14 DAY TRIAL // Hearthstone is getting an infusion of 120 new cards next week, and alongside them, the development team is also introducing a couple of balance tweaks to keep things fair and prepare for all the new action.
Blizzard Entertainment has revealed that Goblins vs. Gnomes, Hearthstone's first massive card expansion, will become available starting December 8.
The developer has also revealed the balance changes that will be made before the expansion goes live, meant to slow down Warlocks, Rogues and Hunters.
Warlock
After the respective patch drops, the Warlock's direct damage spell soulfire will cost 1 mana, up from a previous cost of 0, in order to allow players facing rush decks more time to react to what's going on.
Traditionally, Warlock Zoo decks are able to apply a lot of early pressure, through the use of highly aggressive low-cost minions, and many times Soulfire is a way to clear the way against big creatures with taunt, that often gets cast at no penalty.
The change will slow down the Warlock's aggression a bit more, offering players a bit of respite.
Rogue
Gadgetzan Auctioneer, the heart and soul of the Miracle Rogue deck, is getting its mana cost increased to 6, up from 5. The card's ability to draw spell after spell is the engine powering the deck, and the increased cost better reflects the little Goblin's power level.
The Auctioneer enables players to draw a new card every time a spell is cast, and combined with Preparation and other low-cost Rogue spells, it can easily draw a player's entire deck, providing them with the right answers turn after turn.
As there is a pretty delicate balance when it comes to winning a game against a Miracle Rogue user, that usually has its tipping line around the 6th turn, when the Rogue player is able to both cast the Auctioneer and use Conceal to protect it from damage, the change is meant to delay the moment when the Deck gets going by one turn.
Hunter
Hunter decks have a distinct advantage against those who use secrets, with their 1-mana spell Flare enabling them to both get rid of enemy secrets and draw an extra card. After the patch, Flare will cost 2 mana, in order to become a more meaningful choice against decks playing secrets, with a trade-off against decks that don't.
With a cost of only 1 mana, the card was often automatically included in pretty much every Hunter deck, on the off-chance that it would be useful in a mirror match, or against the few Paladin and Mage decks using secrets.
If you played against a deck with no secrets, it was just a matter of waiting for the right time to draw another card.
With a cost of 2 mana, the choice of whether to include Flare or not will become meaningful.
The changes are meant to encourage diversity and to balance some of the decks that are considered slightly overpowered.
