Hearthstone: After a Year, What Got Nerfed?

December – Patch 2.0

The Goblins vs Gnomes expansion was added in this patch, but it also included another blow to Hunters and Rogues.

Flare

This spell allowed a Hunter to destroy active enemy secrets while also drawing a card. Flare was the first spell to be altered after release, and was yet another advantage Hunters had over other secret-using classes. The card received a doubling of its mana cost from 1 to 2.

"Flare allowed the Hunter an advantage versus decks that revolve around Secrets, while also allowing the Hunter to draw a card for little cost. We want to encourage a variety of decks in Hearthstone. With this change, Flare will continue to be useful against Secrets decks, but will be weaker against other decks."

Team 5’s reasoning was sound, but the change resulted in the card being dropped from most Hunter decks, never to return.

Gadgetzan Auctioneer

At the heart of a “Miracle Rogue” deck was the Gadgetzan Auctioneer. He served to allow Rogues to use their cheap spells to draw ludicrous amounts of cards in the right situations. The mana increase from 5 to 6 meant Rouges had to wait longer to use their combo, and it served to squash the number of players using the deck-type.

"Gadgetzan Auctioneer’s ability allows for a player to potentially draw many cards for little cost. Card draw and card advantage are important to the game – overall, games are less interesting when a player draws their entire deck. This change brings Gadgetzan Auctioneer’s cost more in line with its power level."

I held on to my “Miracle Rouge” deck for several weeks after the change, but the increase in cost was too much for the deck to be a viable option for some players (me included).

Soulfire

The first change to a Warlock card came with the cost increase of Soulfire. The 0 mana spell became 1 mana, but this change didn’t have as drastic effects as the others. The card is still extremely helpful in certain situations, but now it actually costs mana to use.

"Soulfire, along with fast and powerful minions, allowed Warlock rush decks to get ahead on the board and stay ahead. We’ve upped Soulfire’s mana cost by 1 to slow down the Warlock rush deck just a bit and allow more players time to react and interact against the Warlock."

The Warlock class saw a drop in use after this patch but I wouldn’t blame that on the change. Goblins vs Gnomes created a radical change in the overall landscape of the game, favoring some classes more than others.

Next: Enough With the Deathrattles!