On September 21, the first balance patch after the Battlegrounds Refresh was updated. Let's check out how the balance patch.

1. Demons

Impatient Doomsayer, which was arguably the most broken Battlegrounds minion ever, has been rightfully nerfed. The good news is that there was compensation for Demons. Kathra'natir is now a Tier 3 minion.

The change to Kathra'natir is not strictly a buff but still a positive change to Demons because it synergizes well with Wrath Weavers. Wrath Weaver had always been the heart of Demons since Battlegrounds was first released. The rule of thumb for Demons was that play it only when you buy Wrath Weaver on Turn 1.

However, this tradition temporarily disappeared due to the insane power level of Impatient Doomsayer. Impatient Doomsayer's excessive resource generation and the existence of scaling Demon minions like Bigfernal and Insatiable Ur'zul allowed any player to start forcing Demons without any Wrath Weavers.

Players won't be able to force Demons mid-game with the nerf to Impatient Doomsayer. However, a player who starts with Turn 1 Wrath Weaver will still play a delicate Demons game because Tier 3 Kathra'natir can quickly remove Wrath Weaver's self-damage penalty. Also, fewer players forcing Demons means more Demons available in the shop.

Impulsive Trickster has also been nerfed. This nerf only matters to a rare Macaw-Trickster-Rivendare composition and does not change an actual Demons composition.

Players can't force Demons with Impatient Doomsayer anymore, but Wrath Weaver is back for an even better spot.

2. Beasts

For the first few days of the 21.2 revamp patch, Leapfrogger was temporarily disabled due to an unexpected bug. For a few days, Impatient Doomsayer was the sole ruler of the Battlegrounds. Once Leapfrogger had been fixed and entered the Battlegrounds, the meta completely changed to a battle for the Beasts.

Now with nerfs to both Leapfrogger and Monstrous Macaw, the Frogs composition is close to unplayable. However, this does not mean that Beasts are gone. Even without Leapfroggers, the mid-game tempo of Beasts like Bird Buddy, Mama Bear, and Palescale Crocolisk is still powerful.

Goldrinn is still an available option for the late game. Goldrinn composition is naturally more challenging to complete than the pre-nerf Frogs because Goldrinn is a Tier 6 minion. Also, no other Deathrattle minions should be in the composition for Monstrous Macaw to trigger Goldrinn. ㄲRegardless, the critical point is that Beasts still have powerful mid-game and a chance for late-game transition.

The nerf to Reanimating Rattler is also painful to the Beasts. Less chance to buy Reanimating Rattler means weaker Beasts composition on average. However, players usually sell Reanimating Rattler back to the minion pool after using the Battlecry, so Rattler should be relatively easier to find than Baron Rivendare, the same Tier 5 minion.

3. Quilboars (and Menegarie)

Quilboars were barely hanging on to the meta after the 21.2 Revamp patch. While all other compositions got many buffs with the Revamp, Quilboars got only one new card because Quilboars were the most recently introduced tribe.

Right after the 21.2 Revamp patch, the only viable Quilboars composition was Divine Shield - Gemsplitter - Groundshaker composition, which requires minions from other tribes or specific hero powers like George.

Now with several buffs to early Quilboar minions, build-ups to Quilboar compositions are much more viable. Nerfs to Demons and Beasts allowed late-game Quilboars to compete against other compositions.

The best news for Quilboars is that Menagerie is back to the meta. Before the 21.3 balance patch, Menegarie compositions were weak because Mythrax the Unraveler was removed, and Beasts and Demons were too strong. With the nerf to Beasts and Demons, Menegarie can fairly fight against other players.

Aggem Thorncurse and Charlga (with a buff) are excellent tools for Menegarie composition. Buffs to early-game Quilboar minions made Thorncurse and Lightfang compositions to be a lot more accessible.

4. Pirates

Pirates also got several stat buffs to the mid-game minions. These buffs make players willingly buy Pirate minions without feeling like they are getting baited.

Although these buffs are great, the ultimate power of Pirates compositions has always been based on Cap'n Hoggarr and Dread Admiral Eliza. The dependence on the core Pirate engines has only increased after the 21.2 Revamp because there are higher chances of Golden Hoggarr and Eliza highrolls with the addition of Tony Two-Tusk.

More people will try Pirate compositions, and the average finish of Pirates will also be higher. However, Pirates will always look for Hoggarrs and Elizas at the end. The frustration of not finding the core minion will continue.

5. Elementals

Elementals got a buff to Master of Realities. Usually, lowering a Tavern Tier without changing any other texts is a significant buff. Master of Realities can help Elementals, but its use is minimal without the Elementals tag. Elementals benefitted much more from nerfs to Beasts and Demons. This buff is more of a bonus.

Elementals are still in a good spot. Dazzling Lightspawn, Nomi, Gentle Djinni, and Lil' Rag are great power generators for Elementals

6. Dragons

Dragons got a slight nerf to Whelp Smuggler, and this nerf definitely hurts. However, Dragons are still in a fine spot thanks to heavier nerfs to Beasts and Demons. The overall gameplay is still the same. There are two options: Tarecgosa - Prized Promo-Darke and Kalecgos.

Compared to the old days when Dragons were all-in on Discovering Kalecgos or not, Dragons have progressed a lot!

7. Mechs

Mechs, which did not get any changes this patch, is surprisingly the best performing tribe. New mech minions introduced with 21.2 Revamp have been influential but shadowed because of pre-nerf Demons and Beasts.

Now, Mechs are great from the early game to the late game. Nerfs to Beasts were crucial because the popularity of Beasts made Baron Rivendare too popular. Mech's late-game power builds up with Omega Buster and Baron Rivendare, and not having access to Rivendare was a pain for Mechs.

Mechs are not as powerful as the pre-nerf Demons or Beasts, but they will be the best available options until the next balance patch.