Blizzard’s ‘Hearthstone’ cards get nerfs to change up deckbuilding; Whispers of the Old Gods coming on April 26

A couple of “Hearthstone” cards will see some balance changes in time with the Standard Mode’s release next week. Both Basic and Classic cards will see some changes, a lot of which are nerfs.

The Druid batch will see the biggest changes in “Hearthstone.” According to PC Gamer, 12 cards will see varying levels of nerfing. For Druid, Ancient of Lore, Keeper of the Grove and Force of Nature will also have their respective adjustments.

Specifically, Ancient of Lore will reduce card draws to one. Keeper of the Grove has seen stat changes lessened to 2/2, so it will not always be part of everyone’s deck. While the mana for Force of Nature is lessened by one, Charge is removed to do away with the one-turn combo of Force and Savage Roar usually played in the game.

Ironbreak Owl and Big Game Hunter have also been nerfed by increasing mana costs. These will allow card holders with minions to deal their respective attacks without being countered by the two cards easily.

Cards like Hunter’s Mark and Blade Furry have seen an increase in mana. The first one now requires one mana to make it even more valuable to Hunters. The second will now require choosing between removing threats and damaging enemy Hero.

Finally, Neutral Minion cards will also be balanced. Among these are Knife Juggler, Leper Gnome, Arcane Golem, Molten Giant and Master of Disguise. All of the changes mentioned above will be part of the “Hearthstone” patch 5.0.

Speaking of changes in the cards, Blizzard is also releasing the Whispers of the Old Gods come April 26. This pack will introduce 134 new cards that will change the flow of the game. This essentially makes the changes done to some of the cards as a welcome patch, if only because it aligns with Blizzard’s goal of making deckbuilding a more creative experience other than sticking with OP decks.

“Some of your favourite adversaries and allies from the tavern have already met the Old Gods, and are much, much better for it,” the developer announced over the official “Hearthstone” blog.

The third DLC is set to come first to the Americas for both all available platforms. It can be accessed via the in-game shop. For those in Europe and Asia, Whispers of the Old Gods DLC will be available the day after, April 27.

The preorder for the expansion is still ongoing. “Hearthstone” plyers who want to get a powerful bundle of 50 cards should make sure to place an order before the expansion goes live.

"Hearthstone" Whispers of the Old Gods trailer (Credit: YouTube/Hearthstone)