Introduction
Yes. You read that title right. We have covered a good number of Reno decks in my series over the past two months, but this time we are really going off the beaten path. Hunter may not be the first thing when you think of Reno (or really any meta deck for that matter), but that does not mean combining the two isn’t possible. Despite its flaws, Hunter has a lot of individually strong cards. That is not good enough anymore, but it does bode well when you’re trying to put together a whole list of singletons. This list comes from Zalae, who took it up to top 500 legend. While this would not be the first thing I would think of when trying to make Hunter good again, I am not going to pass something this fun up in such a solid and figured out meta. Admittedly, this is not the first time I have dipped into this well. But man, is it a fun well to dip into.
Key Cards
Hunter’s Mark/Deadly Shot
Removal is, as always, at a premium. Not only is it very valuable in a meta where there are so many “kill this or die” minions running around, but you need to be able to pace the game in a way that allows your bigger threats to take over. While there are a ton of different ways to take out minions, the two big ones (as always) are Hunter’s Mark and Deadly Shot. These cards allow you to go head-to-head with the Edwin Vancleefs and Flamewreathed Facelesses of the world, while also providing you with a safety net should things go south. Each of these need be saved for specific situations where they are going to get a ton of value, but that does not always mean you hold them for the end of the game.
One of the stronger aspects of this list is the fact that you can out-tempo your opponent in the vein of classic midrange. That means your removal can be used on smaller threats to get a board advantage. While it may not feel great to Deadly Shot an Azure Drake or Refreshment Vendor, it can be a huge help in advancing your gameplan. Analyze how much damage a minion can do to your board, and then see if you need to kill it. It is also important to limit how much damage you take. As with any Reno Jackson deck you want to try and stay alive until you can drop the explorer. This means sometimes you are going to need to use your Hunter’s Mark on a Totem Golem you have no answer to. Do not take an extra nine because you’re being stubborn.
Tracking
Tracking is one of the hardest and most interesting cards to use in the deck because you’re playing Reno. Giving up two cards here and there usually doesn’t matter for face or midrange decks (“I’ll just draw a second Highmane on six”) but it is very important when the cards you’re giving up are gone forever. When playing Tracking you really need to read the situation at hand. If you’re facing aggro you almost always want to find some form of AOE, but against slower decks your curve should take precedence. However, removal should come first when going up against decks that like to go big, such as Rogue. Just note that you always need to take Reno Jackson no matter what, and you should always prioritize Call of the Wild when you have the time to do so. In addition, you never want to value Tracking over removal or a threat unless you absolutely need to find a specific card (such as Reno Jackson) as soon as possible.
Taunts
As with any good deck these days, you need to be able to survive. That is very obvious from an outside standpoint, but it really accentuates just how fast and swingy the meta has gotten. The top three classes right now (Rogue, Shaman, Pirate) all have strong burst damage and being able to hold them back for even one turn can be the difference between winning and losing. That is especially true in a deck that usually just wants to make it to turn six. Taunts are in a very good spot right now, and you don’t need to work hard to get value from yours. It is just important to know when you need to prioritize them over other cards. For instance, while you may want to Azure Drake on turn five, it may be better to get down an Infested Tauren to stop an Arcanite Reaper from going face. In that same vein, putting out a Huge Toad to set up Houndmaster can also be a better, if not more inefficient, play.
Infested Tauren, Houndmaster, The Curator, and Call of the Wild are your taunts (though Animal Companion can also hook you up with a Misha). While each of these cards does a good job of helping you recover from bad situations, you really want to look for ways to play is Houndmaster. This card is so important that it is often right to hold back a beast to play with the four drop in tandem. The 4/3 is going to be the most important when you’re facing down aggro, which is nice because those decks love to ignore the board. Shaman and Pirate usually cannot afford to waste time clearing when they’re making a push, and that will usually enable you to make use of your four drop. Know that, and always try to prioritize beasts during the middle game over other minions if you have the master in hand.
Savannah Highmane
I bring up Savannah Highmane in this article to accentuate a very important point: you are a Midrange Hunter deck. This can be difficult to see (or remember) because of the moniker that Reno has, but it is something you always have to be aware of. This is a meta that is fought in the trenches. The board is a battlefield and controlling it is going to be the key to victory, especially when you’re fighting Shaman and Rogue. That means you need to get ahead of your opponent in anyway that you possibly can. While there are times where you can go long, most of your games are going to be spent just curving out like Hunter does and then breaking your opponent down as they try to play from behind. The lion is one of the best ways to do this and you should only think about clearing the board by turn six when you have it in hand.
Always stagger your plays in a way where they set up your next minion. This is not always easy to see, but just making your opponent do something that isn’t playing a threat is going be very powerful. For example, playing a pair of two drops on turn five instead of one big threat to make your opponent use two spells instead of playing a spell and a minion is very good at then giving you a free board for Savannah Highmane. Those type of plays are very easy to overlook, but they can swing a game. You may be Reno, you are a still a Hunter. People will respect that more than you think. Everyone is scared of burst these days, and playing a minion, even something as simple as a 3/3, will force your opponent to react and clear the way for your next drop.
N’zoth, the Corruptor
Continuing are conversation from last week, N’zoth, the Corruptor is one of the best safety nets in the game. He is also your trump card that shuts down any deck trying to take you long. While Kazakus can hurt you if you aren’t careful, this card is almost always going to win you the game. You have many ways to push through damage, and it is very unlikely your opponent will be able to come back when you raise half your deck from the dead. Even something as simple as resurrecting a Savannah Highmane and an Infested Tauren should be all you need. You don’t have to wait to use this card. Just two or three minions alongside a 5/7 is enough to close out games.
An interesting thing about the current meta is that most of the strong decks can actually hold their own. In past metas, where things were much more simple, most fast decks ended things quickly. You either had the damage or you didn’t. However, these days there is such a blurred line between aggro and midrange that many popular builds can still present threats on turns ten or later. That is another reason N’zoth is so important. Once you start to wear down your opponent’s will try to out-value you and win the game by controlling priority. However, if you can set up the Old God in the same way you want to set up Savannah Highmane you should be able to take the game from there.
Matchups
The five most popular decks on the ladder.
Aggro/Midrange Shaman
I am not really sure what Shaman is anymore. People claim it’s aggro, but I have been killed on turn fifteen by a Jade Golem army so many times that I don’t think I believe that. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that Shaman is king of the meta and it will continue to be king of the meta until rotation (which I am over the moon about). This is going to be your toughest matchup. Not because it is unwinnable (you have many good cards against Thrall) but because one wrong play can sign your doom. To win this game you need to be able to utilize your removal in all the right ways and make the best use of your spells. Do what you can to avoid taking damage but also be careful about using the wrong removal at the wrong time. Shaman has big threats and you need to be ready for them when they come. Even the slower decks can leverage damage well and you never want to leave yourself open to burst.
Yes, you have a lot of strong tools against Shaman. And yes, you also have a low curve that most Reno decks lack. However, they still can overcome that and hit you hard at all stages of the game. Once they run out of early steam, Shaman will typically switch to their heavy plan with Jade Golems, Aya Blackpaw and Azure Drakes. You counter that plan by winning the board and never looking back. Out of every matchup, this one is where priority matters the most. This is because, despite their power, Shaman is not good at coming back. That goes double against a list like this one that can simply get bigger and bigger each turn. Use your removal to keep tempo and steal the board with your threats, carefully trading and wearing Thrall’s hand down. Once they get low you should be able to push damage.
Miracle Rogue
As with any Reno deck, the Miracle matchup is going to be swingy. Though Rogue can do the usual “draw the whole deck and kill you from twenty” plays, they also do not do well with a deck that can supply a constant amount of steady damage. As mentioned earlier, you are a Midrange Reno deck that has a strong curve. For that reason you should try to make Rogue worried about your minions. This is the matchup where you want to be as aggressive as possible. Not so much to win through fast damage, but rather to get Rogue nervous. Use your hero power, protect your board, and do what you can to make it seem like you have burn heavy hand. This will bait out spells and give you more time to operate.
Removal is very, very important in this game. Rogue makes a living off of controlling the board, and they also have a ton of must kill threats. For that reason, you need to be careful with your spells and only pull the trigger when you see something your board cannot answer. Questing Adventurer, Edwin Vancleef, and Gadgetzan Auctioneer are the biggest targets, but, as mentioned earlier, if you cannot take something out right away you shouldn’t hesitate to blast it. It is also important to play around Sap. The two mana spell hits a lot of your strongest cards, and can outright lose you the game if you’re depending on getting the board with something like Savannah Highmane. Though you can usually go big the next turn, that one lapse in tempo is often too much to come back from.
Pirate Warrior
No matter how much shift happens around it, as long as there is Patches the Pirate there will be Pirate Warrior. The aggro deck continues to bash people’s faces in, and there is no exception here. You either get your opening cards in this one or you die. There is no way around that fact and it is something to always keep in mind. When mulliganing you have to keep Reno Jackson and any early card you see. You may want to keep a solid midrange threat, but that won’t matter against Garrosh. Pirate ends games by turn six, and you have to do your best to make it past that. It is also important to leverage your taunts in this game. Almost all of Pirate’s finishing damage comes from their weapons, and if you can matchup any wall against even one hit it will go a long way.
This is another matchup where you want to take advantage of the fact that you are a Hunter. If given enough time (and weapons) Pirate Warrior will simply wear you down. Even through a Reno. As a result, you have to be able to end the game rather quickly once you get ahead. Unlike Shaman, where you don’t mind going toe-to-toe for a while before trumping them, you don’t want to take chances against Pirate. Once you have the board (or once you have bigger minions) you need to pressure them as much as possible. Pirate loves to ignore the board, and backing them up against a wall will either force them to answer your minions (slowing the game down) or risk getting into a race they’re losing. It’s a win-win either way.
Reno Mage
Well, it finally happened. Warrior and Shaman have driven Renolock off of my list. Despite my covering of it last week, the deck is largely gone from the higher ranks. Reno Mage has risen in its place, driving back the aggro push with solid removal, Ice Block, and very powerful swing turns. This game is a very interesting one that, like all Reno vs. Reno battles, is going to come down to card advantage. Mage’s biggest advantage here is solid removal and big finishers like Kazakus. However, you have a slew of strong minions on top of a constant source of damage. That means to win this game you need to bring the heat. Always look for ways to make aggressive plays without overextending, and get the most out of your damage.
Look at this game like a race. Not so much that you and your opponent are going to be spewing out damage, but that you have to end the game with quick burst or N’zoth, the Corruptor before your opponent completely locks you out with Kazakus. The four drops potions are extremely powerful against you. Curve is king in this game, and you want to try to always have something down on the board. Reno Mage is a very strong deck, but it also has a big weakness against sticky minions. Not only that, but cards like Call of the Wild help you naturally respond to AOE. Understand the sticky cards in your hand and work to protect them once they get onto the board. Having two spiders on the board after a Flamestrike may not seem like much, but it gives you two more damage. And that matters.
Dragon Priest
Another deck that seems to be gaining more popularity by the day is Dragon Priest. The midrange list is one of the few decks that has enough big minions to go head-to-head with Shaman while also having enough taunts to stop Pirate Warrior. It has an incredibly strong curve and just a million ways to get value. For those reasons, this is going to be a tricky matchup for you. In fact, it may be your hardest. Though you can take Priest long and slowly wear them down turn after turn, most of your removal isn’t going to be as effective here. Your deck is very dependent on being able to pick off small minions and take down a single big threat here and there. However, that crumbles against Anduin because he can just steamroll you with a constant string of six-plus health bodies you can do nothing about. As when facing Shaman you need to work really hard to get priority and then use those threats to force Priest off the board. Damage is important, but it won’t be as important as just pacing the game in your way. N’zoth is the win condition here. You simply just want to have control when he comes down.
Mulligan Guide
As with any Reno build, you have to buy low. Your curve takes priority over everything because you cannot afford to be slow in this meta. Sin Finley Mrrgglton, Tracking, Acidic Swamp Ooze, Grimestreet Informant, Huge Toad, Kindly Grandmother, King’s Elekk, Loot Hoarder and Quick Shot are your must keeps in this one. You also want to take Animal Companion, Eaglehorn Bow and Rat Pack with the coin and good curve.
Hunter’s Mark is very good with a strong opening against Rogue, Shaman and Druid, while Deadly Shot can be kept if you have a fast opening. Though it’s not good enough on its own. Against aggro you want to keep both Powershot and Unleash the Hounds, while Barnes, Dispatch Kodo, Houndmaster, Infested Wolf and Infested Tauren are all strong if you can curve into them. Reno Jackson should always be kept against fast decks.
Conclusion
There was absolutely no way I wasn’t going to cover a successful Hunter deck. Reno Hunter is a archetype I have always been interested in, and while it never fully panned out, it still has had its moments. There is a lot of good here, and most of comes together quite well. Of course, this isn’t going to be the strongest deck I’ve ever covered, but it is one of the coolest we’ve seen in some time. Not to mention, it is quite fun. I hope you enjoyed the trip with Rexxar and I’m looking forward to teaming up with him next expansion. Until next time, may you always roll Huffer.
Published: Feb 20, 2017 09:49 pm