Hearthpwn

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

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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.