Mastering Darkmoon Prizes – Hearthstone Battlegrounds Guide

Hearthstone Battlegrounds is known for its ever-evolving gameplay, and one of the exciting additions to the game is the Darkmoon Prizes, bringing a new layer of strategy and excitement to the battlegrounds. This comprehensive guide will delve deep into Darkmoon Prizes, their history, and strategies to maximize their potential.

Understanding Darkmoon Prizes

Darkmoon Prizes are a cycle of Spell cards that can significantly impact the outcome of a Hearthstone Battlegrounds match. Here’s what you need to know about them:

• Tickatus’s Hero Ability: Tickatus, a distinctive hero in Hearthstone Battlegrounds, possesses a passive Hero ability that allows players to Discover a Darkmoon Prize.
• Anomalies and Darkmoon Prizes: In Battlegrounds Season 5, anomalies bring game-changing effects. One such anomaly, “A Faire Reward,” replaces minion discovery with a Turn 1-4 Darkmoon Prize when you triple. This prize upgrades over turns, offering potent combos and potentially infinite stats for your minions.

Exploring the Darkmoon Prizes – Turn 1 to 4

Now, let’s delve into the Darkmoon Prizes themselves and what they offer. Darkmoon Prizes are categorized into four Prize Turns, each with its unique set of cards. Let’s examine the prizes available in each turn:

Prize Turn 1:

• Banana Bunch: Get 2 Bananas.
  • Note: These +1/+1 Bananas and +2/+2 Big Bananas should be used generously to ensure your win the early rounds.
• Gacha Gift: Discover a minion from Tier 1.
  • Note: When picking the minion, either choose a powerful Battlecry minion or one that you can sell for benefits, like Sellemental and Sun-Bacon Relaxer.
    
• Might of the Stormwind: Give 3 random friendly minions +1/+1.
  • Note: This prize is not highly rewarding, but rather pushes your early-game dominance.
• New Recruit: Add a minion to the Tavern for the rest of the game.
  • Note: This incredibly benefits your throughout the game, reducing your need to refresh the tavern as much.
• Pocket Change: Get 2 Gold Coins.
  • Note: In the early game, this can help you attain a slight advantage with an extra minion or faster Tavern upgrades.
• Rocking and Rolling: Your next three Refreshes cost (0).
  • Note: This lets you refresh and better find the minion you need.
• The Good Stuff: Give minions in the Tavern +1 Attack for the rest of the game.
  • Note: An buff that benefits only you throughout the game.

Prize Turn 2:

• Brann’s Blessing: Your Battlecries trigger an extra time this turn.
  • Note: Powerful with Murlocs, Dragons and Demons, letting you utilize your Battlecries more effectively.
• Evolving Tavern: Replace all minions in the Tavern with ones of a Tier higher.
  • Note: Mostly a hit or miss, but can give you an early advantage if you find a good minion to scale with.
• Great Deal: Reduce the Cost of upgrading the Tavern by (5).
  • Note: Pairs well with heroes like Rakanishu, Millhouse Manastorm and Forest Warden Omu.
• Gruul Rules: Give a minion “At the end of your turn, gain +2/+2.”
  • Note: Try to invest this on a minion you find you will be keeping for a long time, like Wrath Weaver, Flourishing Frostling, Lava Lurker or Soul Rewinder.
• I’m Still Just a Rat in a Cage: Give a minion +2 Attack, then double its Attack.
  • Note: Although a turn 2 Prize, it can be incredibly effective on late-game minions like Blade Collector, Wildfire Elemental or Foe Reaper 4000.
• On the House: Discover a minion from your current Tier.
  • Note: Try to use this ability as late as you possibly can; the higher the Tavern Tier, the better.
• The Bouncer: Give a friendly minion +6/+6 and Taunt.
  • Note: This ability is not a game changer, but the early stats and Taunt can help you survive turns you would have lost otherwise.
• The Unlimited Coin: Gain 1 Gold. Return this to your hand at the end of the turn.
  • Note: A Gold advantage throughout the game is always a welcome benefit.
• Time Thief: Discover a minion from your last opponent’s warband.
  • Note: This is slightly better than Murozond, as it lets you Discover and choose a minion. Works best right after battling a hero with the same build as you.

Prize Turn 3:

• All That Glitters: Make a random minion in the Tavern Golden.
  • Note: Used early, this can give you a good advantage, letting you discover a minion of a tier higher. Later on, this is more of a hit or miss.
• B.A.N.A.N.A.S.: Fill your hand with Bananas.
  • Note: Always clear your hand before using, to ensure you get the most Bananas as possible.
• Buy the Holy Light: Give a minion Divine Shield.
  • Note: Keep this until you find a high-tier minion that you plan to keep till endgame.
• Ice Block: Secret: When your hero takes fatal damage, prevent it and become Immune this turn.
  • Note: Use this the moment you find it, as it will give you one chance to survive a killing blow.
• Mindflayer Goggles: Steal all minions from the Tavern, then Refresh it.
  • Note: Upgrade your Tavern, refresh it a few times, and then collecting all high-tier minions with this.
• Repeat Customer: Return a friendly non-golden minion to your hand. Give it +2/+2.
  • Note: This works well with minions that have powerful Battlecries, such as Imposing Percussionist, Captain Sanders, Amalgadon and Murky.
• Top Shelf: Discover a minion from Tier 6.
  • Note: If you get a good minion that lets you scale your build like Bristlebach, Famished Felbat, Kalecgos, Octasari, Rock Rock, Sister Deathwhisper or Tidemistress Athissa, you can ensure a powerful late-game.
• Training Session: Discover a new Hero Power.
  • Note: This works well with Heroes that have early-game powers or limit-use ones, like A.F. Kay, Ambassador Faelin, Dinotamer Brann, Forest Warden Omu, Mr. Bigglesworth, Professor Putricide, Reno Jackson, The Curator and Throim.

Prize Turn 4:

• Argent Braggart: Battlecry: Gain Attack and Health to match the highest in the battlefield.
  • Note: This minion can be exceedingly beneficial to builds where one minion is focused, such as those with Nagas, Murlocs, Mechs and Demons.
• Big Winner!: Discover a Prize from each of the previous Prize turns.
  • Note: This allows you to benefit from previous Prizes, letting you revisit choices you had to forgo.
• Fresh Tab: Refresh your Gold.
  • Note: When playing with scaling builds like Elementals and Pirates, this will let you extend your scaling by refreshing your Gold back to 10.
• Friends and Family Discount: For the rest of the game, minions in the Tavern cost (1) less.
  • Note: This can be a gamechanger when paired with scaling builds like Elementals and Pirates, and with heroes like Millhouse Manastorm.
• Give A Dog A Bone: Give a friendly minion Divine Shield, Windfury, and +10/10.
  • Note: At the late-game, you might have a powerful minion that can benefit highly from this prize’s Divine Shield and Windfury. The +10/10 is just an added bonus.
• Open Bar: Your first 5 Refreshes each turn cost (0).
  • Note: This is great for the clutch minion buys that can determine your victory or defeat, such as a last-second Tunnel Blaster, Leeroy, Titus Rivendare, Zap Slywick or any triple.
• Raise the Stakes: Make a friendly minion Golden and return it to your hand.
  • Note: This is a powerful prize to use on high-tier minions that can benefit from being Golden, such as Omega Buster, Felstomper, Choral Mrrrglr, or Bristlebach.

Hearthstone Battlegrounds Guide – Darkmoon Dominance

Darkmoon Prizes bring depth and excitement to Battlegrounds. Mastering them, along with hero selection and strategy, offers a competitive edge. Embrace the chaos, refine your skills, and shine in the ever-changing Battlegrounds.