Hearthstone Battlegrounds patch 25.4.3: Chronormu gets nerf, Archdruid Hamuul returns, and more

Hearthstone Battlegrounds patch 25.4.3 nerfs snowball minions like Chronormu, Ghoul of the Feast, and Vanessa Van Cleef. There's also a surprise Grease Bot buff while Archdruid Hamuul makes a return. Read on for details.

Snowball units are some of the best to use yet some of the worst to face. They can grow out of control if left unchecked. Therefore, balancing such minions is hard. It treads a thin line between killing a snowball engine for good or just fine-tuning it. Constructed’s iconic Warsong Commander is a prime example of the former.

Fortunately, Hearthstone Battlegrounds patch 25.4.3 doesn’t strike that harshly. It has nerfs for tempo kings like Chronormu and Ghoul of the Feast. Meanwhile, Archdruid Hamuul returns temporarily and Grease Bot gets a buff. However, it might be another story for Standard and Wild.

For Battlegrounds, most of the early offenders are updated, but none are obliterated. Their snowball functionality remains the same, but some of their early tempo is now toned down. This sounds like good news against early top-eight players since there are fewer chances to face tempo kings. But the patch isn’t a tempo killer by any means — it's more of a tempo trimmer. Let’s review the changes one by one.

Ghoul of the Feast is on the earliest affected minions in Tavern Tier 3. The nerf is sensible this time, turning from Avenge (1) to Avenge (2), but slightly increasing the effect. This might make it less of a must-buy, as its halved synergies require more Deathrattles and Reborns. GhouLUL to those who will still buy it out of reflex.

The other Tier 3 problem, Legion Overseer, only has its initial body’s stats cut. Its effects are left intact.

Perhaps the most affected is the Dragon Chronormu as it's now nerfed from Tier 4 to Tier 5. This allows significantly less transitioning from the early board state to a giant minion. It’s also sneakier than it looks. Tier 5 Discovers could previously yield a defining direction for your game through cards like Brann Bronzebeard, Mama Bear, and Nomi, Kitchen Nightmare. Let them cook? Nope. Tier 5 Discovers are now watered down by yet another low-tempo option in addition to the existing pool’s inflation due to dual-type minions.

But enough doomsaying. Archdruid Hamuul’s temporary return lessens the blow. The Tier 6 minion can give you a hefty chance in finding Chronormu if you’ve got some Dragons. Praise RNG for multiple copies, then prepare your screenshot key. This seems like a balanced approach — nerfing Chronormu’s early one-to-one tempo while allowing a later transition. Not to mention Archdruid Hamuul’s chance to fish for some of these next freshly-nerfed powerhouses.

The other Tavern Tier 5 scalers, Vanessa VanCleef and Magmaloc, only have their initial bodies’ stats scaled back. They really did our boy Chronormu dirty compared to these nerfs.

Speaking of dirty, Grease Bot is the clear winner of the buff section. With stats and effects slightly touched, it's now down two whole tiers, from the elusive Tavern Tier 6 to Tavern Tier 4. Those early Divine Shields are looking shinier all of a sudden. Meanwhile, there are some stat adjustments on Groundshaker and Jelly Belly. Skibidi bop bop!? Felstomper gets a slight effect buff. It already served a decent role as a tempo Discover, but will this be enough for it to shine in its own build?

Finally, Sin’dorei Straight Shot now only appears when Undeads are in the lobby. It took an arrow to the knee and only got a footnote. It might be missed against Reborn Leapfrogger. Hunting for a Teron Gorefiend victory for the achievement? Rejoice!

With all these tempo picks toned down, will Hearthstone Battlegrounds patch 25.4.3 manage to change the meta? Chronormu and Ghoul of the Feast’s bigger nerfs and Grease Bot’s buff hint towards it. Magmaloc, Vanessa VanCleef, and Legion Overseer nerfs reduce the chance of large damage swings out of nowhere. But are these nerfs and minor buffs enough? Find out later this patch in our Hearthstone section. We cover all modes alongside wider esports news on Esports.gg.