Hearthstone Heroic Guide: Blackrock Mountain Part 1

The first wing of Blackrock Mountain is now available, introducing three Bosses, two class challenges and a Heroic difficulty mode. While the challenges and bosses in normal form are easy to surpass, in order to defeat the enemies in their heroic form you must use specific strategies and rely on good luck. Below you can see some of the best tactics to defeat these epic enemies, and decks that use mostly basic or Adventure cards. While not ideal decks, they can serve as the basis to build solid decks with your own cards. Other then that, we can only wish you good luck, because you will need it.

Blackrock Depths

The Grim Guzzler

Blackrock Mountain starts with a heavyweight (quite literally, since you will be facing massive minions). The Grim Guzzler's ability, Pile On!, lets him summon two random minions - one from his and a minion from the player's deck onto the board. This means that, potentially, by the third turn The Grim Guzzler can have six heavy minions on the board and the player only three.

Strategy: To defeat The Grim Guzzler you need to use his ability against him, and for that you will need massive creatures - the bigger and meaner, the better. Don't use minions with Battlecry, since they won't kick in when summoned via Pile On!. In addition to heavy-sized creatures, you will also need spells to control the battlefield. The Druid has some good skills for that, but other classes, such as the Mage and the Warrior, are also good alternatives.

Budget deck: Deck (Druid): Innervate (2), Mark of the Wild (2), Wild Growth (2), Poison Seeds (2), Swipe (2), Chillwind Yeti (2), Sen'jin Shieldmaster (2), Booty Bay Bodyguard (2), Boulderfist Ogre (2), Lord of the Arena (2), Reckless Rockteer (2), Core Hound (2), Stormwind Champion (2), War Golem (2), Ironbark Protector (2)

Dark Iron Arena

In order to get out alive of the Dark Iron Arena, you must prepare for a legendary battle - quite literally. The deck of Dark Iron Arena is composed only of minions, all of them legendary. His ability, Jeering Crowd, allowing him to summon a minion with 1/1 Taunt, isn't particular dangerous. What does is the four mana crystals that he has at the beginning of the battle, giving him a devastating head-start.

Strategy: If you want to survive this confrontation, you need to control the start of the battle so you can balance the board later on. Spells to destroy, neutralise or transform the legendary minions of Dark Iron Arena are key to win this confrontation. The new card Grim Patron was particularly useful, allowing us to constantly renew the board.

Budget Deck: Deck (Mage): Zombie Chow (2), Frostbolt (2), Kobold Geomancer (2), Unstable Ghoul (2), Arcane Intellect (2), Frost Nova (2), Shattered Sun Cleric (2), Fireball (2), Polymorph (2), Sen'jin Shieldmaster (2), Water Elemental (2), Feugen (2), Grim Patron (2), Gurubashi Berserker (2), Stalagg (2), Flamestrike (2)

Emperor Thaurissan

This battle with Emperor Thaurissan is very peculiar because everything revolves around a minion - Moira Bronzebeard, Thaurissan's wife. The boss ability allows him to apply 30 damage to the player, which usually means your immediate death. The catch is that Thaurissan will only use this skill if Moira is dead, although Thaurissan is a greater danger to Moira than the player.

Strategy: The secret is to keep Moira alive, preferably without causing much damage (reducing her attack to 1 is essential for victory). You will also need some cards capable of neutralising the minions that damage other lackeys present in Thaurissan's deck. But more important than the cards you should have are the cards that you must avoid: minions with Taunt, minions that cause general damage or spells that cause general damage. All are prohibitive in this battle.

Budget Deck: Deck (Paladin): Blessing of Might (2), Hand of Protection (2), Humility (2), Undertaker (2), Zombie Chow (2), Acidic Swap Ooze (2), Crazed Alchemist (2), Haunted Creeper (2), Ironbeak Owl (2), Truesilver Champion (2), Blessing of Kings (2), Hammer of Wrath (2), Spellbreaker (2), Grim Patron (2), Guardian of Kings (2)

In Part 2 (on the site shortly), we'll have quick tips for beating the second wing bosses of Blackrock Mountain.