The long awaited buff patch went live just this Monday, bringing lots of balance changes as well as a new card (SN1P-SN4P). This kind of mid-expansion meta shakeup is definitely welcome. But how good is this update, exactly? Do the buffs matter? Did they change something? Do we see different decks in the meta? Were some of them a mistake?
In the official blog post, Jon “Orange” Westberg (European pro player, Grandmaster) tries to answer those question and shares his opinion about update. You can read it below, or check it out on the official Hearthstone website.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Jon “Orange” Westberg to discuss some of his feelings on the newest patch. If you remember correctly, he helped to popularize Tempo Rogue after the set rotation by hitting #1 Legend in Europe with the deck on Rise of Shadows launch day.
Keep in mind that these are only his initial thoughts regarding these changes. “It’s definitely my favorite patch of all time,” he said. “I know which cards I am looking forward to testing. [Masters Tour] Vegas is going to be amazing with this!”
SN1P-SN4P
“The most exciting card is probably SN1P-SN4P,” Orange said. “I think it could fit into every single deck. It’s good on its own because you can Magnetic it on itself. It’s basically a flexible Savannah Highmane!”
NECROMECHANIC
“It crosses off all the boxes I would want from a 4 drop,” Orange said. “It’s hard to kill and when you put it with a card like SN1P-SN4P or Ursatron, if you get that double Deathrattle value I think it’s hard to lose. You’re happy to drop it on 4, but if you play it in the late game with Nine Lives, the Deathrattle triggers twice for that and Mechanical Whelp for huge board swings.”
Huge board swings, like the ones we’ve been seeing from these Conjurer’s Calling Mage decks with Khadgar? “I don’t think it’s on the level of Conjurer’s Calling,” Orange said. “But, that’s why I’m especially excited about this card, because a deck that has good ways of combating Conjurer’s Calling is Hunter with Nine Lives and Spider Bomb.”
Unexpected Results
“Summoning two random two-cost minions for 3 mana is a pretty good deal just on its own, especially with Khadgar,” Orange said. “Spreading wide is an underrated aspect of the Mage deck. I think the potential is there.”
Luna’s Pocket Galaxy
“I’ve heard you can run it in Conjurer’s Mage,” Orange said. “I can’t decide myself. It’s probably good side-deck material, but I could also see myself being wrong and it could be absolutely amazing at 5 mana.”
Crystology
“Paladin is probably the class that benefits most from the buffs,” Orange said. “I think there is potential for some new archetype with small, cheap minions that use Crystology and Glowstone Technician. If not, Shirvallah Paladin got a buff.”
Glowstone Technician
“My teammate Fenomeno was already playing Glowstone Technician at 6 mana and said it was underrated,” Orange said. “When I saw him play the deck, he played it out in a way where he just held all his minions in hand until he could coin out his Glowstone Technician. He took over the game on the next turn because plus-2/2 is so huge!”
Thunderhead
“Thunderhead is a big one I’m excited about,” Orange said. “If you get a turn with all your mana crystals available with Thunderhead in play, I think it’s very hard to lose against a board-centric deck. Most Murloc Shamans in the meta are not running it, but I’ve also heard that they should be. I think new Thunderhead slots into Murloc Shaman nicely!”
The Storm Bringer
“If Thunderhead becomes a Shaman staple, then I think you definitely want to combine it with the buffed Storm Bringer,” Orange said. “I am definitely going to try it. I could see Overload Shaman with Storm Bringer being a popular archetype, although it would take time to test that.”
Dr. Morrigan
“Dr. Morrigan being buffed to 6 mana looks powerful now,” Orange said. “A 6 mana 5/5 is not the end of the world, especially when it comes with a body as a Deathrattle. It sounds sick, actually, if you just build your deck slightly towards that. This card is for people way smarter than me to figure out. If someone finds anything smart to do with her, I’ll jump onto it and try it myself.”
Spirit Bomb
“Spirit Bomb is a pretty solid removal spell now,” Orange said. “I played it in Evenlock last season, and I thought the card was pretty sweet as it was. At 1 mana I could see it being played in tempo decks. Like, wouldn’t Zoo be interested in a 1 mana removal spell that is this efficient? I’d think so.”
Mulchmuncher
“They are nerfing Sea Giant into Conjurer’s Calling! I won my game in Grandmasters in Week 2 from getting Mulchmuncher off of Conjurer’s. So the Mulchmuncher buff might secretly be a nerf!”
A Hearthstone player and writer from Poland, Stonekeep has been in a love-hate relationship with Hearthstone since Closed Beta. Over that time, he has achieved many high Legend climbs and infinite Arena runs. He's the current admin of Hearthstone Top Decks.
It’s great to see that Blizzard finally wants to incorporate their pro players into official communication. Building up personas as well as giving out recommendations about cards and decks are an optimal way to build community!
It’s great to see that Blizzard finally wants to incorporate their pro players into official communication. Building up personas as well as giving out recommendations about cards and decks are an optimal way to build community!