Blizzard Is Fixing the Shudderwock And Lifedrinker Animation Times

The Witchwood has been out in Hearthstone for about two weeks now, and one of the most exciting and unique cards players were anticipating was Shudderwock; a 9-cost 6/6 minion for Shaman that has ‘Battlecry: Repeat all other Battlecries from cards you played this game (targets chosen randomly). But less than 24 hours after the expansion was released, popular streamer Jeremy ‘DisguisedToast’ Wang created a deck that essentially broke the game and removed all interactivity for his opponent. Since then, Shudder Shaman exploded in popularity, and while it can easily be beaten by aggressive decks as it relies on drawing most of the deck before the combo can be pulled off, if you’re playing a slower deck against someone running Shudderwock, then be prepared for one of the longest Hearthstone games you’ve ever played.

Unlike in the past however, Blizzard seems to be on the ball fairly quickly. In a post on their official forums, community manager Jesse Hill announced some quality of life changes for both Shudderwock and Lifedrinker, and while they’re not direct nerfs, they will definitely improve the ability to actually enjoy the game while someone has pulled the combo off against you.

“In a future update, we will be doubling the animation speed of Shudderwock’s Battlecry so it will lessen the impact on the overall pacing of your current Hearthstone match. In addition, the amount of Battlecries Shudderwock can reproduce will be capped at 20.

We will also be speeding up the animation of Lifedrinker for similar reasons.“

20 Battlecries is still a substantial amount, and when your opponent can play each Shudderwock for one mana and drop multiple a turn, you’re going to wish you’d rushed him down, but nonetheless, it’s a useful change that shows Blizzard is listening to the community. If you are struggling against Shudder Shamans, or not finding much luck in climbing the ladder in general, check out our top five Witchwood decks for Standard play.