Hello everybody and welcome to a new Fan Community Spotlight, and our first one after the announcement of Murder at Castle Nathria. We're all pretty excited to see some new cards get revealed, but during the wait, you'll still have your regularly scheduled piece of Sunday content to get you through the day. This week we're returning to KingKuba's Bringers of Doom set. Two weeks ago, we covered part 1 which was the main set. During that part, I mentioned that the set also contained content for all the side-modes. This part will focus on Battlegrounds, and the next part will cover Duels and Mercenaries.

The Doom Clock mechanic from the main set is carried over into Battlegrounds. A more detailed explanation on the mechanic can be found in part 1, but basically, cards with Doom Clock create a timer that counts down, and if it reaches 0 you lose the game. You use card effects to stop or reset it, and you have other cards that reward you for keeping the clock active. Doomer from the main set reappears in the Battlegrounds, but there are also some new Battlegrounds-exclusive cards that utilize the mechanic like Fireplace Kindler. This set of Battlegrounds cards is also part of an event called "Boom and Doom" which temporarily replaces some of the existing Menagerie and Taunt synergy cards.

New cards isn't just all to find here in the realm of Battlegrounds content. We've got some new heroes which will be talked about in the interview, and some custom cosmetics. You guys wanna see Doomsayer Bob? Rokara, The Lich King, and a couple of others have gotten their own makeover for the end of the world.

Note that unlike my previous Battlegrounds articles on this series, this one won't contain the Golden versions of each card alongside their normal versions as Golden versions haven't actually been made. That said, the Golden version of most cards are usually pretty intuitive to guess anyway. In any event, let us get on with the show!

How do you tie Battlegrounds to the main set and how did you implement its mechanics into the mode?

KingKuba: "So, welcome to Bringers of Doom Part 2, readers! We hope you went through Part 1, because we're coming back to the Doom Clock keyword! Remember to leave your feedback down below!

I must say - this horrifying deadline mechanic honestly worked out even better in Battlegrounds than in the main game! Mainly because of how more strategic it feels. 8 neutral minions with mostly Menagerie and Taunt support are now replaced with 8 Doom Clock supporters - giant stats, but a giant risk. Early on, they can help you cheat out some wins, but you really need to watch out for your turns left. Mid-game is where some actual stability comes in with more tools to prolong your time. And once you reach Tier 6, you can drop Dr. Boom's Freaking Dad with absolutely BOMBASTIC stats and finally stop your Doom Clock!

Everything that was established in Bringers of Doom's Doom Clock is present in Boom & Doom Battlegrounds event, from the risk, to synergies, ending with grand payoff. I'm really happy with the end result of this."

What is it like to design for Battlegrounds?

KingKuba: "It's always something really refreshing to me, because official Battlegrounds itself is an ever-changing and more or less F2P experience which I believe takes itself a bit more lightly in terms of balance and meta than a card game with expensive packs, endless options and various win conditions. It's SO much easier to make mistakes and then correct them than in the main Hearthstone mode. If I'm being honest - designing Boom & Doom took me just a few hours in total. Compare that to months of prolonged card design for 135-card set. Yep."

You've got two new heroes in this update. How'd they end up the way they are?

KingKuba: "I wanted to highlight two Bringers of Doom characters as Battlegrouds heroes. One is very well known Mal'Ganis who is this expansion's evil mastermind, the other one - Jimmy is an original character who will be really important in Year of the Goat's plotline (no spoilers tho). Mal'Ganis is a Doom Clock-specific hero that shows up only during the event, while Jimmy and his destructive abilities stay in Bob's Tavern for a bit longer. Both of these playstyles I planned from the beginning and here we are!

Buddies are also worth noting here. Although they're currently out, I've made those if something ever changes. Besides, there wasn't a better occasion than this to create Turtle of Mal'Ganis!"

Do you have anything behind the scenes you want to share?

KingKuba: "Maybe not from Battlegrounds itself, but just look at this Bringers of Doom mini-set emblem! It's all getting closer and closer!"

Do you have anything else you wish to share?

KingKuba: "Just like before, a couple of links for those who don't know what's going on here:
- Here's Part 1 of this interview;
- Here's the entire Bringers of Doom project with everything (besides the upcoming mini-set);
- Here are all 135 main set cards put nicely into one place;
- Here's the Bringers of Doom pack opening if you want to have some fun with it;
- And here are my old interviews: Remastered Rastakhan's Rumble up to current card power level standards (+Added Demon Hunter) and my previous biggest custom expansion, Escape from Elwynn!

Also just like before, thank you for reading through this. Next time, we'll cover at least two more Hearthstone modes at once! And once we're finished, get ready for a huge reveal of the mini-set!
THE END IS COMING! ...or is it? *Vsauce music starts playing*"