24.2.2 Patch Notes - Constructed, Battlegrounds, and Duels Balance Changes & Bug Fixes
Blizzard just published Patch Notes 24.2.2 featuring balance changes for the majority of modes, as well as some bug fixes.
Patch is LIVE!
Quote from BlizzardPatch 24.2.2, a hotfix patch scheduled for September 9, includes the following updates and bug fixes.
Standard Card Updates
Dev Comment: Our top priority this patch was to make the meta feel more stable and more diverse. For that reason, we focused primarily on making a moderate number of high-confidence changes this patch. We expect there will still be room for adjustment after this patch settles in, but we’d like to take the opportunity to see where these changes land before making further changes.
The following cards have been adjusted down in power:
Wildheart Guff
- Old: Battlecry and Hero Power granted full mana crystals.
- New: Battlecry and Hero Power grant empty mana crystals.
- Dev Comment: Ramp Druid is one of the most powerful and influential decks in the game this patch. Guff was the clear power outlier for the deck, so a change to Guff was the highest confidence change we could make. We still expect Guff to be a playable card, with an important role in these strategies, but we hope that this change will make it feel like there is more of a cost to ramping than there was previously.
Edwin, Defias Kingpin
- Old: [Costs 3] 3 Attack, 3 Health
- New: [Costs 4] 4 Attack, 4 Health
- Dev Comment: There’s been a lot of attention on Edwin ever since he was buffed in the last patch—and rightfully so! Since his buff, he has been one of the most highly played and winningest cards in the game, which made him an obvious candidate for a high confidence adjustment to Rogue. When we made the initial buff, Rogue looked like it needed some help, but now that these lists have been more refined, we think Rogue will remain a player in the meta even with Edwin back at 4.
Arcane Burst (Magister Dawngrasp’s Hero Power)
- Old: Deal 2 damage. Honorable Kill: Gain +2 damage.
- New: Deal 2 damage. Honorable Kill: Gain +1 damage.
Nightcloak Sanctum
- Old: 3 Durability
- New: 2 Durability
- Dev Comment: Along with Druid and Rogue, Mage has been one of the most dominant classes since the last patch. Nightcloak Sanctum has been a clear outlier in the mid-stages of the game, and the scaling threat of Magister Dawngrasp’s hero power has been the dominant in the end game. These two standout cards were the most obvious targets for tuning down the deck’s power level, and should also make the class less frustrating to play against in the mid- and late game.
Defend the Dwarven District (the first stage of the Hunter Questline)
- Old: Deal damage with 2 spells.
- New: Deal damage with 3 spells.
- Dev Comment: Quest Hunter is a frustrating deck to play against and was poised to be a powerful meta contender after the changes to the other classes. This change is both to address the deck’s current state and anticipated relative power level after this patch.
Kael’thas Sinstrider
- Old: [Costs 6]
- New: [Costs 8]
- Dev Comment: Kael’thas, Brann, and Denathrius have appeared together as a package in a variety of decks. To address the specific interaction between these three cards, we felt the best solution was to add 2 more cost to the Brann-Kael’thas combo so that they can’t be played with 10 mana. We preferred to change Kael’thas over Brann because Kael’thas is being used primarily for things like this combo while Brann has other interesting use cases, too.
Smothering Starfish
- Old: [Costs 3]
- New: [Costs 4]
- Dev Comment: Smothering Starfish was living up to its name a bit too much. The goal for this card was for it to be a strong tech card, but the cost to include it in your deck was low enough that it was acting more like a staple than a tech card. While responding to specific meta forces, Starfish was also unintentionally snuffing out a variety of underrepresented decks. We think this adjustment will still allow Starfish to be used as a powerful tech option, but will make it less generically ubiquitous.
The above cards will be eligible for a full dust refund for two weeks following Patch 24.2.2.
The following cards have been adjusted up in power:
School Teacher
- Old: 4 Attack, 3 Health
- New: 4 Attack, 4 Health
- Dev Comment: When we initially changed School Teacher, it was the most played card in the game. We’re partially reverting the balance change in order to make the card feel a bit better to include in decks, while still acknowledging that its power level at launch was a bit higher than we would have liked it to be.
Alliance Bannerman
- Old: 2 Attack, 1 Health
- New: 2 Attack, 2 Health
- Dev Comment: When we buff cards in underperforming classes, we rarely do it with the goal of immediately shooting the class to a 50% plus winrate. Our goal is to make the game more fun, something we can accomplish by bringing the class up to a level where players feel like there is something worth exploring. With the focus on high confidence changes in this patch, the change we were most confident we could give Paladin was something we’ve seen before—a reversion to a previous balance change.
Battlegrounds Updates
Armor Tier Changes
- Al’Akir, Alexstrasza, Murloc Holmes, and Patchwerk are now Armor Tier 1.
- Death Speaker Blackthorn, George the Fallen, Ini Stormcoil, Silas Darkmoon, Tamsin Roame, Vol’jin, and Xyrella are now Armor Tier 2.
- Ambassador Faelin, Cariel Roame, Deathwing, Elise Starseeker, Heistbaron Togwaggle, Lord Barov, Jandice Barov, Maiev Shadowsong, Malygos, Nozdormu, Patches the Pirate, Reno Jackson, Shudderwock, Sir Finley Mrrgglton, Sneed, and Zephrys the Great are now Armor Tier 3.
- Dancin’ Deryl, Dinotamer Brann, Queen Azshara, Ragnaros the Firelord, and Y’Shaarj are now Armor Tier 4.
- A.F. Kay, Chenvaala, Galakrond, Greybough, Illidan Stormraige, Infinite Toki, Mr. Bigglesworth, Rakanishu, Skycap’n Kragg, Tess Greymane, and The Curator are now Armor Tier 5.
- Captain Eudora is now Armor Tier 6.
- C’Thun and Tavish Stormpike are now Armor Tier 7.
Hero Changes
Toggwaggle – Perfect Crime
- Old: 9 Gold
- New: 10 Gold
Minion Changes
Nether Drake
- Old: 5 Health
- New: 4 Health
Legion Overseer
- Old: Minions in Bob’s Tavern have +2/+2.
- New: Minions in Bob’s Tavern have +2/+1.
Amber Guardian
- Old: Start of Combat: Give another friendly Dragon +3/+3 and Divine Shield.
- New: Start of Combat: Give another friendly Dragon +2/+2 and Divine Shield.
Lava Lurker
- Old: 2 Attack, 4 Health
- New: 2 Attack, 5 Health
Party Elemental
- Old: 3 Attack, 2 Health
- New: 4 Attack, 2 Health
Yo-Ho-Ogre
- Old: 3 Attack, 5 Health
- New: 3 Attack, 6 Health
Quest and Quest Reward Changes
As a reminder, Quests and Quest Rewards in Battlegrounds are not static. Quests have baseline values that are adjusted game-by-game, based on several factors, including the value of the Reward they are paired with.
Quest baseline adjustments:
Track the Footprints
- Old: Have Bob’s Tavern Refreshed 10 times.
- New: Have Bob’s Tavern Refreshed 9 times.
Follow the Money
- Old: Spend 30 Gold.
- New: Spend 33 Gold.
Reenact the Murder
- Old: Have 18 friendly minions die.
- New: Have 19 friendly minions die.
Reward text adjustments:
Tiny Henchman
- Old: At the end of your turn, give +2/+2 to 3 friendly minions of Tier 3 or lower.
- New: At the end of your turn, give +3/+3 to 3 friendly minions of Tier 3 or lower.
Alter Ego
- Old: Even Tier minions in Bob’s Tavern have +6/+6. (Swaps to Odd next turn!)
- New: Even Tier minions in Bob’s Tavern have +7/+7. (Swaps to Odd next turn!)
Staff of Origination
- Old: Start of Combat: Give your minions +15/+15.
- New: Start of Combat: Give your minions +12/+12.
Reward difficulty adjustments:
- Teal Tiger Sapphire, Snicker Snacks, and Red Hand were made generally easier to earn.
- The Smoking Gun, Mirror Shield, and Stolen Gold were made generally harder to earn.
Duels Updates
Hero Power Updates
No Guts, No Glory
- Old: 1 Mana
- New: 2 Mana
War Commands
- Old: 2 Mana
- New: 3 Mana
Dino Tracking
- Old: Passive Hero Power. At the start of your turn, Discover which card you draw.
- New: [2 Mana] Discover a card from your deck.
Frost Shards
- Old: 1 Mana
- New: 2 Mana
Signature Treasure Changes
Gift of the Heart
- Old: [5 Mana] Gain 4 empty mana crystals. Allied: Druid.
- New: [6 Mana] Gain 3 empty mana crystals. Allied: Druid.
Traktamer Aelessa
- Old: 2 Mana
- New: 3 Mana
Magister Unchained
- Old: 2 Mana
- New: 3 Mana
Sr. Excavator
- Old: Draw 3 cards. Any minions you draw cost (4) less.
- New: Draw 2 cards. Any minions you draw cost (2) less.
Shadow Word: Void
- Old: 4 Mana
- New: 5 Mana
Elemental Chaos
- Old: 6 Mana
- New: 8 Mana
Green Tortollan Shell
- Old: 1 Mana
- New: 2 Mana
Safe Harbor
- Old: 2 Mana
- New: 5 Mana
Scales of Justice
- Old: 6 Mana
- New: 8 Mana
Warden’s Insight
- Old: 3 Mana
- New: 4 Mana
Marvelous Mycelium
- Old: Discover a Choose One card. It has both effects combined. Shuffle this card into your deck.
- New: Discover a Choose One card, then shuffle it into your deck. It has both effects combined. Repeat 3 times.
Passive Treasure Changes
Arctic Armor
- Old: Whenever you Freeze an enemy, gain 1 Armor.
- New: After the first time you Freeze an enemy each turn, gain 1 Armor.
Forgotten Depths
- Old: At the start of game, put 3 Colossal minions on the bottom of your deck. They cost (3) less.
- New: At the start of the game, put 2 Colossal minions on the bottom of your deck.
Wither the Weak
- Old: After you cast a Fel spell, deal 2 damage to the lowest-Health enemy.
- New: After you cast a Fel spell, deal 1 damage to the lowest-Health enemy.
Potion of Sparking
- Old: After a friendly Rush minion attacks an enemy minion, deal 1 damage to adjacent enemy minions.
- New: After a friendly Rush minion attacks an enemy minion, deal 1 damage to a random adjacent enemy minion.
Freeze Solid
- Old: Whenever damage is dealt to a Frozen enemy, double it.
- New: Whenever damage is dealt to a Frozen enemy, deal 1 more.
Glacial Downpour
- Old: At the end of your turn, summon a 3/6 Water Elemental if you’ve cast a Frost spell this turn.
- New: At the end of your turn, summon a 2/1 Ice Shard if you’ve cast a Frost spell this turn.
Special Delivery
- Old: After you play a Rush minion, summon a copy with 1 Health.
- New: After you play your first Rush minion in a turn, summon a copy with 1 Health.
Cookie’s Ladle
- Moved from Pool 1 to Pool 2.
Oops, All Spells!
- Removed from all Passive treasure pools.
Party Replacement
- Removed from all Passive treasure pools.
Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
- [Battlegrounds] Added a cap to the Sort It All Out and Unmask the Culprits Quests, limiting the top-end requirements needed in order to complete the Quest.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Lich Baz’hial’s Hero Power could not be used if your hand was full.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Kael’thas’s Verdant Spheres would not give a buff if the minion was Magnetized.
they didnt touch theotar, prince renathal, or denathrius, which were way bigger problems than the stuff they nerfed, and they buffed cards again which they said they werent going to do this patch, so sorry, I wont be playing until the next patch again.... What a waste of time.
21000 dust for me :D I had 2 Dawngrasp, gold and regular and Gold Hunter Tavish :D
This looks like a copy paste from kibler's balance suggestions video lol.
Jesus the power level decrease in duels is just nuts though. Arctic armor gaining... ONE armor a turn? Seems absolutely useless. Glacial downpour was BS but changing from a 3/6 to a 2/1 is downright insane for a tier 2 passive. Thank god freeze solid doesn't exist anymore. War commands being 3 mana is probably the most meta changing nerf that I see here. What's most striking to me is that the best passive in the format, mummy magic, wasn't actually touched? Bit confused on that one.
So now they're just shoving out patches without announcing the changes first? Make up your mind.
As predicted, they undid their buff on Edwin, because they do absolutely zero playtesting anymore before they shove changes out the door.
Guff change was obvious. Why wasn't it done sooner?
Hilariously instead of removing Brann from standard like they should have done, they nerf Kaelthas to 8 (instead of changing the card to cost 7 and reduce the cost to 1, not zero, which is the correct nerf)
I predicted half these nerfs on the thread two weeks ago, was downvoted, and told it was a "very cringe list." And yet here those changes are, because the cards were indeed broken.
If your tone was a bit less obnoxious you might not get downvoted quite as much. Just saying.
Who cares about downvotes? Doesn't change what that person's saying. Didn't change that those cards were broken and they were changed as such. Does show that many people here don't know what is and isn't balanced in the game and just want to protect their deck.
Good point but hearthpwn has hidden your comment so Beatsz still has a point.
Meanwhile in bg that stupid frog still alive making idi- 'cough' those talented players win those 3-4 % gj at balancing shit!
Interesting that a new card is nerfed because of a core card inclusion.
I wonder if they will revert Kael'Thas if they remove Brann from core next year.
We don't know the future... This past year has happened a lot of the situations that new cards are more powerful and older nerfed cards need to revert the previous nerfs in order to compete with newer cards and balance out the meta
Please fix a bug where new players don't get full set of quests like before battlegrounds season 2 patch. Now you have to wait a cooldown and have 0 quests at start.
6400 Dust for me, why not
So the nerf predictions were mostly right then.
I feel the kael'thas nerf might be a bit heavy... does this make the card useless now? I don't know enough about the current meta to really make these calls. I'm sure the Bran/Den combo will still work, just two turns slower? as a late game finisher, still seems viable.
I don't really play decks with this combo in them though (only my control shaman that I am not really playing due to liking other decks more)
It should be useless. Nothing about that kind of card is healthy for the game.
I understand the combo with bran and denathrius was oppressive, but I think also it would have been cool to discover other combos with the card. I only got the card from a pack a week ago, so hadn't really gotten the chance to experiment with it.
yeah that was a wrong take on my behalf. nerfing kael'thas to 8 was needed in order to kill off the 3 card denathrius combo for most decks. the combo was way too wide spread.
I was only looking at the nerf in relation to what other combos that might have been able to be done with the card while it was at the lower mana cost. I guess it was needed though, as that combo with denathrius was way too prevalent.
I kinda feel bad for Druid in duels now. This just feels like kicking them when they are down.
Massive nerfs to Mage in duels too. I feel for them as well.
You do not need to feel sad nerfs are there to improve the game.
Oops, i guess blizzard let it out unintentionally. But if they really think that way, why not kill it completely?
Wow, the Paladin buff is really huge