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Post patch first impressions!


The new patch has hit for about 3-4 days now, and Rogues have to give up control of their towns back to scrubs. The Rogue nerfs feel a tad overboard, from being number 1 hero to number 9 zero. I was eager to keep going headstrong with Rogue in ranked post-patch, but after experimenting a few games on unranked it felt impossible. My Rogue spellpower deck is now defunct.


Rogue nerf first impressions:

- Backstab - This was a decent change. It doesn't seem much but it really messes with rogue's flexibility. A good example is pre-patch rogues could hero attack then backstab to avoid enrage damage, while now it's no longer possible.

- Preparation - I guess this makes up a little for all the other nerfs, but not a huge deal either way.

- Shiv - The mana increase I feel is a bit much. I guess the draw card makes up for the extra mana cost, but now I'd much rather have Warlock's equivalent and have it at 1 cost, and only draw a card if it kills the target. Everything rogue now feels ultra expensive.

- Conceal - The 1 mana cost feels fair too. This really killed the Auctioneer/Questing Adventurer combo limits, but probably still viable in a minor weaker version.

- Headcrack - This I agree with 100%. Headcrack at 3 mana is absolutely fair. Doesn't take away too much from Rogue powers, as it's still possible to combo double headcracks nearing 9/10 mana.

- Hero Power - I think this was the nail in the coffin. Out of all nerf's possible pre-patch this was one I didn't think would get touched. It was what made Rogues unique, the ability to control weapons. With the nerf, it doesn't feel much different than a mage/druid power, except both mage/druid powers have defensive abilities (not take damage) along with it. Even if all the nerfs stayed, and lets say they added a 1/2 mana cost on backstab, I think I could still make Rogue work if the Hero power allowed that +1 damage.


Rogue left town, who's taking over?

Mage - My main hero for Ranked now. She brought me quickly from Copper to Master in about 4 hours of ranked play. Personally Mage was my go to hero because my play-style with her is quite similar to that of Rogue pre-patch. The lower mana cost of Frostbolt and extra attack of Sorcerer's Apprentice is extremely delicious.

VODs to the 4hr run:



Priest - It feels like they can fight back now, and not stay lying down as they take a beating. I'm still not sure if all the buffs really fixed their 'problem'. Their early/mid game is still on the weak side. The amount of card draw available to them now makes them a tad scary. Still not seeing any type of Shadowpriest dominance.

Warrior - Really love the improvement. Warriors are actually now my biggest headaches in ranked. I would give Battle Rage the MVP award for this one. The fact that it also counts damaged heroes now to draw cards, for 3 mana they're guaranteed to draw at least 2 cards. Mid game Battle Rage casts get warriors disgusting amounts of card draw.

Shaman - To me they feel the same, but my wife (mains Shaman) claims that the Healing Totem change is quite noticeable. I guess when you have healing totem out along with a weapon, the trades feel like Druid's hero power. Without the hero healing, weapon trades start to feel like Rogues. Against Shamans though, I don't feel much difference though.

Druid - They feel a lot less intimidating mid/late game as they can no longer spam a bunch of hero damage spells anymore. The changes seem to force druid into a minion heavy deck, as they really lack direct hero damage now.

Paladin/Hunter/Warlock - Feels the same.


First impressions

Generally I like the direction Hearthstone is going in. Problems raised, solutions quickly came. Patch was smooth, no big issues, all resolved within 24 hours. I think one of the biggest noticeable changes was all the sound effects. At first I was quite reluctant to it, as pre-patch everything sounded a lot more simple. After a good 20-30 games, the new sound effects grew on me, and seem to fit rather nicely with the card actions. Subtle things to appreciate.

The change of gold earning pace is lovely too. It starting to feel like it's possible to grind gold. Those hours of experimenting a new deck in ranked/unranked are rewarded nicely.


What are your impressions so far on the patch?


Till next time~


scrub moving truck manager,
Reere.


ps. Oh! and I really REALLY love the "finding opponent" music.