In this guide, we will explain each individual Murloc from the Murloc comp, and go into a bit of detail on how they interact with the rest of the tribe, whether are they good enough, and how exactly should you play them. Note that this is not an overall build guide since we have that in our main Battlegrounds strategy guide Murloc comp. Here, we will go into a bit more detail about Murloc comp and dissect (no pun intended) them for what they have to offer.
Tier 1 Murlocs
Swampstriker
The 1/5 stats are nice at the beginning of the game for Tempo, especially if you give him a bit of attack somehow. His ability is okay, but again, don’t try to force play early Murlocs just to get a few attack stats in, it never ends well.
Bubble Gunner
Bubble Gunner is a very interesting warlock because he essentially can be still very relevant into the late game. Getting him early game is fine and all, but what you have to keep in mind is the keyword bonuses that he can get, especially when combined with Young Murk-Eye and Brann. Keyword bonuses are essential for late-game warlocks because Hackerfin also gives you stats based on keywords, and the more keywords you have, the stronger you are, essentially. He also works very well with Implant Subject because for every keyword you lose, for example, Divine Shield, Reborn, and Venomous, Implant Subject will gain more stats. So keep in mind that this warlock is mediocre in the early game, but can be very powerful in the late game.
Tier 2 Murlocs
Blazing Skyfin
This minion is fine because you will probably find useful Battlecry minions in the next few turns, plus it is a nice minion to have in the later stages of the game. If you transition to full battlecry Murlocs, Blazing Skyfin will gain a lot of stats from it. He can be used in Dragon comps as well, especially if you are going for full Dragon Battlecry comp.
Tad
Very good in the late stages when you need to just play Murlocs for Bream Counter, and it’s good for the classic scenario of turn 3, where you have 5 Gold, and you buy Tad, sell him, and buy one more minion. You essentially get a random Murloc for 2 Gold, which is fine.
Parched Wanderer
Parched Wanderer is one of those buy-use-sell Murloc minions. Its Battlecry ability is not super strong but it’s fine if you, for example, want to target Murcules early on and buff him up so that he can buff something in your hand.
Tier 3 Murlocs
Adaptive Ancestor
Adaptive Ancestor is pretty mediocre, if we’re being honest because it doesn’t really do anything for you in the mid-game. Sure, if he gets Venomous or the Divine Shield, it’s nice, it’s good for tempo a bit, but in the later stages, when you’re tier 4 or 5, you really should look for something more resourceful or “late-gamey” than this.
Puddle Prancer
We go over this minion in our Battlegrounds Duos guide, but we did want to mention him here too. Basically, he is very good for tempo and for just a few Gold, you can have a strong 20/20+ minion if you are lacking firepower in the mid-game. Do also note that Duos mechanics like Portal in a Bottle also count as a Pass and trigger his stat-gaining ability, which is very cool.
Fountain Chiller
This Murloc is only good if you really have 3 or more keywords, and we’re talking about midgame here. He’s obviously nice when you have Brann and when you get your ball rolling, but other than that, he’s not really anything special.
Implant Subject
Implant Subject is, all in all, a pretty overpowered minion for its tier. There are no real downsides in picking him up. He gains momentum pretty quickly, especially if you have a few other keywords on your other minions like Divine Shield, Reborn, or Venomous, and he is generally very good in the late game. Having Implant Subject throughout your game while playing Murlocs is almost obligatory at this point in the meta.
Reckless Cliffdiver
Reckless Cliffdiver is pretty nice if you need that immediate firepower because chances are if you’re going for Murlocs, you already played a few Battlecries in the mid-game and that means that this guy has a decent amount of attack with Reborn. Keep in mind that after he is reborn he still gets the bonus attack from the effect. This is because it says “wherever this is”. In the late game he is also extremely powerful if you’re going for Battlecry build, but keep in mind that things are very crowded on the board with Murlocs in the later stages of the game.
Tier 4 Murlocs
Hackerfin
Hackerfin is pretty much the bread and butter of the Battlecry build because he relies on your Murlocs having a decent amount of bonus keywords. This is why Bubble Gunner is so powerful because you can essentially have up to 5 different keywords on Bubble Gunner and then boost him up with HackerFinn in combination with Brann and Young Murk-eye. This combo is what will get you the most stats, but the main problem is that you really need to trigger the BubbleGunner’s effect a few times in order to get all those keywords. There isn’t really another way to have a bunch of keywords on one minion.
Fairy Gillmother
There is nothing fancy about this Murloc – Fairy Gillmother gives you one (or more if Golden or Drakkari buffed) random Murloc unit each turn. It can be useful early on, but later you really don’t want this on your board, there are many other murlocs that are far more useful.
‘Loc Prince
Lock Prince is very good because he has an innate keyword Divine Shield and he gains plus two plus two for each of your stat-boosting stuff. This can get him pretty powerful, but do keep in mind that this is primarily for mid-to-end game and not for very late stages of the game. Bubble Gunner with a bunch of keywords still scales more in combination with Hackerfin, but ‘Loc Prince is pretty up to par and he is also much easier to get (than 4+ keywords on Bubble Gunner)
Tier 5 Murlocs
King Bagurgle
King Bagurgle works very well with Brann and Young Murk-Eye, there is no doubt about that. The problem is that you can easily get “stuck” in this Battlecry stat gain route, which somehow always ends up being inferior to the “hand build”. Since you only have so much space, getting Primalfin Lookouts besides Young Murk-Eyes is more than likely a better route to go. Nevertheless, this is a good minion and you should pick it up, especially if you have Brann.
Operatic Belcher
Murlocs seem to lack the scam potential they once had, and Operatic Belcher is the only Murloc with this power, with the additional Deathrattle effect to grant someone else Venomous also. It is bad against stuff like Divine Shields, Undeads, and Summoning Beasts. On the other hand, it is pretty good if you have empty space on the board, and if the enemy is playing something like Demons (pure stats, no summons, Divine Shields, etc.).
Primalfin Lookout
This is the key minion to get a lot of Murlocs. He alone isn’t anything special, especially at Tier 5 with those stats, but combining him with Young Murk-Eye and Brann is where the real fun begins. You will be able to have 15+ Gold each turn and buff up your Bream Counters in your hand a lot.
Tier 6 Murlocs
Neon Agent
Neon Agent is probably the best Murloc currently in the game, because you get a lot of stuff by getting this minion. First of all, you get two keywords, which are Divine Shield and Windfury. Do keep in mind that this works very well with lower tier minions like Hackerfin, and even Fountain Chiller. Moreover, his special ability that each time he attacks you get a random battlecry minion is one of the best resource gathering things in this meta. Picking him up is essential to any Murloc build/Brann right now.
Murky
Murky specializes in the Murloc “Battlecry build”. The ability is pretty straightforward and the main problem with Murky is that he is Tier 6, meaning that you will need to find a few of these and perhaps a Golden Young Murk-Eye + Brann, in order to be actually competitive in the late-game. The problem is that if you’re using both spaces of Young Murk-Eye for this, you won’t have resources as you would with Primalfin Lookout to find more key minions and more Gold, which is a big minus.
Young Murk-Eye
We mentioned this Murloc a lot in this guide, and rightfully so. He is the core of late-game Murlocs because the “trigger the Battlecry of the left minion” ability is essential and just too good to pass on, even if you are not playing a Murloc comp. He got a pretty rough nerf in Season 9, and now the whole Battlecry build doesn’t really feel that much powerful. Nevertheless, he is still essential, but your build will be a bit slower than before the patch.
Tier 7 Murlocs
Tide Oracle Morgl
At the risk of stating the obvious, this Murloc is rarely seen in the game, because the only way to get him is with Thorim, Stormlord. He is the only minion that has Posionus, which means he will kill anything that he hits (unlimited charges), unlike Venomous, which triggers only the first hit (has only one charge). The special ability is very interesting because it can boost the Murlocs in your hand (eg. Bream Counter) by a ridiculous amount. If he happens to attack a 200/200, suddenly, your Bream Counter in your hand will gain +200/+200 permanently, which just feels very powerful. All that said, he is Tier 7 so you won’t see him in most of the games.
Image Credits: Blizzard Entertainment
