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Hearthstone update 20.2.2 patch notes issue first Quilboar changes

The first adjustments to Battlegrounds' Quilboars have arrived, but Blizzard has also made some major changes to over a dozen Standard cards.

Ozzie Mejia

May 12, 2021 9:55 AM

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It's been a week since Hearthstone released its latest addition to Battlegrounds. Who could have guessed that Quilboars would take over the minion-battling game mode in the way that they have? Blizzard had an inkling, which is why the publisher is moving right in for the first major set of nerfs to the new tribe. On Wednesday, Blizzard outlined some of the major changes set to come to Battlegrounds, while also revealing some big changes (both nerfs and buffs) for some of the cards in Standard/Wild mode.

Fresh off the addition of Quilboars, the following changes are coming to Hearthstone Battlegrounds with Wednesday's 20.2.2 patch, according to the Hearthstone website:

• Roadboar (Tier 2): Now has 1/4 stats. (Changed from 2/4 stats)
• Prophet of the Boar (Tier 2): Now has 2/3 stats. (Changed from 3/3 stats)
• Bannerboar (Tier 3): Now has 1/4 stats. (Changed from 2/5 stats)
• Bristleback Brute (Tier 3): The first Blood Gem played on this now adds an extra +2/+2. (Down from +3/+3)
• Groundshaker (Tier 4): Playing a Blood Gem on this will now give +2 Attack to other minions only. (Will no longer give +2 to this minion)
• Dynamic Duo (Tier 4): Now has 3/4 stats. (Down from 5/6 stats)
• Bonker (Tier 4): Now has 3/7 stats. (Down from 4/7 stats)
• Charlga (Tier 6): Now has 4/4 stats. (Down from 7/7 stats)

If that was everything, that would be a hefty update. However, there are a lot of Standard cards that are getting adjusted. They're not all nerfs, either, but that's where we'll start. These changes target the Spell Mage, the Aggro Paladin, and it even targets poor Mankrik's wife! The following cards are being nerfed with today's update:

• Refreshing Spring Water (Mage): Now costs 5 mana. (Up from 4 mana)
• First Day of School (Paladin): Now costs 1 mana, but adds 3 random 1-Cost minions to your hand. (Up from 0 mana, but also up from 2 random 1-Cost minions)
• Hysteria (Priest/Warlock): Now costs 4 mana. (Up from 3 mana)
• Crabrider (Neutral): Now gets Windfury as a Battlecry for this turn only. (Changed from permanent Windfury)
• Olgra, Mankrik's Wife (Neutral): Now summons a 3/7 Mankrik. (Down from a 3/10 Mankrik)

To go along with these nerfs, players can expect a series of buffs, which Blizzard hopes will give some cards a new lease on life. Some of them are cards that haven't been played, while others are some second-tier cards that may now be top-tier plays. Yes, that's an Old God you see on this list! Here are the cards that are being buffed:

• Razorboar (Demon Hunter): Now has 3/2 stats. (Up from 2/2 stats)
• Dark Inquisitor Xanesh (Priest): Now reduces the Cost of all Corrupt and Corrupted cards. (Changed from only reducing the Cost of Corrupt cards)
• Unbound Elemental (Shaman): Now has 3/4 stats. (Up from 2/4 stats)
• Tidal Surge (Shaman): Now costs 3 mana. (Down from 4 mana)
• Lilypad Lurker (Shaman): Now has 5/6 stats. (Up from 4/5 stats)
• Fiendish Circle (Warlock): Now costs 3 mana. (Down from 4 mana)
• Deck of Chaos (Warlock): Now costs 5 mana. (Down from 6 mana)
• Whilrling Combatant (Warrior): Now has 3/6 stats. (Up from 2/6 stats)
• Shieldmaiden (Warrior): Now costs 5 mana. (Down from 6 mana)
• N'Zoth, God of the Deep (Neutral): Now costs 9 mana. (Down from 10 mana.)

Bug fixes are also on the way. Here's what these look like:

• Fixed a bug that removed Glaivebound Adept from the game. It will now be back in your collection, safe and where it belongs.
• Fixed a bug where Sparkjoy Cheat would draw a card whenever you had a Secret in your hand, even if the Secret was not castable (such as if the Secret was a duplicate of one already in play). Sparkjoy Cheat will now only draw a card if a Secret is cast from your hand.
• Fixed a bug where using Vol’jin’s Hero Power on Goldgrubber would sometimes result in Goldgrubber’s stats being reset each round.
• Updated language on certain Amalgam cards to properly include all Minion Types.
• Fixed a bug related to in-game notifications.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Battle-Ready Decks from being accessed if Dame Hazelbark was opened first.
• Fixed various bugs related to properly displaying pricing on items in the in-game shop.

All of these changes are going to go up with the 20.2.2 patch, which is set to go live on Wednesday. We'll be keeping an eye on how this affects Hearthstone going forward, so stay tuned to Shacknews for the latest updates.

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?