Staves Pre Nerf

Why do people say pre nerf staves for a 10/10 staff? They are 20/20 now, isn't that a buff?

basically means a pre update staff, "nerf" is used very loosely nowadays, doesnt necessarily mean downgraded, just changed.

10/10 dont drop anymore, so its a "nerf'd" staff.

As above poster said. It wasn't a nerf, but people with the old staves now have useless items on their hands, so they sell them to nostalgia collectors.

Isn't the 10/10 for all spells instead of only the attribute of the staff?

yep
but there were also 20/20 pre-nerf staves,but they were very very rare.....still few around
both recharge mods are gold letters,same as for 10/10 staves
but 20/20 was not universal,both mods have specific recharge,for example hct air 20% and hsr air 20%

It's a misnomer. A nerf is a weakening or a reduction in effectiveness so the new staves are buffs, therefore 'pre-buff' would be more accurate.

Then again, people don't give a crap about what they say.