Hearthstone ups the ante (literally) with the pricey Heroic Brawliseum Tavern Brawl

This week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl, Heroic Brawliseum, is a strange amalgamation of the Arena and the Ladder. Like Arena, this Brawl has an entry fee and a “three strikes and you’re out” mechanic that finishes your run as soon as you loose three matches. Unlike Arena, there’s no draft, which means you’re going to have to craft your own deck in order to play. That makes this week’s Brawl both a challenging experience and an expensive way to play — because it costs either 1000 Rhinestones (about $10) or 1000 gold to enter the Brawliseum.

Fortunately, even if you don’t play this, you can still get a free pack this week. You should see a Legendary Quest called “Call of the Brawl” which will provide a pack for playing 1 game of any mode.

But if you’re willing to pay for this Tavern Brawl, you can earn some nice rewards. So let’s dig into how to win the Heroic Brawliseum Tavern Brawl.

Tavern Brawl basics

• Name: Heroic Brawliseum
• Description: Make a Wild deck to compete with the best! Stakes are high, the competition is intense. More wins means more rewards. Can you make it to 12 wins, or will 3 losses end your run?
• Fun level: 3/10
• Difficulty: 10/10
• Replayability: 3/10
• Format: Standard
• Type: PVP
• Deck: Constructed
• Rewards: Varies based upon how much you win

Step one to playing this week’s brawl to get your wallet. The entry fee is either 1000 Runestones ($10) or 1000 in-game gold — that’s significantly pricier than an Arena run, but the rewards are potentially better as well–if you win. Once you’ve paid your entry fee, you’ll need to build a Wild deck before starting your first game. The game itself it plays out exactly like a normal match — use your awesome cards and bring your opponent’s life total to zero.

You continue your run by playing additional games until you experience the thrill of 12 victories or the agony of three defeats, whichever comes first. Fortunately you can stop between games and come back later to continue your run, so you don’t need to have a marathon play session to win. Every victory increases the difficulty of your next opponent. If you have four wins, you’re matched up against other players who also have four wins.

But each victory also upgrades the chest your get at the end of your run. Here’s a handy dandy chart of the winnings:

Can you win enough to make the entry fee worth it? If we assume 1 pack equals 100 gold, the the break even point is somewhere around 7 or 8 wins depending on how you want to value the Arcane Dust into your equation.

How to win the Heroic Brawliseum Tavern Brawl

Most Constructed Brawls fall into their own meta, but with this Brawl, the Brawl meta is the exact same as the Wild Ladder meta. You’ll see the same decks that dominate on the Ladder — so if you play much Wild, this Brawl will be very familiar. Like most Constructed Brawls, the key to winning is building a good deck and piloting it well.

With the high $10 admission fee to this Brawl, if you’re not familiar with the Hearthstone meta, or don’t have a large card collection, I strongly recommend you skip this Brawl. And even if you are familiar with the Wild meta, stick to proven decks: this isn’t the time to try something new or off meta. Stick to the tried and true decks, and think about consistency over big plays. Survive and advance should be your mindset.

Here are three decks that have high win rates on the Wild Ladder and should serve you well in the Heroic Brawliseum Tavern Brawl. These are considered the “best” Wild decks you can play.

Top Wild Decks for Heroic Brawliseum

Questline Druid

Deck code: AAEBAZICBKP2A5vOA8n1A/X8Ag2uwAS5oASaCPzfBe6jBfmtA6ngBYLgBa+ABJHgBZXgA7aYBYK0AgA=

This had been the previous top deck in Wild, but the new cards introduced in TITANS brought it down a peg. It’s still considered top tier but the other two decks featured below are considered better and more powerful.

The idea behind Questline Druid is completing your Quest, Lost in the Park. You build up your attack and your Armor simultaneously with your support cards. Secure the Deck acts as a second Quest allowing you to put even more pressure on your opponent.

Mech Paladin

Deck code: AAEBAZ8FAtj2BbCyBA7htQS5/gXZ0AXW/gKO9QXX/gKUD4b+BdrTBJK1BPmkBNS9BJX1BYSlBQA=

Mechs and Paladins might not seem like an obvious pairing, but this has been a constant in the Wild meta. ChatGPT has nothing on these Mechs. TITANS brought the deck more toys than even XT-002 would know what to do with with cards like Drone Deconstructor, X-21 Repairbot, and Noble Minibot. Crusader Aura wasn’t a part of TITANS but instead an addition to the Core set for Paladin. It gives the deck the same kind of burst that Savage Roar gives Druids but Crusader Aura lasts multiple turns.

Like most decks that are thriving in the current meta, Mech Paladin has a solid early game before you bring out your literal big gun in The Leviathan. This deck received a major boost from the reworked Magnetize mechanic. You used to need an empty slot on the board to Magnetize, but now you don’t.

If there was one deck I was going to gamble my money in Heroic Brawliseum, it would be Mech Paladin.

Even Shaman

Deck code: AAEBAaoIBJ2jA7HZBM30Ao31BQ2i+gW+BtqlA7LBBPq0BKrZBNYPhtQE+ZEE9PIFi58EwZ4GveUEAA==

You get a Totem. You get a Totem, you get a Totem. Everybody gets a Totem. You’ve got Totem cards, cards that summon Totems, and, of course, your own Hero Power. All these Totems let you drop a low cost Thing from Below and Gigantotem. Go from empty board to scary board in one turn, just add Totem power!

This deck got a huge boost with the recent releases of Audiopocalypse and TITANS. The cards those expansions added to the game have greatly enhanced this decks power and potential. Jam Session gives a buff plus a small AoE. Golganneth, the Thunderer provides the deck with removal, AoE, and card draw. Ancient Totem adds yet another Totem for the existing Totem synergy cards.

Are you feeling lucky?

If your main use of Tavern Brawls is to enjoy a rollicking good time where the size of your card collection may not matter much, the only winning play this week might be to not play. If you’re going to play, I’d suggest playing early in the week — Wednesday or Thursday — when you still have people trying out the Brawl. Later in the week, it will likely serious players only.

If you’re just looking for your pack, remember the “Call of the Brawl” quest. You can play Casual, Ranked, or even Battlegrounds to earn your win — and your free pack.

If you’re consistently hitting high ranks on the Wild Ladder and are confident in your abilities, there are some fantastic prizes to be had. Best of luck to you if you choose to venture in!

Originally published September 23, 2020; updated May 24, 2023, updated September 6, 2023