The reason for this is that Hearthstone processes steps sorted by areas. First, all actions on the battlefield are resolved, then the actions in the player’s hand, and finally, those in the player’s deck.
The change now provides that Hearthstone internally creates a “list” of where cards and effects were before an action. If such overlaps occur, an effect (like Bolvar’s) will no longer be triggered.
According to the developers, these changes may seem small on the surface, and the typical “casual player” probably won’t notice them. Pros and frequent players will now have to prepare for many interactions to work differently than they have for the past few years.
In the forums and on Reddit, these changes are received with mixed feelings. Some are happy that the game is becoming a bit more predictable and logical. Others criticize that many of the “cool” moments that Hearthstone was previously praised for are being destroyed. After all, the “crazy” moments were often the most memorable.
Cortyn says: To be honest, I am not thrilled about these changes. The first case has repeatedly led to funny complications. Randomly playing a Wild Pyromancer or another minion with lingering mechanics was a great appeal of these spells. If these fun moments are now gone, it takes a lot of the Hearthstone fascination for me – even if this is probably an important step from an eSports perspective.
What do you think of these changes to the gameplay mechanics? Are they wise steps that result in fewer strange moments? Or should the game be left as it is?
Hearthstone is making some changes to the gameplay mechanics. We ask ourselves: Is it necessary?
In a game with so many different cards like Hearthstone, there can be some strange interactions. Many card effects interact with each other, sometimes in frustrating ways. Blizzard is tweaking the gameplay mechanics in the October update and has released a video that explains most of the changes clearly. But is this necessary? Is it really essential to change some of the core mechanics after many years?
But let’s first address the two changes:
- Card effects will only be activated if the card is already in play at the time the effect is triggered.
What sounds complicated has been illustrated by Blizzard with a clear example. The Priest spell “Mind Games” summons a minion from the opponent’s deck. If that minion is the “Wild Pyromancer”, then the effect is also triggered: “Deal 1 damage to ALL minions after you cast a spell.”
This will change in the future. A card effect, like that of the Pyromancer, will only be triggered if it was already in play at the time of the effect. Thus, the described example will no longer deal 1 damage to all minions.
This makes the effects of such spells more predictable and removes at least some of the “random factor” from the game.
Each game zone will be handled individually
The second rule change applies to fewer cases but always felt a bit “strange”.
- Cards can no longer “trigger” in multiple game areas at the same time
As an example, Blizzard mentioned Bolvar Fordragon. This minion gains +1 attack whenever a minion dies, as long as Bolvar is in hand. However, if you miss Bolvar’s “Deathrattle: Return this minion to your hand”, it led to a strange interaction. Bolvar died, returned to hand, and gave himself +1 attack – even though he was not in hand at the time of his own death.
The reason for this is that Hearthstone processes steps sorted by areas. First, all actions on the battlefield are resolved, then the actions in the player’s hand, and finally, those in the player’s deck.
The change now provides that Hearthstone internally creates a “list” of where cards and effects were before an action. If such overlaps occur, an effect (like Bolvar’s) will no longer be triggered.
According to the developers, these changes may seem small on the surface, and the typical “casual player” probably won’t notice them. Pros and frequent players will now have to prepare for many interactions to work differently than they have for the past few years.
In the forums and on Reddit, these changes are received with mixed feelings. Some are happy that the game is becoming a bit more predictable and logical. Others criticize that many of the “cool” moments that Hearthstone was previously praised for are being destroyed. After all, the “crazy” moments were often the most memorable.
Cortyn says: To be honest, I am not thrilled about these changes. The first case has repeatedly led to funny complications. Randomly playing a Wild Pyromancer or another minion with lingering mechanics was a great appeal of these spells. If these fun moments are now gone, it takes a lot of the Hearthstone fascination for me – even if this is probably an important step from an eSports perspective.
What do you think of these changes to the gameplay mechanics? Are they wise steps that result in fewer strange moments? Or should the game be left as it is?
