Hearthstone Patch 23.0.1 Notes – Balance Changes to Pandaren Importer (Constructed), Ini Stormcoil & Varden (Battlegrounds), Duels Changes, Bug Fixes

Patch 23.0.1 – a server-side hotfix – has been deployed last evening. The patch makes some pre-emptive changes to

In Constructed, Pandaren Importer was changed from a 2 mana 1/3 to 3 mana 2/4. It was done in order to prevent OTK combos built around it in Rogue – if you put all of the spells in your deck BUT Shadowstep, Preparation and Wicked Stab (Rank 1), you could potentially do an infinite loop on Turn 2. Alternate versions included Brann Bronzebeard + Fogsail Freebooter combo (there you only needed to guarantee a Shadowstep). WHether the combo would be good or not is up to debate, but it would definitely feel way too cheesy and annoying to face.

In Battlegrounds, Ini Stormcoil and Varden Dawngrasp got nerfed. Both were moved to Armor Tier 1 (0 Armor) and Ini’s buddy was moved from T2 to T4.

In Duels, Wildfire and Malygos got banned – I’m not sure about Malygos, but Wildfire was definitely too powerful with one of the new Reno’s Hero Powers. On top of that, two passives were moved to Ultra Rare Pool 2.

We also got a bunch of bug fixes & QoL changes. Keep in mind that it’s only a server-side hotfix, so any changes might appear as though the cards were changed with in-game effects (e.g. stats appearing in green, mana cost appearing in red in case of Pandaren Importer).

Patch 23.0.1 is a server-side hotfix, deploying right now. The patch includes balance changes to Battlegrounds and Duels, a pre-emptive balance change for Standard, and bug fixes.

Balance Changes:

• In order to prevent an unintended interaction after Standard rotation, Pandaren Importer is changing from a 2-mana 1/3 to a 3-mana 2/4. Because this is a server-side patch, Pandaren Importer will appear as though its stats have been affected by an in-game effect. This will be updated in an upcoming patch. Because of this change, regular copies of Pandaren Importer will be able to be disenchanted for their full dust value until April 20 at 10 a.m. Pacific. (Golden copies of Pandaren Importer are not craftable because they were on the United in Stormwind rewards track).
• Sub Scrubber (Ini Stormcoil’s Buddy) has been moved from Tavern Tier 2, to Tavern Tier 4. Because this is a server-side hotfix, the Tavern Tier will not appear correctly at hero selection or when hovering over the Buddy Meter. This will be updated in a later full patch.
• Varden Dawngrasp and Ini Stormcoil have been moved from Armor Tier 2 (2-5 Armor) to Armor Tier 1 (0 Armor).
• Wildfire and Malygos are banned from deck creation in Duels.
• The Legendary Loot and Unstable Magic Passive Treasures were moved to the Ultra Rare Pool 2.

Bug Fixes and Game Improvements:

• New: Fixed a bug that caused this weekend’s pre-release Fireside Gatherings to be unable to use the new Sunken City deck recipes.
• Fixed the visual bug that caused the Ranked Season Rewards celebration to appear blank.
• Fixed a bug where Kurtrus, Demon Render counted times your hero was attacked as well as times you attacked with your hero.
• Fixed a bug where secrets played after Freezing Trap would not trigger after Freezing Trap activated to remove the trigger condition. For example, after this bug fix, if a player plays Freezing Trap and then Explosive Trap, and the enemy attacks the player with a minion, the Freezing Trap will activate to return the attacking minion and then the Explosive Trap will trigger.
• Fixed a bug where Emergency Maneuvers could cause an enemy minion to go Dormant.
• Fixed a bug where Pathmaker would create extra history tiles throughout games.
• Improved Battlegrounds performance related to when minions buffed “for the rest of the game” appear in Bob’s Tavern during the Recruit Phase.
• Temporarily removed the “The Good Stuff” Darkmoon Prize from Tickatus’s Prize pool in order to avoid a bug. The Prize is expected to be returned to Tickatus’s Prize pool in a later patch, when the bug is resolved.
• Fixed a bug where the game would crash if you got a Mysterious Stranger encounter after already completing all Tasks for all Mercenaries you own. Now, if there are not enough visitors with available Tasks to fill the three options, it will select random Mercenaries to fill those slots. You will then be able to select a Mercenary as normal and, if that Mercenary does not have any Tasks to offer, you will get Coins for that Mercenary.
• Fixed a bug where the Reshape Deathblow would copy the target’s Equipment twice.
• Fixed a bug where the “Mecha Magic!” Duels card bucket was inaccurately labeled as “Big Spell.”
  • Fixed a bug where players who already had a complete Curse of Naxxramas collection when Patch 23.0 went live could not claim the Diamond Loatheb reward that was added in the patch.