Hearthstone Patch 20.8.2 introduces Priest, Druid nerfs in Standard

Hearthstone’s Patch 20.8.2 includes some interesting changes, specifically Priest nerfs in standard and bug fixes to Battlegrounds. The three card changes for Standard apply to the classes Priest and Druid, starting on July 15. Priest, in particular, is getting long due nerfs. Their class is dominating standard play due to its survivability.

Heads up! ✨ The 20.8.2 patch is coming your way on July 15, including 1 change for Druid and 2 changes for Priest in Standard and three bug fixes for Battlegrounds.

📜 Details: https://t.co/4uN5GOOUkp pic.twitter.com/Y6KsGiu721

— Hearthstone (@PlayHearthstone) July 14, 2021

Priest card changes

To start, the first Priest card changing in these patch notes for Hearthstone is Apotheosis. The card cost remains the same but the buff changes from +2/+3 to +1/+2. According to the team at Activision Blizzard, the spell was getting too much value. A developer commented saying that “it can feel like you must remove every Priest minion because of the threat Apotheosis poses. A slight reduction in the buff here should lessen that urgency and make the minions post-Apotheosis easier to deal with.”

Another key reason for this nerf is in regard to the combo with Blademaster Samuro. Samuro does damage equal to his damage number to all enemy minions when he gets frenzied. Along with the lifesteal buff and the increased damage, it was an insane amount of healing for a price that was cheap. Even worse, Priest is known for decreasing the cost of spells with Palm Reading, so it was usually even cheaper. This new change nerfs that combo as well.

The second change includes Renew. This card simply increasing in cost from 1 mana to 2 mana. This is moreso due to the value it gives and how it elongates games to an extensive amount. The developer also commented “At 2 mana, Renew has to be more thoughtful inclusion during deckbuilding, won’t be generated by Wandmaker, and takes another mana reduction to get to 0.”

Druid card change and bug fixes

The only card change for Druid on standard was for Gibberling. This card, according to the devs, is the main reason that so many games end up lopsided for the Druids. So, making the change from one mana to two mana is huge. This means that enemies can respond to the card faster and not lose so much just because the enemy had Gibberling in their starting hand.

Ultimately, the only other minor changes are for Battlegrounds. First, the wording of Kurtrus Ashfallen’s fully upgraded Battlegrounds Hero Power is different. Then, the team changed Archdruid Hamuul in Battlegrounds so that when minion types are tied, he won’t refresh Bob’s Tavern with unavailable minion types. Lastly, when Darkmoon prizes are available, people lower on the standings get better buffs.

With a new expansion on the horizon, these changes are quite welcome.