In Hearthstone , they don’t want to announce nerfs far in advance so that the game continues to feel “real”.
In recent days, the “chief” of Hearthstone, Ben Brode, was interviewed by colleagues from PC Gamer. The conversation mainly revolved around nerfs, particularly regarding the currently most annoying card: the Smalltime Buccaneer. This card is especially popular in appropriate pirate decks of Warriors and Rogues, but it occasionally appears in Shaman decks as well.
The calls for a nerf have become loud. But the team hesitates – they don’t want to announce a nerf too early!
“In the past, we have always held back announcements for nerfs, even when we decided on one or two weeks prior. We believe that when we decide on a nerf – even if the win rates are fine, but perhaps the prevalence of a card is simply too high – it often leads to the following thought: ‘Oh, you defeated me, but the card will be nerfed anyway, so this game doesn’t really count.’
This doesn’t mean that we have already decided what we will do, but if we decide [to nerf pirates], we probably wouldn’t announce it far in advance. That’s why communication regarding nerfs also seems a bit strange.
However, it seems certain that if they nerf pirates, they will target the Smalltime Buccaneer.
Cortyn says: Okay, that’s just strange. They don’t want to announce a nerf too early because in the time between the announcement and the nerf, there is always the thought that “Oh, you won because the card is overpowered” – that’s ridiculous. As if not saying a word about a card for two weeks would make it any less overpowered. The community has long concluded that the Smalltime Buccaneer is far too powerful and dominant. So bring on the nerf, I’m looking forward to it like a tofu schnitzel.
Besides the pirates, the card Ragnaros might soon face the same fate.
