The patch arrived ahead of the 2023 Hearthstone World Championship.
Hearthstone's latest patch arrived on Dec. 8 with nerfs to Sif Mage. Patch 28.2.1 is also the one for the upcoming Hearthstone World Championship 2023 event.
"Enrage Warrior was the biggest standout we wanted to adjust down, and we wanted to make Sif Mage a bit more attackable."
New Hearthstone patch nerfs Sif Mage
Hearthstone patch 28.2.1 nerfed Sif Mage. Instead of 4 mana, the Inquisitive Creation minion now requires 5 mana instead of 4 mana. Meanwhile, Enrage Warrior also received nerfs as Thori’belore is now a 4/3 instead of a 4/4. Additionally, Battleworn Faceless now requires 3 mana instead of two mana.
Inquisitive Creation, Thori’belore, and Battleworn Faceless are eligible for full dust refunds for three weeks after patch 28.2.1, according to Blizzard.
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Hearthstone patch 28.2.1 buffs
The new Hearthstone patch buffed some underperforming deck archetypes as well. Excavate cards, for example, received Treasure buffs alongside buffs to Burrow Buster and Excavate class cards. In addition to Burrow Buster, adjusted cards in patch 28.2.1 include Sludge on Wheels, Detonation Juggernaut, Snake Eyes, Going Down Swinging, Flint Firearm, Blast Charge, and Antique Flinger.
Card Name Hearthstone Patch 28.2.1 Adjustment | Sludge on Wheels Old: 1/5 New: 2/5 | Detonation Juggernaut Old: [5 Mana] 3/6 New: [4 Mana] 3/4 | Snake Eyes Old: 2/3 New: 2/4 | Going Down Swinging Old: [5 Mana] New: [4 Mana] | Flint Firearm Old: [3 Mana] 3/3 New: [2 Mana] 2/3 | Blast Charge Old: [3 Mana] New: [2 Mana] | Antique Flinger Old: [4 Mana] 5/4 New: [3 Mana] 4/3 |
Escaping Trogg, Canary, Steelhide Mole are the Excavate Treasure cards. Instead of being a 1 mana 2/2, it's now a 1 mana 2/3. Meanwhile, Canary is now a 2 mana 2/2 instead of a 2 mana 2/1. Finally, Steelhide Mole is currently a 3 mana 3/7 instead of a 3 mana 2/7.
Hearthstone gets balance patch ahead of Worlds 2023
According to the developers, this is a balance patch for the Hearthstone World Championship 2023 event. The developers also noted that the current meta is in a good spot since most of the classes are viable. Moreover, the best decks feature approved play patterns.
"We specifically requested this early balance window so that we could make changes that we think will make the coolest Worlds possible," the post explained. "Overall, we think the meta is in a good spot, with most classes having something interesting to play and most top decks having play patterns we’re comfortable with. That lets us take a high confidence, step-wise approach with this patch, instead of making risky, drastic changes."
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