“Battlegrounds” is the most popular game mode of the phenomenal deck-building game, Hearthstone. As Blizzard’s first foray into the auto-battler genre, Battlegrounds is wildly different from the typical Hearthstone arena game.
Despite a completely different set of rules and gameplay, Battlegrounds still has that signature competitive flair that Hearthstone is known for.
As such, a definitive ranking of the best heroes to use in the game could be a big help to new and veteran players alike. This tier list dives into the competitive meta of the game to guide you towards the best hero cards the game has to offer.
Now with all that out of the way, let’s dive right into the list.
Note that this list doesn’t apply to the Arena mode. We’ve made a separate list for that found here.
Table of ContentsShow
S-Tier
These heroes are currently the best in the game. They have excellent hero powers that perform consistently well on or against any deck.
| Hero | Hero Powers |
| Ragnaros the Fire Lord | Die, Insects! – After you kill 20 enemy minions, get Sulfuras Sulfuras (Passive) – At the end of your turn, give your left and right-most minions +4/+4 |
| Jandice Barov | Swap, Lock & Shop It – Swap a friendly non-golden minion with a random one in Bob’s Tavern |
| Kael’thas Sunstrider | Verdant Spheres – Every third minion you buy gains +2/+2 |
| Maeiv Shadowsong | Imprison: Make a minion in Bob’s Tavern dormant. After 2 turns, get it with +1/+1 |
| Arch-Villain Rafaam | I’ll Take That! – Next combat, add a plain copy of the first minion you kill to your hand |
A-Tier
Excellent heroes that have no glaring flaws but are not as overpowering as those in S-tier.
| Hero | Hero Powers |
| Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End | Puzzle Box – Hire a random minion in Bob’s Tavern and give it +1/+1 |
| Millhouse Manastorm | Manastorm (Passive) – Minions cost 2 Gold. Refresh costs 2 Gold. Tavern Tier cost (1) more |
| Nozdormu | Clairvoyance (Passive) – Your first Refresh each turn cost (0) |
| The Lich King | Reborn Rites – Give a friendly minion Reborn for the next combat only |
| Edwin Vancleef | Sharpen Blades – Give a minion +1/+1 for each minion you’ve bought this turn |
| Chenvaala | Avalanche (Passive) – After you play 3 elementals, reduce the cost of upgrading Bob’s Tavern by (2) |
| Dinotamer Brann | Battle Brand – Refresh Bob’s Tavern with Battlecry minions |
| Dancin’ Deryl | Hat Trick – After you sell a minion, randomly give a minion in Bob’s Tavern +1/+1 twice |
| Lord Jaraxxus | Bloodfury – Give your Demons +1/+1 |
| Al’Akir the Windlord | Swatting Insects – At the start of combat, give your left-most minion Windfury, Divine Shield, and Taunt |
| Captain Eudora | Buried Treasure – Dig for a Golden minion! |
B-Tier
Great heroes with helpful hero powers for certain situations in-game. Use these as backup picks for S and A-tiers if they get picked first.
| Hero | Hero Powers |
| Tess Greymane | Bob’s Burgles – Refresh Bob’s Tavern with minions from your last opponent’s Warband |
| The Rat King | A Tale of Kings (Passive) – Whenever you buy a minion of a specific type, give it +1/+2. Swaps type each turn |
| Captain Hooktusk | Trash for Treasure – Remove a friendly minion. Get a random one from a lower Tavern Tier |
| Elise Starseeker | Lead Explorer (Passive) – When you upgrade Bob’s Tavern, get a “Recruitment Map” |
| Alexstrasza | Queen of Dragons – After you upgrade Bob’s Tavern to Tavern Tier 5, Discover two Dragons |
| Sir Finley Mrrgglton | Adventure! (Passive) – At the start of the game, Discover a Hero Power |
| Forest Warden Omu | Everbloom (Passive) – After you upgrade Bob’s Tavern, gain 2 Gold this turn only |
| Ysera | Dream Portal (Passive) – At the start of your turn, add a Dragon to Bob’s Tavern |
C-Tier
These are average heroes that will need fine-tuning from the player’s end if they want to be successful. Their hero powers don’t offer any inherent advantages so it’s harder to build a cohesive deck around them.
| Hero | Hero Powers |
| Pyramad | Brick by Brick – Give a random friendly minion +4 Health |
| Infinite Toki | Temporal Tavern – Refresh Bob’s Tavern. Include a minion from a higher Tavern Tier |
| A. F. Kay | Procrastinate (Passive) – Skip your first two turns. Start with two minions from Tavern Tier 3 |
| Patches the Pirate | Pirate Parrrrty! – Get a Pirate. After you buy a Pirate, your next Hero Power costs (1) less |
| Reno Jackson | Gonna Be Rich! – Make a friendly minion Golden. (Once per game) |
| Mr. Bigglesworth | Kel’Thuzad’s Kitty (Passive) – When a player dies, Discover a minion from their Warband. It keeps any enchantments |
| Sindragosa | Stay Frosty (Passive) – At the end of your turn, Frozen minions get +1/+1 |
| Malygos | Arcane Alteration – Replace a minion with a random one of the same Tavern Tier |
| Deathwing | All Will Burn! (Passive) – All minions have +2 Attack |
| Skycap’n Kragg | Piggy Bank – Gain 1 Gold this turn. Increases each turn. (Once per game) |
| Shudderwock | Burbling – Your next Battlecry this turn triggers twice |
D-Tier
Heroes that have almost completely fallen off the meta. Use these heroes if you have a very specific niche usage in mind.
| Hero | Hero Powers |
| The Curator | Menagerist (Passive) – Start with a 1/1 Amalgam that has all minion types |
| King Mukla | Bananarama – Get 2 Bananas. At the end of your turn, give everyone else one |
| The Great Akazamzarak | Prestidigitation – Discover a Secret. Put it onto the battlefield |
| Lich Baz’hial | Graveyard Shift – Take 2 damage and add a Gold Coin to your hand |
| George the Fallen | Boon of Light – Give a friendly minion Divine Shield |
| Millificent Manastorm | Tinker (Passive) – Mechs in Bob’s Tavern have +1/+1 |
| Bartendotron | Skilled Bartender (Passive) – Reduce the cost of Tavern Tiers by (1) |
| Illidan Stormrage | Wingmen (Passive) – At the start of combat, your left and right-most minions attack immediately |
| Galakrond | Galakrond’s Greed – Replace a minion in Bob’s Tavern with a minion from a higher Tavern Tier and Freeze it |
| Aranna Starseeker | Demon Hunter Training – After you Refresh 5 times, Bob always has 7 minions |
F-Tier
The worst heroes in the game right now. Their hero powers aren’t that impressive so there’s no advantage in using them unless you want to challenge yourself.
| Hero | Hero Powers |
| Lord Barov | Friendly Wager – Guess which player will win their next combat. If they win, get three Coins |
| Patchwerk | All Patched Up (Passive) – Start with 50 Health instead of 40 |
| Rakanishu | Tavern Lighting – Give a random friendly minion stats equal to your Tavern Tier |
| Nefarian | Nefarious Fire – At the start of combat, deal 1 damage to all enemy minions |
| Fungalmancer Flurgl | Gone Fishing (Passive) – After you sell a Murloc, add a random Murloc to Bob’s Tavern |
| Queen Wagtoggle | Wax Warband – Give a friendly minion of each minion type +2 Attack |
There you have it. A definitive list of the best and worst heroes to use in Hearthstone: Battlegrounds mode. With this as your reference, you can better plan your deck builds to increase your chances of winning matches.
