Matchmaking
The raw elo rating of players in the beta spans a range of about 1100 points, indicating a top player would win 95% of their Hero Draft games in the absence of any matchmaking. We've been tightening matchmaking parameters to increase match quality. Over 80% of matches are being made within 10 seconds, so this patch tightens the matchmaking parameters further.
Additionally, we've added unlock progress as a factor in matchmaking. The matchmaker now favors matches between players within the same unlock tier, and accepts matches up to 1 tier away. The matchmaking numbers are all subject to tweaks on an ongoing basis as we evaluate both queue times and match quality.
Gameplay
- Keefe the Bold’s Stop Hittin’ Yourself now causes enemies to battle themselves with +2 Attack.
- Chen gained the passive Divine Favor: “After Combat: Heal all allied creeps 2.”
- Earth Shaker’s Echo Slam’s damage increased to double the number of enemy units.
- Rubick’s Telekinesis now stuns the target and its neighbors after moving it. Cooldown has been increased to 3 and it no longer has Quickcast.
- J’Muy The Wise’s Wisdom of the Elders cooldown reduced to 2. Using the ability no longer reduces its cooldown.
- J’Muy The Wise’s Runic Instigation changed to: “Increase all cooldowns on an enemy unit by 2 or decrease all cooldowns on a friendly unit by 2.”
- Radiance changed to “Before your turn, deal 1 piercing damage to each enemy.”
- Throw Down and Spriggan Mischief changed to give the bounced items +1 Lock.
- Sniper’s Headshot changed to Cross Lane targeting within range 5.
- Sniper’s Assassinate gained the ability “Costs 1 less for each time you’ve passed this round.”
- Bloodseeker’s Thirst no longer decreases when killing enemy heroes this round.
- Storm Spirit’s Static Remnant deals 1 piercing damage on death and slays itself after combat.
- Storm Spirit’s Ball Lightning is now 1 mana, moves range 5, repeatable, quickcast.
- Storm Spirit regains the Overload Passive: “Storm Spirit has +1 Attack per charge. After you play a spell or enchantment from any lane, add a charge until Storm Spirit attacks in a battle.”
- Ursa's Overpower now deals 2 damage twice rather than 1 damage thrice.
- Farvhan the Dreamer’s Pack Leader renamed to Strength in Numbers.
- Lycan’s Feral impulse no longer affects heroes.
- Lycan gains the passive Pack Leadership: “Pack Leadership has charges equal to the combined Attack of creeps in this lane. If Pack Leadership has 15 or more charges, Lycan has +3 Attack and allied creeps within range 2 have +1 Attack.”
- Tidehunter’s Anchor Smash now attacks for 1 battle damage to its targets. This makes the ability more consistent when Tidehunter is stunned or disarmed, where before it could deal damage to its adjacent enemies but not the tower. Now neither will happen.
- Ogre Magi’s Ignite cost reduced to 2 mana, “Round Start: Deal 1 damage to the two closest enemies.”
- Arc Warden’s Tempest Clone has different art to differentiate it.
- Pugna changed to a black hero and no longer has Nether Blast.
- Pugna gains the passive Nether Ward: “Whenever your opponent plays a non-item card from this lane, deal 1 piercing damage to their tower and burn 1 of their mana. 1 round cooldown.”
- Nether Ward tower enchantment removed.
- Horde Stryder’s active moves and then attacks its new combat target for 2 battle damage.
- Meepos slain by United We Fall only grant bounty for one of the Meepos, rather than all of them.
- Blink Scroll cannot target rooted heroes.
Card Text
- Cards that used to say that they "deal" battle damage now say that they "attack" for battle damage to emphasize the damage type.
- Nyx Assassin text no longer says “sneak.”
- United We Fall text clarification.
- Ventriloquy updated to “attack for 1 damage” wording, which it was already doing.
- Remote Detonation text changed to “Deal 5 damage to each unopposed enemy.”
Glossary
- Added entry for Unopposed.
Bug Fixes
- An enemy Dark Seer can no longer kill units moving into Storm Spirit's old position by using Storm Spirit's Static Remnant summon. Instead, the Static Remnant will summon into the closest empty position.
- Anchor Smash now plays an animation when it triggers.