22.0.2 Patch Notes - Balance Changes (BG, Constructed), Arena Update, Bug Fixes & More
Blizzard just announced 22.0.2 Patch Notes that will go live later today. Let's take a look at what's new.
Quote from BlizzardPatch 22.0.2, launching today, includes balance changes for Standard and Battlegrounds, a system update for Mercenaries, and more!
Standard Balance Updates
Dev Comment: We’re coming up on two weeks since the launch of Fractured in Alterac Valley and, while players are still finding success with quite a variety of strategies, we want to open up the format further. This patch is mainly focused on weakening some of the stronger, combo-centric strategies that have had long-term success throughout the Year of the Gryphon.
The following cards have been adjusted down in power:
Celestial AlignmentAlliance Bannerman
- Old: [Costs 7] → New: [Costs 8]
- Dev Comment: Although Celestial Alignment is not usually a card used for from-hand, burst damage, it does frequently allow for absurd turns that happen a little earlier than we feel is healthy. Moving it up a mana should allow for more setup and counterplay before Celestial Alignment is cast.
Efficient Octo-bot
- Old: 2 Attack, 2 Health → New: 2 Attack, 1 Health
- Dev Comment: Paladins have a very consistent, powerful package of cards that they can include in quite a few distinct strategies. Alliance Bannerman is one of these cards that can fit into a wide range of decks. Lowering its Health by one should tone down Paladin decks by a small amount across the board.
Snowfall Guardian
- Old: [Costs 2] → New: [Costs 3]
- Dev Comment: Efficient Octo-bot has been a little too efficient at the upper echelons of play. We’re slowing it down as part of the general goal of toning down the power level of combo strategies.
Touch of the Nathrezim
- Old: [Costs 5] → New: [Costs 6]
- Dev Comment: Snowfall Guardian was designed with the intent of giving Freeze Shaman decks a powerful tool, but it is a little too efficient at locking up the board, especially when combined with cards like Brilliant Macaw. Moving it up one mana should soften the power of this interaction.
Runed Mithril Rod
- Old: Deal 2 damage to a minion. If it dies, restore 4 Health to your hero. → New: Deal 2 damage to a minion. If it dies, restore 3 Health to your hero.
- Dev Comment: Touch of the Nathrezim is meant to be a solid removal option for slower Warlock decks, but the overall Health restoration in Warlock is slightly too high. This is meant to be a softer change that leaves Warlock with a powerful removal option, but reduces overall Warlock healing capabilities enough to bring that aspect of the class back in line.
Bloodsail Deckhand
- Old: [Costs 4] → New: [Costs 5]
- Dev Comment: Runed Mithril Rod was an incredibly strong tool in the first few days after the launch of Fractured in Alterac Valley. While players were able to find a counter to it in cards like Rustrot Viper, we believe going up a Mana here will lead to healthier play patterns for the game overall.
Irondeep Trogg
- Old: 2 Attack, 2 Health → New: 2 Attack, 1 Health
- Dev Comment: We’re reverting our previous change to Bloodsail Deckhand. Questline Warrior ended up slightly stronger than intended, and we believe it will continue to find success after this change.
Mo'arg Artificer
- Old: After your opponent casts a spell, summon a copy of this. → New: After your opponent casts a spell, summon another Irondeep Trogg.
- Dev Comment: Irondeep Trogg has the capability of running away with games very early when combined with minion buffs like Noble Mount or Doggie Biscuit. Taking into account the rest of the changes we’re making with this patch, we want to adjust Trogg to remain a viable counter to early spells, but to better match the targeted power level of the format as a whole.
- Old: [Costs 2] 2 Attack, 4 Health → New: [Costs 3] 2 Attack, 5 Health
- Dev Comment: Mo'arg Artificer does too much, too efficiently for decks with large amounts of removal. Increasing its cost by one will make the card a little less efficient as a tool for cheap clears, large amounts of life gain, and combo finishers.
The collectible cards listed above will be eligible for a full dust refund for 2 weeks after the 22.0.2 patch goes live. Bloodsail Deckhand is not eligible for the dust refund, because it's a Core Set card, not a collectible one.
Dev Comment: Alongside the changes above, we’re also making a couple adjustments aimed at powering up slower Mage decks and the less powerful Hero Cards.
The following cards have been adjusted up in power:
Beaststalker TavishGrey Sage Parrot
- Old: [Hero Power Costs 3] → New: [Hero Power Costs 2]
Magister Dawngrasp
- Old: [Costs 8] 6 Attack, 6 Health → New: [Costs 6] 4 Attack, 5 Health
Wildfire
- Old: [Costs 8] → New: [Costs 7]
- Old: Hero Power: Deal 1 Damage. Honorable Kill: Gain +2 Damage. → New: Hero Power: Deal 2 Damage. Honorable Kill: Gain +2 Damage.
- Old: Increase the damage of your Hero Power by 1. → New: Increase the damage of your Hero Power by 1 this game.
- Dev Comment: This is a minor rework to make it so that Wildfire will now persist after swapping Hero Powers. Although we don’t envision this being dramatically impactful, we do think it will allow for a smoother gameplay experience with Hero Power changing cards like Magister Dawngrasp.
Battlegrounds Balance Updates
HERO UPDATES
SneedTamsin
- Armor Tier changed from Tier 1 (0 Armor) to Tier 2 (2-5 Armor)
- Sneed’s Replicator
- Old: [Costs 1] → New: [Costs 2]
Scabbs Cutterbutter
- Fragrant Phylactery
- Old: [Costs 0] Start of Combat: Destroy your lowest Health minion. Give its Health to all your others. → New: [Costs 1] Start of Combat: Destroy your lowest Health minion. Give its stats to all your others.
- Armor Tier changed from Tier 2 (2-5 Armor) to Tier 1 (0 Armor)
Cariel Roame
Deathwing
- Armor Tier changed from Tier 6 (6-9 Armor) to Tier 7 (7-10 Armor)
Millificent Manastorm
- Armor Tier changed from Tier 4 (4-7 Armor) to Tier 5 (5-8 Armor)
Overlord Saurfang
- Armor Tier changed from Tier 3 (3-6 Armor) to Tier 5 (5-8 Armor)
Patches the Pirate
- Armor Tier changed from Tier 6 (6-9 Armor) to Tier 7 (7-10 Armor)
Trade Prince Gallywix
- Armor Tier changed from Tier 3 (3-6 Armor) to Tier 2 (2-5 Armor)
- Armor Tier changed from Tier 4 (4-7 Armor) to Tier 2 (2-5 Armor)
MINION UPDATES
Prized Promo-DrakeDazzling Lightspawn
- Old: 5 Attack, 5 Health → New: 3 Attack, 3 Health
- Old: 4 Attack, 5 Health → New: 2 Attack, 5 Health
Mercenaries Update
- All Heroic Level 30 Bounties will now include at least one pile of Legendary Coins (chosen from the selection of Coins designated for each Bounty) as part of their Bounty completion rewards.
Arena Update
- Abominable Lieutenant is no longer draftable in Arena.
Bug Fixes & Game Improvements
- The base versions of Drek'Thar and Vanndar are now eligible for full dust refunds. We will be doing a separate update later on patch day to grant additional Arcane Dust to players who already disenchanted either card.
- Fixed a bug where the Duels treasure Impcredible Trousers did not properly shuffle the imp portals.
Dawngrasp really doesn't have *that* much anti-synergy with their spell pool (Deep Freeze summons minions, Mask goes face, Flamestrike and Arcane Overflow clear stuff). Honestly big spell isn't that bad, but it's pretty hard to pilot well and hardly a reliable ladder climb.
These nerfs are a joke. Wild was completely ignored and is still going to be overrun with pirate quest warrior and odd quest hunter. Sorc apprentice still doesn't have "But not less than 1"
In standard, the bannerman nerf is going to do nothing. Can't remember a time where a 3 mana 2/2 actually did something.
Trogg is rightfully changed.
Mithril rod change is kinda eh. Makes it harder to play, but my time playing owltk has shown that rod isn't always required.
I think the problem with Mo'arg was the fact that the damage added multiplicity instead of linearly. It should've always been 3 -> 6 ->9 with 2 Mo'args on the board instead of 3-> 6 -> 12. That's what's allowed the shenanigans. This does slow down owltk and otk dh.
Btw the buffs do nothing. Hunter face damage is still too high damage which is why no one plays these slower hunter decks. Ignite is too good compared to this slow mage crap. People are still going to keep playing the questlines because they're completely broken.
I think they should just have made it similar to Baron Rivendare in that the effect doesn't stack at all for multiple copies. I don't think pushing it up to three mana makes much difference in the decks that play it, but you never know. For warlock there are three changes now, all aimed at slowing things down a touch.
I assume Blizzards logic in printing this card in the first place was that it is a symetrical effect and therefor fair, but we all know that's not how this game works, and multiplative effects have been problematic before (looking at you Prophet Velen).
I can't believe they didn't even touched Tarecgosa in battlegrounds, and the Promo-Drake nerf is completely useless, dragons will continue as the strongest tribe in battlegrounds
Magister Dawngrasp is like the fastest a card has gotten a buff. I wonder if it started at 7 and they pushed it to 8.
stop crying fcking nab, u still gonna play this game at all
Without the trogg i dont care about what paladin can do, it was by far the most wr card of the deck, an autowin if played in turn 1 most of the time
Good thing they slowed down the Warrior quest by giving that 1 drop 1 less health. I do like Wildfire getting fixed though.
And the patch is live in EU.
Freeze shaman has just lost one tier easily. Can’t say the same for other classes tho
The fck are these nerfs? The only good ones are the warlock weapon and the shaman elemental.
Trogg shouldn't have been killed.
If trogg gets killed, paladin gets his so hard.. You really don't need to hit any other cards.
Touch of the nathrezim restores 1 less health? Really?? xD
Warrior gets 1 minion with 1 less health, just lol...
+2360 dust for me.
Now let's see how the opponents will change :S Well - I'll probably now think about some new decks.
Also, previous nerfs they announced like a week ahead of time, but now it's "Oh hey we're nerfing this today see ya chumps!"
Paladin and Warrior untouched? F.U Blizzard.
Paladin was heavily nerfed in both trogg and bannerman.
I wouldn’t say bannerman was a strong nerf, trogg was the killing blow to early Paladin.
Warlock hardly hit. Shaman significantly hit. Paladin and warrior basically UNTOUCHED. HAVE A LOOK AT THE GODDAMN META DEAR BLIZZARD
Trogg is a massive nerf to Paladin. Bannerman too.
Bannerman really? ROFL. It is the battlecry for 2 mana that is OP not the stupid stats.
And as for the trogg, paladin doesn’t really need it to be busted
It costs 3.