Hearthstone’s Latest Patch Has Finally Banned Its Most Infamous Card

Following the release of Hearthstone’s Fall of Ulduar Mini-Set on September 19, Blizzard has finally released its first major balance patch for it. The patch brings forward many changes to both the Standard and Wild modes, aiming to address both power and play experience outliers. It has also addressed Gadgetzan Auctioneer, which has long been one of Hearthstone’s most problematic cards.

Gadgetzan Auctioneer has been removed from the Core Set, meaning it’s effectively banned in the Standard mode. But that’s not all. The card was also nerfed after dodging changes for nearly a decade. It got bumped up to 7 Mana from 6, making it much harder to combo off with it in Wild. This change should reduce the power level of some of the Miracle-style decks that were rampant in the format recently.

Additionally, changes were made to Warriors. They were initially given a much-needed buff in a previous balance patch. As a result, after a long period of being unplayable, the class finally saw some significance on the Standard ladder. However, Blizzard feels it’s performing a bit too well currently, and has nerfed its strongest cards to bring it more in line with other classes. 

Over on the Hunter side of things, Blizzard has reduced the strength of Starstrung Bow, one of the class’s best weapons. Hunters in Hearthstone have long been the subject of player discourse, with many players feeling like the class is simply too good. It received a bunch of nerfs to its Wildseed and Spell Damage package in Patch 27.2.2, and the latest update continues to lower the class’s power level. 

Plus, Patch 27.4.2 has brought forward a ton of changes to the Wild mode. Most notably, Mechwarper and Tony, King of Piracy have been banned from the mode. According to Blizzard, the changes were made to address frustrating interactions specifically. The Wild Ladder is meant to have powerful interactions and wacky combos, so Blizzard is a bit more lenient with cards being on the stronger side.

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Death Knight fans will be pleased to hear the class’s Plague package has received a buff in the recent update. Tomb Traitor and Down with the Ship have each lost a Frost Rune requirement. This will make them easier to add to Triple Unholy decks. Frost Queen Sindragosa has also lost her Blood Rune requirement and is now Frost only.

Moreover, several other cards have received buffs, including Tirion Fordring, who’s been buffed to 8 Attack and 8 Health, as well as Lord Jaraxxus, who now costs 8 Mana, instead of 9. The changes have generally been met with positivity by the community. However, it’s unclear how they’ll end up impacting the Standard and Hearthstone’s Twist mode.