I have to confess that ever since I started playing Battlegrounds, I haven’t looked back at Standard Hearthstone.
That’s just how addictively entertaining this mode is. Most people seem to think the same, seeing how Battlegrounds is quickly going up to become Hearthstone’s most-played mode.
While meme builds and experimental builds are always more entertaining and memorable, sometimes all we need is just a clean and solid victory. With that being said, here are the Top 11 Best Battleground Builds for the current meta.
11. Charlga Quilboars
You tread on sacred ground.
Quilboars as a group really hasn’t received much love in this patch, barely being better than running a full Menagerie lineup.
The only shining light for this warband is Charlga providing you with consistent Blood Gem casts. Even then, a Golden Charlga and a Golden Agamaggan seem to be the bare minimum needed to even keep up with every other tribe in this meta.
But, if you can secure Blood Gems early on, this boar lineup can definitely snatch a win or two.
YouTube Guide to Charlga Quilboars:
What this build excels in:
- Warband Scaling : Quilboars have a well-rounded scaling thanks to Blood Gems providing constant stat boosts
- End of turn effects : Charlga and Bannerboar work very well with Ghastly Mask
- Divine Shield : Tough Tusk can be a clutch minion in the late game, especially against Murlocs
Build Details:
- Cheat out early Blood Gems with Roadboar and Prophet of the Boar
- Bannerboar is a necessity as it is your only consistent source of Blood Gems for a while
- Bristleback Brute lets you field a big threat early on while Tough Tusk lets you trade favorably in the midgame
- Golden Charlga, Golden Agamaggan, and Dynamic Duo are your endgame powerhouses
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Stolen Gold, Ghastly Mask, and Pilfered Lamps
10. Lava Lurker Nagas
The lava flows, and I flow with it.
Lava Lurker alone seems to be holding the hopes and dreams of everyone using Nagas in this meta. While the higher-tier Naga minions like Critter Wrangler and Tidemistress Athissa are on par with the best minions on this meta, Spellcraft as a mechanic is too detrimental and makes running Nagas a liability.
Luckily, Lava Lurker is common enough as a Tier 2 minion that you can easily secure a copy early on in the game. Another thing that Nagas have going for them is the efficiency of the Spellcraft cards, notably Shoal Commander. These two serve as your one-two punch until you are ready to unleash the wrath of Queen Azshara’s army.
YouTube Guide to Lava Lurker Nagas:
What this build excels in:
- Tech effects: Nagas have multiple Spellcraft with tech effects including Windfury, Divine Shield, and Taunt
- Gold generation: Gold Coin from your minions can be used to trigger minions that benefit from spellcast like Eventide Brute while also getting more minions
- Permanent Buff: Critter Wrangler makes your Spellcraft effects have a permanent benefit for your minions
Build Details:
- Secure a Lava Lurker plus a Shoal Commander early on and fill your board with any Nagas to maximize the Spellcraft effect
- Glowscale is the most important Spellcraft as it protects your Lava Lurker
- Corrupted Myrmidon can be an excellent minion to pivot into once you get Athissa and Critter Wrangler
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Evil Twin, Yogg-tastic Tasties, and Victim’s Specter
9. Hoggarr APM Pirates
(In Hogger-speak) I am Cap’n Hoggarr!
An exodia build of sorts, Hoggarr is the Battlegrounds version of an infinite money glitch. If your hands and mouse can survive the clicking, that is.
Pirates have fallen out of favor due to how severe the conditions were for achieving a Golden Hoggarr. Nevertheless, this build still maintains its rank as against stat-stacking opponents, it will be hard to find a match for your crew of sailors.
YouTube Guide to Hoggarr APM Pirates:
What this build excels in:
- Limitless stat gain: Golden Hoggarr lets you buy a Pirate and sell without losing gold, making your Salty Looter scale infinitely
- Attack synergy: Because your Salty Looter can gain stats infinitely, it can trigger both Ripsnarl Captain and Eliza multiple times per round
- Golden copy synergy: Goldgrubber synergizes well with First Mate Pip and Tony Two-Tusk, providing another minion that scales every turn
Build Details:
- Look into getting First Mate Pip early on and getting at least 1 Golden copy for the Discover card and the Goldgrubber synergy
- Freedealing Gambler is a terrible minion on its own but is excellent as a tool to buff your minions up while not losing any gold
- Since Hoggarr is a Tier 5 minion, your priority is to upgrade your Tavern Tier on time and increase your chances of getting his Golden version
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Stolen Gold, Cooked Book, and Pilfered Lamps
8. Taunt Elementals
Looks like we are off to a particularly rocky start
A straightforward strategy for a straightforward composition. There’s no fancy combo or mechanic involved here, only an unending wall of Taunts and stats.
One important thing to note is that there is a strict requirement in board space for this setup since the stat gain is directly tied to playing an Elemental. As long as you can manage this drawback, the crisscrossing beneficial effects of your Elementals will produce a defense line that will never be broken.
YouTube Guide to Taunt Elementals:
What this build excels in:
- Exponential late-game scaling: Almost all high-tier minions buff themselves in some way, making your minions gain a lot of stats every turn
- Taunts: The multiple Taunt minions give you more freedom in terms of board positioning
- Guaranteed copies: Minions such as Statis Elemental generates your desired tribe, making it easier to acquire Golden minions
Build Details:
- Always get Sellemental since it is an instant 1 gold swing in your favor
- Get your Molten Rock copies as soon as possible to start stacking their HP
- Lil’ Rag and Lieutenant Garr are your big late-game value plays
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Evil Twin and Devils in the Details
7. Big Weaver Demons
Fuel me with your anger!
Admittedly, this build is a guilty pleasure of mine due to how quickly and easily you can increase your Weaver’s stats. There might be the downside of decreasing your HP every time you buff your Weaver but hey, what’s a little pain here and there as long as the numbers go up right?
Kidding aside, the first few ticks of damage are a necessary sacrifice to stay ahead/even in board state until you get Kathra’natir. From there on, you can aim to stack a Bigfernal as another threat or get an Annihilan Battlemaster to capitalize on your missing HP.
YouTube Guide to Big Weaver Demons:
What this build excels in:
- Early dominance: Wrath Weaver dominates the early game since there are very few possible answers to its immense stats
- Quick Golden copies: Most of your necessary minions are low-tier minions which makes it easy for you to get Golden copies early on
- Token Synergy: Bigfernal permanently gains stats from tokens generated by your other demons such as Imprisoner and Voidlord
Build Details:
- Always go for the Turn 1 Wrath Weaver when offered
- Skipping your Tavern upgrade on Turn 2 when offered another Wrath Weaver or a Demon can be a viable strategy to accelerate your stat gain
- Rushing Tier 3 Tavern Upgrade and getting Kathra’natir should be your goal to minimize the self-damage dealt
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Evil Twin and Devils in the Details
6. Deflect-o-Bot Mechs
Even Jade Golems are learning automation now
What’s better than having to break a Divine Shield? Well, certainly not having to break multiple Divine Shields, that’s for sure. Fortunately for you, this is exactly the specialty of the Mech warband: Continually refreshing Divine Shields while also gaining a lot of attack.
Later into the game, you get introduced to Deflect-o-Bot’s similarly annoying mech-cousins, Holy Mecherel and Grease Bot. Both minions are your Divine Shield lovers that will take care of the game for you so you can watch the shields be refreshed over and over and your MMR climb higher and higher.
YouTube Guide to Deflect-o-Bot Mechs:
What this build excels in:
- Board space: Mechs have the Magnetic keyword that allows them to save board space when attaching other minions
- In-combat buffing: Deflect-o-Bot’s attack can reach ridiculous levels when multiple Microbots are summoned per combat phase
- Balanced scaling: All the Divine Shield minions appear within all phases of the game, ensuring that you don’t fall too far behind or lack the late-game power
Build Details:
- Deflect-o-Bot and Replicating Menace are your two core minions across all stages of the game
- Mechano-Tank can be a viable pivot since this composition already emphasizes a lot of token summoning
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Evil Twin, Yogg-tastic Tasties, and Mirror Shield
5. Felbat Demons
This bat’s getting tired of eating Fel magic and looking for a meal that is more…organic
Demons are very quickly shooting up the ranks with the best scaling build for the current patch thanks to Famished Felbat. Being more of an end-game setup, a Felbat Demon composition can opt to skip the Wrath Weaver to avoid taking too much upfront damage.
A helpful tip to scale properly is to start with a Soul Juggler and aim to at least tie rounds using small Deathrattle minions. Then, a Golden Legion Overseer is almost a necessity to make your absorptions that much more effective to punish your enemy with pure stats.
YouTube Guide to Felbat Demons:
What this build excels in:
- Hyperscaling: Legion Overseer with Felbat makes your minions scale so much more every turn than any current quest reward in the game
- Gold-efficiency: Felbat scales your minions on its own, leaving you free to refresh your shop and fish for Golden copies
- Taunts: Felbat with Voidlords is another fantastic combination as a big Voidlord can protect your other minions from threats
Build Details:
- The early-game works as either a Big Weaver start or a Juggler start
- Impulsive Trickster is a low-tier minion that you should consider getting a Golden copy of since Felbat’s scaling works well for the Deathrattle
- Legion Overseer and Felbat are the two most important components of this build, and you should pursue a Golden copy of both
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Evil Twin and Tiny Henchmen
4. Goldrinn Deathrattle Beasts
Lo’Gash has come out from its slumber, ready to howl with unmatched ferocity
Whoever believes showers are better than growers definitely haven’t experienced getting mauled by this build. With a lot, and I really mean a lot of Beast synergies to utilize, it’s a one-way street towards the pain train for anyone that underestimates these beasts.
There are two versions using this composition that you can use: Goldrinn + Macaw or the Avenge + Goldrinn setup. For the Macaw version, the key is to have a Leapfrogger or Palescale Crocolisk serve as your source of buffs before getting Goldrinn. The easier variant, the Avenge version, utilizes Mama Bear and Crocolisk as the primary buff minions, making Rat Pack more stat-efficient and a lot less reliant on Golden minions.
YouTube Guide to Goldrinn Deathrattle Beasts:
What this build excels in:
- Well-balanced matchups: Goldrinn Beasts work well against most warbands right now since it can generate a lot of stats while also spawning tokens
- Easy to build: Not being super reliant on Golden versions of minions makes this lineup a lot easier to execute and more consistent across games
- Reborn mechanic: The Reborn effect from Reanimating Rattler makes your minions able to trigger their Deathrattle effects again and extend the fight
Build Details:
- Rat Pack and Bird Buddy are both core cards for your midgame progression
- For Higher Tier minions, both Mama Bear and Palescale Crocolisk are a must
- For the end-game, Goldrinn is nice to have but the best addition to this composition is adding the Reborn effect for all your beasts
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Ritual Dagger and Devils in the Details
3. Leapfrogger Beasts
Jump, Leap, Hop, Skip, Bounce, Ribbit?
This Leapfrogger variation puts even the biggest of minions to shame when it comes to stat stacking. The skill expression required to position your minions perfectly to make your Leapfrogger’s effect keep bouncing makes this a setup that only a few can master.
If the long animation between all the Deathrattles triggering does not kill your opponent out of boredom, then adding Baron Riverdale to double the effects (and the animation length) will surely finish the job for you.
YouTube Guide to Leapfrogger Beasts:
What this build excels in:
- Wide board clears: This composition is great against enemies that generate a lot of tokens like Mech since your tokens are likely to be stronger due to Leapfrogger constantly buffing your minions
- Divine Shield Counter: Your tokens also help with poking out the Divine Shield from your opponent’s minions
- HP damage: The board often ends up being flooded by your tokens, allowing you to deal a large amount of damage to the enemy hero
Build Details:
- Scavenging Hyena and Leapfrogger are both priority low-tier minions
- For Tier 3 minions, Monstrous Macaw and Rat Pack are both minions that you should have Golden copies of
- For end-game, Baron Rivendare is a must to effectively double your board stats
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Stolen Gold, Ritual Dagger, and Tiny Henchmen
2. Divine Shield Dragons
“I'm the perfect fusion of Light and might”
Arguably the only composition capable of defeating our number 1 entry in this list, Dragons take a while to scale. But when they do, their fangs can shred through your enemies like they are made of paper.
Your early to midgame might be a little fiery but relying on the poke damage from Red Whelp should be enough to ensure that you don’t get too behind. Stacking buffs for your Tarecgosa is your priority for the next following combat phases, ensuring that your Nadina has a beefy dragon to protect.
YouTube Guide to Divine Shield Dragons:
What this build excels in:
- Hard to remove minions: The Divine Shield effect for Dragons goes more than effectively doubling their health as its biggest use today is in negating the Poisonous effect
- Infinite Scaling: Razorgore and Tarecgosa both have excellent per-turn passive scaling effects
- Midgame instant damage: Red Whelp and Atramedes provides excellent poke damage for dispelling Divine Shield effects or even killing other targets
Build Details:
- For Tier 3 minions, Amber Guardian and Tarecgosa are must-haves to start powering up early
- For Tier 4 minions, Prized Protodrake is a nice addition to your arsenal of buffs per turn
- Both Razorgore and Nadina are irreplaceable in this composition
- Kalecgos is nice to have but not a necessity anymore as there are too few Battlecry minions available
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Evil Twin, Staff of Origination, and Devils in the Details
1. Golden Swolefin Murlocs
Who said that Murlocs had the physiques of fish?
Overwhelming doesn’t even begin to describe the strength of Murlocs right now. As if it’s not enough to casually have a 100/100 Golden Swolefin, what truly makes this tribe so fearsome is the poisonous effect from Toxfin, ensuring a one-hit kill every time your minions attack.
While most quest rewards work well for this composition, make sure to get Snicker Snackers when it’s offered. Combo this reward with multiple Swolefin copies plus a Brann Bronzebeard and you’ve got yourself an instant highlight reel, much like this one:
YouTube Guide to Golden Swolefin Murlocs:
What this build excels in:
- Massive end-game threat: Murloc endgame is almost unmatchable in terms of stat scaling due to the amount of Battlecries that can be repeated with Brann and Young Murk-Eye
- Big minion removal: Toxfin adding Poisonous to a friendly Murloc makes it so that even the “smaller” (just a modest 30/30) minions are guaranteed to kill when they successfully attack an enemy minion
- Minion copy generation: Golden copies are relatively easy to secure thanks to Tad and Primalfin Lookout
- Stable early game: Although not the best, the overlapping effects and buffs make it so you can easily contend even during the earlier parts of the match
Build Details:
- For Tier 3 minions, Swolefin is almost a requirement to make a good board
- For Tier 4 minions, Toxfin is another crucial piece to contend against even bigger minions
- King Bagurgle and Young Murk-Eye are both nice pieces to have but not absolutely crucial
- Tech minions like Leeroy the Reckless can be useful when dealing with Divine Shield
- Best quest rewards you should be aiming for include Snicker Snacks, Evil Twin, and Victim’s Specter
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