Blizzard tries once again to balance the Warlock in Hearthstone . At least on paper, the nerfs look good.
Although the last Hearthstone expansion “United in Stormwind” was released quite a while ago, the balance still seems to be a “mixed bag”. Many players simply no longer want to deal with the current meta and are turning their backs on the game. The Warlock is particularly annoying. That’s what is now going under the knife – once again. But will this finally be enough?
What is the problem? Although Warlocks don’t have an extremely high win rate with their Quest deck, other players find the matchup against Warlocks extremely boring. After just a few turns, they have completed their Quest and are essentially only playing “their own game,” without really interacting with the opponent.
What is being changed exactly? The Warlock’s Quest will be nerfed. It will be more difficult to complete, and in one game mode it will even be completely banned. We have all the adjustments for you in detail.
The Nerfs for the Warlock
The Quest “Demon Seed” and “Establish Connection” will be harder to fulfill. For the first quest step, the Warlock now needs to take 8 damage (instead of 6), and for the second step also 8 damage (instead of 7). The final step remains unchanged. This should ensure that one or two more turns pass before the Quest is completed. Additionally, the Quest will be completely banned in the Wild game mode and can no longer be included in decks.
The Rune-Embellished Mithril Rod will become more expensive, with mana costs increasing from 3 to 4. This ensures that the Warlock can only play it later, thus delaying the benefits from the reduced mana costs.
The Nerfs for the Priest
The legendary minion “Thoughtstealer Illucia” has been revamped. Her effect no longer exchanges hands and deck with the opponent, but instead replaces the Priest’s hand with a copy of the opponent’s hand until the end of the turn. With this, the developers aim to counteract an unplanned playstyle where Illucia was played very early in the game to effectively skip the opponent’s turn.
The Nerfs for the Shaman
The Shaman spell “Flame Torrent” will become more expensive, as it was too strong. The mana costs increase from 1 to 2, effectively doubling it. For a card that has the potential to clear the entire board, that’s a more appropriate price.
The final quest step “Tame the Flames” will be slightly harder to complete. Instead of 3 overloaded cards, the Shaman will now need to play 3 overloaded cards to access Stormcaller Bru’kan.
The Nerfs for the Demon Hunter
The minion “Wrathbound Slayer” was a bit too strong. Its mana costs are therefore increased from 7 mana to 8 mana. This makes it a bit harder to play them in the same turn that the Demon Hunter has drawn many cards.
Buffs for 7 Cards and 3 Classes
Besides the significant nerfs, there are also a whole range of improvements in the patch. In particular, Hunters, Mages, and Warriors benefit from substantial buffs that could favor a few new deck types.
The Leatherworking set, a weapon for Hunters, will have its costs halved. They will decrease from 2 mana to 1 mana.
The “Selective Breeder” will become tougher. Its health points will increase from 1 to 3, allowing it to survive on the battlefield significantly longer.
The Mage spell “Firewalker” will become cheaper. The mana costs will decrease from 2 to 1, making it more attractive to boost the damage of the hero power.
The legendary Mage minion Mordresh Fireeye will be adjusted as well. Its stats will shrink from 10/10 to 8/8, but its mana costs will also drop from 10 to 8. This way, Mordresh can still be played in the turn after the last required hero power was used.
The Warrior’s Stormwind Freebooter has been slightly improved. Her health points increase from 3 to 4.
The Anchorer of the Stonebreaker gets the same treatment. His health points will be increased by 1, going from 5 to 6.
And the Bloodsail Deckhand of the Warrior also receives a health boost. Its health points increase from 1 to 2.
What do you think of the changes? Sensible buffs and nerfs? Or does Blizzard have no idea what they are doing?
