Battle of the Builds


 * "What's better? Battlecry, Deathrattle, Spells, or Murlocs? Make a deck, pick a side, and let's find out!"

Battle of the Builds is a Tavern Brawl. It debuted on January 6, 2016. For exact times, see the schedule.

History
On July 20, 2016, this Brawl was briefly reprised as the fifty-eighth Brawl, until bugs were discovered. Blizzard quickly removed the Brawl and replaced it with a reprise of Idols of Azeroth.

Overview
This Brawl sees players creating their own custom decks using any class. At the start of their first turn, each player chooses one of four possible bonuses: Battlecry Bonus, Deathrattle Bonus, Murloc Bonus or Spell Bonus. The chosen bonus remains in effect for the rest of the match, and cannot be reselected.

Special cards
Each player must choose one of the following bonuses, at the start of their first turn.


 * Generated cards

Strategy
With each of the bonuses complementing a specific type of card, this Brawl encourages players to choose a single focus for their deck. One of the advantages of this Brawl is that the opponent's focus is declared at the very start of the match, making it clear what the player is up against.

Murloc Bonus
The Murloc Bonus makes it far easier for players to take advantage of Murloc buffs, matching the traditional strategy of Murloc decks which focus on board wide synergy from minions like Murloc Warleader and Old Murk-Eye. This Bonus guarantees that you will end each turn with at least one Murloc on the board, although it may have been removed before your next turn starts.

While the Murloc Tinyfin may not seem particularly fearsome, combined with buffs it can quickly grow to frightening levels; with a pair of Murloc Warleaders the player gains a 5/3 at the end of each turn, not a 1/1. More than ever, this encourages opponents to remove buffing minions as quickly as possible, since it is impossible to stem the tide of Murlocs. Murloc Tinyfin's summoning will also trigger Murloc Tidecaller.

Spell Bonus
The Spell Bonus grants Armor, which may encourage control type play, with spell-focused decks able to hold out for longer while they focus on defeating opponents through direct damage.

The Armor generated by this bonus can be effective in combination with Shield Slam.

Deathrattle Bonus
Deathrattle-themed decks waned in popularity after the January 2015 nerf to Undertaker, but it remains a solid choice for this brawl. An aggressive Hunter with Leper Gnome and Savannah Highmane might be effective, as could a tempo Mage with Harvest Golem, Piloted Shredder, and Sludge Belcher. Rogue recently received a strong option with Unearthed Raptor, which will likely have a target and receive the +1/+1 boost as well.

There are several other Deathrattle cards that have definite merit. Include a few staple spells (Kill Command, Fireball, Eviscerate), and perhaps even a couple Mechwarpers, and you're likely to collect a few wins.