Hearthstone: After a Year, What Got Nerfed?

Hearthstone just celebrated its first birthday since officially releasing last year, but patches, an adventure, and an expansion have made it a radically different game then it was back in early 2014. But just how different are the cards themselves? I took a stroll down memory lane to remember the cards Team 5 decided were a little too good.

After Heathstone’s launch, there were very few changes made to the existing cards. Team 5 (the group of developers at Blizzard responsible for Hearthstone) have a very distinct and controversial method of balancing their game. Once a card is released, it takes a lot for them to alter it. This is best explained in a forum post by community manager Zeriyah; “We take any balance changes very seriously, and we will continue to hold true to our stance that we plan on only making changes to cards if we feel it is completely necessary.”

You might not agree with their philosophy, but the numbers are on their side.

But this apprehension to change existing designs doesn’t mean they ignore the problems caused by certain cards. Instead of weakening strong plays, Team 5 creates new cards to counter them. This is evident in the recent Goblins vs Gnomes expansion, which included various cards specifically targeting certain play styles and deck themes. I still can’t decide if it’s a sound design strategy, but I’ll leave the designing to Team 5. You might not agree with their philosophy, but the numbers are on their side.

So when Team 5 determines it’s time to addresses a card, you know it’s bad…

Next: What Card Was First on the Chopping Block?