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.
An amazing buff - undoing a previous nerf.
What a joke.
Sinstrider is a dead card now
Nerf to Big Priest in WILD PLS!! Neptulon needs to be banned or nerfed!!
Seriously, this. When I saw that neutral cards might be nerfed in their previous message, the first thought was "they're finally going to do something with turn 2 Neptulon priest in Wild", but no...
Second thought was "neutral cards, plural, huh... So they might actually nerf Mad Duke Theotar, too".
Yeah... I hope Blizz is listening.... Come on!
Poor Paladins
As long as we have the Light, there will always be a path to victory.
Cries in 1 health buff
Undoing their previous nerf will save the class, obviously.
Sounds like a real archetype.
OTK Paladins
Pure Paladins
Holy Paladins
Poor Paladins
xD
Probably an archetype that runs Wealth Redistributor then, right?
Holy shit they fucking murdered 75% of the decks people played in Duels. Everything else aside, why did Mycelium get hit again? Guff got banned, Twig got banned, and the card discovered 1 instead of 2. New duels balance guy is out of his fucking mind. Anyways, nothing for Wild but they did make Wild decks that did nothing wrong worse for the sake of Standard, that's great.
When only four decks are being played, 75% is only three decks getting murdered.
I knew we were getting joke nerfs, but this is too much.
Guff still 5 mana.
Mage Hero and Location nerfs were just reverted to their original states which proves that they just failed once and buffed strong cards.
And Kael'thas 8 mana just makes it so only druids can use it which is a buff for druids.
Guff doesn't do shit anymore, Card is now "fair", the Ramping is gone, it's not dead, but it's made fair which we all know isn't enough to be good especially against highly Mana nullifying decks like Implock.
Token Druid doesn't need Guff though, but Ramp / Daddy D Druid is definetly gone from Meta now, same for Kael'thas which has now become Dust worthy since he will likely only see Niche play in a future Expansion.
Mage and Quest Hunter have both been hit hard enough to be now dumped into Tier 2.
How exactly is Ramping gone?
They just lose the extra mana they used to get during the turn.
They still get extra mana to spend for the rest of the game with option to card draw.
If you've played the deck substantially you know this is huge. You basically got a free ramp every turn because you got a 1 mana refund every time you did it.
Not a single Nerf to Implock, putting it back from Tier 1 to absolute Solitary S Tier with nerfs to the only decks that were close to compete with it.
Basically they've just reverted the Meta back to
1) Implock 60 %
............
2) Token Druid 54 %
3) Beast Hunter 52 %
Well done, Clown Devs, go play your boring Mirrorstone Garbage yourselfs. 🤡
Yeah they nerfed any slower deck. Hyper aggro untouched.
why nerf starfish and not the duke steal your crap card? makes no sense ...
Certainly, this will shoot up the class winrate by ... um ... 0.1% maybe?
Joke aside though, I actually think the nerfs will help Paladin a lot, at least Holy Paladin. From my experience playing that deck, it already was on the verge of playability with the most difficult encounters being Mage, Ramp Druid, Questline Hunter and possibly Questline Priest. With the nerfs to 3 out of these 4, this might give the deck just the needed time to find Lightforged Cariel and juice up Mr. Smite or Sire Denathrius, not to mention the decrease in popularity those countering decks will certainly go through.
On the other hand, I still don't see how Dude Paladin or Pure Paladin are supposed to work, since their win conditions are just too weak or unreliable and missing synergy.
For once, I'm surprisingly quite content with the balance changes. Those nerfs look very reasonable and I would have never thought they were actually going to nerf Questline Hunter (very welcome surprise indeed). I would have liked an adjustment to Sire Denathrius as a very dominant neutral win condition, but I kind of understand their reasoning of evaluating the outcome of the Kael'thas Sinstrider nerf first.