The December Hearthstone Battlegrounds Update - Old Gods, Spells, New Minions, Rating Reset

A huge Hearthstone Battlegrounds patch is coming this week! We've got plenty of changes in store so let's go over them quickly and then see everything Blizzard has to say about the update.

• Three Old Gods are joining Yogg in the hero pool.
• We're getting spells! Every four rounds, you'll get to Discover one of these Darkmoon Prizes.
• Additional minions are being added to the game to change up the meta even more.
• Ratings are being reset. You can learn more about that here.

Full Battlegrounds Patch Notes

Quote From Blizzard

With this new Battlegrounds season, we will be resetting all players' external rating to 0. For more information about our Battlegrounds rating system read our Dev Insights blog! Ratings will be reset once per expansion.

DARKMOON PRIZES

We’re introducing a new limited-time mechanic—Darkmoon Prizes! Every four turns you’ll Discover a Darkmoon Prize and add it to your hand. As the game progresses, you’ll be offered increasingly powerful Darkmoon Prizes to play with. From immediately impactful buffs to game-lasting effects, Darkmoon Prizes will add a new twist to every Battlegrounds match for the next two months!

[click to enlarge]

Dev Comment: Only one player can Discover Ice Block on Prize Turn 3, but it can also be created by Big Winner.

NEW HEROES

C’Thun

• Saturday C’Thuns! [Costs 2]
  • At end of turn, give a friendly minion +1/+1. Repeat 0 Times. (Upgrades after each use!)

N’Zoth

• Avatar of N’Zoth [Passive]
  • Start the game with a 1/1 Fish that gains all your Deathrattles in combat.

Y’Shaarj

• Embrace your Rage [Costs 2]
  • Start of Combat: Add a minion from your Tavern Tier to your warband. Keep it.

Players with Battlegrounds Perks will have early access to these new Heroes before they’re formally released on December 29.

HERO POOL UPDATES

• Galakrond has been temporarily removed from the Battlegrounds Hero Pool.
• Sir Finley Mrrgglton has returned to the Battlegrounds Hero Pool.
• The Great Akazamzarak has returned to the Battlegrounds Hero Pool.
  • Competitive Spirit has been added to The Great Akazamzarak’s Secret pool.

Silas Darkmoon

• Come One, Come All!
  • Increased overall chances of getting tickets after turn 1.

Zephrys, the Great

• Three Wishes
  • Old: [Costs 4] → New: [Costs 3]

Patches the Pirate

• Pirate Parrrrty!
  • Old: [Costs 4] → New: [Costs 3]

NEW MINIONS

Acolyte of C’Thun

• [Tier 1] 2 Attack, 2 Health
  • Reborn. Taunt.

Tormented Ritualist

• [Tier 2] 2 Attack, 3 Health
  • Taunt. Whenever this is attacked, give adjacent minions +1/+1.

 

Warden of Old

• [Tier 3] 3 Attack, 3 Health
  • Deathrattle: Add a Gold Coin to your hand.

Arm of the Empire

• [Tier 3] 4 Attack, 5 Health
  • Whenever a friendly Taunt minion is attacked, give it +3 Attack.

Bigfernal

• [Tier 4, Demon] 4 Attack, 4 Health
  • After you summon a Demon, gain +1/+1 permanently.

Qiraji Harbinger

• [Tier 4] 5 Attack, 5 Health
  • After a friendly minion with Taunt dies, give its neighbors +2/+2.

Champion of Y’Shaarj

• [Tier 4] 2 Attack, 2 Health
  • Whenever a friendly Taunt minion is attacked, gain +1/+1 permanently.

Faceless Taverngoer

• [Tier 5] 4 Attack, 4 Health
  • Battlecry: Choose a minion in Bob’s Tavern. Transform into a plain copy of it.

Mythrax, the Unraveler

• [Tier 5] 4 Attack, 4 Health
  • At the end of your turn, gain +1/+2 for each minion type you control.

Elistra the Immortal

• [Tier 6] 7 Attack, 7 Health
  • Divine Shield. Reborn. Whenever a friendly Taunt minion is attacked, this gets attacked instead.

MINION POOL UPDATES

• Righteous Protector has been removed from the Battlegrounds minion pool.
• The Beast has been removed from the Battlegrounds minion pool.
• Crowd Favorite has been removed from the Battlegrounds minion pool.
• Shifter Zerus has been removed from the Battlegrounds minion pool.

Hearthstone Patch 19.2

Looking for more information on the December 15 patch? Here's all our coverage!

• Standard card balance changes - Demon Hunter Nerfed!
• Old Gods join Battlegrounds with New Spells and Minions
• Winter Veil 2020 In-Game Event Details
• Garrosh and Uther Getting Book of Heros Chapters in December and January
• Hearthstone Duels Hero Power and Treasure Unlock Requirements are Being Reduced This Week
• Hearthstone No Longer Playable on Mobile Devices With Less Than 2GB of Memory
• Details on the Hearthstone Progression System Update Arriving December 15