In an effort to balance the Hearthstone meta after Knights Of The Frozen Throne, five cards are getting major nerfs. According to a blog post on the Hearthstone website, patch 9.1 will tone down some of the game’s biggest problems, though Ultimate Infestation will stay exactly the same. Ice Block will stick around until the Standard cycle ends next year, when it should enter the Hall Of Fame. You can disenchant Murloc Warleader and Spreading Plague for full dust once this patch goes live.
Let’s look at each one of these changes and what they mean for the future of Hearthstone.
Innervate: Gain 1 Mana Crystal this turn only. (Down from 2)
Druids have been destroying the meta and are currently the only S-tier class in the game. With their ability to gain mana crystals easily, they can outperform most opponents without much effort. Reynad, one of the game’s most popular streamers, believed that Innervate was the root cause of the problem, allowing smart Malfurions to play powerful minions and spells turns before their opponents can react. With this and the Spreading Plague nerf, Blizzard toning down some of Druid’s ramping powers, making it easier for opponents to catch up. You can still Nourish on turn three, but it’s not going to be as easy. This nerf is long overdo and I’m so happy that I’ll soon be able to play decks besides Druid if I want to climb the ladder.
Fiery War Axe: Now costs 3 mana. (Up from 2)
As someone who truly hates Pirate Warrior, I thank Ben Brode and his team for this nerf. Warrior has always had the best weapon in the game, able to clear any two-mana (and most three-mana) minions without losing board control. Bloodsail Raider on turn two, sitting there as a 6/3 still haunts my nightmares, and I’m happy to see the problem getting handled. This won’t be enough to throw Pirate Warrior under the bus, disappearing from the ladder entirely, but it will quell the onslaught that’s been coming since The Mean Streets Of Gadgetzan.
Hex: Now costs 4 mana. (Up from 3)
Hex and Polymorph are similar cards, so it only makes sense that they cost the same to play.
Murloc Warleader: Your other Murlocs have +2 Attack. (Down from +2 Attack, +1 Health)
Murloc Paladin has been a disgustingly strong deck for a few expansions, all thanks to this green-gilled pest. Turning your weak Murlocs into brutes that can draw with most cards of the same value made it one of the most powerful combo pieces in the game. Murloc Tidecaller into Rockpool Hunter into Murloc Warleader was a nearly unbeatable combo that got around most four-mana board clear. With this nerf, Consecration and Lightning Storm might be able to knock off a fishman or two before a Gentle Megasaur ruins their day. Finja and the rest of his gang will still see play, but In expect Murloc Paladin to slowly creep away from the top tiers of competitive play.
Spreading Plague: Now costs 6 mana. (Up from 5)
Druid’s biggest weakness was its lack of defense, which Spreading Plague solved. Aggro decks used to be able to beat the nature servant with pure aggression, but struggled getting through four or five bugs with giant bodies and Taunt. With this nerf, you’ll need to summon at least three of the beasts just to get your mana’s worth, making it harder to squeeze as much value out of your deck as possible.
Every one of these changes are amazing and I’m so glad that Blizzard didn’t wait until a few months after release before giving their cards some much needed nerfs.
