With the increasing popularity of auto battle games, such as Dota Underlords, Auto Chess, and Teamfight Tactics, Blizzard decided to give Hearthstone players something similar in Hearthstone Battlegrounds. We’ll go over the ins and outs of Blizzard’s auto battler in this guide.
Battlegrounds mode pits eight random players against each other in a game that consists of two phases: the Tavern Phase and a Combat Phase.
After each pair of phases, some players can be eliminated, while others stay and fight until only one is left.
In the end, all players earn points and rank up on a dedicated ladder. So let’s take a deeper dive into the winning strategy of the Battlegrounds mode.
Choose the Best Hero
Every game in Battlegrounds starts with hero selection. This is the first important step because you don’t always get the best ones. However, you still need to know which heroes are top-tier and why.
| Hero | Why They’re a Good Choice |
|---|---|
| Millificent Manastorm | Best hero for mech tribe due to passive +1/+1 mech buff |
| The Curator | Starts a game with an Amalgam minion that has all minion types, which can be buffed by practically anything |
| A. F. Kay | Starts later than other players but gets tier 3 and tier 4 minion from the get-go |
| Patchwerk | Starts with 60 points of health instead of 40 as every other hero |
| Nefarian | Deals 1 damage to all enemy minions each combat |
If you get one of these five heroes, don’t even think about anything else. Just pick them up and win games.
Tavern Phase Tips and Tricks
Tip 1: Increase Your Tavern Tier
Starting out, you can buy low-tier minions with your coins. Nobody wants little chumpers, though, so invest your coins in your Tavern tier instead.
You can increase your Tavern tier by pressing the “Star button” to the left of Bob’s portrait. The higher your Tavern tier, the better minions you’ll get to purchase.
Tip 2: Purchase Synergies
When you’re ready to invest in your minions, be sure to choose the types of minions that synergize with your hero, as well as minions that can further buff your army.
For example, if you’re playing Millificent Manastorm, only purchase mechs. If you don’t get any mechs in your first batch, then use the refresh button for one coin and check another batch until you get what you need.
Tip 3: Positioning and Selling
Before auto-combat starts, you can arrange the positioning of your minions on the board. Since the combat phase always goes from left to right, put your most valuable minions to your right. They will have a higher chance of surviving.
In time, your army of minions will grow and improve, which means that you will have to give up your lower tier minions to Bob by selling them for one coin. Just push them over to Bob’s portrait and buy something better.
Tip 4: Purchase Similar Minions
If you buy a third copy of the same minion, they will merge into one that combines the power and enchantments of all three. That’s why it’s a good idea to buy similar minions, as it will free space on your board and reward you with a Discover spell.
Combat Phase Tips and Tricks
The Combat phase is entirely automatic, so you can’t really make any decisions here. But there is a window between each combat phase, which you can use to improve your strategy. Here are some tips you can employ.
Tip 1: Adjust Your Gameplan
After a few combat phases, you will see how your general strategy is going. Is it successful or not?
If you start losing life too early, then it’s probably a good idea to focus on purchasing minions with Taunt and grow them. This will prevent you from losing the game too fast, so you could get at least into Top 4.
On the other hand, if you’re getting lucky, and many of your minions survive the combat phase, then you can start using your active hero power instead of purchasing more minions. But that’s up to you.
Tip 2: Nightmare Amalgam
No matter what strategy you’re trying to execute, if you see Nightmare Amalgam, purchase it immediately. This is the most valuable minion in combat in any type of deck.
This minion is also very good for switching tribes between combat phases. For example, if you see that your tribe is not doing well, you can start purchasing other types of minions and push into a different direction.
Since it has all the minion types, Nightmare Amalgam will always work.
Tip 3: Focus on Temporary Buffs
During combat, you can add to your permanent buffs by growing your army and using such minions as Scavenging Hyena in beast tribe or Junkbot in mechs.
These buffs will only stay for one combat phase, but they will guarantee a win. You can always play more of the same minions to make temporary buffs the main focus of your winning strategy.
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Hopefully, these Battlegrounds strategy tips will help you get the top rank on the ladder. For more Hearthstone guides, check out the list below:
- Best Standard Hearthstone Decks for Saviors of Uldum Meta
- 15 Best Saviors of Uldum Cards for Standard
- Best Standard Hearthstone Decks for Rise of Shadows Meta
- 15 Best Hearthstone Cards from Rise of Shadows
