Hearthstone’s Patch 20.4.2, while small in the amount of changes it brings, will perform something that was never before done within the game’s entire history. The update will disallow Stealer of Souls from finding use within the Wild Format.
Within the patch notes, Blizzard notes that it does not have plans to make banning cards a pattern that will be repeated in the future. Despite this, they are still open to feedback since this is the first time that removing a card from a constructed format has ever been done.
Related: Stealer of Souls will be banned from Hearthstone’s Wild format next week
In addition to this change, there will be adjustments coming to the Battlegrounds mode with two changes that buff Mechs and nerf Quilboars. The changes affect the late game of both minion types with sizable changes which will alter how you aim to play both pools.
With regards to Mechs, the buff to Kangor’s Apprentice with a tier reduction, which gives the type another powerful five tier minion to look forward to if you’re aiming to go for a Big Mech or Deathrattle style builds. One other important change with this tier update is that it will be easier for Mech players to find a Foe Reaper 4000 since there will be one fewer tier six minion to run into.
Since Quilboars will be receiving yet another nerf with Captain Flat Tusk, going for power spike at turn six will make you spend more time getting stronger compared to past versions. This is due to the fact that you need to spend more gold for Blood Gems.
Here are all of the changes coming with Hearthstone Patch 20.4.
Wild Update
- Stealer of Souls has been banned in Wild.
- Dev Comment: We’ve decided to ban Stealer of Souls in Wild, where it caused many games to stray too far away from the type of gameplay we’re aiming for. After deliberating on the appropriate action, we’ve decided to ban the card in order to maintain its current, and healthier, function in standard—as well as eliminate the problems caused in Wild. We do not have plans to ban many cards in the future. Bans will be reserved for cards creating extreme gameplay issues where there is no great solution for all formats. Since this is the first decision of its kind in Hearthstone, we’d love to hear your feedback. We’ll continue to monitor the card in all Modes and formats to determine if further action is needed elsewhere. When Stealer of Souls rotates into Wild, we’ll reposition it for the Wild environment and remove the ban. If there are any balance changes to Stealer of Souls before then, we’ll re-evaluate the ban.
- Stealer of Souls will be eligible for a full dust refund for 2 weeks after the 20.4.2 patch goes live.
Battlegrounds Updates
- Captain Flat Tusk: [After you spend three Gold, gain a Blood Gem.] -> [After you spend four Gold, gain a Blood Gem]
- Kangor’s Apprentice: [Tier 6, 4/8 Stat Line] -> [Tier 5, 3/6 Stat Line]
Bug Fixes & Game Improvements
- Fixed a bug that caused a copied Archdruid Naralex to give Dream cards to the wrong player.
- Fixed a bug where Lady Anacondra would not reduce the cost of Nature spells if she was already on the board when a Celestial Alignment was played.
- Fixed a bug with the reconnect feature on mobile.
- Fixed a bug that caused the Battlegrounds Rating to show as “0” when first opening the Player Profile.
- Fixed a bug that caused the Player Profile to show number of Battlegrounds first place finishes instead of Battlegrounds Top Four finishes, as intended.
Try out Wild with Stealer of Souls’ departure and the new changes in Battlegrounds when Hearthstone: Forged in the Barrens’ Patch 20.4.2 goes live tomorrow.
