What was previously rumored is now a fact: Leeroy Jenkins and Starving Buzzard will have their mana increased on September 22nd.
The first hints that such a nerf might be coming was after redditors posted screenshots of their [card]Starving Buzzard[/card]s and [card]Leeroy Jenkins[/card]' having an increased mana, both at five. The stats for [card]Starving Buzzard[/card] were also changed to 3/2 from 2/1, making it more of a mid-range card then a combo piece.
Although nothing was confimed at that point, this obvious mix-up in the game files suggested that a nerf to these cards might be indeed coming. [card]Starving Buzzard[/card] has long been one of the best card engines in the game, providing Hunters with a way to refuel their hand after an [card]Unleash the Hounds[/card]. [card]Leeroy Jenkins[/card], on the other hand, is the go-to finisher for many decks and is the main win condition for the Miracle Rogue, which can deal up to 26 damage in one go with Leeroy alone through double [card]Shadowstep[/card] and double [card]Cold Blood[/card].
This is what community manager Zeriyah wrote about the changes:
The amount of cards Starving Buzzard allowed Hunter players to draw ultimately ended up being too excessive for its low cost. This change will allow the Hunter’s opponent more time to react to both the Starving Buzzard and the cards drawn by its power.”
The changes will go live on September 22nd just before the offline portion of the world cup qualifiers and there will be no more changes made between that date and the World Championship in October.
This puts deckbuilding pressure on the competitive Hearthstone players. While Rogues have always had alternatives to the miracle with Tempo and Aggro builds and might do well even without the 4-mana Leeroy, for the Hunters out there it becomes a puzzle. The Unleash/Buzzard card draw combo is now pushed to T8 the earlies, up from T5, and with just 2 health, the new Buzzard will have troubles surviving a single turn for a potential T5 Buzzard/T6 Unleash.
