Balance update v36: hero balance round

Our goal for this round: every hero should win between 40% and 60% of games (ideally 45–55%) when their flagship decks face each other. No neutral cards changed in this update.

Toned down

The strongest heroes lost some efficiency on their best engine cards — mostly by limiting repeat triggers to once per turn, lowering heals and raising a few costs.

• Grimhold — Steamworks Siege Engine and The Deepfire Core now trigger once per turn when you gain armor (Deepfire Core costs 6). Grimhold, Forge-King Eternal gains 3 armor and summons one Clockwork Golem. Brass Tempering gives 4 armor.
• Seraphine — Thurible Acolyte and Hymnal Seraph trigger once per turn when your hero is healed. Aurelia heals 6 (was 10), Dawn Benediction deals 2, Cathedral Canticle heals 2, Candleflame Smite costs 2, Lumia's Light Wisps get +1/+1.
• Sylvara — Circle of Thorns gives +1/+1 and Thorns 1, Roots' Revenge gives +1/+1, Nature's Wrath costs 5, Jade Talisman costs 3, The Waking Wood loses its Warcry.
• Ksarra — Devour summons two Broodlings (was three), Toxic Brood costs 4, Vrexa, the Endless Brood costs 7, a few bodies lost a point of stats.
• Isolde — The Crimson Waltz restores 2 (was 5), Count Malvane restores 3 (was 6), Velvet Masquerade costs 4, a few bodies lost a point of health or attack.

Powered up

• Ixion — sturdier early monsters (Cult Initiate 2/2, Babbling Acolyte 2/3, Watcher in the Dark 2/3 and more), Gibbering Horror and The Watching Dark hit harder, Eclipse of the Hollow Star now only damages enemy monsters, Starless Gaze can target any enemy. Whispers of the Void deck got Starless Lance, Hollowing Ray, Star-Bloated Horror and Eye-Clustered Shambler.
• Kaelen — Flame Adept 3/3, Scorch Sprite 4/4. The Embers deck is now built entirely from Kaelen's own fire cards, including Ignis, the Living Wildfire.
• Aldric — Silver Squire 1/3, Lionheart Defender 3/3, Cathedral Warden 3/4. Shieldwall adds Greymantle Lancer, Gallant Marshal and Cathedral Bulwark.
• Morwen — the Graves deck no longer uses neutral filler: Skeletons, Banshees, Liches and Vesperine, Queen of the Barrow take their place.
• Nyx — Sulfur Glutton 3/3, Brinkwalker Fiend 3/4; Pact of Embers adds 2× Pact Voidwalker.
• Maren — Reefblade Raider 3/3, Kelp Strangler 4/5.

Results

In our bot simulation every hero now lands between 43% and 59% (before: from 4% to 75%). Ixion jumped from 4% to 44%, Grimhold came down from 75% to 50%.

All seed decks and all saved player decks are still legal.

See all 52 changed cards in the v36 card changes, or browse the card gallery.