I've recently just gotten back to play Hearthstone and the real reason behind that is because of the new Battlegrounds mode that they have recently introduced. This is Hearthstone's take into the auto battler's genre that has taken mainstream platforms by storm. I guess Blizzard has decided, why the hell not?
So they did and that's what got me reeled back into the fray again. Right now it's flimsy, but what would you expect from the beta anyways? I'm sure that, in time, they'd develop this further and may even become an e-sport contender, but that would be a story way further into the future.
The Hearthstone Battlegrounds, just like the other auto-battler games, pools you against 7 other players fighting for the Top 1 spot. There will be 24 different heroes total to choose from, however, you are only able to choose among 2 of them, or 3 if you have bought pre-release DoD packs. Each of these heroes has their own hero power (Passive or Active), and some would say that, in this phase alone, you'd already know where you'd land at the end of the game. That's how powerful these hero powers are, choosing the right hero at the start of the game might just get you first place.
I've played this game casually for about 2 weeks now. Coming from other auto-battlers, the RNG I have experienced from this game is very brutal. Having "Poisonous" in-game would just make you cringe each time you get into the combat phase. However high your HP is, against a Poisonous, you are done for. So if you like to high roll, enjoy praying to the RNGods, then this game is definitely for you.
Once you start the game, you will have 3 Coins that would continue to increase each turn up to 10. You'd get right into the Tavern Phase where, just like any other Auto-Battler, is a buying phase to purchase your minions. To purchase a minion, you'd need 3 coins. If you'd like to sell a minion, simply click on a minion on the board and drag it into Bob's face and earn 1 Gold.
Everyone's tavern will also be starting at Tier 1. As the game progresses, you'd need to level up your taverns in order for you to have access to much more powerful minions in the market. The Tiers go all the way up to 6 and mind you, the minions here are definitely the strongest.
What's an auto-battler game without the means to combine minions? Yes, you could also combine minions during your Tavern Phase. Once you've successfully combined your minions, you'd be granted a card that belongs one tier up which may give you an advantage against all the other 7 players in the field.
After two week's worth of Battlegrounds, here are a couple of notable cards that are a must-have in almost every game.
A minion that has every tribe, the Nightmare Amalgam can receive buffs from all the other minions. It could receive buffs for a Mech, Murloc. It could even Magnetize with an Annoy-o-Module giving it Divine Shield and maybe even a poisonous from a Toxfin Murloc. It is extremely versatile, easy to build big. Simply put, the Nightmare Amalgam is easily one of the most powerful minions available.
There will always be 7 different minions on the board for both you and your opponent at a given time. This is a minion that could easily destroy 3 minions out of those 7 in 1 fell swoop. Once it is built into an extremely large Cave Hydra, this could destroy entire boards preventing your enemies from doing the same. Worst-case for this would be to hit the minion on the far edge or hit divine shield minions. Look on the bright side, it just took down 3 divine shields down for you.
Simply the best minion out there. If you manage to get this early from a Zerus, you've already found a ticket to your top 4. The consistent buff coming out from this could easily buff your Amalgam, your Cave Hydra and maybe even more into the biggest minions out there.
If you have quit the game because the overall Hearthstone experience was already dry, then you might want to give the Hearthstone Battlegrounds a chance. It made me decide to play the game again after a very long break from it. Maybe it might let you enjoy the game again too.