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Blizzard bans Hearthstone card from arena mode following player outcry

And it hasn't even been released yet.

Blizzard has banned a widely-disliked Hearthstone card from the game's pay-to-enter arena mode - before the card in question has even been released.

Upcoming Priest spell Purify has whipped up a storm of controversy among Hearthstone fans. Simply put - they are angry at how bad the card is.

The two-mana spell lets you can draw a card at the cost of silencing a friendly minion (thanks, Metabomb).

Card draw is hugely important in Hearthstone, but outside of truly exceptional circumstances, removing or silencing the status effects of your own minions is not something you want to do.

Purify is a bad card, then, but players are also angry at the timing of its arrival. It will be added to the game via next expansion One Night in Karazhan at a time when the current collection of Priest cards have already made the class the weakest it has ever been.

Finally, players are worried about its uselessness in arena, where players draft a deck of cards from random options. It's unlikely the card could ever be comboed effectively there in any way which would actually benefit the player.

Hearthstone designer Ben Brode has now discussed the card in detail in a video, below, and attempted to calm fan anger over its introduction. Brode confirmed that, when Karazhan launches, Purify will be omitted from arena mode completely.

It's not the first time Blizzard has banned a card from arena - a number of cards tied to Whispers of the Old Gods' C'Thun are also unavailable in the mode for similar reasons - but the first time a card has been outright banned before it actually launched due to player feedback.

Cover image for YouTube video

For more Hearthstone-related news and guides, our sister site Metabomb has you covered.