Hearthpwn

Another awesome secret hunter list for you all to try! I went 8-1 in my first set of games and the initial reports are very good for this innovative deck. Vlps and several others used it to reach Legend! Strifecro also piloted this deck list to a 1st place finish in the recent Start Democracy tournament! So I'm happy to share this list as a proven winner... and a lot of fun to play!

*Nerf update - no changes to the list. The death of hunter has been greatly exaggerated. According to Data Reaper Live, Secret Hunter is currently a top 3 meta deck with a 52% overall win rate on the ladder. And this specific list rates a 59% win rate the week after the nerf according to metastats (http://metastats.net/deck/e4de48a2-0958-4aab-963d-4cfe72981be7/week/). As they say, if it isn't broken... 

*That said, if you would like to see a faster, more recent iteration on secret hunter, try out: http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/662638-new-vlps-secret-hunter-top-100-legend

What's different about this deck list?
- Slower deck than other secret hunter lists, contends with midrange and control decks
- 10 secrets but no Unleash the Hounds or Kill Command
- 2 Azure Drake provide card draw and spell power isn't bad either
- The Curator is here to draw Azure Drake and Savannah Highmane
- Ragnaros the Firelord provides extra finishing power and a top Barnes target... plus we suddenly need an 8 drop :)

Mulligan Strategy:
Always keep Secretkeeper (both copies).
Always keep Cloaked Huntress (1 copy).
Keep Eaglehorn Bow (1 copy) with any of the above or with the coin.
Keep non-duplicate secrets with any of the above. Otherwise, I would discard secrets to dig for the minions and bow. Since 1/3 of the deck is secrets, we can expect to draw at least one secret every 3-4 cards. Always toss secrets that don't fit your current match-up.
You can keep Quick Shot against aggressive opponents to counter Tunnel Trogg, Mana Wyrm, Flame Imp, etc.

Note: Don't be afraid to use your bow and never keep more than two charges. If you build up a lot of unused charges and draw the second bow, it is a dead card. Your bow can easily contribute 9-15 face damage over the course of the game, which isn't bad, or of course you can use it to keep the board under control until the end game. Warning: Keep an eye on your health if your match up demands it. Remember, you can't heal. :)

Card Substitutions:
I don't recommend many card changes as this list has some very special synergy. You can certainly swap out secrets (such as a 2nd Bear Trap for Snake Trap). If you need to add a card you don't own or insist one removing a card you hate, I recommend picking something from the following list.
King's Elekk - nice card draw but this inclusion weakens your plays with Barnes and The Curator
Kill Command - hunter staple, though we already have two Snipe and a strong endgame so often unnecessary
Unleash the Hounds - counters aggro decks along with Bear Trap and Explosive Trap but can be a dead card
Avian Watcher - a good fit for a deck with many secrets, but do we want a 5 drop with poor Barnes synergy when we have dual Azure Drake?
Leeroy Jenkins - possible finisher if you don't have Ragnaros the Firelord but he is hard to replace
Medivh, the Guardian - another possible option in place of Ragnaros now that Call of the Wild costs 9. A lot of strong minions could be summoned, but beware Majordomo Executus (10% chance).

Give it a try, comment with your experiences, upvote if you like it, but most of all have fun!

Class Matchups: (pre-nerf secret hunter win rates courtesy of Data Reaper Report #20; expect this deck list to outperform, *especially against other midrange decks)
Poor (41-46%) - Aggro Shaman, Zoo Warlock, Midrange Shaman*, Aggro Paladin
Even (50%) - Yogg Druid, Midrange Hunter*, Secret Hunter
Good (53-59%) - Beast Druid, Reno Mage, Tempo Mage, Dragon Paladin, Dragon Priest, Control Shaman, Evolve Shaman, C'Thun Warrior, Dragon Warrior
Great (60% or higher) - Freeze Mage, Anyfin Paladin, Control Paladin, Control Priest, Miracle Rogue, Reno Warlock, Combo Warrior, Control Warrior

Specific Class Matchup Tips:
Aggro Shaman/Zoo Warlock - The toughest matchups. Your task is survival. Be smart with the bow and be careful about how much face damage you take because of burst. Get maximum value from your secrets and fight for board control. For example, kill smaller minions to steer an expensive or buffed minion into your Freezing Trap. Secrets activate in the order you play them, so be smart and hope for the best. Also don't be afraid to hold an Explosive Trap for 1-2 more turns to get more value, because killing just 2 minions won't usually save you. Plan ahead to take decisive control of the board. If you swing the board at the right time you can often win this.

*Midrange Shaman - While a generally tough match up for the entire universe, this deck list is designed to counter the power and longevity of midrange Shaman and can be considered a fairly even match up. Bait Hex on your early threats such as Cloaked Huntress and Animal Companion and your opponent will be hard pressed to deal with Savannah Highmane, The Curator, and Ragnaros the Firelord. Here is where the extra card draw pays off. Force your opponent to use his removal and board clears on medium sized boards and keep the hits coming until no answers are left. Prepare Explosive Trap on turn 6 to destroy many totems if he plays Thunder Bluff Valiant on turn 7 and goes face.

Tempo Mage - This is your game to win, because between your bow and secrets, you have so many good options to remove your opponent's support minions. 2 health minions melt from Explosive Trap, bow/huntress/quick shot can kill Mana Wyrm, and a well timed Snipe can finish Flamewaker before he gets started. Mages have no healing, so pile on the face damage once you establish control and steamroll to victory with your powerful endgame. Keep in mind that smart mages will avoid setting off Explosive trap and try to burn you from afar. Always mulligan for Eaglehorn Bow and Quick Shot because of this.

Freeze Mage - Again our deck is favored but we are on a tight clock here. Freeze only delays us but watch out for Doomsayer and of course Flamestrike. Snipe and Cat Trick plus bow can help get you out of a jam and preserve your board but don't overfill. A steady stream of 2-3 strong minions is the plan here. If you can use Call of the Wild to pop his Ice Block with only 2 health, your opponent is now the one on the clock.

Control Warrior - Usually too slow to contend with your barrage of threats. Keep the pressure on with your midgame minions and tricky panthers. Clear the path with your bow since you have no worries about face damage here. Try to live the infinite bow charge dream until you can close him out with Savannah Highmane, Ragnaros the Firelord, and of course Call of the Wild.

Combo Warrior - Simply keep his board clear and save a freezing trap for his Raging Worgen turn for an easy win. Again push a steady stream of threats but don't put everything on the board at once because of Wild Pyromancer and Commanding Shout. You will reload quickly thanks to Cat Trick.

Dragon Warrior - Your secrets cause all tempo decks fits and this is no exception, but a bit tougher than tempo mage because your opponent will never stop playing minions. Be smart with the bow, face damage does matter. Eaglehorn Bow and Quick Shot are good for quickly clearing Twilight Guardian. Steer Drakonid Crusher into Freezing Trap by clearing the rest of the board and then push for victory with your heavy hitters.

Miracle Rogue - Strong matchup. Easy to overwhelm your opponent but be sure to bait out his Sap. If you manage to place Snipe right before his turn 6, your opponent can kiss Gadgetzan Auctioneer goodbye. Even if not, with no heals the rogue will eventually fall to your steady and relentless assault. Save Freezing Trap for a pesky minion such as Edwin VanCleef or Questing Adventurer.

Yogg Druid/Malygos Druid - Always have a plan to remove Fandral Staghelm immediately on turn 4/5 and the path to victory is usually clear. Save Freezing Trap for the big end game minions. You need to make your opponent play them on a clear board so keep your bow busy on clean up work. Try to close out the game before turn 10. Druids play few heals (perhaps Moonglade Portal) so you can be aggressive but watch out for Swipe. It is always nice to have Snipe waiting for Azure Drake.

Speaking of Druid, here is a replay to show you that even Malygos druid is no match for the power of our secret hunter: https://hsreplay.net/replay/nyPVqF58PXGrpCkS7aWjT6

Other decks to try out...

My other secret hunter build that breezed to rank 4:
http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/613816-barnes-secret-hunter-rank-10-to-4-75-win-rate

For midrange hunter without secrets, try: http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/532638-midrange-hunter-no-secrets

For a face hunter with secrets, try: http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/612683-face-is-a-secret-place

For a Wild format version of this deck, try: http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/640429-wild-crazy-mad-all-in-secret-hunter

For another spell oriented hunter idea, try: http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/613928-spell-hunter

If you think secret paladins can't win in standard, check out Jambre's list:   http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/594034-secret-shields-paladin-legend

If you want to try midrange shaman, here's my list that hit legend: http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/525655-top-totems-legend

If you want to try disco lock, here's one that Sjow used to finish #1 legend NA: http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/626899-sjows-1-legend-disco-lock