Hearthstone players have taken on the game’s latest expansion, Fractured in Alterac Valley, for over a month now.
Patch 22.2 will hit live servers next week to shake up not only Standard but nearly every game mode in the online card game.
At the forefront of Patch 22.2 is a series of balance changes that aim to balance the meta. Shadowcrafter Scabbs, Wildpaw Gnoll, Cloak of Shadows, Create a Distraction, Incanter’s Flow, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Rapid Fire, and Rokara have all been changed.
Outside of Standard, arguably the most exciting element of the patch is the introduction of Battlegrounds Buddies. Your BG Buddy will be a special minion that is unique to each Hero. Buddy minions are designed to synergize with their respective Heroes ‘ gameplan.
Instead of buying your Buddy from the shop, you’ll have a new mechanic called the Buddy meter. This meter will fill up as you “enter combat, deal damage to enemies, pop Divine Shields or win or tie a combat phase,” according to the patch notes. Your meter will also get a bonus based on the number of minions you have at the start of combat each turn. There will also be a limit on how much Buddy Meter players can build in a turn so they aren’t summoned too quickly.
The Buddy Meter is separated into two sections. Filling up the first section of the meter will award you one copy of your Buddy minion into your hand. When you fill up the rest of the meter, you get two more copies of your Buddy added to your hand and the meter will break. That means you will no longer be able to gain additional copies of your Buddy via the meter for the remainder of the match.
The team has already added the Buddy minions to their respective Hero on the official card library. If you want to browse the new Buddy minions, you can do so by clicking on a Hero here.
Buddies aren’t the only new feature Battlegrounds players can expect in this patch. You’ll also be getting four new Heroes, two from the Horde and two from the Alliance. Bru’kan and Drek’Thar will represent the Horde while Vanndar and Tavish Stormpike join alongside the Alliance.
Patch 22.2 will also bring a host of balance changes to a number of Battlegrounds and Mercenaries gameplay. You can check out a full breakdown of the balance changes for each of those respective modes here. Below you can find each of the Standard balance changes coming with Patch 22.2. You can head into Hearthstone to take on Patch 22.2 on Jan. 25.
Shadowcrafter Scabbs
Cost increased from seven to eight.
Wildpaw Gnoll
Cost increased from five to six. Attack decreased from four to three.
Cloak of Shadows
Cost increased from three to four.
Raid the Docks
The second part of the Questline will now require you to play three Pirates instead of two.
Incanter’s Flow
Cost increased from three to four.
Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Cost increased from two to four.
Rapid Fire
Cost increased from one to two. Damage increased from one to two.
Rokara, the Valorous
Armor increased to 10 from five.
