Hearthstone included some small Battlegrounds balance changes in the 24.4.3 patch notes. Let’s go over them.
While the Hearthstone 24.4.3 patch notes are mainly constructed nerfs, Battlegrounds will see some balance changes as well. This update rolling out today will bring some minor adjustments to a Hero, a Quests and some Dragons.
If you are looking for the constructed nerfs coming in the Hearthstone 24.4.3 patch, check out this article.
Hearthstone 24.4.3 patch notes: Battlegrounds changes
The first Battlegrounds change revealed in the Hearthstone 24.4.3 patch notes is the Fungalmancer Flurgl update. Hearthstone will nerf the Murloc-based Hero Power.
Image via Blizzard
While Murlocs provide a healthy balance with the Poison mechanic, Hearthstone has been adjusting its powerlevel in the past updates. Let's remember that 2 weeks ago in the 24.4.1 patch notes Hearthstone banned the Mirror Shield Quest Reward from Lobbies that included Murlocs.
It seems that last Fungalmancer's Hero Power redesign was still a bit more powerful or consistent. The hero was part of the Top 10 Heroes, according to HsReplay in high MMR lobbies. In exchange for this nerf, he will get more Armor instead.
Smoking Gun
Battlegrounds Quests & Rewards were the most praised game content so far. However, the team is still fine-tuning them. The 24.4.3 Hearthstone patch notes reveal that this Battlegrounds quest will now only give +4 attack upon completion.
Despite increasing the Quest's difficulty with the 24.4.2 Battlegrounds patch, it seems that the Hearthstone balance team isn't happy about those results. To balance things out, the Reward would be easier to get going forward.
Battlegrounds Dragons Update
Dragons have been a fringe strategy for a long time now. However, some problematic synergies create unwanted game experiences. In the past we saw Hearthstone reworking Chromawing twice. Now they have adjusted Nether Drake.
Patch notes show this minion update, and while there are no specific explanations, the most likely one is that they wanted to prevent Tier 2 strategies from being abused. Arana and Ysera could very consistently create a board full of Nether Drakes and Whelp Smugglers. This low-tier strategy was somewhat scammy, and, with these balance changes, it should not happen as often.
Image via Blizzard
Image via Blizzard
With the Nether Drake going to Tavern 3, Twilight Emissary is going down to Tavern 2 to compensate the Dragon minion pool. This doesn't solve the low power level of Dragons' end-game, with Kalegos being way too slow for the current state of the game, but it at least gives some decent early tempo for the tribe.
For those who feel that these changes are not significant enough to shake up the metagame, there is still hope. The 24.4.3 Battlegrounds patch notes mention that the upcoming Hearthstone 24.6 update will bring more changes to the game.
Battlegrounds players should expect a bigger Battlegrounds update with the next major patch, Patch 24.6.
That is all for now, but stay tuned to Esports.gg for more Hearthstone news and updates. See you next time in Bob's Tavern.