Anyone that’s played even one game in Hearthstone Battlegrounds against a Murlocs player will know that their goal is to overwhelm the board far earlier than any other card type.
Murlocs go fast, it’s a fact of life. Not only is this consistent in World of Warcraft lore with their role as a low-level player frustrator, it’s true in WoW’s other, original card game.
Yes, that’s right: The World of Warcraft Card Game that was the progenitor to Hearthstone also featured Murlocs, and from the beginning their goal was simple: Mrgle all over their urgle in order to achieve slimy, fish-scented victory.
But Battlegrounds is a different beast entirely, so what do? Allow us to guide you through Hero selection, card focus, and end-game strategies in Hearthstone Battlegrounds so you too may get the Murlocs to the finish line!
The Hero selection
The Murloc Hero Tier List as of Patch 24.6.2
There’s an overwhelming selection of Heroes at your disposal and it’s likely that you won’t always get the one you want. Nevertheless, there are a few you’ll certainly want to grab if they appear in the roulette wheel. Let’s take a look at a few of the most suitable choices.
Top Hearthstone Battlegrounds Murloc hero picks
Murloc’s two win conditions are its biggest weakness. Murloc decks either win by pumping large numbers into the likes of Swolefin or by covering the board in cards with Poisonous via Toxfin. Because of that Murlocs also have a natural weakness against Divine Shield and other Poison cards. Al’Akir solves many of those problems by guaranteeing you at least one Murloc with a bubble and two swings per turn. Getting a swole fish with poison on the left-hand side with Al’Akir can carry you through the middle rounds as you wait for the likes of Bagurgle and Young Murk-Eye.
Fun fact: Bagurgle’s art and card design are essentially the same as it was in the original WoW TCG.
This might be the most obvious choice given the theming, but Flurgl’s role as an S-tier for Murlocs is undisputed. This is especially true with the introduction of Tad, the tier-three Murloc that gives another Murloc upon being sold. Much more about the turn-to-turn play of Murlocs is now about milling and selling mass amounts of Mrgles to make mincemeat of your foes. The random nature of Flurgl’s passive also means you might score early paydirt and get an late-tier card long before you typically would.
The toss-up choice
The final selection is a toss-up between Mutanus and Cookie. It’s arguable that a Discover Hero such as Cookie has more value, it also means you’re giving up a lot of cards for a chance at something. Meanwhile, Mutanus is not only recycling +X/+X numbers from low-tier cards you’ve moved on from, but you’re also getting some coin back in the process. As far as advancing the Murloc agenda, I think Mutanus offers more early-game value while providing just as much ramp as Cookie without as much guesswork.
Card flow and you
Get used to seeing the low-cost Murloc cards, as you’ll be cycling through a ton of them. While lacking the card diversity of other types, Murlocs make up for it in low cost. This means the early game will focus on pumping Swampstrikers, getting a gold Warleader as soon as possible and aiming for those higher-tier Murlocs via your Hero ability and Primalfin Lookout.
The real end goal is to achieve one of the two aforementioned win conditions: Poison or heckin’ chonkers. A lack of Toxfins is annoying but manageable with a Mantid Queen. However, the real big combo for victory comes in the form of our old friend Brann Bronzebeard. Combining his Battlecry trigger ability with Swolefin, Bagurgle and Primalfin Lookout drastically increase your ramp and cycling potential. And as soon as you can say ‘Mrgle‘ your board can take over, as seen below.
The board from a Battlegrounds first-place finish using Murlocs.
This example hits all of our win conditions while also providing protection against the Murloc’s greatest threats via Al’Akir. Young Murk-Eye provides a constant Battlecry trigger for Swolefin and the Mantid Queen can sub out for Brann Bronzebeard once you have some other poison on the board. Murloc Warleader can also leave the board in the late-game if you’re looking for some on-the-fly substitutions or protection against poison or swole cards. In a pinch the likes of Leeroy Jenkins can sub in to offer a way to penetrate Divine Shield or huge creatures.
Mrgle?
One of the biggest threats in Hearthstone Battlegrounds will always be someone sporting Murlocs, thanks to their sheer speed. Consider these tips next time you find yourself staring at a Murloc-heavy opening lineup and you too can sing the siren song of everyone’s favorite cat-eating Blizzard mascots!
And as always, be sure to stick with esports.gg for all your Hearthstone news and notes. Mrgle.
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