In the interest of full disclosure, I just recently came back to Hearthstone after quite the hiatus. Last time I seriously played, read as made it to legend, was back during the Whispers of the Old Gods expansion. I grinded my way from Bronze to Legend in a couple weeks playing a jank version of Old God, Reno Control Rogue. I am an incredibly value-oriented player and I believe my deck choices reflect that, so when I started playing Ramp Druid, I could immediately understand there was a problem. I’ve included my list below for reference. I made it to Legend in less than a week with this pile which I believe illustrates that this deck needs some sort of nerf. With Blizzard’s release of Voyage to the Sunken City, I expected some sort of shake up to the meta but the current defining classes mimic pre-rotation.

Deck Code:

AAECAc6LBQjJ9QOwgASJiwTxpASlrQSEsASNtQTbuQQLr4AEiZ8Erp8E2p8Ez6wEjbIE/70E8L8ErsAEgNQE2qEFAA==

Nerfs to Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Demon Hunter, Warrior, and a treasure hoarding dragon.

Now I know what you’re thinking, if Druid is the problem, then why do you have all these classes destined for the nerf bat? Nerfing the premiere control deck in the current format will lead to a cascade of changes across the meta. Aggro decks will go unchecked as Druid becomes weaker. Paladin may be able to level out the playing field, but Warlock, Priest, and Mage will not be able to contend with the speed of Token Demon Hunter and Pirate Warrior. Thus, any changes made to Druid must be paired with changes to the top aggro decks.

Druid

Wildheart Guff and his game warping Battlecry are a problem. Being able to break a core rule of Hearthstone (surpassing 10 mana crystals) leads to Druids build these incredibly greedy control decks. And with all the tools afforded to Druid, they can survive long enough to outlast aggro, and outvalue control decks.

Suggest Nerf: Guff Runetotem mana cost 5 to 6, Hero Power from mana cost 2 to 3.

Bonus Suggested Nerf: Change Nourish to gain an empty mana crystal this turn and at the beginning of your next turn.

Pirate Warrior

As the top tier aggro deck in the format, Pirate Warrior is an absolute monster on the ladder. Flooding and controlling the board while simultaneously erasing enemy board states, this deck currently stands at a blistering 68.3% win rate. My solution to this issue is simple, make The Juggernaut consistent and less swingy.

Suggested Nerf: At the Start of Your Turn: Summon a 3/3 Pirate, equip a 3/2 weapon, and fire two cannons that deal two damage.

Demon Hunter

Demon Hunter is the class I’ve played the least of since the expansion so it’s tough for me to act as an expert. I know they consistently push lethal turn six or earlier but I’m not entirely sure there is a specific culprit. I know it’s not a DH card but Pufferfist seems to be a monster in the token list so I would look to adjust that. I will certainly play more Demon Hunter in the near future, but I cannot comment on a specific nerf that this class needs.

Hunter

Quest Hunter seems to be in a pretty healthy spot but with the suggested nerfs above, I would like to adjust the questline just a bit.

Suggested Nerf: Questline: Deal damage with three spells. Reward: Your Hero Power can target minions.

I believe this change would slow the deck down enough without nerfing it into the ground.

Mage

Suggested Nerf: Mecha-Shark now costs four mana.

Mecha-Shark is the key card in most Mech Mage strategies, and nothing feels worse than having an opponent dump a board full of these. I understand Seafloor Gateway is also a problem card, but I think Mecha-Shark will pay for its sins.

Paladin

As it stands, Control Paladin is the only control deck in the format that even has a chance against Ramp Druid. Lightforged Cariel currently stands as the highest win rate mulligan’d card, meaning that players who keep this card in their opening hand are more likely to win. The real problem, ignoring the Hero Power on Mr. Smite issue, is the weapon.

Suggested Nerf: Make Cariel’s weapon lose charges on attack or durability on instances of damage.

Kazakusan

Suggested Nerf: For every dragon played this game, add a treasure from Kazakusan’s horde to your deck.

Admittedly I saw this suggestion on Reddit, so forgive me for plagiarizing. This is the tightest solution I’ve seen for this card without completely gutting it, make it more of a dragon focused build around card as opposed to the end all, be all control finisher.

I believe with the above the changes we’d see a healthier meta shake out with more space for fringe decks. But as with every outsider looking in, I’m no game designer. I have no idea if the data supports my suggestions as most of my evidence is anecdotal. I give props to the Hearthstone Balance team as the tight rope act of keeping cards relevant/in line/flavorful cannot be easy. What would you like to see changed? Did I go to easy on Naga Mage? Let me know how you would fix the current Hearthstone Ladder.

Cheers.