In Hearthstone , there is already talk about some upcoming nerfs. One of them will affect the Priest and possibly the oldest combo.
Over the years, Hearthstone has changed drastically, not only due to the release of new cards but also fresh game mechanics and keywords. Yet some combos have existed since the release in March 2014 (and before in beta). One such combo has now come under the developers’ scrutiny and will likely be removed in the future.
Which combo is it? It is the Priest and his combination of “Divine Spirit” and “Inner Fire”.
- With Divine Spirit, the Priest doubles the health of a minion for just 2 mana points.
- Then, with Inner Fire for 1 mana, the attack power is adjusted to the health of the minion.
Thus, a 1/10 minion becomes a devastating 20/20 minion through 2 cards with a total mana cost of 3.
This combo essentially works with any minion that has a high health value and is relatively easy to perform. It has existed since the earliest days of Hearthstone and is a “basic combo” of the Priest.
Recently, there was a change to the “Discover” mechanic.
What does Blizzard say about it? Dean Ayala, the Lead Card Designer for Hearthstone, revealed in a conversation on Twitter that they do not want Divine Spirit and Inner Fire to be an “eternal” win condition in the game. There are plans to remove Divine Spirit from the game, making the combo impossible. Anyone who still wants to boost a minion with Inner Fire will need to find other ways to increase a minion’s health.
When will the nerf come? Ayala did not yet specify an exact date. The most likely time for a nerf to the combo is in Spring 2020, when the next year in Hearthstone begins. Then, old sets will rotate out of the Standard format. Typically, Blizzard also makes larger changes to existing cards and “evergreens” at that time. Decisions are often made here to change or completely remove old cards for the longevity of the game.
For Divine Spirit, this is also likely, as Blizzard currently has the problem that any card with high health automatically acts as a combo trigger for the Priest, leading to a quick victory too easily.
Do you think it’s good that this combo is being nerfed? Or does it simply belong to the game and should stay?
