A new patch for Hearthstone will be going live soon. The nerfs are clear – Rogues and Warriors will be significantly weakened.
A major patch is coming to Blizzard’s digital card game Hearthstone. Update 22.2 aims to regain balance and also bring some interesting new features to the Battlegrounds mode. However, the core issue for most players will be the nerfs that have been long overdue.
What is currently happening with Hearthstone? Rogues in Hearthstone have just seized power. Due to some strong combos, they, along with mages, are feared and cause many players to concede early, as these two decks are nearly impossible to stop. Blizzard seems to have recognized this and is nerfing some of the most dominant cards.
What nerfs are there? The nerfs target the currently most successful decks. This especially affects Rogues, who dominate almost all ranks right now. But Warriors, who tend to win at lower ranks, are also being weakened, as are particularly efficient combo mages.
The hero card Shadowform Snipps will become more expensive and will now cost 8 mana instead of the previous 7 mana. This means it will be playable later and should delay the Rogue’s victory a bit.
The Gnoll of the Wildpaws will also be nerfed. Not only will its mana cost increase from 5 mana to 6 mana, but its stats will also be reduced from 4/5 to 3/5. It will thus appear later and have less impact on the game.
Also nerfed will be the Shadow Mantle, a spell that grants the Rogue stealth for one turn, making them immune to most attacks. The spell will now cost 4 mana instead of the previous 3 mana.
Warriors will also receive a long overdue nerf. The quest step “Distract Them” from the “Storm the Docks” series will be harder to complete, as it will now require 3 played Pirate minions instead of just 2. This means the quest should be completed one turn later.
The Mage spell River of Summoner has proven to be too strong when it can be played early by the Mage. Therefore, its mana cost will increase from 3 mana to 4 mana.
As usual, the nerfed cards can be disenchanted for their full dust cost right after the patch, so you can easily craft other cards if you want.
Additionally, there are a few adjustments to the “wild” game mode. The Spell Apprentice will be more expensive, now costing 4 mana instead of 2 mana, and Hunter’s Rapid Fire will now cost 2 mana but also deal 2 damage.
What buffs are there? In terms of improvements, there is only one adjustment affecting Warriors, which will likely lead to the hero card appearing more frequently.
The Warrior hero card Rokara the Brave will be upgraded. Instead of granting 5 armor, it will now grant 10 armor, making her a bit more resilient and allowing her to strike minions without worry while using the weapon.
When do the changes go live? The date for the patch is next Tuesday, January 25, 2022. In the evening, the changes will go live and also bring new content, like the buddy system in battlegrounds mode, which should provide for some exciting matches with new factors.
What do you think about the adjustments? Are your classes affected by the nerfs? Or are you happy about the buffs?
