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Hearthstone update 18.0.2 patch notes boots Megasaur & Cannon from Battlegrounds

Hearthstone is getting a few nerfs to kick off Scholomance Academy, but the bigger changes are in Battlegrounds where Gentle Megasaur and Arcane Cannon are no more.

Ozzie Mejia

August 17, 2020 11:00 AM

Hearthstone is wasting little time in issuing its first round of nerfs following the release of the Scholomance Academy expansion. Those balance adjustments are quite significant for those playing through Standard and Wild. However, they may not be the changes that get the most attention. It's actually Hearthstone Battlegrounds that's seeing some seismic shifts with this latest batch of updates, including a change that potentially wipes out the Murloc build as everyone knows it.

The following changes are being implemented to Hearthstone Battlegrounds, according to the Hearthstone website:

Gentle Megasaur and Arcane Cannon have been removed from the minion pool.
Rabid Saurolisk now has 4/2 stats (Up from 3/2)
Rat Pack is now a Tier 3 minion (Up from Tier 2)
Pack Leader is now a Tier 2 minion (Down from Tier 3)
Monstrous Macaw now has 4/3 stats (Up from 3/2)
Primalfin Lookout is now a Tier 4 minion (Down from Tier 5)
- Primalfin Lookout will now only Discover minions from your current Tavern Tier or below
Nat Pagle, Extreme Angler now reads "When this attacks and kills a minion, add a random minion to your hand." (Changed from "Overkill: Summon a 0/2 Treasure Chest.")
Mama Bear is now a Tier 5 minion with 4/4 stats that gives +4/+4 whenever you summon a Beast (Changed from a Tier 6 minion with 5/5 stats that gives +5/+5 whenever you summon a Beast)
Goldrinn, the Great Wolf's Deathrattle now gives your Beasts +5/+5 (Up from +4/+4)

On top of that, the Battlegrounds Heroes have been changed up. Here are the big changes there:

Lady Vashj has been removed from the Hero pool.
Captain Eudora now requires 5 Digs for a Golden minion (Up from 4 Digs)
Reno Jackson's Hero Power now costs zero (Down from 2)
The Lich King's Hero Power now costs zero (Down from 1)
Galakrond's Hero Power now freezes the minion added to Bob's Tavern.

All of this is huge for the Battlegrounds game mode. But if you're playing normal Hearthstone, there's quite a bit for you, too. We opened this post by talking about the changes from Standard and Wild. Here are the two major changes that will affect the game going forward:

Kael'Thas Sunstrider (Neutral): Every third spell you cast each turn now costs (1). (Up from zero.)
Mindrender Illucia (Priest): Costs 3 Mana. (Up from 2)

All of these changes will be implemented later in the week. We've had a lot to say about this latest Hearthstone expansion, so if you'd like to catch up with our coverage or brush up on a few guides, check out our full Scholomance Academy coverage.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

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