless for a 6 tier minion. The one thing that is missing is for it to keep the buffs after reborn triggers (maybe except the life total which should just be 1). Or to reduce its tavern tier to 4 or 5. Now the only way you'd want it is as a triple, and getting that is very hard considering how the games go.
I guess it's hard to be aware of simple issues like these in your own game. Not unexpected from Blizzard's history of nerfing stuff too much, though.
Meanwhile, the amount of damage we take is so high that the bottom 3-4 players don't really have any fun with the game.
But I guess nerfing a card is more important in your stupid heads than reducing the damage we take or doubling the health pools, or anything meaningful.
Just... F.U. Blizzard...
Elistra is still serving its purpose and will keep beign strong...
Maybe 4/4 is a bit much, but really dude? You actually curse at your game company because ONE broken auto include minion is now a combo piece?
It's nice to see edwin nerfed, hopefully they revert it once they HoF him. Aside from that, I think the Knuckles Nerf is fine but they should've nerfed Cagematch Custodian to 3 mana.
no, that card is needed in many other shaman deck like spell shaman or gnoll shaman etc, that card should remain 2, the nerf was perfect, it is basically a free turn to many classes
The 0 mana 10 drop and the desert hare are the big problems.
If the hare just spawned 2 0 mana 1/1's, that'd solve that issue. As for the 3/4 rush that evolves into a 10 drop.... uh... I don't know; maybe have it's played mana cost be it's actual mana cost.
Sooo, no more free Corsair for shaman, and -1 attack makes opponents take less face dmg and worse to do trades
I really didn’t expected Edwin nerf, at least will be harder to make explosive early plays with big Ed (at least nerf will be reverted when they HoF him)
My friends: "After all these years, Edwin is not going to be nerfed, you should disenchant your extra copies".
I never believed them. EZ 3200 dust.
Bonus 1600 dust =)

Stonks!
Since i sense i wont stick to this game for too long anymore, i just dusted my golden Edwin. I used to keep goldens and stuff, but the game dies faster and faster for me. Easy 3200 dust.
Elistra nerf seems fine. She does something cool, but in terms of raw stats, she was just better than Ghastcoiler, which was a bit much.
*snip*
Temporary nerf on Edwin before the HOF is good. Folks have been doing the exact same thing with him for YEARS and it was BORING.
edwin is still playable....
bogg with -less attack is stupid because the effect still works.
meh changes..
because dropping a free 5 drop is nothing to even think about XD
They nerfed Boggspine this way so you can't play free Dread Corsair on turn 5.
I've never had a problem with edwin when cards used to cost Mana or there was a downside to emptying your hand.
So I can DE Edwin and then craft him for free when he will go in HoF?
+1600 Dust
vs
+1600 Dust
-1600 Dust
+1600 Dust
There is no reason to DE him now.
There is, if you have a normal Edwin DE him now for 1600 Dust, craft a Golden one for getting another 1600 Dust from DE HoFed Golden Edwin.
+1600 Dust
-3200 Dust
+3200 Dust (HoF)
+1600 Dust (DE HoF) -> 3200 Dust after HoF
Instead of not DE normal Edwin and crafting a Golden for HoF since you only get HoF Dust for 1 copy of Edwin (Golden one in this case) :
400 Dust normal Edwin (DE during HoF)
+1600 Dust for owning normal Edwin (HoF)
-> 2000 Dust after HoF
DE normal Edwin now for +1200 Dust ! And then craft your Golden Edwin for HoF!
Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation :)
thank you i will crap him