14 DAY TRIAL // Balance decisions are a common thing in TCGs, and while some games opt to design cards specifically to combat some overpowered juggernauts, others rely on a good old-fashioned nerf to straighten things out.
Such is the case with Hearthstone, were such changes have not once destroyed a whole deck that was based on the interaction of some key cards, which post-patch did not manage to pair as well or did something entirely different.
Of course, there are other less dramatic changes, such as slightly modifying an attack or life value in order to balance the cost or mechanics of a certain card, because after all a fair game feels more rewarding.
Lead Designer Eric Dodds wrote a Battle.net news article detailing the design philosophy behind Hearthstone's card balancing efforts.
“Making changes to Hearthstone cards isn't something we take lightly. We take many factors into account and collect massive amounts of data in order to make the correct balance decisions for the game as a whole,” he said.
He stated the main reasons for cards being hit with the proverbial nerfstick, which are causing non-interactive games, being frustrating to play against, causing confusion, or being either too strong or too weak compared to other similarly-priced cards.
Dodds also mentions that the team plans to make as few as possible card changes to Hearthstone, even more so when it goes into open beta testing, and only when a fix is absolutely necessary.
“If players find a really great deck, we'll try and slip some fun counters to that deck into the next expansion for you, instead of nerfing those cards directly,” Dodds explained.
“Giving you confidence in your cards and the play environment is very important to us, and each card change we make potentially undermines that confidence,” he concluded.