Hearthstone Battlegrounds 2026: Post-Patch 35.4 Tier List

Since the launch of Battlegrounds Season 13 in April 2026 and the successive adjustments that came with it up to patch 35.4 pre-Escape from Vashj'ir Fort Pourpre, Hearthstone's auto-battler mode has changed face. New keywords, new heroes, the return of Trinkets and Anomalies: the meta is only now stabilizing, and it's starting to reveal its secrets. This guide focuses exclusively on Battlegrounds and targets an audience already well-versed in Hearthstone: if you're looking to understand the game's fundamentals, our other guides on Standard mode, classes, or the Escape from Vashj'ir Fort Pourpre expansion will be more useful on a first pass.

The goal here is simple: to give you an updated hero tier list, the dominant compositions, the buy order to aim for in the early tavern turns, and the recurring traps that cost placements late in the game.

Quick reminder: how Battlegrounds works

For players coming from Standard, a quick refresher. Battlegrounds pits eight players against each other, buying minions from the tavern and arranging them on a board of up to seven units. Each turn is split into two phases: a shopping phase (recruiting, selling, upgrading tavern tier, activating the hero power) and an automatic combat phase against a randomly drawn opponent.

• Tavern tier (from 1 to 7): determines the pool of minions available for purchase. Upgrading costs gold that you'll then lack for recruiting.
• Minion types: Elemental, Dragon, Mech, Murloc, Naga, Quilboar, Demon, Pirate, Undead, Beast. Five types are randomly drawn each game, plus All minions.
• Triples: three copies of the same minion merge into a golden version that offers a Discover of a minion of a higher tier.
• Health points: each player starts with between 25 and 45 HP, and is eliminated below 0.

Basic tip: the mode is played as much on economy (when to level up, when to freeze) as on reading the opposing board. An optimal board beaten by a natural counter still finishes eighth.

What changed with patch 35.4 and Season 13

Battlegrounds Season 13 introduced two new heroes, two new keywords, and the return of Trinkets. The follow-up patches up to 35.4 adjusted several minions and brought back Anomalies into rotation.

• Genn, King of the Worgen: new hero with the King of Duality power. He Discovers two hero powers on turn 2 and keeps both. Maximum flexibility but a steep learning curve.
• Mr. Tick-Tock: Double Time power. Two identical minions are enough to form a golden one, but you get a tavern coin instead of the triple's Discover.
• Demon Fodder (Demons): new Demon Fodder minions join your personal pool. When you draw one at the tavern, a hungry allied Demon devours it and gains its stats.
• Chromatic Drake (Dragons): five colors, each offering a unique effect that boosts your Dragons and strengthens your tavern spells.
• Return of Trinkets: 73 new Trinkets join 149 updated items, with a choice of a minor Trinket then a major Trinket mid-game.
• Anomalies: seven new ones + seventeen brought back from the vault, which alter the rules for the entire game. They shake things up from one lobby to the next.

On the type side, patch 35.4 slightly boosted Pirates and Undead via hybrid minions like the Undead Flood Ravager (Pirate/Undead, tier 6), and strengthens Mechs via the Ingenious Inventor (tier 5) which rewards Magnetize. Murlocs gain the Tide Augur, which grants an extra +1/+1 to tavern spells.

Hero tier list post-patch 35.4

This ranking is based on trends observed in the French and English-speaking meta during the first weeks following patch 35.4. It remains to be confirmed after several weeks of a stabilized meta, particularly for the two Season 13 heroes whose win rates have not yet converged.

S Tier: the top 4 regulars

• Trade Prince Gallywix: brutal economic power, geared toward multi-type scaling. He gets value out of every coin.
• Lord Barov: king of high-HP fights, with massive potential in Demon or Undead compositions.
• Brann Bronzebeard: triggers Battlecries twice, unshakeable in battlecry and Elemental/Dragon compositions.
• Ambassador Faelin: Trinket-focused, he flatters the new system very well and often ends up in the top 2.
• E.T.C., Band Manager: a flexibility power that benefits enormously from the extended minion rotation.

A Tier: solid and versatile

• Tamsin Roame: Demon composition with the new Demon Fodder, very competitive.
• Elise Starseeker: rewards Discover, adapts to the lobby's natural board.
• Skycap'n Kragg: Pirate-focused, made playable again with the Pirate/Undead hybrids.
• Kerrigan: versatile power, excellent learning curve.
• N'Zoth, the Corruptor: Beast + Deathrattle, formidable if the Beast type is present.
• The Rat King: strong Beast scaling, weaker if Beasts drop out of the pool.

B Tier: playable with the right offer

• Genn, King of the Worgen (Season 13): theoretically powerful, but managing two hero powers is punishing.
• Tess Greymane, Reno Jackson, Bru'kan, Master Nguyen, Galakrond, Ragnaros, The Lich King, Overlord Saurfang, Murloc Holmes: all require a specific composition. Honorable average placement but few fumbles allowed.

C Tier: viable but demanding

• Nozdormu, Onyxia, Ysera, Thorim, The Great Akazamzarak, Yogg-Saron: these heroes can finish in the top 4 but require expert lobby reading and a favorable offer.

D Tier: avoid unless it's a gimmick

• Mr. Tick-Tock (Season 13): tavern coins don't make up for the loss of the triple's Discover. To be confirmed, his power window depends heavily on the Trinkets on offer.
• George the Fallen, Dancin' Deryl, C'Thun, Edwin VanCleef, Tickatus, Captain Hooktusk: powers that are too slow, too costly, or too conditional in the current meta.

Key meta compositions

The archetypes below are the ones that come up most often in the top 2 in high-MMR lobbies. None of them is an auto-win: it's the offer window that dictates outcomes.

1. Demon Fodder Demons

Target tavern tier: 5-6. Tempo: mid-late. Build around Sire Denathrius and Demon Fodder devourers. Every tavern roll feeds your hungry Demons. Aim for two big scalers and a divine shield minion. The composition explodes on turn 11-12 if you've tripled a key devourer.

2. Chromatic Drake Dragons

Target tavern tier: 5-6. Tempo: mid. Collecting all five Chromatic Drakes is theoretically optimal, but even three colors already offer a powerful curve. Combine with a hero like Brann who triggers effects twice: every tavern spell becomes a mini permanent buff. A very flashy composition but coin-hungry.

3. Pirate/Undead hybrids

Target tavern tier: 6. Tempo: late. The Undead Flood Ravager bridges the gap between the two types. Goal: level up very early to tier 4 to pop a triple Pirate, then switch to scaling Undead by turn 9. Watch out for weak starting stats: without an early divine shield, you'll take a beating on turn 6.

4. Nomi-style Elementals

Target tavern tier: 5-6. Tempo: mid-late. A classic of the mode: scale every minion bought via the Elemental buff in hand. Requires staying at level 4-5 long enough to stack tokens before moving to 6.

5. Naga / tavern spells

Target tavern tier: 5. Tempo: mid. The most stable composition with the new Tide Augur. Every tavern spell becomes a permanent +2/+2 instead of +1/+1, which offsets the inherent slowness of Nagas. Aim for a board of 4-5 Nagas plus a finisher.

Pro tip: never commit to a composition before turn 5-6. Reading the offer dictates the pivot, not the other way around. A killed Plan A is a failed Plan A.

Buy order and optimal tavern tier

The curve skeleton remains stable even after 35.4:

• Turn 1 (3 gold): buy a tier 1 minion. Choose a token generator or a minion with the right type.
• Turn 2 (4 gold): level up to tier 2 OR buy + sell for tempo, depending on health and the targeted composition.
• Turn 3 (5 gold): smart freezing to set up a triple, otherwise buy two tier 2 minions.
• Turn 4 (6 gold): leveling up to tier 3 is almost mandatory, except for hyper roll compositions.
• Turn 5-6: level up to tier 4 then triple a tier 3 minion to Discover a tier 4. This is where the composition gets decided.
• Turn 7-8: level 5, looking for the key minions of the final composition.
• Turn 9-11: level 6, maximum scaling, aggressive rolling.
• Turn 12+: level 7 for compositions that benefit from it (Sire Denathrius, Kalecgos, big finishers).

Trinkets are generally chosen on turns 5 (minor) and 9 (major). Adapt the pick to the targeted composition: an Elemental Trinket makes no sense on a Pirate board.

Recurring traps to avoid

• Burning your economy on Trinkets: reading the offered Trinkets costs gold if you Discover them. Only do it if your HP and tempo allow it.
• Underestimating an Anomaly: every Anomaly active for the whole game changes the priority order. An Anomaly that buffs Elementals forces you to consider an early pivot.
• Sticking to a losing Plan A: if the tavern offer stubbornly refuses your composition past turn 5, it's better to switch to what the pool gives you. The best board is the one the lobby lets you build.

Going further

• Battlegrounds Trinket guide: which one to choose based on your composition
• Understanding Anomalies: our ranking of the 24 modifiers in rotation
• Battlegrounds Duos: how to coordinate your composition with your partner