Patch 31.4.2, launching today, includes the following updates and bug fixes.

Hearthstone Updates

Dev Comment: The Heroes of StarCraft Mini-Set has brought lots of new and exciting decks across a variety of classes and all three factions. The response to the Mini-Set has been great, so we’re doing a light patch here, only hitting the most extreme play patterns. Nexus-Prince Zerg was a bridge too Shaffar and infinite Snapshots made Fizzle feel overexposed. These changes should help the meta continue developing on its own. Along the same lines, we did not want to use this patch window to make big buffs, but we did find one place where we could safely add a little power across the Protoss classes.

Nexus-Prince Shaffar

• Old: Spellburst: Give a minion in your hand +3/+3 and this Spellburst.
• New: Spellburst: Give a minion in your hand +3/+3 and this Spellburst (unless it already has these effects).
• No longer banned.

Photographer Fizzle

• Old: Battlecry: Take a Snapshot of your current hand and shuffle it into your deck.
• New: Both Photographer Fizzle’s Battlecry and the Snapshot token are now limited to once per game.
• Dev Comment: You can still play more than one Snapshot per game, but after the first one they won’t do anything. Or, you could say that they “fizzle.”

The disenchantable cards above will be eligible for full dust refunds for two weeks following Patch 31.4.2.

Void Ray

• Old: 3/1
• New: 3/2

Battlegrounds Updates

Dev Comment: There are a lot of changes this patch, with the general goal of providing more options for play. We did this by lowering the power of some popular cards and strategies (like ‘Loc Prince, Ultraviolet Ascendant, and Beetles), while buffing some underrepresented archetypes (like Demons, Dragons, and Naga). We also brought back some old favorites to open up more synergies. We have more content on the way and are looking forward to sharing more soon. We’ll see you in the Tavern!

Card Pool Changes

• Outback Smolderer, Razorgore the Untamed, Arcane Cannoneer, and Murky have been removed from the minion pool.
• Slitherspear Lord of Gains, Salty Hog, Amber Guardian, Hawkstrider Herald, and Stormbringer have been returned to the minion pool (all with adjustments, see below).

Card Changes

Forest Rover

• Old: 4/2. Battlecry: Your Beetles have +2/+1 this game. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
• New: 5/2. Battlecry: Your Beetles have +1/+1 this game. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Beetle.

Runed Progenitor

• Old: 2/7. Avenge (4): Your Beetles have +2/+2 this game. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
• New: 2/8. Avenge (3): Your Beetles have +2/+2 this game. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Beetle.

Turquoise Skitterer

• Old: 2/4. Deathrattle: Your Beetles have +1/+2 this game. Summon a 2/2 Beetle.
• New: 2/5. Deathrattle: Your Beetles have +1/+1 this game. Summon a 2/2 Beetle.

Hawkstrider Herald

• Old: Start of Combat: Trigger all friendly Deathrattles.
• New: Start of Combat: Trigger your two left-most Deathrattles.

Archimonde

• Old: [Tier 4] 4/5. After your hero takes damage, rewind it and reduce the Cost of your next Tavern spell by (1) (but not less than 1).
• New: [Tier 5] 5/5. After your hero takes damage, rewind it and reduce the Cost of your next Tavern spell by (1).

Big Brother

• Old: [Tier 3] 4/3. Taunt. After you cast a Tavern spell, minions in the Tavern have +1/+1 this turn.
• New: [Tier 4] 5/4. Taunt. After you cast a Tavern spell, minions in the Tavern have +1/+2 this turn.

Tichondrius

• Old: 3/3. After your hero takes damage, give your Demons +1/+1.
• New: 3/6. After your hero takes damage, give your Demons +2/+1.

Nether Drake

• Old: [Tier 5]
• New: [Tier 4]

Amber Guardian

• Old: [Tier 4] 3/3. Start of Combat: Give another friendly Dragon +3/+3 and Divine Shield.
• New: [Tier 3] 3/2. Start of Combat: Give another friendly Dragon +2/+2 and Divine Shield.

Prized Promo-Drake

• Old: [Tier 5] 5/4. Start of Combat: Give your other Dragons +5/+4.
• New: [Tier 4] 3/3. Start of Combat: Give your other Dragons +3/+3.

Stormbringer

• Old: [Tier 4] 1/9
• New: [Tier 5] 1/14

Hunter of Gatherers

• Old: [Tier 4] 3/6. Whenever this gains Attack, give your minions +1 Health.
• New: [Tier 5] 3/5. Whenever this gains Attack, give your minions +2 Health.

Dune Dweller

• Old: When you sell this, Elementals in the Tavern get +1/+1 this game.
• New: Battlecry: Elementals in the Tavern have +1/+1 this game.

Meteorite Crasher

• Old: 2/4. After you sell an Elemental, gain +2/+2.
• New: 2/3. After you sell an Elemental, gain +3/+3.

Nomi, Kitchen Nightmare

• Old: After you play an Elemental, Elementals in the Tavern have +1/+1 this game.
• New: After you play an Elemental, Elementals in the Tavern have +2/+1 this game.

Ultraviolet Ascendant

• Old: 5/3. Start of Combat: Give your Elementals +2/+1. (Upgrades after you play an Elemental!)
• New: 6/3. Start of Combat: Give your other Elementals +2/+1. (Upgrades after you play an Elemental!)

Holo Rover

• Old: 3/5. Divine Shield. Whenever this attacks, get a random Magnetic Mech.
• New: 4/8. Whenever this attacks, get a random Magnetic Mech.

Marquee Ticker

• Old: 3/5
• New: 1/5

Bubble Gunner

• Old: 3/2
• New: 2/3

Fairy Gillmother

• Old: 2/5
• New: 1/5

King Bagurgle

• Old: Battlecry: Give your other Murlocs +3/+4.
• New: Battlecry: Give your other Murlocs +3/+3.

Young Murk-Eye

• Old: At the end of your turn, trigger the Battlecry of the minion to the left of this.
• New: At the end of your turn, trigger the Battlecry of an adjacent minion.
• Dev Comment: This is primarily a quality of life change.

‘Loc Prince

• Old: 2/2. Divine Shield. Whenever this gains stats, add +2/+2 to that amount (wherever this is).
• New: 2/1. Divine Shield. Whenever this gains stats, add +2/+1 to that amount (wherever this is).

Corrupted Myrmidon

• Old: [Tier 5] 4/4
• New: [Tier 4] 2/2

Slitherspear, Lord of Gains

• Old: 4/6. At the end of your turn, give your other Naga +1/+1. (Improved by each different spell you’ve cast this turn!)
• New: 5/6. At the end of your turn, give your Naga +1/+1. (Improved by each different spell you’ve cast this turn!)

Dual-Wield Corsair

• Old: 4/7
• New: 3/5

Rapscallion Recruiter

• Old: [Tier 5] 9/3. Deathrattle: Summon 3 Scallywags.
• New: [Tier 4] 6/2. Deathrattle: Summon 2 Scallywags.

Sky Pirate Flagbearer

• Old: [Tier 4] 4/4. Start of Combat: Give your other Pirates “Deathrattle: Summon a 1/1 Pirate. It attacks immediately.”
• New: [Tier 5] 5/5. Start of Combat: Give your other Pirates “Deathrattle: Summon a Scallywag.”
• Note: The Scallywags do not attack immediately.

Salty Hog

• Old: [Tier 6]
• New: [Tier 5]

Gritty Headhunter

• Old: 5/4
• New: 4/2

Boar Gamer

• Old: [Tier 4] 3/5. At the end of your turn, get a random Choose One card.
• New: [Tier 3] 2/4. At the end of every 2 turns, get a random Choose One card. (2 turns left!)

Thorned Trailblazer

• Old: [Tier 4] 5/6
• New: [Tier 3] 4/5

Fearless Foodie

• Old: [Tier 3] 2/4. Choose One - Your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+1 this game; or Get 3 Blood Gems.
• New: [Tier 4] 3/5. Choose One - Your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+1 this game; or Get 4 Blood Gems.

Pokey Thornmantle

• Old: 6/6. At the start of your turn, your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+1 this game.
• New: 6/7. At the start of your turn, your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+2 this game.

Ensorcelled Fungus

• Old: [Tier 5]
• New: [Tier 4]

Inspiring Underdog

• Old: 2/1. Battlecry: Give your minions from Tier 3 or lower +2/+1.
• New: 3/1. Battlecry: Give your minions from Tier 3 or lower +3/+1.

Arid Atrocity

• Old: 7/7. Deathrattle: Summon a 7/7 Golem. (Improved by each friendly minion type that died this combat!)
• New: 6/6. Deathrattle: Summon a 6/6 Golem. (Improved by each friendly minion type that died this combat!)

Menagerie Jug

• Old: Battlecry: Give 3 friendly minions of different types +2/+2.
• New: Battlecry: Give 3 friendly minions of different types +3/+3.

Magnanimoose

• Old: [Tier 4]
• New: [Tier 5]

Loyal Mobster

• Old: [Tier 5] 4/3
• New: [Tier 6] 6/5

Storm Splitter

• Old: [Tier 4]
• New: [Tier 5]

Arena Updates

We’re making some draft microadjustments to adjust relative power levels between the class:

• The following cards have been removed from the draft pool: Piranha Swarmer, Volatile Skeleton, Sinstone Totem, and Kerrigan Queen of Blades.
• The following cards will now appear less frequently in draft pools: Assimilating Blight, Horizon’s Edge, Tide Pools, Nightcloak Sanctum, Collateral Damage, and Patchwork Pals.
• The following cards will now appear more frequently in draft pools: High Templar, Dark Templar, Starship Schematic, Arkonite Defense Crystal, Lurker, Starport (in Warrior and Paladin), Lift Off (in Warrior and Paladin), Flash Sale, Salvage the Bunker, Mothership, Ultralisk Cavern, Felfire Thrusters, Bad Omen, Boom Wrench, Yamato Cannon, Carrier, Construct Pylons, Sha’tari Cloakfield, Astral Phaser, Starlight Reactor, Cosmic Phenomenon, and Immortal.

Bug Fixes and Game Improvements

• [Progression] Fixed a bug where Nozdormu Day was skipped last month. Nozdormu has traveled the timeline and will be granting a replacement Nozdormu Day tomorrow, February 5! A Bronze Dragon is never late. He arrives precisely when he means to. Update: Whelp...
• [Progression] Fixed a bug where the Proxy Pylon event quest didn’t count Casual, Tavern Brawl, or friendly challenges.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Artanis’s Twin Blades Hero Power text didn’t dynamically update with its effect.
• [Battlegrounds] Updated Catacomb Crasher and Thundering Abominations animations when triggered multiple times at once, to avoid associated performance issues.