31.0.3 Patch Notes
Patch 31.0.3 deploys today with balance updates across Standard, Wild, Battlegrounds, and other systems. The team focused these changes around The Great Dark Beyond—weakening some older cards that overshadow new mechanics and strengthening a number of Great Dark Beyond cards to encourage exploration of that set. Expect follow-up adjustments in the next balance window as the meta settles.
Hearthstone Card Changes — Overview
Dev comments: The goal is to give The Great Dark Beyond more room to breathe by lowering some older cards’ power and improving select new cards from that expansion. Some changes reduce frustrating play patterns or interactions that were hostile to new mechanics like Starships. A small number of follow-up changes are likely after the community meta develops.
Cards adjusted to be weaker (Nerfs)
Reno, Lone Ranger (Nerfed)
Old: Battlecry: If your deck started with no duplicates, empty the enemy board and limit it to 1 space for a turn.
New: Battlecry: If your deck started with no duplicates, remove all enemy minions from the game.
Dev note: This change removes the next-turn board limitation while changing the removal behavior. It aims to reduce some of the more frustrating interactions and give Starships more viability.
Lamplighter (Nerfed)
Old: 4 Attack / 3 Health. Battlecry: Deal 1 damage (Improved by each turn in a row you’ve played an Elemental).
New: 4 Attack / 4 Health. Battlecry: If you played an Elemental last turn, deal 4 damage.
Seabreeze Chalice (Nerfed)
Old: Deal 2 damage randomly split among all enemies.
New: Deal 2 damage randomly split among all enemy minions.
Conniving Conman (Nerfed)
Old: Battlecry: Replay the last card you’ve played from a non-Rogue class.
New: Battlecry: Replay the last card you’ve played from another class.
Sea Shill (Nerfed)
Old: Battlecry: The next card you play from a non-Rogue class costs (2) less.
New: Battlecry: The next card you play from another class costs (2) less.
Sleep Under the Stars (Nerfed)
Old: [7 Mana]
New: [8 Mana]
Quasar (Nerfed)
Old: [6 Mana]
New: [8 Mana]
Dev note: This change reduces the frequency of the card’s sharp, game-ending outcomes.
Everything Must Go (Nerfed)
Old: [8 Mana]
New: [9 Mana]
Malted Magma (Nerfed)
Old: Deal 1 damage to all enemies.
New: Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions.
Wave of Nostalgia (Nerfed)
Old: [5 Mana]
New: [6 Mana]
Threads of Despair (Nerfed)
Old: [2 Mana]
New: [3 Mana]
Reska, the Pit Boss (Nerfed)
Old: [20 Mana]
New: [25 Mana]
Funnel Cake (Nerfed)
Old: [1 Mana]
New: [2 Mana]
Mystery Egg (Nerfed)
Old: Miniaturize. Deathrattle: Get a copy of a random Beast in your deck. It costs (4) less.
New: Miniaturize. Deathrattle: Get a copy of a random Beast in your deck. It costs (3) less.
Order in the Court (Buffed)
Old: Reorder your deck from highest Cost to lowest Cost.
New: Reorder your deck from highest Cost to lowest Cost. Draw a card.
Dev note: Although this reads like a straightforward buff, the intent is to reduce a Wild play pattern that enabled overly consistent, all-in combos. With this change, The Ceaseless Expanse is no longer banned in Wild.
The cards above, plus disenchantable copies of Master’s Call (see Bug Fixes), are eligible for full dust refunds for two weeks after Patch 31.0.3.
Cards adjusted to be stronger (Buffs / Adjustments)
Askara (Buffed)
Old: [5 Mana] 4 Attack / 5 Health
New: [4 Mana] 4 Attack / 4 Health
Dirdra, Rebel Captain (Buffed)
Old: Rush. Battlecry: Shuffle all 8 Crewmates into your deck. Deathrattle: Draw one.
New: Rush. Battlecry: Shuffle all 8 Crewmates into your deck. Deathrattle: Draw two Crewmates.
Voronei Recruiter (Buffed)
Old: 1 Attack / 3 Health
New: 2 Attack / 3 Health
Interstellar Starslicer (Adjusted)
Old: 2 Attack / 3 Health
New: 3 Attack / 2 Health
Yrel, Beacon of Hope (Buffed)
Old: [5 Mana] 4 Attack / 3 Health
New: [4 Mana] 3 Attack / 3 Health
Felfire Thrusters (Buffed)
Old: 2 Attack / 3 Health
New: 2 Attack / 4 Health
Sha’tari Cloakfield (Buffed)
Old: 1 Attack / 3 Health
New: 1 Attack / 4 Health
The Gravitational Displacer (Buffed)
Old: 4 Attack / 3 Health
New: 5 Attack / 4 Health
Starship Schematic (Buffed)
Old: Discover a Starship Piece from another class.
New: Discover a Starship Piece from another class. It costs (1) less.
Scrounging Shipwright (Buffed)
Old: Deathrattle: Get a random Starship Piece from another class.
New: Battlecry: Get a random Starship Piece from another class.
The Exodar (Adjusted)
Old: [8 Mana] 6 Attack / 10 Health
New: [7 Mana] 6 Attack / 8 Health
Dev note: This one is being watched closely—it's intended to help Starships get more play, but the team will monitor for any overshoot.
Ace Wayfinder (Buffed)
Old: [5 Mana] 5 Attack / 5 Health
New: [4 Mana] 4 Attack / 4 Health
Dimensional Core (Buffed)
Old: [3 Mana] 3 Attack / 2 Health
New: [2 Mana] 2 Attack / 2 Health
Astral Vigilant (Buffed)
Old: 1 Attack / 1 Health
New: 1 Attack / 2 Health
Battlegrounds Updates
Dev comments: With the season ending, the team prioritized changes for cards leaving the pool. The aim was to slightly raise Naga and Beast power, reduce Quilboar a bit, and remove or rework some unpopular or frustrating trinkets. No major hero changes this patch—those are planned after the Trinket rotation in an upcoming balance window.
Minion Updates
Critter Wrangler (Buffed)
Old: 2 Attack / 5 Health. Whenever you cast a spell on a minion, give it +2 Attack / +2 Health.
New: 3 Attack / 6 Health. Whenever you cast a spell on a minion, give it +3 Attack / +3 Health.
Soft-hearted Siren (Buffed)
Old: 3 Attack / 6 Health
New: 3 Attack / 10 Health
Living Azerite (Buffed)
Old: [Tier 4] 6 Attack / 6 Health
New: [Tier 3] 4 Attack / 4 Health
Note: Moving to Tier 3 increases the minion’s availability earlier in the game.
Iridescent Skyblazer (Adjusted)
Old: 4 Attack / 8 Health. Whenever a friendly Beast takes damage, give a friendly Beast other than it +1 Attack / +1 Health permanently.
New: 3 Attack / 7 Health. Whenever a friendly Beast takes damage, give a friendly Beast other than it +2 Attack / +1 Health permanently.
Moon-Bacon Jazzer (Adjusted)
Old: [Tier 2] 2 Attack / 3 Health
New: [Tier 3] 2 Attack / 5 Health
Karmic Chameleon (Golden version only) (Buffed)
Old: Avenge (5): Transform into a copy of the minion to the left of this.
New: Avenge (5): Transform into a Golden copy of the minion to the left of this.
Land Lubber (Adjusted)
Old: [Tier 3] 4 Attack / 5 Health
New: [Tier 4] 5 Attack / 6 Health
Phyresz (Adjusted)
Old: 3 Attack / 3 Health. Battlecry: Discover a plain copy of a different minion that you have exactly one of.
New: 4 Attack / 4 Health. When you sell this, Discover a plain copy of a different minion that you have exactly one of.
Famished Felbat (Adjusted)
Old: 9 Attack / 6 Health. At the end of your turn, your other Demons consume a minion in the Tavern to gain its stats.
New: 9 Attack / 5 Health. At the end of your turn, your Demons each consume a minion in the Tavern to gain its stats.
Lesser Trinket Updates
Belcher Portrait (Buffed)
Old: Get an ‘Operatic Belcher’. Whenever a friendly minion loses Venomous, it gains +3 Attack / +3 Health permanently.
New: Get an ‘Operatic Belcher’. Whenever a friendly minion loses Venomous, it gains +4 Attack / +4 Health permanently.
Kaboom Bot Portrait (Buffed)
Old: Get a ‘Kaboom Bot’. Your Kaboom Bots’ Deathrattles deal 8 extra damage.
New: Get a ‘Kaboom Bot’. Your Kaboom Bots’ Deathrattles deal 10 extra damage.
Dalaran Cheese Wheel (Adjusted)
Old: [0 Gold] Minions in the Tavern have +1 Attack / +1 Health. Upgrades every 5 times you Refresh.
New: [1 Gold] Minions in the Tavern have +1 Attack / +1 Health. Upgrades every 4 times you Refresh.
Blingtron’s Sunglasses (Nerfed)
Old: [3 Gold]
New: [4 Gold]
Azeroth Model Globe (Buffed)
Old: [1 Gold]
New: [0 Gold]
Rewinder Portrait (Buffed)
Old: [4 Gold]
New: [3 Gold]
Bob-blehead (Buffed)
Old: The Tavern no longer offers cards from Tier 1 or Tier 2.
New: Gain 2 Gold. The Tavern no longer offers cards from Tier 1 or Tier 2.
Greater Trinket Updates
Bronzebeard Portrait (Buffed)
Old: Get a ‘Brann Bronzebeard’. Your Brann Bronzebeards are both Murlocs and Dragons.
New: Get a ‘Brann Bronzebeard’ and a random Battlecry minion. Your Brann Bronzebeards are both Murlocs and Dragons.
Redeemer Portrait (Buffed)
Old: [8 Gold] Get a ‘Nalaa the Redeemer’. Tavern spells cost (1) less.
New: [5 Gold] Get a ‘Nalaa the Redeemer’. Tavern spells cost (1) less (but not less than 1).
Belcher Portrait (Buffed)
Old: Get an ‘Operatic Belcher’. Whenever a friendly minion loses Venomous, it gains +12 Attack / +12 Health permanently.
New: Get an ‘Operatic Belcher’. Whenever a friendly minion loses Venomous, it gains +14 Attack / +14 Health permanently.
Dalaran Cheese Wheel (Adjusted)
Old: [2 Gold] Minions in the Tavern have +2 Attack / +2 Health. Upgrades every 5 times you Refresh.
New: [5 Gold] Minions in the Tavern have +2 Attack / +2 Health. Upgrades every 4 times you Refresh.
Azerite Portrait (Nerfed)
Old: [1 Gold]
New: [4 Gold]
Twin Sky Lantern (Buffed)
Old: [2 Gold]
New: [1 Gold]
Promo Portrait (Buffed)
Old: [1 Gold]
New: [0 Gold]
Pool updates
- Aggem Thorncurse will remain removed from the Minion Pool.
- Primalfin Portrait, Shaman Prayer Beads, and Precious Pearl have been removed from Trinket Pools.
- The Eye of Sargeras will be removed from the Trinket Pool if you have Souvenir Stand.
- Tickatus Sticker has been removed from the Mystery Cube.
Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
- [Hearthstone] Several Discover-related cards (including Master’s Call, Font of Power, Crystalsong Portal, Omega Assembly, Maruut Stonebinder, and some PvE cards) were clarified so Discover interactions and cards gained via Discover are handled more consistently. Master’s Call will be eligible for the dust refund window in this patch due to its changed interaction with Alien Encounters.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Blood Gems sometimes didn’t function while you had the Training Certificate Trinket.
- [General] Fixed an issue where the “Hearthstone has been updated!” message could block players even when no update was available.
HSLeaderboard note: These changes should shake up the top ladder decks and give Great Dark Beyond archetypes more room to compete. Expect additional tuning as the meta reacts.