Hearthstone (finally) nerfs Edwin VanCleef and Boggspine Knuckles

Ending games of Hearthstone early by creating a big Edwin VanCleef has been a signature of the Rogue class since the game started. And yet somehow the legendary card has dodged nerfs like Neo ducking bullets in The Matrix. Well, he finally caught one, and it's happening today. Blizzard is rolling out a balance update for Hearthstone that will nerfs both VanCleef and Shaman's Boggspine Knuckles weapon. Meanwhile, over in Battlegrounds, another overperformer is getting toned down, and no surprise it's Elistra the Immortal.

It's a small patch, but clearly one Blizzard felt was needed to keep both modes healthy. Let's get to the notes:

Standard

Edwin VanCleef

• Old: [Costs 3] → New: [Costs 4]

The last few weeks have been the best Edwin has ever performed as an individual card (the highest win rate card in multiple Rogue archetypes). Alongside cards like Foxy Fraud and Shadowstep, the frequency of early 8/8 or 10/10 Edwin VanCleefs reached a point we are no longer comfortable with. We want to evaluate how the rest of Rogue's kit performs without this very powerful iteration of Edwin. Cards like Foxy Fraud, Swindle, and Prize Plunderer are important pieces for future expansions and card interactions, so we'll be keeping close tabs on how they perform with the influx of new cards and Edwin's nerf.

Based on a tweet from senior game designer Alex Dawson, it sounds like Blizzard is actually going to put Edwin in the Hall of Fame later this year and then undo the nerf. That means if you have a copy of the card you should hang onto it for now as you'll get a full dust refund at that point without having to disenchant.

Also sorry this didn't get into the notes but: Yes Edwin will still rotate later this year and yes we will be reverting the nerf (along with others) at that time.January 8, 2021

Boggspine Knuckles

• Old: 4 Attack → New: 3 Attack

We're lowering the attack on Boggspine Knuckles in order to cut into the fluidity of Evolve Shaman, increasing the required investment of playing a 5-mana weapon without a free Dread Corsair, and reduce the overall damage output the deck is capable of over multiple weapon charges. This change lowers the amount of explosive plays available to Evolve Shaman and should create an overall healthier meta.

Battlegrounds

Elistra the Immortal

• Old: 7 Attack, 7 Health → New: 4 Attack, 4 Health

The update also makes a couple of fixes, as they traditionally do: A bug that kept Infinite Toki's Temportal Tavern from functioning properly with with the New Recruit Darkmoon Prize has been fixed, as has another that prevented Ysera’s Dream Portal from offering a Dragon when Bob's Tavern is full when used with a New Recruit Darkmoon Prize.

As always, the Edwin VanCleef and Boggspine Knuckles cards will be eligible for a full dust refund for two weeks after the update goes live. An exact rollout time hasn't been announced, but you can expect it to arrive today.