The 22.6 Hearthstone Patch is here. While we prepare for the Voyage to the Sunken City expansion, Battlegrounds and Mercenaries have updates.
The 22.6 Hearthstone Patch that precedes the Voyage to the Sunken City expansion brings important news for Battlegrounds and Mercenaries too. Live today, the 22.6 Hearthstone patch will introduce a new Battlegrounds Hero, some new minions, and restore the armor system. Furthermore, seven new Mercenaries will visit the village.
Hearthstone Battlegrounds updates with patch 22.6
The same day of the Voyage to the Sunken City announcement, Hearthstone players will get the 22.6 patch with many Battlegrounds news. The important thing, this update goes live today, so take a deep breath, we are going to dive into the 22.6 Hearthstone patch.
Ambassador Faelin New Battlegrounds Hero
The new Ambassador Faelin Battlegrounds hero coming in Hearthstone patch 22.6 will bring new strategies to Blizzard’s auto battler. His hero power will force you to skip your first turn but compensate you with free minion Discoveries.
Following the same theme, Submersible Chef, Faelin’s buddy, also adds random minions to your hand. Economy heroes have been proven to be a powerhouse. Furthermore, the consistency that the Discovers offer could be key to developing your composition.
New Battlegrounds Minions in the 22.6 Hearthstone Patch
![<strong>Swampstriker</strong><br>[Tavern Tier 1, Murloc] 1 Attack, 4 Health. After you summon a Murloc, gain +1 Attack.](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net%2Fcms%2Fcontent_entry_media%2Fl6%2FL68P4TX826291646774776903.png&w=3840&q=75)
[Tavern Tier 1, Murloc] 1 Attack, 4 Health. After you summon a Murloc, gain +1 Attack.
![Tad<br>[Tavern Tier 2, Murloc] 2 Attack, 4 Health. When you sell this, add another random Murloc to your hand](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net%2Fcms%2Fcontent_entry_media%2Fts%2FTSNDM3PDRBHE1646774793545.png&w=3840&q=75)
[Tavern Tier 2, Murloc] 2 Attack, 4 Health. When you sell this, add another random Murloc to your hand
![Baby Krush<br>[Tavern Tier 5, Beast] 7 Attack, 7 Health. Whenever this attacks, summon a 9/9 Devilsaur to attack the target first.](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net%2Fcms%2Fcontent_entry_media%2Fex%2FEXK0LI5WMWII1646701099297.png&w=3840&q=75)
[Tavern Tier 5, Beast] 7 Attack, 7 Health. Whenever this attacks, summon a 9/9 Devilsaur to attack the target first.
![Friend of a Friend<br>[Tavern Tier 6] 5 Attack,](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net%2Fcms%2Fcontent_entry_media%2F7n%2F7NRFXH2078YS1646701077444.png&w=3840&q=75)
[Tavern Tier 6] 5 Attack,
(Some things are best left between you and your bestie, Friend of a Friend won't discover some Buddies for balancing purposes, check the full list here)
Minion updates
With the arrival of new Murlocs and Beast, some old friends will leave now. Murloc Tidehunter, Old Murk-Eye, and Maexxna have been removed from the minion pool. Other minions have also changed with the 22.6 Hearthstone Patch:
![Acolyte of C’Thun <br>Old: [Tavern Tier 1] 2 Attack, 2 Health. <br>New: [Tavern Tier 2] 2 Attack, 3 Health.](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net%2Fcms%2Fcontent_entry_media%2Fz4%2FZ4WPHU2HLF1A1646774820489.png&w=3840&q=75)
Old: [Tavern Tier 1] 2 Attack, 2 Health.
New: [Tavern Tier 2] 2 Attack, 3 Health.
![Reanimating Rattler<br>Old: [Tavern Tier 5] 7 Attack, 3 Health<br><strong>New: [Tavern Tier 4] 5 Attack, 3 Health.</strong><br><br>](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net%2Fcms%2Fcontent_entry_media%2Fiq%2FIQYWZ02LTHI81646774836098.png&w=3840&q=75)
Old: [Tavern Tier 5] 7 Attack, 3 Health
New: [Tavern Tier 4] 5 Attack, 3 Health.
![Strongshell Scavenger<br>Old: [Tavern Tier 5]<br><strong>New: [Tavern Tier 4]</strong>](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net%2Fcms%2Fcontent_entry_media%2Fl2%2FL2PVGXF4YASS1646775551226.png&w=3840&q=75)
Old: [Tavern Tier 5]
New: [Tavern Tier 4]
Old: At the end of your turn, gain +1/+2 for each minion type you control
New: At the end of your turn, gain +2/+2 for each minion type you control
Old: 7 Attack, 6 Health
New: 9 Attack, 8 Health.
The battlegrounds Armor system is back
After the big Battlegrounds Buddy launch, Blizzard now restores the Armor System to balance the game with one more variable. Using game data, the Hearthstone team aims to compensate the weaker classes with an armor boost to balance the game.
With a 7 Tier system, Battlegrounds Heroes will get armor at the beginning of each game after the 22.6 Hearthstone Patch. If you want to check the full list, check the official blog post.
New Hearthstone Mercenaries coming with patch 22.6
Leeroy Jenkins is charging into Mercenaries and will have its own special event. Starting on March 22 Mercenaries players will have 10 special tasks featuring Leeroy and the Black Dragonflight.
Completing the 10 tasks will grant players over 750 Mercenary Coins, the Leeroy Jenkins Legendary Mercenary Card, a Leeroy Jenkins Golden Portrait, and a Leeroy Jenkins Diamond Portrait. The event will end on April 5, so if you are looking to kill some time before the expansion, this might make the trick.
New Mercenaries
Alongside this new Mercenaries, with the 22.6 Hearthstone Patch, players will be able to enjoy six new Bounties to the new Onyxias’s Lair Zone:
- Smolderwing
- Dragonbone Golem
- SI:7 Smuggler
- Onyxia
- Undead Onyxia
- Mi’da Pure Void (unlocked after the Leeroy Jenkins event)
A lot is happening in Hearthstone right now, so stay tuned to Esports.gg to be up to date with all the news and updates. See you next time in the Sunken City