Hearthstone patch 23.2.2 brings Nerfs and Buffs. Will this end the Demon Hunter tyranny?

The Hearthstone 23.2.2 patch is here and brings many Nerfs and Buffs aiming to dethrone Drek’thar and turn playable many archetypes.

Hearthstone patch 23.2.2 notes just dropped and there are many changes, including nerfs and buffs! After a lot of speculation on social media about Drek’thar not being nerfed due to its monetization, Blizzard decided to tone down the power level of the card. On top of that, the Hearthstone patch 23.2.2 brings others nerfs and many buffs to shake the meta. Let’s go over the details of the patch that goes live today.

Hearthstone Nerfs and Buffs with Patch 23.2.2

It seems that the days of free wins with Aggro Demon Hunter are over. The most overpowered deck in Hearthstone’s metagame received a huge nerf in parch 23.2.2. Not only Drek’thar will no longer be a game-winning card, but on top of that, Multi-strike will now be a bit fairer of a card.

Drek’Thar<br>Old: Battlecry: If this costs more than every minion in your deck, summon 2 of them. <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: Battlecry: If this costs more than every minion in your deck, summon one of those minions.</strong>

Drek’Thar
Old: Battlecry: If this costs more than every minion in your deck, summon 2 of them. → New: Battlecry: If this costs more than every minion in your deck, summon one of those minions.

Multi-Strike<br>Old: [Costs 1] <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 2]</strong>

Multi-Strike
Old: [Costs 1] → New: [Costs 2]

Drek’thar’s nerf in patch 23.2.2 might bring back Jace to Hearthstone’s main stage. The iconic Demon Hunter Legendary has amazing synergy with the deck but until now was outcasted by Drek’thar’s power level. This will probably end up making the archetype a bit slower, giving opponents the time to react and actually play the game.

On top of these Demon Hunter nerfs, the Hearthstone patch 23.2.2 also brings a nerf to Dragonbane Shot, a key card in Quest Hunter. The archetype isn’t oppressive, however, the change might be a preventive nerf since there will not be as many Demon Hunters to keep Quest Hunters in check. On top of that, it seems that Blizzard is trying to push other archetypes for the class.

Dragonbane Shot<br>Old: [Costs 2] <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 3]</strong>

Dragonbane Shot
Old: [Costs 2] → New: [Costs 3]

Regarding the refund policy, we already talked about how tricky nerfing Drek’thar could be, that is why Hearthstone Patch 23.2.2 notes included this clarification:

The above craftable cards will be eligible for full dust refunds for two weeks following Patch 23.2.2 (the only version of Drek’Thar that is craftable is the normal, non-golden version). Any players who own Diamond Drek’Thar at the time that the patch goes live will automatically receive 3,000 Gold when they log in as a refund.

Refund clarification in Hearthstone Patch 23.2.2 notes

Hearthstone

News

The Drek’thar problem in Hearthstone, is it not nerfed because of money?

Drek’thar has become a problem after Hearthstone’s rotation. Players argue that Blizzard won’t nerf it after selling a $25 Diamond version.

Manuel "Rane" Delgado

Buffs with Hearthstone Patch 23.2.2

Along with the above-mentioned nerfs, the Hearthstone patch 23.2.2 also brings some interesting buffs. The objective behind these buffs is not only to balance the meta but also to give new archetypes a chance to shine. Let's go over the buffs happening today.

Demon Hunter

Xhilag the Abyss

Xhilag’s Stalk (part of Xhilag the Abyss)
Old: At the end of your turn, deal 1 damage to an enemy. → New: At the end of your turn, deal 2 damage to an enemy.

Will this buff help Xhilag to make it to the slower Demon Hunter archetypes after Drek’thar’s nerf?

Hunter buffs in Hearthstone patch 23.2.2

Hearthstone devs want to push new archetypes for Hunter with the 23.2.2 patch, and that is why we see many buffs for the class. Hunter got many big-beast-themed cards with Voyage to the Sunken City expansion. However, the deck never took off, or should I say set sail? The point is that Hunter might see a new deck revolving around big beasts like it did in Kobolds and Catacombs times.

Harpoon Gun<br>Old: After your hero attacks, Dredge. If it’s a Beast, reduce its Cost by (2). <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: After your hero attacks, Dredge. If it’s a Beast, reduce its Cost by (3).</strong>

Harpoon Gun
Old: After your hero attacks, Dredge. If it’s a Beast, reduce its Cost by (2). → New: After your hero attacks, Dredge. If it’s a Beast, reduce its Cost by (3).

Pet Collector<br>Old: 3 Attack, 3 Health <strong>→ New: 4 Attack, 4 Health</strong>

Pet Collector
Old: 3 Attack, 3 Health → New: 4 Attack, 4 Health

Azsharan Saber<br>Old: 3 Attack, 3 Health <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: 4 Attack, 3 Health</strong>

Azsharan Saber
Old: 3 Attack, 3 Health → New: 4 Attack, 3 Health

Sunken Saber (generated by Azsharan Saber)<br>Old: 3 Attack, 3 Health <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: 4 Attack, 3 Health</strong>

Sunken Saber (generated by Azsharan Saber)
Old: 3 Attack, 3 Health → New: 4 Attack, 3 Health

Could this be the return of Priest?

One of the classes that disappeared from the metagame with the last expansion was Priest. Without efficient control tools and slow win conditions, the class was one of the worst performers in the meta. The Hearthstone patch 23.2.2 will try to compensate for that with the following buffs.

Blackwater Behemoth<br>Old: [Costs 8] <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 7]</strong>

Blackwater Behemoth
Old: [Costs 8] → New: [Costs 7]

Whirlpool<br>Old: [Costs 9] <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 8]</strong>

Whirlpool
Old: [Costs 9] → New: [Costs 8]

Shadowcloth Needle<br>Old: [Costs 2] <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 1]</strong>

Shadowcloth Needle
Old: [Costs 2] → New: [Costs 1]

Serpent Wig<br>Old: Give a minion +1/+1. If you played a Naga while holding this, add a Serpent Wig into your hand. <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: Give a minion +1/+2. If you played a Naga while holding this, add a Serpent Wig into your hand.</strong>

Serpent Wig
Old: Give a minion +1/+1. If you played a Naga while holding this, add a Serpent Wig into your hand. → New: Give a minion +1/+2. If you played a Naga while holding this, add a Serpent Wig into your hand.

Rogue Buffs

Rogue is a tricky class. Sometimes it seems highly overpowered when mana-cheat and card draw are abundant. However, after the rotation, the class lost much of that, mainly due to losing Secret Passage. That is why some cards are seeing a buff or nerfs-reversion in the Hearthstone patch 23.2.2. Maybe with them, a new thief Rogue emerges.

Tooth of Nefarian<br>Old: [Costs 3] <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 2]</strong>

Tooth of Nefarian
Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 2]

SI:7 Smuggler<br>Old: Battlecry: Summon a random 0-Cost minion. (Improved for each other SI:7 card you have played this game). <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: Battlecry: Summon a random 1-Cost minion. (Improved for each other SI:7 card you have played this game).</strong>

SI:7 Smuggler
Old: Battlecry: Summon a random 0-Cost minion. (Improved for each other SI:7 card you have played this game). → New: Battlecry: Summon a random 1-Cost minion. (Improved for each other SI:7 card you have played this game).

Wildpaw Gnoll<br>Old: [Costs 6] 3 Attack, 5 Health <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 5] 4 Attack, 5 Health</strong>

Wildpaw Gnoll
Old: [Costs 6] 3 Attack, 5 Health → New: [Costs 5] 4 Attack, 5 Health

Tess Greymane<br>Old: [Costs 8] <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 7]</strong>

Tess Greymane
Old: [Costs 8] → New: [Costs 7]

Hench-Clan Burglar<br>Old: 4 Attack, 3 Health <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: 4 Attack, 4 Health</strong>

Hench-Clan Burglar
Old: 4 Attack, 3 Health → New: 4 Attack, 4 Health

Make Warlock Great Again

After the over-representation Warlock had with United in Stormwind's initial metagame, the class was nerfed and its power level seemed to be fair. Despite this, Voyage to the Sunken City expansion failed to make the two archetypes introduced succeed. That is why the Hearthstone patch 23.2.2 brings buffs for Murloc and Abyssal-themed cards.

Sira’kess Cultist<br>Old: 2 Attack, 3 Health <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: 3 Attack, 4 Health</strong>

Sira’kess Cultist
Old: 2 Attack, 3 Health → New: 3 Attack, 4 Health

Dragged Below<br>Old: [Costs 4] <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 3]</strong>

Dragged Below
Old: [Costs 4] → New: [Costs 3]

Azsharan Scavenger<br>Old: [Costs 3] 3 Attack, 4 Health <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 2] 2 Attack, 3 Health</strong>

Azsharan Scavenger
Old: [Costs 3] 3 Attack, 4 Health → New: [Costs 2] 2 Attack, 3 Health

Sunken Scavenger (generated by Azsharan Scavenger)<br>Old: [Costs 3] 3 Attack, 4 Health <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 2] 2 Attack, 3 Health</strong>

Sunken Scavenger (generated by Azsharan Scavenger)
Old: [Costs 3] 3 Attack, 4 Health → New: [Costs 2] 2 Attack, 3 Health

Bloodscent Vilefin<br>Old: [Costs 4] 4 Attack, 4 Health <strong>→</strong> <strong>New: [Costs 3] 3 Attack, 4 Health</strong>

Bloodscent Vilefin
Old: [Costs 4] 4 Attack, 4 Health → New: [Costs 3] 3 Attack, 4 Health

Dev comments on Hearthstone Patch 23.2.2

Gallon, an Associate Game Designer in the Hearthstone team, gave some interesting insights on the changes in the 23.2.2 Patch. In a detailed Twitter Thread, he commented about the general goals of these changes and even some takes about specific cards. Moreover, he also takes time to mention why they didn't make any further changes to other classes, so I invite you to give it a read if you like to be inside the head of a Heartsthone Dev.

I hope that the changes that the Patch 23.2.2 bring to Hearthstone will help create a more diverse metagame. The win-rate Demon Hunter and Drek’thar had was not healthy for the game and caused many imbalances in the game. Fortunately, we now have the patch and we will be able to enjoy a day or two of experimentation with new archetypes and decks.

That is all for now, check the full patch notes in the official blog post. Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more Hearthstone news and updates. See you next time in the tavern.

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