Just as it held true for every other expansion since the introduction of this modernized version of the Rewards Track system (as we don't really acknowledge that initial flawed implementation) with Forged in the Barrens, chosen Legendary cards from the latest Murder at Castle Nathria set were made to be exempt from the usual duplicate protection rule: non-Diamond versions of Murloc Holmes and Golden version of Sire Denathrius

Normally, regular version of Sire Denathrius would be our first Uncraftable free reward from the current Rewards Track, whereas Diamond Murloc Holmes immediately goes to Tavern Pass holders. But those options are never available when the pre-release Fireside Gatherings take place, making it possible to pull other copies of such cards from early pack openings. Pretty much the same thing happens whenever anyone rushes straight for their packs at launch day, without claiming any of the Uncraftables first. As some of you might've just done over the past few days! 

Murloc Holmes Card Image


Disenchanting for Full Value

It's thoughtful of the Hearthstone team to offer us this possibility of disenchanting said cards for full dust value, just in case. And this time around the refund window hasn't been as outrageously short as what happened with Sir Finley, Sea Guide and Ambassador Faelin for the previous Voyage to the Sunken City expansion, where we were barely given 24 hours to deal with everything. A very poor decision which ultimately resulted in many players missing out on the refunds; especially anyone who wasn't able to log into the game during the launch day. 

Do mind, it's still not a long amount of time, as we're already approaching the end of the refund countdown that was set in motion with the arrival of the Castle Nathria set. While we've made sure to leave occasional small reminders here and there, nothing beats a final proper one. If you never read the fine print, it still could've been fairly easy to miss the following notice:

Quote From Blizzard
Regular and Golden copies of Murloc Holmes and Golden copies of Sire Denathrius will be eligible for a full dust refund until August 5, at 10 a.m. PT.

For quick reference: that's 19:00 CET, 13:00 EST, and (for August 6) 02:00 KST. Best get to it while you can! 

You might wish to double check your collection, maybe make a decision or two. And if you happen to be opening packs after that designated end time, be careful - better make sure you've collected the Uncraftable versions of these cards from the Rewards Track by then, so the proper duplicate protection is in effect. 

Golden versions of Sire Denathrius and Murloc Holmes are currently worth 3200 dust, while regular Murloc Holmes goes for 1600. I.e. the 'base craftable' cost. In other words, equal to another free Legendary (or two) of your choice. 

We probably shouldn't count on this dust refund window somehow becoming extended, so waiting until the very last moment is generally not recommended - you don't want to miss out on the opportunity if said cards suddenly return to their typical unfavorable disenchant value at a moment's notice.

If you got your regular or golden copy of Murloc Holmes but don't plan to buy the Tavern Pass, it's a simple choice: either keep it or just "exchange" it for any other Legendary card of your choice while the full dust returns are in effect. It won't be possible to do so later, after all. And so far it doesn't seem like the card will be breaking the meta.


Refund Command in the Collection Manager

One of our all-time favorite quality of life improvements is over a year old now! And yet it's still worth pointing out every single time.

 

By typing 'refund' in the card collection search box, you will be able to easily locate the cards mentioned above and decide whether or not to pull that disenchanting trigger (most recommended to do so). Just make sure to use the 'Golden Cards' filter as well, in order to view these versions of the eligible cards.

Quote From Blizzard
Searching “Refund” in the Collection will now populate with cards eligible for a dust refund.

If you press the 'crafting' button, the game will also show you any 'refundable' cards that you currently do not own, which can be very useful - say, if you wanted to never be able to pull Murloc Holmes from your packs in the future, you could craft the card while this refund window lasts and then immediately disenchant it for full dust value right after; which technically should trigger that lasting duplicate protection.

At least Mr. Holmes should no longer be crashing our games (see, he deserved disenchanting just for that). And yes, this little trick could even be used to complete certain achievements. Just don't accidentally miss the deadline!

Conveniently, the recent Patch 24.0 has added another small improvement here: 

Quote From Blizzard

Uncraftable cards will no longer show up when searching “refund” in the Collection Manager.

P.S. Sometimes you may encounter a rare bug where refundable cards don't show as such or won't display their full arcane dust returns, even though the refund window is still technically active. Always restart your Hearthstone client and double check again in such cases.


How was your early pack opening haul for Murder at Castle Nathria? Purchased the Tavern Pass or not? Did you find either versions of these cards for disenchanting, or just settled on picking up their Uncraftable copies as soon as possible?