Dealing with Dr. Boom

by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Card Balance is a rather delicate issue, and despite the devs best efforts sometimes there are cards that are straight out problematic. The community is usually quick to identify these problematic cards and it is not afraid to raise up in arms demanding the natural order of things be restored, but most of the times the efforts are focused on the biggest offender.

Undertaker used hold the spot as the most problematic card in hearthstone, but after months and months of denial and complaints, the rightful decision was made and Undertaker was finally hit with the nerfbat. Of course with the annoying Naxxramas snowballer out of the way, the community was free to find the next public enemy number one…

Enter Dr.Boom!

But why is Dr.Boom considered a problematic card? The answer isn’t that easy to explain, but let me start by showing you the extent of its power.

Very Cost Effective

Dr.Boom packs quite a punch, and it comes all in raw power. While other cards have their obscene power come from synergies or because they serve as counters to something else. Dr. Boom is just a gazillion points of damage worth of pressure, not only that but Dr.Boom isn’t exactly easy to fully remove which makes him immensely valuable. But its not only that, Dr.Boom’s effect is very strong compared for the mana you invest on playing him, and the big guy is also comparatively stronger to other options within the mana cost.

It Fits Everywhere!

So we know that Dr.Boom is a really strong, cost-effective, pro-active card. It is no surprise then that it makes its way into a lot of different decks. Basically if your deck plans on consistently getting to turn 7 in a state where the game isn’t already decided, the you likely want Dr.Boom in your deck. Since Dr.Boom stands on its own and doesn’t really on combos or counters, he has a very strong representation in decks, and that makes him influence the meta.

The Big Game Hunter Problem

Big Game Hunter is an absurdly powerful card, destroying a high cost minion for just 3 mana and also getting a body on the board is something that can turn games around in a rush. The biggest drawback with Big Game Hunter is that 7+ attack minions aren’t exactly common and BGH can be a dead card in your hand for a long time, or even worse for an entire match-up. In the past adding the Big Game Hunter to your deck was somewhat of a gamble, maybe a tech card against particular decks like Handlock. Now that Dr.Boom runs rampant in a high percentage of the popular decks on the meta, adding the BGH to your deck seems like a no-brainer. But with so many Big Game Hunters in the meta, every other 7+ attack minion becomes weaker. If a card like Illidan was deemed weak before, now the idea of including it in your deck is something you would end up laughing at.

High Variance

But like Dr. Boom wasn’t problematic enough, the little boom bots are actually the worst offenders. These two devils can explode for as little as 2 damage, and as much as 8. I’ve seen plenty of games be decided by Boom Bot RNG, which isn’t exactly healthy for the game. The random targeting is something that you can probably handle and try to play around, but 1-4 is just too wide of a range, especially when you have two bombs to account for. The luck factor just takes the good doctor over the limit.

What Can Be Done?

First things first, reducing the Variance on the Boom Bot explosions would be a most welcome addition.  2-3 is the same as 1-4 on average, but it would be more consistent. Sadly, Blizzard seems to love its random so this might not be happening.

Then you gotta take away a bit of Dr.Boom’s power, he needs a slight but straight nerf, I wouldn’t be opposed to nerfing the Boom Bots to doing only 1-2 damage when they die.

But maybe you want him out of BGH range, obviously making him 6/7 would be somewhat of a buff so you gotta reduce his body considerably in order for it to be a nerf. 5/5 might be a bit too weak, but how about 5/6? It would be a favorable trade against things like Black Knight, Belcher, Loatheb, Ancient of Lore, and even Sylvannas considering that the Boom Bots protect him a bit and in the worst case scenario can kill off the 5/1 body that would be left of that trade.

Or perhaps you want to make BGH a more situational card that would only see play in certain deck archetypes. If the Boom Bots were to be 0/1, they would need an activator. This would mean that you could only get the Full Effect of Dr.Boom in decks that either have taunt-givers, minion buffs, or can damage its own minions effectively. Think Whirlwind effects, Hellfire, and perhaps even Mage Hero Power. 0/1 Boom Bots on Druids could threaten some damage via Savage Roar so maybe there’s potential there. The lost damage from the Boom Bot attacks would still be a bit of a nerf, and perhaps would be slight enough to make this card still relevant in decks that have easy access to activators.

Anyway, here’s three possible nerfs to the much maligned Dr. Boom.

First Version:

Second Version:

Third Version:

Would you like to see any of these nerfs make it to live? Maybe you think that he would still have OP and have a better NERF suggestion?

Let me know using the comments below or hit me up on twitter @DannieRay23