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.
Yeah the Mo'arg change is way too soft.
They're just going to revert it in april, though probably.
When will they make the refunds on Drek’Thar / Vanndar Stormpike ? I hope they dont go back on their word.
I’m not seeing any dust refund increases for nerfed cards like Trogg or Celestial Alignment.
Irondeep Trogg went from great to garbage, just like that.
Yeah it countered quests, and the devs can't have that!
This card could lockout any deck, quest or otherwise. You couldn't even coin out an answer to it without doubling your problem. And when paladin slaps buffs and divine shield on it, it becomes so much worse of a problem.
Do they think this is a moba game where reducing the health of a minion by 1 will make an impact? like that pirate nerf are they for real? or the paladin on the banner man? sometimes you just question if they hire actual retards for balancing cards\
on the other hand ez 3k dust
Ah yes, random people on a forum complaining about nerfs as if they know better how to balance. 1 health is a huge deal for heroes that can ping, it eliminates a lot of pressure. Then, that pirate was fine before, got buffed to 2/2 and became one of the best 1 drops in the game and now it got reverted back to being fine.
What about you wait a bit after these changes instead of calling devs retards? Smh
no its not LOL like bannerman getting him to 1 is not a problem at all cause people play it for the effect not for the health or to make him survive same as quest pirate warrior this doesnt affect warrior quest am pretty sure you are from those devs. or you have a point i cant see
you have no clue why bannerman is played or the pirate do you?
Banner is not tempo card doesnt matter if it gets pinged or not. You want the effect and thats it
As for the pirate, yes they buffed it which shows lack of sight for the quest coming. And then their comment for reverting nerf is "
They dont see that the problem with that? The deck will find success for sure because that pirate was not played for its health, it was played to cheat a weapon faster and complete the quest faster anyway.
So ya no clue what rock you live under but this change doesnt slow pirate warrior (be it a good or a bad deck) , the point is their "comments" are totally worthless and show lack of understanding
Funny how both of you can't see the point of certain cards (like you admitted). You only see it from a point of view in which only your opponents are playing. Yes, they play a 2/2 for 1 mana that advances their quest. You don't kill it they hit you with it multiple times throughout the game. They play soutshsea captain and make that 2/2 into a 3/3. A mage/druid/rogue would have an easier time if it was a 2/1. Paladins play 2/2 bannerman on 3 but you can't kill it with 1 ping. Gj, next turn they play hand of adal and divine shield on it, now you are pressured. Let's not talk about value trades. I bet you lost close games where that 1 health made a huge difference.
You think I'm one of the devs lmao when in fact I can understand that there is no need for a card get butchered after a nerf. No idea what's in some people's mind when they want cards to become unplayable.
This just shows that you are a garbage player that doesn't understand incremental power
Yes it is, especially for Frost Lich Jaina. Wild goes on to be the worst game expierence you possibly can get in HS.
Turn 9 in wild without OTK? or Alive? I don't know what is the name of the game that you are playing.
How is Mage getting to turn 10 vs Quest Hunter?
well...it would be pretty good...if it wasn't for the fact that it ALREADY worked like this when it came out in barrens b4 they decided "hey...this reactive deck kinda works....we can't have that" and changed the interaction without even mentioning it in the patch notes.
Because of this I cannot find it in me to give them even the slightest bit of credit for "fixing" something that should have never been a problem to begin with
(nevermind the fact that it's pretty much useless since warlock quest/ignite/[REDACTEDTUS]/owl/any other OTK/mill/infinite BS that I'm currently forgetting make even thinking about playing any reactive deck completely unviable)
Great for me. Pirate warrior dodged major blows!
Garrote still popping off on 7/8 GJ designers. Still completely unacceptable for this deck to even exist.
Without the mass discounts along the way from Octobot the ability to last until the Garrote turn is diminished.
What needs to be fixed is Secret Passage. The entire hand should swap back at end of turn.
It's a gimmick deck that should have never existed. Either remove the ability for it to get dmg boost or just HOF the card and call it a day.