The Great Akazamzarak (Battlegrounds)


 * ''For The Dalaran Heist encounter, see The Great Akazamzarak.

The Great Akazamzarak is a hero that the player can pick in the Battlegrounds game mode.

For more information, see Battlegrounds.

Strategy
The Great Akazamzarak's Secrets can provide his minions with a powerful edge in combat if used well. However, he is reliant on RNG, which can make his Hero Power's impact inconsistent. Nevertheless, picking a good Secret with your spare coin makes him a tricky opponent.
 * Ice Block is an incredible Secret to have, as it assures your survival for one round. If you get this secret early, feel free to play a bit greedier with your tavern upgrades.
 * Splitting Image is among the best of Akazamzarak's Secrets in the combat phase. If played in the late game, it can put out a huge body with good positioning, allowing it to turn the tide or potentially win the combat on its own.
 * Autodefense Matrix can also be quite impactful on a board with Divine Shields, as players usually put small minions on the left to trigger Divine Shields with minimal damage loss. A second one can surprise opponents and absorb a lot of damage.
 * Venomstrike Trap produces a Poisonous token that can swing a battle by unconditionally bringing down an enemy minion. As the token is summoned on the far right, it is unlikely to hit a Divine Shield, but because it attacks after all of your other minions, the token might not be enough to win a combat on its own so much as cushion a defeat.
 * Redemption, much like The Lich King's hero power, gives one of your minions a second life with 1 health. This can be used to double your leftmost minion's Deathrattle or let your Taunts stall for a bit longer. Note however Redemption's effect *does* stack with Reborn -- whether granted by The Lich King, or appearing naturally on the minion. The unit will resurrect once via Redemption, and then once killed again, via Reborn. This is especially powerful with Bronze Warden and Elistra the Immortal, who will both resurrect twice, each time with a Divine Shield.
 * Avenge's buff is okay in the early game but inconsequential later on. As Akazamzarak rarely has coins to spare until the late game, Avenge should generally not be chosen.
 * Snake Trap tends to trigger as soon as a single board slot opens up, so more often than not, it will only summon one or two tokens. In any case, this Secret is extremely weak without Beast synergy like Pack Leader, and even then, the tokens being summoned at the far right means they don't contribute much, as you generally want your tokens to attack before your key minions.
 * Competitive Spirit is useful in the early and mid game for improving your board state. However, unlike Autodefense Matrix and Redemption, it loses value in the late game as the average power level of minions increases. Note that the secret triggers at the start of your next Recruit Phase.

Patch changes

 * Ice Block can now be Discovered only once per game.
 * Returned to the pool of available heroes.
 * Added Competitive Spirit as a possible secret.
 * Temporarily removed from the pool of available heroes due to unintended interactions.
 * Hero Power now costs (1) (down from 2).
 * Removed Effigy as a possible secret.
 * Prestidigitation:
 * Now it is harder to get Ice Block consecutively.
 * Removed Hand of Salvation as a possible secret.
 * Added.
 * Now it is harder to get Ice Block consecutively.
 * Removed Hand of Salvation as a possible secret.
 * Added.