Blizzard Deals Out Nerf (And Refunds!) To $25 Diamond Card Drek’Thar

Balance patches are a normal occurrence in games that are trying to maintain a relatively equal playing ground. In Hearthstone’s latest patch, 23.2.2, the Legendary Drek’Thar is receiving a large nerf. This wouldn't be too much of an issue if it wasn't for the fact that Blizzard was selling the card for $25 back in April.

Hearthstone first introduced the Diamond card variants in 2021 and since their introduction only 13 cards in total have this special and rare version–most of which are legendaries. While these cards add no difference to gameplay or behavior, the Diamond cards are simply for players who would like to show off their card-collecting achievements.

While most might assume that a $25 card being nerfed would result in some backlash, most players are more than fine considering the generous refund that Blizzard has given. Blizzard ended up giving all diamond Drek’Thar owners who purchased before the nerf 3,000 gold. Meaning, if players used gold to purchase the card, they lost nothing through this and, in fact, may have gained a free Diamond card later down the road.

While those who purchased the card seem to be happy enough, of course players who opted out of purchasing the Diamond card may feel a little taken advantage of because, at the end of the day, players who purchased the card are basically given another one for free (if they choose to spend their awarded gold in that way.)

What about you? Would you be happy with the free gold or do you think this is a misstep by Blizzard?

Note: Activision Blizzard is still under investigation by the state of California for serious harassment charges. CEO Bobby Kotick is alleged to have known about such actions within his company – and performed some himself – and shielded the perpetrators from consequences.