How could Draenei work as a minion type in Hearthstone Battlegrounds?

Draenei are coming to Hearthstone Battlegrounds at some point, that’s a given after they were added as a new minion type in The Great Dark Beyond. Blizzard has not commented or confirmed this in any way… but it’s a pretty easy guess, if you consider previous minion types that were added to Battlegrounds not long after they debuted in Constructed. But for now, we’re just speculating.

But assuming that Draenei do end up joining the game mode, what could they be like? What “gimmicks” will this minion type have? What could Draenei add to the Battlegrounds experience? Let’s speculate on how Draenei might be incorporated into Battlegrounds.

Draenei could buff the next Draenei you play

In Constructed, Draenei are all about buffing the next Draenei you play. Many of them have effects that make your following Draenei stronger, or give you other benefits based on which Draenei you’re playing next (such as increasing your hero’s Attack, for instance).

For Battlegrounds, that kind of effect could be replicated in multiple ways:

• The simplest would be something similar to what Murlocs already do, direct buffs. Perhaps some Draenei will simply have effects that buff your existing Draenei on the board, either affecting a single target or all of them.
• Another possibility would be an effect more akin to the Constructed version. It could work from simple Battlecry effects like “the next Draenei you play gains +2/+2” all the way up to “the next Draenei you play gains Divine Shield, Taunt, and Windfury” or “summon a copy of the next Draenei you play.” The possibilities are endless.

Whatever the case, keeping this theme of a united people that grows stronger over time is a likely mechanic.

Velen would give you some payoff for playing Draenei

In Constructed, the Draenei have a big “payoff” of sorts: Velen, Leader of the Exiled is a legendary minion that repeats all the Battlecries and Deathrattles of your previously played Draenei. It’s a very real possibility that a payoff of this kind would also find its way to Battlegrounds.

• Something that would make sense would be an in-combat Resurrect. Perhaps an effect like “Deathrattle: Summon your first 7 Draenei that died this combat,” in a beefed up version of Kangor’s Apprentice effect for Mechs (that also stays true to Velen’s iconic connection to the number seven in Hearthstone).
• Or, perhaps a beefed up version of Rylak Metalhead’s effect, such as “Deathrattle: Trigger the Battlecries of all your Draenei.” This would hinge on Draenei having desirable Battlecry effects, of course. Draenei could pull a page from Quilboar, having certain Battlecries that make all future Draenei stronger, and that you’re incentivized to repeat as much as possible.

Having their leader, the Prophet Velen, as a Tier 6 minion for the Draenei type is almost a given. But what else could the Draenei bring to the table to really freshen up gameplay?

Draenei could have a new, unique mechanic based around Librams, Crystals, or Spaceships

All in all, I feel like Draenei will pull from some existing mechanics — whether it’s buffing like Murlocs or Quilboar, having lots of Deathrattles like Mechs, Beasts, or Undead, or something else — but they’ll also probably bring some new mechanic that’s unique to them. And what could that mechanic be?

• Librams or Crystals could, perhaps, be a new type of Tavern Spell that can only be used to buff Draenei — like Blood Gems for Quilboar — with a multitude of different effects — like Naga Spellcraft — but they would automatically return to your hand once you sell that Draenei, and that’s where their unique gimmick would be.
• The Spaceship or some other form of Teleportation could be incorporated into the game as a Draenei mechanic, somehow. Perhaps you could send some of the Draenei on your board away to travel the Nether for a few turns, and then they’d return to your hand, allowing you to replay them. Or perhaps they could be used as Spaceship Parts or a Spaceship Crew, and end up combining themselves to form a big minion — similar to how Zilliax worked.

What do you think? How do you think Draenei will play in Hearthstone Battlegrounds? Are you excited for their imminent-and-inevitable arrival?