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Hearthstone update 18.4.2 patch notes removes Pogo-Hopper

The days of the triple-digit stat Pogo-Hopper in Battlegrounds are over with Hearthstone's upcoming 18.4.2 update.

Ozzie Mejia

October 13, 2020 11:20 AM

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Hearthstone shook up its Battlegrounds mode something fierce with the addition of Elementals. Minions have been hitting triple digit stats regularly and Blizzard has determined that things have gotten a bit out of control. With that said, they've pulled out the nerf bat from the nerf broom closet and decided to whack a few heroes like Ragnaros and Maiev with the upcoming 18.4.2 patch. And your Pogo Hopper builds? Those are no more.

Here are some of the heroes getting significant nerfs with the next update, taken from the Hearthstone website:

• Ragnaros the Firelord: Players must now kill 25 enemy minions to unlock Sulfuras, up from 20. Sulfuras now only gives left and right-most minions +3/+3, down from +4/+4.
• Maiev Shadowsong: Imprison now only grants Dormant minions +1 Attack, down from +1/+1.

But Blizzard isn't all nerfs and pulling teeth. They're buffing a few other heroes in an effort to help bring them up to the rest of the pack. Here are the heroes getting buffed:

• Chenvaala: After you play three Elementals, reduce the cost of upgrading Bob's Tavern by (3), up from (2).
• Patchwerk: Start with 55 Health, up from 50.
• Sindragosa: Frozen minions will get +2/+1 at the end of your turn, up from +1/+1.
• King Mukla: Bananarama now has a chance to give King Mukla a Big Banana that gives a minion +2/+2.

Lastly on the hero note, it's last call for Bartendotron. The hero who's been in Battlegrounds since its inception has been retired.

There are also several big minion changes and the biggest ones involve Whirlwind Tempest and Pogo-Hopper. Rather than make any adjustment to them, Blizzard has removed them from Hearthstone Battlegrounds entirely. Whirlwind Tempest has led to some wild Mega-Windfury builds that can wipe out the opposing side of the board before the opponent can even take their turn. And while Pogo-Hopper was powerful with heroes like Shudderwock, it was downright broken with Jandice Barov, who was able to buy and upgrade Pogos over and over.

Other minions have also received some significant changes:

• Selfless Hero: Now Tier 2 (up from Tier 1)
• Deadly Spore: Now Tier 5 (up from Tier 4)
• Salty Looter: Now 4/4 (up from 3/3)
• Bloodsail Cannoneer: Now 4/3 (up from 4/2)
• Party Elemental: Now 3/2 (up from 2/2)
• Arcane Assistant: Now 3/3 (up from 3/2)
• Majordomo Executus: Now reads "At the end of your turn, give your left-most minion +1/+1. Repeat for each Elemental you played this turn." (Changed from "At the end of your turn, give your left-most minion +1 / +1 for each Elemental you played this turn.")
• Lil' Rag: Now Tier 6 with 6/6 stats. (Up from Tier 5 with 4/4 stats)
• Gentle Djinni: Now Tier 5 with 4/5 stats. (Down from Tier 6 with 6/8 stats.)

These changes will go into effect this Thursday. As for what's available today, Hearthstone's single-player Book of Heroes mode continues with its next chapter. This one revolves around Rexxar the Hunter. Look for a special Boss Battle Royale as this week's Tavern Brawl, starting tomorrow. We'll have more to say about Hearthstone in the future, as well as Battlegrounds, so keep it on Shacknews for the latest.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?