Hearthstone update 20.0 patch notes adds Classic mode this week

Published , by Ozzie Mejia

It's been a busy day for Hearthstone and there's still more coming to Blizzard's digital card game. The game is getting one of its biggest patches to date with this week's deployment of the 20.0 update. However, for all of the new content that the game is set to add, the most exciting change may involve something old. For those interested in turning back the clock, Hearthstone's 20.0 update will officially launch the new Classic format.

Originally revealed at BlizzConline, the Classic format will only allow Hearthstone's original 240 cards from the Basic, Classic, and Hall of Fame sets. Those cards will have any nerfs and buffs reverted to what they were when Hearthstone originally launched back in 2014. To give players an incentive to try this out, players can pick up a new Golden Classic Card pack for logging in after the 20.0 update is deployed. This pack will include five Golden Cards for use in Classic mode.

As for the new stuff, there are some... excuse me, I should rephrase this. There is *a* balance change for Standard. Yes, only one card is getting adjusted for the 20.0 update and that's the Rogue's Nitroboost Poison spell. In an effort to reduce the Rogue's heavy burst potential, this spell's cost is being increased from (1) to (2).

Hearthstone Battlegrounds is about to receive some noteworthy changes with the next patch. Overlord Saurfang will make his debut as a playable hero. His Hero Power will be For the Horde! That will give +1 Attack to the next minion purchased and it's a Hero Power that will upgrade each turn. Barrens Blacksmith, from the new Forged in the Barrens expansion, will be available as a Tier 3 minion and will replace Piloted Shredder, which is being sent to the scrap heap.

Hearthstone Duels is getting a massive amount of changes, so many that Blizzard gave it a separate update page. The new Duels season will now allow cards from the new Forged in the Barrens expansion, the new Core set, and the old Journey to Un'Goro set. Look for new passive treasures, as well as several changes to Hero Powers and an update to the banned cards list.

For the final days of this Standard year, Hearthstone is about to become a dumpster fire. Between Thursday's 20.0 patch and the official Standard rotation next Tuesday, Blizzard is kicking off something the team is calling "The Great Unnerfing." With 36 cards about to rotate to Wild, the development team is getting ahead of the game and reverting many of their nerfs. The developers are admitting that some of these reversions will probably break the game, so the team is going to sit back and watch the chaos unfold for that five-day window. Some of the biggest changes include Starving Buzzard going back to (2), Charge allowing actual Charge again, the Shaman's Galakrond cards all going back to normal, Arcane Golem getting Charge back, and Dragonqueen Alexstrasza once more offering free Dragons.

Arena players can look forward to a new season on March 30. This season will allow cards from the Core set and the new Forged in the Barrens expansion, as well as cards from Madness at the Darkmoon Faire (including the Darkmoon Races Mini-Set), Scholomance Academy, Ashes of Outland, Rise of Shadows, and Mean Streets of Gadgetzan sets. Solo players can start getting ready for new single-player content in the form of the new Book of Mercenaries story, which will serve as a complement to the current Book of Heroes stories. Rokara's story will begin on April 6 and reward a Warrior card pack upon completion.

Lastly, here are the bug fixes and adjustments coming in Hearthstone's 20.0 update:

The Hearthstone 20.0 update will deploy this Thursday, March 25. That'll be the day players can find the new Classic mode, Battlegrounds changes, and Duels changes. The Great Unnerfing will officially start on that date, as well. Hearthstone: Forged in the Barrens will release next Tuesday, March 30. That will also be the day that the new Arena season begins.