Previously, going Demons in Hearthstone Battlegrounds was perceived as essentially surrendering your hopes of first place for a chance of cheesing people with a top-four finish; as of patch 21.2, this is no longer the case. New Demons have entered the pool, and thanks to their vast scaling and value potential, Demons are now one of the strongest tribes in Battlegrounds. In this guide, we’ll be going over which of the new Demons are essential to winning and which Demons you will want to roll for to complete your first place war band.
The New Guys
Icky Imp
Icky Imp might not look like much, but in many cases, it is one of the best value generators in the game when combined with Impatient Doomsayer, which is the next card on this list. But even without that value, Icky Imp acts as a multitool, enabling all the different Demon synergy cards to really flex their potential. It enables juggles from Soul Juggler, grows your Bigfernal; we already talked about how it generates value with Impatient Doomsayer. To top it off, it’s actually just a strongly stated tier-one minion capable of winning or tying against most other tier-one minions. It might not be on your winning board, but Icky imp is likely a big part of what got your board into a winning state, so be on the lookout for this little guy if Demons are calling out to you.
Impatient Doomsayer
Impatient Doomsayer isn’t itself a Demon, but it clearly plays a role in the newfound strength of the tribe. With low Tavern Tier Demons like Icky Imp and Imprisoner nearly guarantee its Avenge activation, Impatient Doomsayer is an excellent value generator capable of helping you generate gold while also buffing up your Wrath Weavers and Bigfernals. It also acts as a fail-safe because if many people are trying to go Demons, it will be harder to find Demons in the tavern, which can lead to all Demon players in the lobby chocking each other out of first place. While that happens, though, your Impatient Doomsayer will simply hand those precious Demons directly to you, as long as you offer it the necessary sacrifices.
Insatiable Ur’zul
Insatiable Ur’zul is basically a must-have in any Demon composition looking to go the distance. It is by far the best scaling Demon in Battlegrounds right now and is necessary to have in nearly all cases. The idea is that you will be even more rewarded for cycling through Demons to buff Wrath Weaver and Bigfernal, as every time you do, your Ur’zul will munch up a minion in Bob’s tavern. Be careful, though, as it consumes at random. It is generally best to purchase everything you intended to buy from Bob before your Ur’zul goes to town; otherwise, it might just turn the card you wanted to buy into a stat-stacking dinner.
Old Reliable(s)
Wrath Weaver
Wrath Weaver has been and continues to be the entire reason Demons can be strong in the very early stages of the game. It is so important to Demons that if you don’t find one early enough in the game, your Demon board won’t end up big enough to reliably outscale other compositions. Like most cards a Demon builds, this non-Demon also requires sacrifice in the form of your Hero’s health. Considering this, you might want to pick up a Kathra’natir along the way, as he will make your Hero immune to the damage from Wrath Weaver, but Kathra’natir isn’t really a must-keep or even a must-buy in many situations. Just be sure to keep an eye on your health; otherwise, you might just accidentally knock yourself out earlier than you intended.
Bigfernal
Bigfernal certainly doesn’t have explosive power at face value, but it is sure to be among your three biggest units at the end of a successful Demon game. The key here is that Bigfernal gains its stats permanently, meaning that every Demon you play in the tavern, along with every Demon you summon from Deathrattles in combat, will continue to increase its power. It isn’t very complex or fancy, but Bigfernal is very reliable, and the buffs it receives come at no additional cost to you, unlike Ur’zul and Wrath Weaver, so grab it in the mid-game if you see it.
So What’s the Plan?
Demons are actually a pretty straightforward composition. Early on, you buy Wrath Weavers and start growing them with the help of Icky Imp and other cheap and replaceable Demons. Level up into taverns three and four to find yourself an Impatient Doomsayer and a Bigfernal or two, and triple anything you can on Tavern Four to try for an Insatiable Ur’zul.
Once you have one through hitting on a triple or eventually leveling to roll for one, you can keep cycling through whatever Demons you find to strengthen your core three bodies: Bigfernal, Ur’zul and Wrath Weaver. When the game is coming to an end, be sure to supplement these big lads with a Selfless Hero because they can’t get Divine Shield any other way, and maybe a Baron Rivendare (along with any poison unit you can grab). A perfect board will look something along the lines of an Insatiable Ur’zul, a Wrath Weaver, a Bigfernal, two of the best poison units you can get your hands on, and the Baron/Selfless combo (with Selfless golden if possible). If your Demons are big and your hits are lucky, it’ll be a first-place almost every time.
