Blizzard hits core Hearthstone cards with the nerfstick

The latest Hearthstone expansion, Whispers of the Old Gods, is right around the corner, and it's bringing some pretty impactful changes to how the game is played. The expansion will introduce a new Standard format where cards from older expansions sets aren't allowed, while also adding a Wild format where everything goes.

But even though the Standard format effectively lets the designers remove some of the more powerful cards from regular play (Dr. Boom, we're looking at you), they're still meddling with game design changes.

Notably, a string of cards from the Classic and Basic sets - which will still be part of the new Standard format - are getting nerfed, and they're getting nerfed hard.

You can swing by The Hearthstone Blog for the full details, but highlights include big nerfs to many of the Druid class stable cards, along with smackdowns for neutral minions like Big Game Hunter, Leper Gnome, Knife Juggler and Ironbeak Owl. Oh, our poor facehunter decks!