Hearthstone Battlegrounds Season 12 Warps Time with the Timewarped Tavern

The highly-anticipated Hearthstone Battlegrounds Season 12, titled “Tavern at the Edge of Time,” has launched, delivering the promised timely twist in the form of a brand-new core mechanic: the Timewarped Tavern. Starting on December 2, 2025, this significant update completely shifts the Battlegrounds meta by removing the Anomalies and Buddies mechanics that defined previous seasons, introducing an entirely new element of tactical decision-making and powerful card discovery.

The Timewarped Tavern: A Game-Changing New Mechanic

The core of Season 12 revolves around scheduled visits to the Timewarped Tavern, a special shop offering alternate timeline cards—unique minions, powerful spells, and even second hero powers—that are not normally available in the regular Tavern Tier pool. This new mechanic is designed to create pivotal, game-swinging moments:

• Scheduled Visits: Players are transported to Nozdormu’s Timewarped Tavern on Turn 6 and Turn 9 of the game.
• Chronum Currency: Purchases in this special shop are made using a unique, expiring currency called Chronum. You receive two Chronum for each visit, which must be spent immediately.
• Card Pools: The shop offers three cards for 1 Chronum and two cards for 2 or more Chronum. The offerings are categorized into:
  • Minor Timewarp (Turn 6): Features Tier 3 cards and may offer a second hero power, adding an early strategic layer.
  • Major Timewarp (Turn 9): Features Tier 5 cards, providing powerful mid-game scaling and build-defining options.
• Alternate Cards: The pool includes both unique minions and alternate versions of existing cards (like a Timewarped Dragonling that gives its stat boost to neighbors), allowing for entirely new compositions and high-winrate strategies.

The developers intended for this system, which grew from a “Black Market” concept, to provide flexibility and variety while offering tension and meaningful choices, a critical factor for players interested in competitive Battlegrounds and new auto-battler mechanics.

New Heroes, Track Refresh, and Strategic Implications

Season 12 also introduces two new Heroes intrinsically tied to the time-bending theme:

• Chromie: Her Hero Power lets her refresh the Timewarped Tavern, a unique ability since normal refreshes aren’t allowed in this shop, offering an edge in finding optimal cards.
• Murozond: He gets an extra visit to the Timewarped Tavern on Turn 8, giving him a powerful advantage in accessing Tier 5 minions and powerful Tavern spells ahead of other players.

Furthermore, the Battlegrounds Track has been refreshed with new cosmetic rewards, including Hero Skins like Timewalker Brann and Apocalypse Toki, strikes, and a new Bartender (Murozond). This paid track continues to offer the essential 4-Hero selection option, a common feature utilized by top MMR players.

The removal of Anomalies and Buddies shifts the gameplay back towards a more controlled, yet still varied, experience where the Timewarped Tavern provides the primary mid-game variance. Strategies must adapt quickly based on the powerful cards offered by Nozdormu’s shop, forcing players to remain flexible and look for strong minion synergies with the new alternate timeline cards.