Weekly Legends: Midrange Hunter

Introduction

Rexx who? This week, we’re bringing Hunter back. Midrange Hunter is one of the oldest archetypes in the history of Hearthstone, and it has been repeatedly knocked down again and again over the past few months. However, just because a deck or archetype is down, does not mean it is out. We prove that with this week’s list, which Crunchyfield used to carve up both Druid and aggro token lists on his way to legend. This deck is another example of how important certain tweaks can be when looking back on older decks. I love to cover weird and wacky lists on my series, but I also love the underdogs. There is nothing sweeter than a “bad” deck coming out of nowhere to scale the ladder, and this build is a perfect example of that.

Key Cards

Dire Wolf Alpha

Dire Wolf Alpha is one of the biggest (and most important) changes from more classic builds. Hunter is a deck that only cares about the curve. You have almost zero ways to catch up once you fall behind and if you can’t trade well in the first turns it is going to be game over against a lot of board-dependent lists. Dire wolf greatly helps with that because it enables you a way to use your small minions to control the early board. Being able to trade a Alleycat or Hungry Crab into a two drop is essential to being able to move up your curve. Going one to two to three is good, but it only is going to matter if you can keep that punch without losing tempo. The wolf is one of the pieces that makes that happen and you always want to think about early trades when you have it in hand.

Also note here is that Dire Wolf Alpha acts as a great lightning rod and gives you some key ways to push through damage. Two extra one attack buffs may not seem like much, but for a class like Hunter that is an extreme amount of pressure your opponent has to deal with. Do not be afraid to slam the two drop next to a pair of minions and go face. Damage is always going to be king here, and you never want to miss an opportunity to force your opponent back into a corner. Once they deal with the wolf, you should still have board and priority. Also note that Dire Wolf is one of the strongest cards to play with Unleash the Hounds. That combo can be worth holding onto against swarm decks.

Scavenging Hyena

Scavenging Hyena is an incredibly important card for Midrange Hunter for two distinct reasons. The first is because it is a gigantic threat for two mana. A 2/2 beast for two is underwhelming, but with even one trade turns this into a 4/3 that has even more potential to grow. That is quite significant and gives you some of insane openings. Alleycat into a hyena/double trade gives you a 6/4 beast on an empty board. Edwin Vancleef eat your heart out. The only thing that matters with this card is putting into a position where your opponent has to deal with it using a spell from their hand. Getting it out of removal range is good, but as long as you force your opponent onto the back foot you will be fine.

This is a card you constantly want to think about when it is in your hand. Unless you have Tundra Rhino you typically don’t want to think about making this gigantic. Yes, it is fun to make a 1000/1000 Hyena (that’s impossible, whatever) but it is much more realistic to just a decent body that has to be dealt with now. This deck, as noted above, is all about the diversification of threats. It is not that you need to play a big body after big body, but rather that you just need to get things down that demand removal. Hyena is one such card and you should treat it that way. It is easy to try to protect it and wait on the card, but that’s not what it’s for. Rather, it should be a way to further your own curve while crippling your opponent’s.

Bearshark

Once KFT got released I praised Bearshark as one of the best Hunter three drops around, and that holds true here. There are a lot of Druids, Priests and Mages on the ladder right now. All of those classes cannot touch this card. And when I say that, I mean it almost singlehandedly beats them on its own. Putting this down on curve against a Druid suddenly presents with a threat that they cannot deal with. Wrath and Swipe cannot touch the shark, meaning they need to trade into it. Then, if they spent their first turn or two ramping, they are going to need to take another turn or two to put down bodies as an answer. That gives you plenty of time to push damage through and build up your board. This card is aggressively statted and quite hard for many classes (Rogue as well) to deal with. Yes, it may not be able to trade as well as some of your other bodies, but it is only here for pure aggression. Pressure is key, and this card brings it hard. You always need to favor this against spell-heavy classes if you have priority. Even if that means going off of curve or mis-using your mana. Once the three drop gets rolling it is very hard to stop.

Dispatch Kodo

Dispatch Kodo is the strangest inclusion in the deck, but trust me when I say it serves its purpose well. When making the deck, Crunchyfield said this was one of the key additions that helped him push from rank 5 to legend. The reason for that is, while you cannot buff kodo here, being able to do something proactive with a big-bodied beast is extremely important. Not only does this help you fight against token or swarm decks, but it also enables you a way to get back onto board that you may have lost. Being able to trade a 2 attack minion into a 4 health one and then finish it off goes a long way towards taking over priority. The extra ping from your hand may not seem like much, but it helps immensely against faster aggro decks and gives you extra ways to take out tokens. That may not seem like a big deal, but it can give you the extra turn you need to stabilize or push through.

This is another card where you need to focus on the body and board presence more than the ability. There are going to be many times where you have a Dispatch Kodo in hand on turn four with nothing to hit. Just play it and knock your opponent for two. That may seem weak, but, like Houndmaster, this is a card that you just need to play if you have nothing else at your disposal. The four health on the back end also makes it a nice way to set up Houndmaster. Coining this onto an empty board on turn three into a turn four master is a great swing play that can help you take over a game. Look for those type of lines and do not shy away from them. You may worry about “losing value” but this deck does not care about things like that. You just want board presence where you can get it.

Deathstalker Rexxar

The curve-topped himself, Deathstalker Rexxar is an extremely important addition to Midrange Hunter. The card, first and foremost, is a control killer. While there are not too many slow decks in the game, there are quite a few (such as Midrange Paladin and Evolve Shaman) that do not mind going to the later turns. Having Deathstalker is a great way to stay in those matches because you can continuously build beast after beast after beast. Once again, this deck just cares about big bodies, and nothing goes bigger than the DK. When making beasts it is most important to create things you can play over building sweet combos. Yes, it may be awesome to create a Vicious Fledgling/Stranglethorn Tiger combo, but that card inherently doesn’t do anything if you can’t play it the turn you create it. Always think about your available mana and then adapt your beast accordingly. You just need bodies, you really shouldn’t get too caught up on what those bodies do.

Do not forget about Deathstalker Rexxar‘s battlecry. This is something I overlooked quite a few times while testing this deck out, and that led to a lot of problems and missed opportunities. As I have mentioned many times, Hunter is not a deck that plays from behind. You want to get the board and never lose it because you have no catch-up options. However, a free Consecration is a catch-up mechanism that also can give you some extra tempo power. In fact, just playing this to clear out the opponent’s board won me many games against smaller token decks like Shaman and Aggro Druid. It is not going to be the primary use, but you should always pay attention anytime you can remove threats and protect your own.

Matchups

These are the five decks I see the most while playing on the ladder.

Jade Druid

We begin (for another week or so at least) with Jade Druid. As I mentioned last week in my coverage of Handbuff Paladin, Druid is a strong deck that just cannot deal with big bodies. Your whole goal in this game is to slam down as many high-health, high-attack things as you possibly can. Even something as simple as a Misha or Houndmastered Crackling Razormaw can bring Druid from thirty to zero in a real hurry. This game is not about anything more than figuring out how to further your board and push across as much damage as you can possibly get. You put down a threat, see if your opponent can answer it, and then put down the next one. While there are going to be certain things you favor depending on the situation, for the most part you just want to see all of your cards as vanilla bodies and play them accordingly.

This is a game where you need to completely embrace the role of the aggressor. Druid is a deck that wants to play long games where they can stall on the board and eventually build up into their gigantic Jade Golem machine. The best way to stop that is to apply a ton of pressure throughout the game and make it so every time they want to make a golem they need to pause and think about the large chunk of damage it is going to cost them. You want your opponent to be in control of the trades (unless you’re protecting a Scavenging Hyena or Bearshark) and make them answer you. It can be your instinct to trade down into their 1/1 or 2/2, but missing out damage to do that is almost never going to be worth it. Once they hit Malfurion the Pestilent it is going to be hard to kill them. For that reason you need to always have them on the ropes.

Aggro Druid

While I think the Innervate nerf is going to cripple Jade Druid, I don’t think it will have the same impact on Aggro Druid. In fact, I expect this deck to take the top spot once things switch around. This is a game where you want to get a lot of use out of your swing plays. Golakka Crawler is your best early tool, and it can win this matchup on its own. Outside of that, always work to clear whatever your opponent has. Even something like a Dispatch Kodo on a Fire Fly can help you limit your opponent’s buff potential and give you a big body to work with. Anytime you are removing something you are coming out ahead. That is especially true if you suspect your opponent is trying to set up a big buff.

Hyper focus, not just on trading, but on setting up for the next turn. For example, always take out beasts to stop Mark of Y’shaarj and plan to get ahead turn three so Druid cannot power out Vicious Fledgling ahead of your trades. In almost every case, this game is going to be won by the person who gets something down against an empty board. Even something as simple as a 2/3 ahead of your opponent’s curve will give you the freedom to play your bigger threats without having to worry about taking too much damage. Just watch out for Living Mana. You need to have full control of this one (or have Deathstalker Rexxar) turn five or six to limit the value of the crystals.

Kazakus Priest

Kazakus Priest continues to hold its own on the ladder to great success. Not only is the deck fun, but it also has one of the best/coolest win conditions in the history of Hearthstone. However, that being said, this game is going to fall immensely in your favor. Kazakus Priest is, as the name suggests, a one-of deck. That causes it to have some weaker draws and a lot of awkward turns. You punish those slow plays by slamming your opponent in the face again and again and again. This game is going to be a lot like Jade Druid where you want to make your opponent answer you. All it takes it one Bearshark or Savannah Highmane to close this one out. Priest’s removal is limited and they don’t have the board presence they need to be able to take your down. Always look for ways to apply pressure and prioritize your damage where you can find it.

The way you play this game (besides sticking to your curve and laughing while Priest hopes to draw certain cards) is by looking at any possible answers your opponent might have. Potion of Madness is always going to be a big threat to things like Kindly Grandmother and you never want to give your opponent an easy target when you have other options at your disposal. Similarly, play around AOE where you can. Dragonfire Potion or something like Pint-Size Potion/Shadow Word: Horror can set you back if you aren’t careful. Typically, you just want to play two or three threats down on the board and then see if your opponent can come up with answers.

Pirate Warrior

Pirate Warrior is going to be without a doubt the swingiest game you play. Either you get a firm hold of the board and use that to become the aggressor, or they run you over and you never get a chance. The hardest part of this game is going to be when you go first. That is because, while your curve does get ahead of your opponent, your one drops are all easily cleaned up by N’zoth’s First Mate/Patches the Pirate. That then makes it harder to get back onto the board. Golakka Crawler is a win condition here, but know you don’t have to play it on turn two if you have other options. The crab has some very big targets it can hit here and you shouldn’t just run it out on a 1/1 unless you have no other options.

Getting the board is how you win, but it is important to note that even with a strong hold on the game you need to be careful with your health. Pirate is not going to want to become reactive. Rather than go on the back foot, most players will just try to brute force the game and build into their big, high-hit finishers like Arcanite Reaper or Leeroy Jenkins. Understand when you can win the race and when you cannot. If you are worried about a certain card then trade, but if you have finishing damage in hand you should just hit face. Just always be aware of putting your opponent at twelve health (Mortal Strike) and do not be afraid to play Deathstalker Rexxar just to get some health.

Midrange Paladin

Treat the Midrange Paladin match in the same way you would treat Aggro Druid or Pirate Warrior. That is, you need to hyper focus on your curve and work to keep them off of the board at all costs. Like Aggro Druid, this is going to be a game where the person who gets something onto an empty board likely wins. However, also note that, where fast decks taper off, Paladin loves to get big. Their top end is very difficult to deal with, and you need to have full control of the board turn five an onward to shut down Spikeridged Steed, Bonemare, and Tirion Fordring. These cards are going to be nightmares to deal with and you have to stop them at all costs. Damage should come second in this one. You first need to focus on getting control of the board (Hungry Crab is a game winner in this one) before you try to put things away.

Mulligan Guide

While there are many new tools here, the mulligan is the same it has always been. You need to have a curve to compete, and that is all you care about. Actively look for your one and two drops over everything else. Alleycat, Hungry Crab, Crackling Razormaw, Dire Wolf Alpha and Scavenging Hyena are the cards you want to look for in every game. From there, keep Animal Companion and Bearshark if you have the coin or a good curve. Eaglehorn Bow is strong with a good opening, and Unleash the Hounds is powerful against aggro. Houndmaster and Dispatch Kodo are only keepable with the coin and a curve.

I want to mention that all of the above keeps are completely dependent on your one and two drops. Just keeping a strong three drop or a solid pair or two drops is often not good enough because it does not help build in your curve. Anything that doesn’t foster a solid opening should be thrown back.

Conclusion

Down, but never out. I am glad we got to join the hunt this week, and I always love going to the less-loved classes and building them up. Experimentation is what card games are all about, and this list has quite a few interesting choices. The core of the deck is still as strong and as solid as it has ever been, but getting some new tools to combat the meta have really helped it out. You can never just assume something is unplayable because people tell you it is. Hope you like the trip down memory lane and, until next time, may you always hunt alone.

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