22.4.3 Patch Notes - Standard & Battlegrounds Balance Changes, Bug Fixes
Blizzard just published patch notes for an unexpected patch that will be live tomorrow, let's take a look at what's in there.
UPDATE: Patch is LIVE!
Quote from BlizzardPatch 22.4.3, launching tomorrow, includes balance changes to Battlegrounds and Standard.
Standard Updates
The following cards have been adjusted down in power:
Kazakusan
- LOCUUUUSTS!!! Has been removed from the pool of Treasures that can be Discovered.
Dev Comment: We’re making a small adjustment to reduce the amount of focus that Kazakusan’s treasure hoard has on from-hand damage. Removing LOCUUUUSTS!!! from the Discover pool will allow for a bit more back-and-forth for both players after Kazakusan has been played.
SI:7 Smuggler
- Old: Battlecry: Summon a random minion with Cost equal to the amount of SI:7 cards you’ve played this game.
- New: Battlecry: Summon a random 0-cost minion (Upgraded for each SI:7 card you have played this game).
Dev Comment: Smuggler is receiving an effect change to account for improper wording on release. The new wording should now properly track the Cost of the minion which will be summoned while Smuggler remains in hand. Along with this, SI:7 Informant is receiving a wording change to correctly state that it only counts other SI:7 minions that have been played.
The cards listed above will be eligible for a full dust refund for 2 weeks after the 22.4.3 patch goes live.
The following card’s text has been adjusted for clarity (no functional change):
SI:7 Informant
- Old: Battlecry: Gain +1/+1 for each SI:7 card you’ve played this game.
- New: Battlecry: Gain +1/+1 for each other SI:7 card you’ve played this game.
Battlegrounds Updates
General Update:
- There is now a Buddy Meter bonus granted when you defeat Kel’Thuzad (a dead hero).
Hero Update:
Tamsin Roame
- Fragrant Phylactery
- Old: [Costs 1] Start of Combat: Destroy your lowest Health minion. Give its stats to all your others.
- New: [Costs 0] Destroy your lowest Health minion. Give its stats to four friendly minions.
Buddy Updates:
Elder Taggawag (Queen Wagtoggle’s Buddy)
- Old: [Tavern Tier 4] 4 Attack, 3 Health. Whenever you play a minion of a type you don’t control, trigger your Hero Power.
- New: [Tavern Tier 3] 5 Attack, 4 Health. Whenever you play a minion of a type you don’t control, trigger your Hero Power. (2 left this turn.)
Unearthed Underling (Lich Baz’hial’s Buddy)
- Old: [Tavern Tier 4] 4 Attack, 4 Health. Whenever your hero takes damage, this minion gains +2/+2 instead.
- New: [Tavern Tier 3] 3 Attack, 3 Health. Whenever your hero takes damage, this minion gains +3/+3 instead. (2 left this turn.)
Master Gadrin (Vol’jin’s Buddy)
- Old: 8 Attack, 5 Health. At the end of your turn, adjacent minions copy this minion’s Attack.
- New: 6 Attack, 5 Health. At the end of your turn, the minion to the left of this copies this minion’s Attack.
Spirit Raptor (Bru’kan’s Buddy)
- Old: [Tavern Tier 2]
- New: [Tavern Tier 3]
Barov’s Apprentice (Lord Barov’s Buddy)
- Old: [Tavern Tier 2] 4 Attack, 3 Health.
- New: [Tavern Tier 3] 5 Attack, 4 Health.
Dev Comment: Although Lord Barov’s average power level was reasonable, some games had extreme results when enough wagers were won. This change aims to slow down the power spike in those cases.
Monstrosity (Tamsin Roame’s Buddy)
- Old: [Tavern Tier 3] 0 Attack, 12 Health.
- New: [Tavern Tier 4] 0 Attack, 14 Health.
Jr. Navigator (Elise Starseeker’s Buddy)
- Old: [Tavern Tier 2] At the start of your turn, get a ‘Recruitment Map’ and reduce the cost of your Maps by (1).
- New: [Tavern Tier 3] At the start of your turn, get a ‘Recruitment Map.’ Your Maps cost (1).
Hunter of Old (Tess Greymane’s Buddy)
- Old: [Tavern Tier 3] 6 Attack, 4 Health.
- New: [Tavern Tier 2] 5 Attack, 3 Health.
Bug Fixes & Game Improvements
- Fixed a bug where Elder Taggawag was able to trigger limited-use Hero Powers when you’re out of charges.
- Fixed a bug where Mysterybox (from the Wheel of Yogg-Saron) and Elder Taggawag did not function with Hero Powers that target specific minions.
- Fixed a bug where Mysterybox did not function with the “I Spy” Hero Power.
- Fixed a bug where the Twice as Nice Hero Power could give buffs to minions in Bob’s Tavern (such as when a Mama Bear is in Bob’s Tavern and a Beast is copied).
- Updated Yu’lon’s “Enveloping Mist” Ability from Arcane to Nature Spell School.
Saw a game of Zetalot 2 days ago. He had 4 minions on board and 10 health. Embers where casted, 3 fire balls, Zetalot was dead. So, no, I don't buy your explanation. 3 mana, 24 damage ... No, really ...
It's easier to play around IF you have a deck that regularly plays minions/goes wide. The problem with Kazakuzan Druid is that it completely shuts out control strategies, so the idea that "just have a minion" to stop Embers is not helpful for these decks. Yes there is 1 exception in that Control decks play Raid Boss Onyxia, but there's also several treasures which are board wipes anyway, so it's not difficult to play Embers onto an empty board (esp. when you have over 10 mana or 0 mana removal with Book of the Dead).
It's just too much unconditional damage in 1 card, it's different to other burst strategies because they generally rely on other conditions to be met and require multiple cards to be used.
Agreed!
Plus they clear your minion(s) first with 0 cost Book of the Deads and Lunar Eclipses, then hit you with the OTK.
Enveloping Mist being arcane never made sense to begin with. This will give Yu'lon some more synergy with Malf and Guff.
I don't see any mention of the Positive Equilibrium treasure being fixed though.
Don't expect the excess coins issue to be addressed in a minor patch like this.
agreed but its sad to see OldGuardian's tactic is nerfed, used to combo with brightwing's nature, deal damage ability
Eh, Yu-lon already had synergy with Guff and Malfurion (I mean in general Furion and Guff have enough synergy in the game period), this sort of let it work as a combo activator for Blink Fox. But I guess it's a mostly benign change.
they didn't fix Positive Equilibrium
why no refund for informant?
Because the change to Informant is purely a wording change. It never counted itself in its Battlecry (unlike Smuggler), its wording was updated to make that more clear.
And still no news about the surplus of coins in mercenaries. Oh, Jesus. You really want mercenaries dead.
You know, I wondered since the first time I read that complaint. Who are you talking to?
There is no dev reading comments beneath a hearthpwn information post. At least I highly, highly doubt it.
Wouldn't complaining under the actual bluepost be more helpful?
I don't know if you have ever been in a managerial position in a company. Anyway, if you sell a product, don't you read (or ask someone to do it) an official forum that it is writing about your product? I mean, you should be totally mad for not doing it.
You have a pool of customers here in this forum writing about your product and saying if they are happy if they are not and what they want for free and you are not using this resource? If they are not doing it, it is better if Blizz changes the job. Sure that they are doing it.
This is much more helpful. Client opinion is gold for a company. And by the way, in my opinion, the utility of Hearthpwn arises also when Blizz is reading our comments. Otherwise, who cares about my opinion or your opinion and about what we are talking about if Blizz doesn't take our feedback. We would be simply here is losing our time, instead, yes we are here in losing our time in order to make the game that we like better.
Hearthpwn is not an official blizz forum, though, afaik this is a "fan" forum - a mod can surely confirm/correct me here.
The official blizz forums are the ones with "forums.blizzard" in it. That was my point.
It is not that you shouldn't utter your opinion, but imo you are far more likely to be heard with your direct complaints to blizz on there.
I imagine you want to be heard, so I wanted to give you that advice - nothing less, nothing more.
The official in the broad sense of the term. You have the point, and it's not whether Hearthpwn is strictly recognized from Blizz or the most followed forum. It is a free resource to check for Blizz. If you don't think Blizz reads this forum, I think you shouldn't waste your precious time carousing.
So, the smuggler doesnt count other smuggerls too or it just mean that you fixed the bug where it counted itself even though the battlecry had to go first (i.e. before the minion lands on board)
I was questioning that too... their "clarity" change is honestly more confusing for me. So if you had played 2 other SI:7 guys, and throw down a Smuggler, then Shadow Step it, play it, and Shadow Step it again, what units does it produce? A 2 mana one for the first play, and then two additional 2 mana units?
It just doesnt count itself when played,it counts every other smuggler played,with shadow step or whatever,how is this hard