Quilboars are dominating the meta in Hearthstone Battlegrounds. With super-fast scaling, the potential to diversify down a couple of different build paths, and the fact they're in every single game at the moment, you'd be making a mistake if you didn't prioritize the piggies.
That being said, what makes the perfect Quilboar build? Which tier should you try to power level to? Are there any ways to transition into a Quilboar build even if you didn't pick up the early game minions? Here's everything you need to know about maximizing the potential of these fearsome hogs.
Updated July 8, 2021, by Harry Alston: Following the release of Patch 20.8 for Hearthstone Battlegrounds, we felt that this guide needed updating to bring it up-to-date with the latest changes.
Quilboars are still extremely strong in the meta, but some of the other minion tribes (particularly Demon and Elementals) have received some buffs. Several heroes have also been reworked. This changes how Quilboars should be played.
General Tips To Play Quilboars Successfully
Quilboars are strong, but that doesn't mean there aren't nuances regarding how you should play the new minions. Here are some things to keep in mind as you experiment with the new tribe.
- Power Leveling Is Back — A few patches ago, power leveling was all the rage. Take a chunk of early game damage to be in with a chance of getting the first pick of top tavern tier minions. Quilboars have reignited that meta.
- Don't Force Quilboars From The First Turns — Though the Quilboars are very strong, you shouldn't force them from very early on. The early tavern tier minions, like Roadboar or Tough Tusk, aren't great. Tavern tier three is where you can pick up some minions to begin your build: Bannerboar and Thorncaller are good options.
Best Heroes For Playing Quilboars Successfully
Quilboars are a powerful tribe that works well with almost any hero. With the return of the Darkmoon Faire prizes, Tickatus is pretty much a must-pick whenever you see him pop up, but there are several other top-tier heroes that have a hero power that amplifies the Quilboar's strengths.
S-Tier Quilboar Heroes
Heroes that can level fast will exceed when Quilboars are in the game. Because they're one of the strongest minion tribes in the game currently, players are always hunting for them. Get to tier five quickly and you'll have the first pick of the best Quilboars.
- Forest Warden Omu - Power level to tavern tier five or six and high-roll for Quilboars. That's about as good as it gets, and that's the reason why Omu has one of the highest win rates in this meta.
- Reno - A high-roller's dream, the Quilboar pattern of the race for the best minions fits well with a hero that can instantly turn that powerful minion into a gold version. You can even hero power the tavern tier four Quilboars, like the Bannerboar.
- Mutanus the Devourer - A surprise hit, it turns out being able to move the Blood Gem stats from one minion to another is extremely powerful. You even get gold back. This makes scaling from early game Quilboars much easier, especially if you hit a strong minion later.
Quilboar Minion Tier List - What's Worth It, And What Isn't
Battlegrounds is a game of making the most of your gold per turn. It's a game of economy, and eventually building a board that scales faster than all the other players in the game. Quilboars are very, very good at it. Here's a breakdown of the best — and worst — Quilboar minions. There are some that are up there with the best cards added in this expansion.
S-Tier Quilboar Minions
These are the Quilboar you shouldn't even think twice about buying. If you see them in Bob's Tavern, just buy them. You'll probably win the game. These are also the top targets for tripling into, especially at Tavern Tier Four and Tavern Tier Five.
- Charlga — Most players thought Charlga was going to be good, but it turns out the card is probably even better than good. Charlga is basically Kalecgos, but with a whole load of piggy power behind it. Paired up with the Tier Five Agamaggan Boar, the card which turns your +1/+1 Blood Gems into +2/+2, Charlga offers ridiculous scaling in the late game.
- Agamaggan, the Great Boar — For pure Blood Gem synergy, there is no better card than Agamaggan. You're basically doubling the output of your Blood Gems per turn, and it works well with pretty much all other Quilboars. If you manage to snag this at turn six or seven then you're in for a spicy game.
- Bonker — Bonker is right up there as a top-tier Quilboar because it provides the scaling you need to make it through the mid-game. This tier four minion provides a Blood Gem every time it attacks, and since it has windfury, you could be making at least two Blood Gems a turn.
- Dynamic Duo — Another tier four minion, Dynamic Duo will scale by +1/+1 as you play Blood Gems. Fits right into a Quilboar Blood Gem build and scales FAST. Gives you those extra stats to make it to the final turns.
A-Tier Quilboar Minions
It's a testament to how powerful Quilboars are in the current meta that the vast majority of the tribe's minions come under the top two tiers. Here are the cards you should keep in mind if you're going for a full Quilboar build, or want to diversify down a different route. The Legendary minions are very strong.
- Aggem Thorncurse — Thorncurse is basically Lightfang, but better. You can structure an entire Menagerie build around this card. Each time you play a Blood Gem on the minion every other minion receives +1/+1. This means you don't end up with a useless 2/2 Lightfang but a stacked minion instead. Pair with some divine shields (Deflecto, Bronze Warden) and you're on to a winning build.
- Captain Flat Tusk — The community might have slept on this card when it was released. Turns out, the pig equivalent of Cap'n Hoggarr is pretty good. Flat Tusk gives you a Blood Gem each time you spend three gold (rolling or buying minions). It basically works as a Blood Gem generator to keep scaling your units.
- Necrolyte — Necrolyte is another card that might have gone under the radar. In practice, though, it's incredibly powerful. Being able to transfer your Blood Gems from minion to minion keeps your board flexible and lets you prioritize stats on important minions, like Divine Shields.
- Archdruid Hamuul - Introduced with patch 20.8, Archdruid Hamuul isn't a Quilboar minion, but refreshing the entire tavern with Quilboars is very strong if you're hunting for those top-tier minions. Situational, of course, but strong if pulled off at the right time in a game.
The early game Quilboars, like Razorfen Geomancer, Prophet of the Boar, and Tough Tusk are viable options, although they're definitely weaker at the start of the game. You might find yourself taking too much damage if you opt for a Quilboar build right off the bat: it's definitely wiser to rush to the higher tavern tiers while sustaining a strong mid-game build. For more tips on Battleground's builds, check out the full guide to endgame builds.
The Charlga And Agamaggan Boar Quilboar Build
The premise behind this build is simple: aim for a high tavern tier and hope that you're blessed with either a Charlga or Agamaggan Boar. This means heroes that can power level, like Omu for example, are extremely strong in this meta. You get the pick of the bunch of top-tier minions.
Menagerie Build With Aggem Thorncurse
Aggem Thorncurse might be the best menagerie unit in the game currently. Paired with a unit that supplies Blood Gems regularly, like Captain Flat Tusk or Bonker, you can create a board that scales very quickly. Powerful menagerie units that previously worked well with Brann or Lightfang are good here too: aim for a Deflecto if Mechs are in the game or a Bronze Warden for Dragons.