No, 2021 is correct. BlizzCon is traditionally held in November, but was postponed to February this year because of the pandemic. Same for "BlizzCon 2021" which was actually scheduled for February 2022.
I wouldn't be surprised if along with the other changes they want to implement, they'll remove the association with a particular year, at least for a little while. Which means they'll probably end up skipping a year (technically) because the event will take place well into the new year. Not a bad thing to happen, considering all the negative connotations the name "BlizzCon" now conveys.
Just to add some data points, I got offered the following (for reference, I bought the Diablo Prepurchase bundle, the Welcome bundle and the random legendary mercenary):
- Illidan mercenary (just the card, no packs) for CAD 18.99 (I'm presuming it is converted from USD 15)
- 300 Gul'dan coins for CAD 12.49 (probably converted from USD 10)
These latest offers are absolutely *atrocious* in terms of value, especially since they are for bottom-tier mercenaries. I'm quite content to slowly level up my current collection by completing the daily tasks, so there's no chance I'll ever be interested in these new "deals".
Same here, with the added detail that the Legendary Coins bundle is only visible in the Mercenaries store (a.k.a. the merchant cart in your village) -- all I see in the regular Hearthstone store is the Mercenaries Launch Bundle and regular Mercenaries packs.
One bug not mentioned here, but encountered by a few people, including Brian Kibler: Cairne's second task -- which unlocks his first piece of equipment -- requires you to use Endurance Aura 10 times. However, it will look like it never progresses.
Thankfully, there's a solution: using Cairne's Foot Stomp ability seems to "unblock" the achievement. I immediately got the "Task Completed" message as soon as I finished the battle.
I got 2 packs this weekend for watching Grandmasters playoffs, and previously the 2 packs for watching the Mercenaries reveal stream, so it doesn't seem related to esports.
For some reason, I received 4 packs of United in Stormwind when I logged in earlier this evening. I had no idea why, but reading this article makes me think it might be a gesture of apology for the issues mentioned here.
I saw this last night on the official Twitter. The level of quality is absolutely professional! Costumes, effects, camera work: everything was near-flawless
It's the same character, just at different points in their life. Archbishop Benedictus is the version before he was corrupted as described in the article, while Darkbishop Benedictus is the version after.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the return of a Golden Classic bundle (I got the Rank 1). I know duplicate protection is not supposed to apply to golden cards, but I only got 1 duplicate rare out of 9 rares/epics/legendary combined, which is insanely lucky!
I used the dust to craft my last missing golden rare. This leaves 10 epics and 8 legendaries until I get a full golden Classic set; I'm super happy. :)
Thank you to OutOfCards for posting the full details about all the units available. The more I learn about this mode, the more it seems like my jam -- I adore PVE content, especially when I'm able to construct my deck as I want (I spend a good amount of time testing out decks against the Innkeeper because it's stress-free).
In a sense, this is like the best parts of Adventures/Dungeon Runs and Duels all mixed into one. The only downside is the PVP element; hopefully it won't be an essential part of this game.
I really enjoyed watching the players that "embraced the spirit of Last Hero Standing" (as Sottle put it during Hot Takes) and had a clear strategy in their lineup, such as Bankyugi anf Frenetic.
Interesting to see also how warlock has moved fully towards card draw and deck burn to use Tamsin + fatigue damage as the preferred finisher with the inclusion of Manafeeder Panthara, Hand of Gul'dan, Nightshade Matron, and even Altar of Fire in some cases!
Just like the poster in Iksar's Q&A, I'm also really enjoying Classic -- been trying to reach legend there for the past few months -- and I hope there will always be a place where we can experience that format in its purest form.
If they feel they need to add the old expansions back, it would ideally be in a separate mode. In effect, you would have "Classic Prime" (just Classic with initial balance changes when it was officially released) and "Classic Advanced" (Classic + a certain number of expansions + relevant balance changes).
Just wanted to say that I fully agree with everything you wrote -- so much so that you've convinced me to get a Premium subscription! :-)
Regarding Mercenaries specifically, Regis Killbin has been putting out a series of videos on his YouTube channel breaking down this new "mode" (really, it's a full, separate game, just like Battlegrounds). He's got 2 videos already, and more are coming. This is a much better way to present the information, in my opinion.
I don't know why Blizzard felt the need to rush this out in a single 30-minute stream (interrupted by 2 special announcements related to other games, no less!). A better approach would have been a gradual reveal over several weeks, with a focus on basics first before moving on to more advanced concepts (what are our units? what are their capabilities? how do they interact? how do they improve? etc.)
One other detail I caught, although I don't know if it was deliberate: the chopsticks stuck vertically in the bowl. Asians will never do that in real life, because it's reminiscent of the incense sticks you plant in a bowl of rice to honour the deceased during a funeral. It's therefore quite fitting to have them in this position on this tribute image.
People will always find a reason to complain. Personally, I like this environment as a watcher -- skill and tactics have a significant impact, and I appreciate seeing how each professional player approaches a particular matchup. For example, sometimes they'll delay playing the quest until turn 2 or 3, because board presence is more important. The whole final match between jiuqianyu and AyRoK was full of examples like this that showcased player talent.
Team 5 definitely has a thing for broken Neutral 5-Cost minions with a symmetrical effect:
I'd like to point out that "symmetrical" has a specific meaning when it comes to card games: they are effects which affect both players equally (some examples include Nerub'ar Weblord and Mana Wraith). As such, a less confusing term should have been used, such as "adjacent".
Otherwise, this was a good summary of the motivation behind this round of nerfs.
I was also slightly confused when I read the headline. Don't understand why people are downvoting you...
No, 2021 is correct. BlizzCon is traditionally held in November, but was postponed to February this year because of the pandemic. Same for "BlizzCon 2021" which was actually scheduled for February 2022.
I wouldn't be surprised if along with the other changes they want to implement, they'll remove the association with a particular year, at least for a little while. Which means they'll probably end up skipping a year (technically) because the event will take place well into the new year. Not a bad thing to happen, considering all the negative connotations the name "BlizzCon" now conveys.
Just to add some data points, I got offered the following (for reference, I bought the Diablo Prepurchase bundle, the Welcome bundle and the random legendary mercenary):
- Illidan mercenary (just the card, no packs) for CAD 18.99 (I'm presuming it is converted from USD 15)
- 300 Gul'dan coins for CAD 12.49 (probably converted from USD 10)
These latest offers are absolutely *atrocious* in terms of value, especially since they are for bottom-tier mercenaries. I'm quite content to slowly level up my current collection by completing the daily tasks, so there's no chance I'll ever be interested in these new "deals".
Same here, with the added detail that the Legendary Coins bundle is only visible in the Mercenaries store (a.k.a. the merchant cart in your village) -- all I see in the regular Hearthstone store is the Mercenaries Launch Bundle and regular Mercenaries packs.
One bug not mentioned here, but encountered by a few people, including Brian Kibler: Cairne's second task -- which unlocks his first piece of equipment -- requires you to use Endurance Aura 10 times. However, it will look like it never progresses.
Thankfully, there's a solution: using Cairne's Foot Stomp ability seems to "unblock" the achievement. I immediately got the "Task Completed" message as soon as I finished the battle.
I got 2 packs this weekend for watching Grandmasters playoffs, and previously the 2 packs for watching the Mercenaries reveal stream, so it doesn't seem related to esports.
This is getting very strange...
For some reason, I received 4 packs of United in Stormwind when I logged in earlier this evening. I had no idea why, but reading this article makes me think it might be a gesture of apology for the issues mentioned here.
I saw this last night on the official Twitter. The level of quality is absolutely professional! Costumes, effects, camera work: everything was near-flawless
It's the same character, just at different points in their life. Archbishop Benedictus is the version before he was corrupted as described in the article, while Darkbishop Benedictus is the version after.
It looks like they're extending the deadline, because I still see full refund value for the affected cards in my Collection.
Completed 3 quests (2 dailies and 1 weekly) with this pretty standard shaman totem deck.
### Brawl Deck
# Class: Shaman
# Format: Wild
#
# 2x (0) Totemic Surge
# 1x (1) Devolving Missiles
# 1x (1) Earth Shock
# 2x (1) Primal Fusion
# 2x (2) Totem Golem
# 1x (3) Grand Totem Eys'or
# 1x (3) Haunting Visions
# 1x (3) Mana Tide Totem
# 2x (3) Totemic Reflection
# 2x (4) Splitting Axe
#
AAEBAZu1AwX/BYqFA+DMA9/hA/+fBAWyFPaqAp2jA9qlA5a5AwA=
#
# To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone
I was pleasantly surprised to see the return of a Golden Classic bundle (I got the Rank 1). I know duplicate protection is not supposed to apply to golden cards, but I only got 1 duplicate rare out of 9 rares/epics/legendary combined, which is insanely lucky!
I used the dust to craft my last missing golden rare. This leaves 10 epics and 8 legendaries until I get a full golden Classic set; I'm super happy. :)
Thank you to OutOfCards for posting the full details about all the units available. The more I learn about this mode, the more it seems like my jam -- I adore PVE content, especially when I'm able to construct my deck as I want (I spend a good amount of time testing out decks against the Innkeeper because it's stress-free).
In a sense, this is like the best parts of Adventures/Dungeon Runs and Duels all mixed into one. The only downside is the PVP element; hopefully it won't be an essential part of this game.
Is there a functional difference between Freeze and Root?
I really enjoyed watching the players that "embraced the spirit of Last Hero Standing" (as Sottle put it during Hot Takes) and had a clear strategy in their lineup, such as Bankyugi anf Frenetic.
Interesting to see also how warlock has moved fully towards card draw and deck burn to use Tamsin + fatigue damage as the preferred finisher with the inclusion of Manafeeder Panthara, Hand of Gul'dan, Nightshade Matron, and even Altar of Fire in some cases!
Just like the poster in Iksar's Q&A, I'm also really enjoying Classic -- been trying to reach legend there for the past few months -- and I hope there will always be a place where we can experience that format in its purest form.
If they feel they need to add the old expansions back, it would ideally be in a separate mode. In effect, you would have "Classic Prime" (just Classic with initial balance changes when it was officially released) and "Classic Advanced" (Classic + a certain number of expansions + relevant balance changes).
Just wanted to say that I fully agree with everything you wrote -- so much so that you've convinced me to get a Premium subscription! :-)
Regarding Mercenaries specifically, Regis Killbin has been putting out a series of videos on his YouTube channel breaking down this new "mode" (really, it's a full, separate game, just like Battlegrounds). He's got 2 videos already, and more are coming. This is a much better way to present the information, in my opinion.
I don't know why Blizzard felt the need to rush this out in a single 30-minute stream (interrupted by 2 special announcements related to other games, no less!). A better approach would have been a gradual reveal over several weeks, with a focus on basics first before moving on to more advanced concepts (what are our units? what are their capabilities? how do they interact? how do they improve? etc.)
One other detail I caught, although I don't know if it was deliberate: the chopsticks stuck vertically in the bowl. Asians will never do that in real life, because it's reminiscent of the incense sticks you plant in a bowl of rice to honour the deceased during a funeral. It's therefore quite fitting to have them in this position on this tribute image.
People will always find a reason to complain. Personally, I like this environment as a watcher -- skill and tactics have a significant impact, and I appreciate seeing how each professional player approaches a particular matchup. For example, sometimes they'll delay playing the quest until turn 2 or 3, because board presence is more important. The whole final match between jiuqianyu and AyRoK was full of examples like this that showcased player talent.
I'd like to point out that "symmetrical" has a specific meaning when it comes to card games: they are effects which affect both players equally (some examples include Nerub'ar Weblord and Mana Wraith). As such, a less confusing term should have been used, such as "adjacent".
Otherwise, this was a good summary of the motivation behind this round of nerfs.