Hearthstone 27.2 Patch Notes: Battlegrounds, Caverns of Time, Wild Card Update, Twist & more
Patch 27.2 is a massive patch, launching both Battlegrounds Season 5 and the first official Twist season, our first-ever direct-to-Wild expansion, and more!
Battlegrounds Season 5 is Here!
Competitors throughout Azeroth are gathering in the Tavern for a gladiatorial contest to earn the favor of the Titans and their keepers. With over 30 new minions, 7 opponents, and slew of new Anomalies to master, the competition has never been fiercer!
On August 22, Battlegrounds Season 4 will end and Season 5 will begin. That means rankings will reset, Battlegrounds Quests will be removed, minion pools will update, and the Battlegrounds Track will switch over. All rewards that were earned from the Season 4 Track, but not yet claimed, will automatically be claimed.
New Gameplay System—Anomalies
Battlegrounds Season 5 introduces a chaotic new seasonal system: Anomalies! Anomalies are game-changing effects that are randomly set at the start of each game. All players in the game get the same Anomaly for that game.
Anomaly appearance rates vary, with some more common than others. Some minions, minion types, and heroes won’t be offered if a particular Anomaly applies to your game. You’ll know your game’s Anomaly when you’re picking your hero.
Anomalies at Launch
There will be an initial pool of Anomalies at the Season launch, and then new Anomalies will be added to the pool each week throughout Battlegrounds Season 5. The following Anomalies will be available from the beginning of Season 5:
Anomalies Coming Throughout Patch 27.2
Additional Anomalies will be added to the Anomaly pool each week throughout Patch 27.2. When Anomalies are newly added to the Anomaly pool, they’ll have an increased appearance rate for that week. The additional Anomalies coming throughout Patch 27.2 are:
New Hero
Thorim, Stormlord
- Choose Your Champion
- Passive. At the start of the game, Discover a Tier 7 minion to get after you spend 65 Gold.
Thorim, Stormlord will be offered in every game for the first two weeks after launch.
27.2 Hero and Minion updates will be represented in the official Card Library with the launch of Patch 27.2.
Hero Updates
Cariel Roame (Conviction)
- Old: Give 3 friendly minions +1/+1. (After you upgrade the Tavern, choose an improvement!)
- New: Give 2 friendly minions +1/+1. (After you upgrade the Tavern, choose an improvement!)
Kurtrus Ashfallen (Glaive Ricochet)
- Old: Passive: Once per turn, after you buy 4 minions, Discover a plain copy of one of them.
- New: Passive: Once per turn, after you buy 3 minions, Discover a plain copy of one of them.
New Minions
Oozeling Gladiator [Tier 2]
- 1 Attack, 2 Health. Battlecry: Get two Slimy Shields that give +1/+1 and Taunt.
Iron Groundskeeper [Tier 3]
- 5 Attack, 6 Health. Battlecry: Give a minion Taunt. If it already has it, remove its Taunt.
Living Constellation [Tier 3]
- 4 Attack, 2 Health. Battlecry: Give a minion +1/+1 for each type you control.
Fairy Tale Caroler [Tier 4]
- 2 Attack, 4 Health. Battlecry: If you lost your last combat, give your other minions +2/+1.
Free-Flying Feathermane [Tier 3, Beast]
- 5 Attack, 5 Health. After a friendly Beast dies, summon this from your hand for this combat only.
- Dev Comment: This minion will be summoned once there is board space, after all Deathrattles and Reborns resolve.
Niuzao [Tier 6, Beast]
- 7 Attack, 6 Health. Whenever this attacks, deal damage equal to its Attack to another random enemy minion.
The Glad-iator [Tier 3, Naga]
- 1 Attack, 1 Health. Divine Shield. Whenever you cast a spell, gain +1 Attack.
Daggerspine Thrasher [Tier 3, Naga]
- 3 Attack, 5 Health. Whenever you cast a spell, gain Divine Shield, Windfury, or Venomous until next turn.
Briarback Bookie [Tier 2, Quilboar]
- 3 Attack, 4 Health. If you have any unspent Gold at the end of your turn, get 2 Blood Gems.
Murcules [Tier 2, Murloc]
- 5 Attack, 2 Health. Whenever this kills a minion, give a minion in your hand +2/+2.
Murky [Tier 6, Murloc]
- 6 Attack, 5 Health. Battlecry: Give a friendly Murloc +1/+1. (Improved by each Battlecry minion you played this game!)
Time Saver [Tier 3, Dragon]
- 3 Attack, 5 Health. If you have any unspent Gold at the end of your turn, this sells for 2 more Gold.
Hunter of Gatherers [Tier 5, Dragon]
- 3 Attack, 6 Health. After this gains Attack, give your minions +1 Health.
Warpwing [Tier 6, Dragon]
- 12 Attack, 4 Health. Immune while attacking.
Bejeweled Duelist [Tier 2, Elemental]
- 3 Attack, 4 Health. Taunt. Whenever you Refresh, gain +1 Health.
Spark-ling [Tier 3, Elemental]
- 5 Attack, 2 Health. Battlecry: Give all other minions +1/+1.
Emergent Flame [Tier 4, Elemental]
- 5 Attack, 3 Health. Battlecry: Give an Elemental +1/+1. (Improved by each Refresh this turn!)
Carbonic Copy [Tier 5, Elemental]
- 5 Attack, 6 Health. Start of Combat: Summon a copy of this minion.
Invent-o-Matic [Tier 2, Mech]
- 2 Attack, 3 Health. Whenever you Magnetize a minion, give it +1/+1.
Adaptable Barricade [Tier 5, Mech]
- 12 Attack, 1 Health. Taunt. Whenever this attacked, it shifts its stats to survive with 1 Health (if possible).
- Dev Comment: This respects Venomous/Poisonous. If it is going to take damage from a minion with one of those effects, it will not shift its stats.
Relentless Sentry [Tier 3, Undead]
- 5 Attack, 1 Health. Avenge (4): Gain Taunt and Reborn.
Sore Loser [Tier 3, Undead]
- 1 Attack, 4 Health. Your Undead have extra Attack equal to your Tier.
Champion of the Primus [Tier 5, Undead]
- 1 Attack, 8 Health. Avenge (2): Your Undead have +1 Attack for the rest of the game (wherever they are).
Surf n’ Surf [Tier 1, Naga/Beast]
- 1 Attack, 1 Health. Spellcraft: Give a minion “Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Crab” until next turn.
Seaborn Summoner [Tier 2, Naga/Elemental]
- 2 Attack, 4 Health. Spellcraft: Choose a minion. Add a minion of its type to the Tavern.
Withered Spearhide [Tier 3, Undead/Quilboar]
- 2 Attack, 2 Health. Reborn. Deathrattle: Get a Blood Gem.
Dreadbeard [Tier 3, Demon/Pirate]
- 4 Attack, 4 Health. At the end of your turn, deal 1 damage to your hero and get a Gold Coin.
Peckish Feldrake [Tier 4, Demon/Dragon]
- 0 Attack, 1 Health. Battlecry: Consume 3 minions in the Tavern to gain their stats.
Mannoroth [Tier 5, Undead/Demon]
- 1 Attack, 10 Health. Venomous. After this kills a minion and survives, gain its maximum stats. (Once per combat).
Mechanized Gift Horse [Tier 5, Mech/Beast]
- 4 Attack, 4 Health. Deathrattle: Summon two 2/2 Mechorses with “Deathrattle: Summon a 1/1 Mechapony.”
Transmuted Bramblewitch [Tier 5, Elemental/Quilboar]
- 4 Attack, 4 Health. When this attacks, set the defender’s stats to 3/3. (Once per combat).
Relentless Mur’ghoul [Tier 6, Undead/Murloc]
- 5 Attack, 4 Health. Venomous. Avenge (4): Gain Reborn.
Tier 7 Minions
Tier 7 Minions are only accessible through Thorim’s Hero Power or in games with the Secrets of Norgannon Anomaly. In games with the Secrets of Norgannon Anomaly active, Tier 7 can be accessed through any normal means (upgrading the Tavern, getting triples, Patient Scout, etc.). When Tier 7 is active, there are five copies of each Tier 7 minion that’s in that game’s minion pool.
Argent Braggart [Tier 7]
- 1 Attack, 1 Health. Battlecry: Set this minion’s Attack and Health to the highest in the battlefield.
King Varian [Tier 7]
- 9 Attack, 9 Health. When you sell this, Discover two tier 6 minions.
Moira Bronzebeard [Tier 7]
- 3 Attack, 9 Health. Your Battlecries and Deathrattles trigger twice.
Papa Bear [Tier 7, Beast]
- 12 Attack, 12 Health. Deathrattle: Summon 3 Mama Bears.
Champion of Sargeras [Tier 7, Demon]
- 10 Attack, 10 Health. Minions in the Tavern have +10/+10.
Recurring Nightmare [Tier 7, Undead]
- 5 Attack, 5 Health. Deathrattle: Give a different friendly Undead “Deathrattle: Summon a Recurring Nightmare.”
Captain Sanders [Tier 7, Pirate]
- 7 Attack, 7 Health. Battlecry: Make a friendly minion Golden.
Tide Oracle Morgl [Tier 7, Murloc]
- 1 Attack, 10 Health. Poisonous. When this attacks and kills a minion, give its maximum stats to a minion in your hand.
Granite Guardian [Tier 7, Elemental]
- 1 Attack, 17 Health. Taunt. Whenever this is attacked, reduce the attacker’s Health to 1.
Sea Witch Zar’jira [Tier 7, Naga]
- 4 Attack, 5 Health. Spellcraft: Choose a different minion in the Tavern to get a copy of.
Obsidian Ravager [Tier 7, Dragon]
- 4 Attack, 4 Health. Whenever this attacks, deal damage equal to its Attack to the target and an adjacent minion.
The Boommobile [Tier 7, Mech]
- 12 Attack, 12 Health. Magnetic, Reborn, Divine Shield, Taunt, Windfury
Sanguine Champion [Tier 7, Quilboar]
- 9 Attack, 3 Health. Battlecry and Deathrattle: Your Blood Gems give an extra +1/+1 this game.
Amalgadon [Tier 7, All]
- 6 Attack, 6 Health. Battlecry: For each different minion type you control, randomly Adapt.
- Dev Comment: Note that this is a reversion to a prior version of this card, but now at Tier 7.
Minion Pool Updates
- The following 49 minions have been removed from the minion pool: Sparring Partner; Spawn of N’Zoth; Vigilant Stoneborn; Qiraji Harbinger; Tortollan Blue Shell; Champion of Y’Shaarj; Lightfang Enforcer; Rat Pack; Eventide Brute; Pufferquil; Prophet of the Boar; Gemsplitter; Upbeat Flutist; Plagued Tidewalker; Ring Matron; Tarecgosa; Sanctum Rester; Nadina the Red; Prized Promo-Drake; General Drakkisath; Molten Rock; Felemental; Upbeat Upstart; Magmaloc; Crackling Cyclone; Smogger; Annoy-o Troupe; Harvest Golem; Mecha Jaraxxus; Wargear; Grease Bot; Ghoul of the Feast; Xylo-bones; Radio Star; Mini-Myrmidon; Thorncaptain; Snail Cavalry; Thorncaller; Backstage Security; Briny Bootlegger; Annihilan Battlemaster; Colossus of the Sun; Scavenging Hyena; Cyborg Drake; Mantid Queen; Bonemare; Bristlemane Scrapsmith; Mistake; Tavern Tempest.
- The following 11 minions have returned to the minion pool: Reef Explorer; Treasure-Seeker Elise; Mythrax the Unraveler; Bannerboar; Captain Flat Tusk; Floating Watcher; Razorgore, the Untamed; Party Elemental; Mechano-Tank; Omega Buster; Nightmare Amalgam
Minion Updates
Eternal Summoner
- Old (Regular): 8 Attack, 1 Health.
- Old (Golden): 16 Attack, 2 Health. Reborn. Deathrattle: Summon 2 Eternal Knights.
- New (Regular): 6 Attack, 1 Health.
- New (Golden): 12 Attack, 2 Health. Reborn. Deathrattle: Summon a Golden Eternal Knight.
Saltscale Honcho
- Old: After you play a Murloc, give two other friendly Murlocs +1 Health.
- New: After you play a Murloc, give two friendly Murlocs +1 Health.
King Bagurgle
- Old: 6 Attack, 3 Health. Battlecry and Deathrattle: Give your other Murlocs +2/+2.
- New: 6 Attack, 4 Health. Battlecry: Give your other Murlocs +2/+3.
Young Murk Eye
- Old (Regular): 9 Attack, 6 Health. At the end of your turn, the minion to the left of this triggers its Battlecry.
- Old (Golden): 18 Attack, 12 Health. At the end of your turn, adjacent minions trigger their Battlecries.
- New (Regular): 8 Attack, 5 Health. At the end of your turn, adjacent minions trigger their Battlecries.
- New (Golden): 16 Attack, 10 Health. At the end of your turn, adjacent minions trigger their Battlecries twice.
Party Elemental
- Old (Regular): [Tier 2] 4 Attack, 2 Health. After you play an Elemental, give another random friendly Elemental +1/+1.
- Old (Golden): [Tier 2] 8 Attack, 4 Health. After you play an Elemental, give another random friendly Elemental +1/+1 twice.
- New (Regular): [Tier 3] 2 Attack, 5 Health. After you play an Elemental, give an Elemental other than it +1/+2.
- New (Golden): [Tier 3] 4 Attack, 10 Health. After you play an Elemental, give an Elemental other than it +2/+4.
Wildfire Elemental
- Old: After this attacks and kills a minion, deal excess damage to a random adjacent minion.
- New: After this attacks and kills a minion, deal excess damage to an adjacent minion.
- Dev Comment: This is a text-only change with no functional update.
Lava Lurker
- Old: The first Spellcraft spell cast on this each turn is permanent.
- New: The first Spellcraft enchantment on this each turn is permanent.
- Dev Comment: This change means that Lava Lurker’s effect won’t be consumed if it is targeted by Spellcraft spells that don’t leave enchantments, like Seaborn Summoner’s or Sea Witch Zar’jira’s.
Bannerboar
- Old: [Tier 3] 1 Attack, 3 Health
- New: [Tier 4] 3 Attack, 5 Health
Piloted Whirl-O-Tron (Sneed’s Buddy)
- Old: Battlecry: Copy a friendly minion’s Deathrattles.
- New: Battlecry: Copy a different friendly minion’s Deathrattles.
- Dev Comment: This change was made to avoid a bugged interaction. With this change, Sneed has been returned to the hero pool and Piloted Whirl-O-Tron has been returned to E.T.C.’s hero power pool.
Updated Armor Levels
All Armor Tiers at the launch of Patch 27.2 will be as follows:
Some Heroes have high winrate disparities between lower-MMR and higher-MMR players. To account for this, those Heroes are given an alternative Armor value, depending on the average internal rating of the lobby you’re in. Any Hero that only lists one Armor amount has the same Armor at all levels of play.
New Battlegrounds Track
The Season 5 Battlegrounds Track, with the Season Pass, features 40 levels of rewards, including 5 Legendary Hero Skins, 12 Epic Hero Skins, 6 Rare Hero Skins, 6 Epic Emotes, 8 Rare Emotes, and Epic Bartender and a Legendary Strike!
For more details about the Season 5 Battlegrounds Track, and the new Battlegrounds Season Pass, see our Season 5 Announcement Blog.
Hearthstone Updates
The Infinite Dragonflight is trying to go back in time and change the way the Battle of Ahn’Qiraj went against the Old God C’Thun. The fate of the world—and the true timeline—hangs in the balance! It’s up to you to hold off their attack… or join them instead…
Caverns of Time is a new type of Hearthstone expansion, including card reprints, new cards, and some new card cosmetics! It’s also Hearthstone’s first-ever direct-to-Wild expansion, meaning that the cards in it will not be legal in Standard (and can be balanced towards Wild). Caverns of Time launches on August 31, and it includes 147 cards: 113 buffed reprints* and 34 brand new cards!
Caverns of Times packs can also include special Signature versions of other iconic Wild cards. Keep an eye out for a dedicated Caverns of Time blog, coming August 22, with more details about the 34 new cards, the special Signature variants, and more.
* Duplicate protection applies for these reprints. So, if you already have (or disenchanted) the original versions, you won’t open them again in Caverns of Time packs until you’ve opened all new cards from that rarity.
Wild Card Updates
113 Wild cards are getting buffs with Patch 27.2! These are the cards that are being reprinted as part of the Caverns of Time set. If you already have the cards in your collection from their original release, they will be automatically updated with the patch. If you don’t already have the cards, you can still get them through all current means, or from Caverns of Time packs once the set goes live.
Be sure to catch The State of Wild podcast on August 17 for an exclusive developer interview with Matt London and Chadd Nervig to discuss these changes and more.
Kean-eye readers will note that two of the 113 cards aren’t listed here (wow, we can’t believe you counted all of them, that’s commitment). The two missing cards are more akin to “reworks” than “buffed reprints,” so they will be revealed in the August 22 full explainer blog.
Twist Official Launch
Twist is back! On September 1, at your local ladder reset time, we’ll be kicking off the first official season of Twist. This season will feature the Wonders format, a fun throwback format celebrating the early years of Hearthstone. It includes all expansions from Legacy (not Core or Classic) through Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, plus the new cards from the Caverns of Time set, launching on August 31. That means the legal sets will be:
- Legacy (not Core or Classic)
- Curse of Naxxramas
- Goblins vs Gnomes
- Blackrock Mountain
- The Grand Tournament
- The League of Explorers
- Whispers of the Old Gods
- One Night in Karazhan
- Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
- Caverns of Time
There will be no Demon Hunter or Death Knight classes in this season of Twist, as they didn’t exist during the Wonders era. There’s no special rules modifier for this first Wonders season—the Twist is that you get to use the buffed cards and the brand new cards from Caverns of Time! You can learn more about Caverns of Time and this new Twist format in our dedicated Caverns of Time blog, coming on August 22.
Standard Balance Changes
The following cards are being adjusted down in power:
Hollow Hound
- Old: 3 Attack, 6 Health
- New: 3 Attack, 4 Health
Costumed Singer
- Old: 2 Attack, 1 Health
- New: 1 Attack, 1 Health
Bioluminescence
- Old: 3 Mana
- New: 4 Mana
Thaddius, Monstrosity
- Old: Taunt. Your odd-Cost cards cost (1). (Swaps polarity each turn!)
- New: Taunt. Your odd-Cost cards cost (4) less. (Swaps polarity each turn!)
The above cards will be available for full dust refunds for two weeks following Patch 27.2.
The following card are being adjusted up in power:
Down with the Ship
- Old: Deal 3 damage to a minion. If it dies, shuffle two random Plagues into your opponent’s deck.
- New: Deal 3 damage. Shuffle two random Plagues into your opponent’s deck.
Mythical Terror
- Old: 3 Attack, 10 Health
- New: 4 Attack, 10 Health
Frost Lotus Seedling (and Frost Lotus Blossom)
- Old (Seedling): Draw 1 card. Gain 4 Armor. (Blossoms in 3 turns.)
- Old (Blossom): Draw 2 cards. Gain 8 Armor.
- New (Seedling): Draw 1 card. Gain 5 Armor. (Blossoms in 3 turns.)
- New (Blossom): Draw 2 cards. Gain 10 Armor.
Disciple of Amitus
- Old: [6 Mana] 4 Attack, 6 Health
- New: [5 Mana] 4 Attack, 5 Health
Tyr
- Old: 7 Mana
- New: 6 Mana
Astral Automaton
- Old: 1 Attack, 1 Health
- New: 1 Attack, 2 Health
Felstring Harp
- Old: 2 Mana
- New: 1 Mana
Bladestorm
- Old: 3 Mana
- New: 2 Mana
Stoneskin Armorer
- Old: [3 Mana] 3 Attack, 4 Health
- New: [2 Mana] 2 Attack, 2 Health
Craftsman’s Hammer
- Old: After your hero attacks and kills a minion, gain 4 Armor.
- New: Whenever your hero attacks, gain 4 Armor.
- Dev Comment: This change means that it now works to give you extra damage after you’ve played Odyn.
Trial by Fire
- Old: 7 Mana
- New: 6 Mana
New In-Game Event: Battle of Ahn’Qiraj
Starting on September 5, join the Battle of Ahn’Qiraj with this special in-game event, celebrating the launch of Twist! From September 5 to September 19, complete Event Quests to earn Event XP on the special event rewards track. Complete the rewards track to earn a total of 6 card packs (1 The Grand Tournament Pack, 1 Goblins vs Gnomes Pack, 1 Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Pack, 1 Whispers of the Old Gods Pack, and 2 Caverns of Time Packs), 2 Signature Northshire Cleric Common cards, and 2 Signature Deathlord Rare cards!
Heroic Tavern Brawl
Duels Updates
With Patch 27.2, the following card pool adjustments will be made:
- Thundra Rhino, Anub’Rekhan, Seafloor Gateway, and Mister Mukla are banned from deckbuilding and all card pools.
- Symphony of Sins is banned from deckbuilding.
- Solid Alibi and Cloak of Shadows are removed from draft buckets.
- Caverns of Time cards will be added to all card pools.
Once Caverns of Time launches on August 31, it will be added to initial deckbuilding as well. There will not be a season change with any of these updates, so ongoing runs will continue and ratings will be preserved.
Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
- [Hearthstone] Updated Disciple of Eonar’s text to indicate it works with Choose One cards or hero powers. Fixed a bug where, if it buffed a Choose One hero power, the aura would not be spent after the hero power was used.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where cards that reduce their own Cost were able to cost less than 2 when Razorscale was in play.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Titanforged Traps didn’t cast off “cast a random spell” effects. It now offers Hunter Secrets to classes that don’t have Secrets.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Chameleos and Disguised K’thir did not count as copies for Harvester of Envy.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Fatespinner wouldn’t create a copy of a hero card if killed by that card’s Battlecry effect.
- [Hearthstone] Updated the Core Priest deck recipe to replace Crimson Clergy with Beaming Sidekick. This resolved a bug where that deck couldn’t be played in Practice or other adventures that use the Wild card pool (where Crimson Clergy is banned).
- [Battlegrounds] Your “Last 5 Warbands” stats page will now show your hero with your equipped Hero Skin, instead of always the default skin.
- [Battlegrounds] Zesty Shaker, Critter Wrangler, Tidemistress Athissa, and Kel’Thuzad’s Kitty (Hero Power) now use “When” or “Whenever” instead of “After” timing.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where giving a Divine Shield minion a temporary Divine Shield with Glowscale’s Spellcraft effect will then remove that minion’s original Divine Shield the next turn.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Dynamic Duo wouldn’t receive in-combat buffs from its effect.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a visual-only bug where Humming Bird plus another card that adds stats would display the wrong number.
- [Battlegrounds] Updated the Battlegrounds tutorial to better match modern Battlegrounds rules.
- [Duels] Fixed a bug where hero Health was not displaying on the pre-match loadout for Duels and Dungeon Run style solo content.
- [Duels] Fixed a bug with the Death Games Hero Power.
- [Solo Content] Fixed a bug where the new/returning player Loaner Decks were not useable in Solo Adventures.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where the Sargeras Hero Skin was missing its hero tray.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where the Legendary Rafaam Hero Skin’s hero power didn’t animate if you had fewer than 500 Warlock Ranked wins.
- [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where using the hero power would cause visual issues with animated Hero Skins.
- [Achievements] Fixed a bug where the TITANS achievements were missing the TITANS icon.
- [Achievements] Fixed a bug where the Hats on Hats on Hats achievement couldn’t be progressed.
- [General] Added support for Android 13.
- Misc. other bug fixes and game improvements.
Source: PlayHearthstone
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