HearthPwn's Battlegrounds Hero Tier List
Last Updated - 05/05/20 - Basic changes and reordering.
We've changed our approach for the Tier List this week, straying from the Innkeeper based list we've adhered to in the past. With Blizzard seemingly releasing constant patches and re-balancing, it's been difficult to time updates that include enough data to be statistically relevant. Once again we quickly received a large Hero rotation and many card changes in a short period of time.
While we're still using Win Percentages and Average Placement for reference, this week's list is in large part based on our experiences in the Battlegrounds.
We expect this to be a short-lived change and plan to return to the old format as soon as we're comfortable with the statistics we've accumulated. As we've previously mentioned, your use of the Innkeeper is what will power that Tier List. The more games you're able to log by running Innkeeper in the background, the better our Tier List can become!
A welcome addition to this week's list is a table of Top Heroes for users to quickly reference what we're considering your best picks. The usual list and Hero descriptions follow.
Top Heroes
1. Dancin' Deryl
Passive Hero Power: After you sell a minion, randomly give a minion in Bob's Tavern +1/+1 twice. Deryl is widely considered one of the strongest Battleground heroes, but also one of the most difficult to pilot. Knowing when to buy and sell and how to target the minions you want can prove tricky. However, mastering your "Dance" turns can lead to a giant board of hand-selected buffed minions.
2. Arch-Villain Rafaam
Hero Power: Next combat, add a plain copy of the first minion you kill to your hand. Rafaam can easily build a big board faster than many heroes by "stealing" minions from your opponents. It's important to check what build the next player you are facing is going for before deciding whether to devote the gold to your Hero Power. However, even if you steal a minion you don't want, it's basically free as you can just sell it in Bob's Tavern next round and get your gold back.
3. Nozdormu
Passive Hero Power: Your first Refresh each turn costs (0). Nozdormu's Hero Power is highly versatile and can save you a lot of gold over the course of a match. Getting a free refresh each round let's you eliminate a poor selection of minions and increase your odds of finding what you're looking for. You can also spend gold to upgrade your tavern and then refresh for free to a higher tier of minions before purchasing any.
4. Deathwing
Passive Hero Power: ALL minions have +2 Attack. Deathwing's Hero Power can be extremely powerful in token based strategies. Cards like Rat Pack and Replicating Menace can provide overwhelming boards of 3 attack minions. Other abilities such as Divine Shield can also lead to big power swings. The key strategy is to swarm your opponents with as many minions as possible. It's important to remember that your Hero Power will also be buffing the opposing minions.
5. Yogg-Saron, Hope's End
Hero Power: Hire a random minion in Bob's Tavern and give it +1/+1. Yogg Saron's Hero Power can fall victim to its' randomness at times. But if you can put the minions you get to use, he is most definitely one of the strongest heroes. Randomness aside, you're effectively receiving a buffed minion that's discounted by one gold. Praise Yogg!
6. Edwin VanCleef
Hero Power: Give a minion +1/+1 for each minion you've bought this turn. Edwin's ability proves useful throughout the entirety of the game. Buffing minions early can give you a stronger board than most opponents, while late game buffs can be used on your important minions that might other wise be hard to protect. Wisely balancing between purchasing minions and buffing your board is essential.
7. Infinite Toki
Hero Power: Refresh Bob's Tavern. Include a minion from a higher Tavern Tier. Toki not only refreshes the Tavern for one gold, you're also guaranteed one minion from a higher Tavern Tier. While it can be a bit random, it can also prove very powerful as you reach the later Tiers. Rolling into Tier 6 minions while you're only at Tavern Tier 5 can put your Comp over the top if you're lucky enough to find what you're looking for.
8. Alexstrasza
Passive Hero Power: After you upgrade Bob's Tavern to Tavern Tier 5, Discover two Dragons. Alex allows you to immediately discover two Dragons when you upgrade your Tavern to Tier 5. There are no restrictions as to what Tier the Dragons come from, so you're drawing from the entire pool. Several Dragons -- specifically the late game ones -- are very powerful and can swing you the game if you are lucky enough to get them.
9. Elise Starseeker
Passive Hero Power: When you upgrade Bob's Tavern get a 'Recruitment Map'. Elise's Map allows you to discover a minion from the Tavern tier you've just upgraded to. The spell costs 3 gold, but can prove to be very powerful -- especially when you're reaching higher tiers in the Tavern. Getting to choose from three Tier-5 or Tier-6 minions in the late game can provide big swings to your board.
10. Sir Finley Mrrgglton
Passive Hero Power: At the start of the game, Discover a Hero Power. Finley's all about flexibility. He can effectively become any Hero in the Battlegrounds through his ability to Discover their Powers. During Hero selection, if you're offered a strong choice it's usually best to pick it. However, if you're given weak options Sir Finley can often bail you out and save your run.
11. Pyramad
Hero Power: Give a random friendly minion +4 Health. Pyramad randomly buffs one of your minions by four Health. The recent move from 3 to 4 seems to have greatly increased this Hero's power level. At a cost of 1-gold, it's best to try to weave a Hero Power in every turn that you can.
12. The Rat King
Passive Hero Power: Whenever you buy a Beast, give it +1/+2. Swaps type each turn. Timing can be everything when it comes to utilizing The Rat King's Hero Power. Catching an early buff on a strong tribal minion or buffing several in the late game once you've committed to a Comp can lead to success. However, the constant changing power can lead to inconsistent buffs.
13. Malygos
Hero Power: Replace a minion with a random one of the same Tavern Tier. Maly's Hero Power rerolls a minion each turn for free. This is valuable throughout the game and gives you an extra chance to find the minion you're looking for. One overlooked value of the Hero Power is that you can use it on your own minions as well.
14. The Curator
Passive Hero Power: Start the game with a 1/1 Amalgam with all minion types. Curator's little 1/1 Amalgam can be one of the most consistent minions in Battlegrounds. With the addition of Dragons, menagerie builds have grown to another level and nobody benefits more than this hero. Transforming your Amalgam into a massive poisonous minion can often lead to easy top-4's.
15. Millhouse Manastorm
Passive Hero Power: Minions cost 2 Gold. Refresh costs 2 Gold. Tavern Tiers cost (1) more. Millhouse can seem like a totally different game of Battlegrounds from other Heroes. While minions are cheaper, this is offset by your Refresh and Tavern Tiers being more expensive. Being able to purchase a Minion on turn one, and then two additional Minions on turn two can sometimes out-tempo opponents.
16. Patchwerk
Passive Hero Power: Start with 50 Health instead of 40. Patchwerk's extra 10 Health won't grant you a lot of extra time in the later rounds. Not having a proactive Hero Power in the early turns proves detrimental and damage output as the game progresses generally erases the Health advantage very quickly.
17. Sindragosa
Passive Hero Power: At the end of your turn, Frozen minions get +1/+1. Sindragosa excels early on by abusing her Hero Power. The ability to effectively give all offered minions +1/+1 over the first few turns while spending no gold can lead to powerful early turn boards. This becomes less desirable as the game progresses and should be utilized heavily in the early game.
18. The Great Akazamzarak
Hero Power: Discover a Secret. Put it into the battlefield. Akazamzarak discovers a card from a large pool of secrets each time you use his Hero Power. While there is a high level of variance in your discover choices, some secrets such as Ice Block or Splitting Image are very powerful. If your secret isn't triggered during battle, it rolls over until your opponent activates it.
19. A. F. Kay
Passive Hero Power: Skip your first two turns. Start with two minions from Tavern Tier 3. A. F. Kay's success often depends on what two minions she's offered on turn 3. If your discover options are bad, things can spiral out of control pretty quick. However, discovering powerful options such as Soul Juggler, Pack Leader, or Hangry Dragon -- and then finding some supporting cards -- can be a huge boost and roll to victories.
20. Millificent Manastorm
Passive Hero Power: Mechs in Bob's Tavern have +2 Attack. Millificent can struggle much like Jaraxxus. Her Hero Power does offer a powerful buff, but can often fall flat if you don't receive the Mechs you need to succeed. Being that Cobalt Guardian is one of the most sought minions, they're often tough to come by. That being said, if you're lucky enough to land some Mechs, you're usually able to piece together a fairly strong board.
21. Queen Wagtoggle
Hero Power: Give a random friendly Mech, Demon, Murloc, Beast, and Dragon +2 Attack. Wagtoggle shines in Menagerie builds. Having a large board with a good mix of tribes can lead to many buffed minions.
22. Lich Baz'hial
Hero Power: Take 2 damage and add a Gold Coin to your hand. Baz'hial's Hero Power is free -- kind of. It won't cost you any gold, but you will sacrifice two Health each time you wish to gain a Coin in your hand. If you're able to get off to a fast start utilizing the ability, you might have some success. But, most times the life sacrifice is hard to overcome.
23. Nefarian
Hero Power: Start of Combat: Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions. Nefarian's Hero Power serves different roles as the game progresses. Early on it can often weaken or even kill your opponent's minions. However, it truly shines in the late game when its' primary function can be to eliminate any Divine Shields. A lot of compositions rely heavily on Divine Shields, and wiping them all out before the battle begins can be back breaking.
24. Bartendotron
Passive Hero Power: Reduce the cost of Tavern Tiers by (1). Bartendo's Hero Power reduced the cost of Tavern Tiers by one gold for the duration of the match. Through the course of the game this allows you to purchase minions before the rest of the competition. As one might think -- having access to higher Tier minions early on can lead to some snowballing wins.
25. George the Fallen
Hero Power: Give a friendly minion Divine Shield. While giving one of your minions Divine Shield is very powerful, George's Hero Power doesn't find much use in the early game due to its' cost of three gold. However, if you can build a solid board for the late game, being able to give one of your minions a Shield every turn can lead to a very strong Composition.
26. Ysera
Passive Hero Power: At the start of your turn, add a Dragon to Bob's Tavern. Ysera relies on focusing on a Dragon Composition. With the Hero Power being changed from 1-cost to passive, we would expect it to be much easier to establish a board full of Dragons.
27. Reno Jackson
Hero Power: Make a friendly minion Golden. (Once per game.) Reno has a unique Hero Power that allows you to make one of your minions into a golden version. You don't receive a discover a minion card like you normally would when tripling a minion -- but, it's still a powerful ability nonetheless. Choosing a minion can be tough, but it's usually best to upgrade in the early to mid-game.
28. Shudderwock
Hero Power: Your next Battlecry this turn triggers twice. Shudderwock's Hero Power seems to work best in conjunction with buffing Battlecries. The addition of Dragons has further solidified Menagerie Comps, and Shudder's power works well with Zoobot, Menagerie Magician, etc.
29. The Lich King
Hero Power: Give a friendly minion Reborn for the next combat only. Ideally, The Lich King's Hero Power is now targeted instead of limited to your right most minion. This can be fairly powerful when applied to the correct minion. High value targets are usually Divine Shield minions or minions with a Deathrattle effect.
30. Illidan Stormrage
Passive Hero Power: Start of Combat: Your left and right-most minions attack immediately. Illidan's Hero Power essentially gives your left-most and right-most minions charge. Before anything else happens at the start of battle they will randomly attack minions. If you're lucky enough to get the right minions to place on the outsides, this has potential to be powerful. However, it seems far too inconsistent for the Demon Hunter to be top tier.
31. Fungalmancer Flurgl
Passive Hero Power: After you sell a Murloc, add a random Murloc to Bob's Tavern. Flurgl's Power doesn't lend well to the overall goal of Battlegrounds. Players are trying to build big boards to kill their opponents, which can become rather difficult if you're constantly trying to sell minions off your board. For this reason, the Hero Power is in large part useless from mid to late-game.
32. Lord Jaraxxus
Hero Power: Give your Demons +1/+1. Jaraxxus' success is often highly subject to his offerings from the Tavern. Giving all your Demons +1/+1 is a very powerful tool -- if there are Demons available for you to buy. If you're able to build a strong Demon Composition, your Hero Power can sometimes lead you to a Top 4.
33. Professor Putricide
Hero Power: Give a friendly minion +10 Attack for the next combat only. The Professor's Hero Power seems like it should be strong in theory. However, giving a single minion +10 attack often falls short in the late game against giant boards. It should be noted that this can be very good when placed on a Cleave-type minion.
34. Galakrond
Hero Power: Replace a minion in Bob's Tavern with a minion from a higher Tavern Tier. Galakrond seems a little slow for the current Battlegrounds Meta. Upgrading minions in the early game doesn't often lead to anything very impactful -- unless your plan is to continually freeze and upgrade it again. By the time you reach the late game and are able to upgrade into meaningful minions, it's too late.
I really don't understand how Jaraxxus is so much lower than Queen Wagtoggle?
Demons, while being fun to play IMO, are the weakest tribe in the game. Queen doesn't lock you into them.
The reason why dancing deryl is close to queen wagtoggle is because only people who know how to use queen actually pick her whereas a lot of bad players that managed to get over 5000 pick deryl.
Daryl is insanely good if you know what you're doing, but he's very hard to play, that's the reason his winrate is low, that's all.
Yes. That's exactly what I said. People who don't know how to use him still pick him. That's why he is low.
Yes, Daryl is bonkers
Need some balance changes! Feels so bad to get 3 of the worst characters, because it becomes a fight to not get 8 place. Not fun.
Can I make a suggestion for the next batch? Try including the "Top 4 chance" which is a percent chance this Hero appears in the Top 4 when they're selected.
By popular demand, we have updated the list with games played at 5000 rating or above. :)
I wouldn't go that far - he's certainly top three, but just boosting the flip out of a couple of taunt/DS can still get you knocked out early, I find, if people are lucky. Oh, a token and a poison, that's one 11/11 DS gone... he's clearly lower on here due to being a bit more skill intensive, but is very good even in my mediocre hands. Also doesn't help that you do actually run out of time dancing sometimes, even on desktop - though that's usually up at T5+, happens lower sometimes, depending on opp's build - and there's no guarantee people are actually knocked out by then. Had a lot of squeaking into 4th somehow lately (was sure I was 6th last run, but didn't get hit quite as hard as the other 2 getting knocked out), then the odd abysmal run so I'm struggling to maintain 5.4K :)
No idea why Queen fucking wagtoggle is a mid tier here and Infinite Toki(50% of my victories are from her post nerf) is a low tier......Toki all the way. And that Dancing Deryl is probably among the top 3 most powerful heroes is no secret. He is a guaranteed top 4 spot if you just boost the shit out of any taunt+d-shield minion(can even be righteous protector, psycho-tron would be a top target). Playing among 5500 MMR EU btw.
Never had any issues with bad discovers, myself - but if you do, yeah, you're in trouble. In my experience, you can usually pull off a hydra, rover, bolvar, or similar. I'd say, on average, very strong but not OP, and certainly not in need of another nerf - as the nerf to junkbot did weaken her a bit already. Can just imagine that discover pile - toxfin, defender, and lookout would just give no chance. Bleh!
Apologies if I seemed overly harsh in the previous post, I've seen a few people grumbling about being behind on taverns when using her, and... you're not.
This might look like conspiracy theory but after last patch I've noticed that her cards became op less often (yup, junkbot nerf did its job). Theres still chance that you get op setup, but there are more chances to get strong but not consistent setup as it was before.
In sum: AFK was like top 4 in 70-80% cases before patch, and now she seems to be balanced. She really needs some tactics and game experience after turn 3 coz her hero power became not so blind snowball.
I'm probably one of the few that is pushing Patches winrate alittle up as I have gotten like 10+ 1st. places with him - I think he is pretty good compared to most other heroes. Currently at 6408 on EU and still picking him over other low tier heroes.
Not sure why you say AFK is almost dead immediately. Pretty much everyone upgrades on two, picking tokens on 1 if possible. So, you take 1+2=3 on the first turn, 2+2=4 on the second, for a whopping seven damage, usually 6, as not everyone gets offered tokens. Then you upgrade, get your T3/T4, if there's a token producer grab that before upgrading. Turn four, 6 mana, buy two 2s. Turn five, sell a minion or token presuming you didn't get great picks, upgrade to TT3 at the same time as everyone else, picking up a minion. You're not behind on tiers, unless people are pushing hard and losing a lot of health (mainly just bartender and Patchwerk who can pull this off). Nor are you behind on board, given that Tier 4 gives you a lot of powerful, defining options for your draft direction, and three has some very strong ones, too. If you can't get something together with AFKay, your RNG is bad enough that you probably wouldn't be able to do well regardless of who you picked.
Patches is just bad, but then so are, say, pyramid or wagtoggle, and the numbers seem to support those being half-decent. Maybe they're more picked against weaker players, giving a boost. Really can't compare with the actually very good picks, though, and that's clear even in this rating-less list.
Not immediately. It becomes hard to chase all those branns, yoggs, sindras and rats, who got buffed minions and you got toxifin and zerus from your cards. In most cases its cognitive bias when you face AFK with guardian and rover on turn 3 screaming "damn, she's op af" but when she got crap and starts losestreak - noone notices. So almost everyone thinks that she needs to be nerfed.
The Innkeeper app is taking data from people of all ELOs, right? That would be massively skewing the data, as you'd get people in the 4000 bracket (and below) reporting wins in soft environments.
It would be like playing Smash Bros with my mates - I'm the best in the group, but faaaar from anything even remotely competitive. If I use a B or C rank fighter and win 70% of the time, that's not because the fighter is actually much better than people think, but rather because I'm playing in a soft meta.
Is it possible to refine the data to those with 6k+ ELO perhaps? That would be interesting.
Maybe a weighted average based on something like: Max((ELO - 5000)^3, 0)
That would mean someone under 5k ELO wouldn't be counted at all, while someone at 7k would count for 8 times as much as someone at 6k, and 1/8 as much as someone at 9k.
Top 1 NA EducatedCeu (over 9000) tierlist
This game is literally built around the Casino-like games power of addiction. The brains pleasure centers are the target of this mode 100%. If it wasnt free, people would be spending their rent money on it. Its a curse and should be banned. Loot boxes are proven too be a problem in young gamers lives. Spending their parents credit cards to level up etc........look how popular this game is when its a random roll game pretty much.
Bells, whistles, lights, all keep us enthralled, while time passes by. Streamers will sometimes stream twice as long cuz of how addictied they are, as well as their audiences.
I know many will think this opinion incorrect or silly, but mark my words, these types of games are not good for the health of our society.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/nov/22/loot-boxes-increasingly-common-in-video-games-despite-addiction-concerns
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/ubc-study-links-video-game-loot-boxes-and-gambling
http://theconversation.com/gambling-loot-boxes-in-video-games-could-be-conditioning-children-107667