Hearthstone and the Pirates: Balance better than ever before – Still a Nerf?

In Hearthstone, pirate decks continue to be the focus. A nerf could occur at the end of February.

Ben Brode can not only laugh so loudly that even dormice wake from their hibernation, but he is also the explainer bear of Hearthstone. Currently, the big topic is: Pirate-Warrior, Pirate-Rogue, and Pirate-Shaman.

Through new cards that came with Gadgetzan, cheap pirates have good chances. They use synergy effects with each other and with weapons to overwhelm opponents early on. They threaten to overwhelm the “meta” in Hearthstone.

Some are calling for a nerf. Too many pirates, too many similar decks.

Brode explains in a longer post where the problem lies. It is not that the decks are really too strong, but that they are so popular.

Currently, 30% of all players in the Legend rank are Shamans. Outside of Legend, across the entire population, 17% of players are Shamans. In the worst balancing phase, during the Grave Digger Hunter times, 35% were Hunters.

Pirates are overpopular, not overpowered

The pirates with the Small Buccaneer and Captain Glubschauge appeared in 50% of all decks from rank 5 or higher. But – their win rate is not that high. The strongest deck at the moment has a win rate of only 53%. Never has “the best deck” been so weak. The Hunter with the Grave Digger had a win rate of 60% during its time.

One of the strongest decks is currently the Aggro Shaman. However, it only wins 35% of all games against the Control Warrior. It also performs poorly against Reno Locks. The balancing is working.

Blizzard now seems to want to wait and see how everything develops, whether counter decks are found, whether the meta changes, and how Hearthstone evolves. They do not want to nerf cards too often and interfere with the game. Strong players should have the opportunity to change the meta themselves.

If a nerf comes, it will be at the end of February

The meta should neither stagnate nor should decks dominate that do not make winning or losing fun.

The next patch is expected to happen at the end of February. Players can expect a decision from Blizzard the week before. Will they nerf the pirates or not? Brode seems to just not know yet.

Not only the cheap 1-mana pirates could be hit by the nerf hammer, but also big friends are threatened:

Hearthstone: The next nerf could hit Ragnaros