Hearthpwn

Unleash the Hounds Hunters signature card and for good reason. Try to combo with Buzzard, Hunters mark, Hyena and/or Wolf as much as possible, but don't hesitate to use against a zoo with 5+ minions if you have no other answers. NEED 2

 

Savannah Highmane Best 6 drop in the game, and a beast. Wait no, 3 beasts. Should be played almost every turn 6, and try to follow up with Buzzard as you trade with him for 2 free cards. Savannah himself isn't very good when buffed with Houndmaster (Except for extra attack to kill a giant, in which case it's awesome) but the minions he leaves behind are excellent for said buff. NEED 2 

 

Starving Buzzard Incredibly strong for obvious reasons. Try to play in conjunction with 2 or more beasts, but don't get tempted. You can actually coin this out in the mirror and follow up Hyena for an awesome (but slightly risky) start. NEED 2

 

Haunted Creeper  Never ever mulligan out. 7 stats for 2 mana, this is my favorite nax card so far! Of course it's not particularly big, but it has that annoying factor like Harvest Golem. It's also great for soaking up silences so you can play Houndmaster and Savannah. A pro tip, If this doesnt get silenced after 1 or 2 turns, don't be afraid to Houndmaster it as it's more than likely they don't have silence. Should - and can - be played at any time and as soon as possible. NEED 2

 

Explosive Trap The best secret in the game. There's really no reason not to run it especially with all the zoo around. Just be very careful of freaking nerubian eggs, although they are going to be detonated eventually, we want to delay that as much as possible. NEED 2 

 

Houndmaster 6/5 taunt for 4 mana anyone? Amazingly strong card that has great synergy with every beast, but especially with Oasis Snapjaw and Kodo. Try to avoid using it on Savannah Highmane, mostly for fear of silence and BGH. NEED 2 

 

Animal Companion Thing with animal companion, is that while each beast has extremely high value, they are all very different and good in different situations. Nevertheless usually a pretty good 3 drop and gets better late game. If you want more reliability you can swap 1 or both for Razorfen Hunter which is also decent vs zoo. NEED 2

 

Eaglehorn Bow Usually good anyway but, right now with Warriors decline and less oozes and Jones being run this weapon is awesome. The recent nerf also made the mirror a lot more pleasant without that "whoever gets the bow first wins" crap. Depending on the matchup this can be a 3 mana 12 damage to the face or 3 mana kill 3 minions spell. Try to get it bigger off traps and never ever use the last charge unless it's absolutely necessary or if you have a backup. NEED 2 

 

Freezing Trap A huge tempo card and very annoying for your opponent, especially if their minion costs more than 3. Some say this gives up card advantage, but it gives you a mana advantage. Say a druid drops his 4/6 taunt and it gets freezing trapped, you have basically payed a card to deprive your opponent of 5 mana. If you have this as well as Eaglehorn bow, you can play this on turn 2 on a clear board, then the bow on turn 3. Doing this will give you a 3/3 bow and almost certain board control for the next 3 or 4 turns. Best with 2 

 

Ironbeak Owl Just as everyone thought, silence is very strong right now and this only buffs the hunter class as Iron beak owl is in fact a beast. Best used in on Nerubian eggs and Haunted creepers. If you are facing less zoo, then you could drop one. Best with 2

 

Stampeding Kodo Just an awesome 5 drop in general, and being a beast makes it so much better. Try as best you can to make good use of his battlecry, even waiting a turn or 2 if you predict that your opponent will play into it. Though of course, if there's no reason for your opponent to play any 2 attack minions it's best to not let Kodo sit in your hand. Very good vs zoo, shaman, warrior, mage. Bad vs Miracle Rogue. Best with 2

 

Hunters Mark Very strong cheap removal spell, especially good when played with Explosive trap and Unleash the skill. The reason I only run 1 personally is because I find it a little too reliant on the aforementioned combos, it's not fantastic vs zoo and having 2 in your starting hand really sucks. Good vs midrange and control. Can have 1 or 2

 

 Kill Command Better than Fireball. Very versatile damage spell that can take out a yeti or help provide lethal. I use this whenever the opportunity comes up without hesitating. Also don't be afraid to use this without a beast if it's worth it, eg snipe a Knife Juggler or Dire Wolf Alphabehind taunts. Can have 1 or 2

 

 Scavenging Hyena Strong combo card. Obviously awesome with Unleash the Frogs but also pretty good when following Haunted creeper on turn 3 or 4 for a 2 mana cost 4/3. The downside is that it's not very good on a clear board, but if you have nothing else in your starting hand it's still worth playing as it could scare your opponent into wasting removal or silence. [Also expect this card to get much better when Webspinner comes out] Can have 1 or 2

 

Tracking Excellent for finding combos and picking out the best card for the current situation. The reason I only run is because I'm not a huge fan of discarding. Seeing those 2 Savanahs fall to their doom because you need a Houndmaster (which was going to be your next card anyway) is very sad. 1 mana cost to essentially just draw a card and discard 3. Best with 1 HOWEVER If you love combos and/or are playing vs a lot of miracle rogue and handlock, 2 is better

 

Timber Wolf Good for unleash the hounds combos and helping out with Kill Command, but that's about it. There's no need to run more than 1 as it often ends up a dead card. Good for - zoo, big unleash plays, and if you run 2 kill commands

 

Defender of Argus Has excellent synergy with Oasis Snapjaw, Haunted creeper, Kodo, and especially Maexxna (buffing it above that risky 2 health and giving taunt is HUUUUUGE) Good against zoo and rush. Great when with Snapjaw and Maexxna

 

Oasis Snapjaw Pretty decent straight up 4 drop. Especially vs rush as it will help take out at least 2 minions. And when buffed, can more or less win you the game. Solid vs zoo and shaman. Bad vs Druid and Handlock unless buffed

 

Flare Hard counter to freeze mage and hunter, and helps with miracle rogue. Run 2 if 2/5 games or more are any of those matchups. if you normally run 2 trackings I'd evict one of those to make room. Good vs Freeze Mage, Hunter and Miracle Rogue

 

Snipe Many of you are facing a lot of Miracle Rogue and having trouble, and this is the answer. Try to predict when they will drop Gadget based on their play (playing cards needlessly just for card draw and coining azure is usually a sign they don't have him) and play this accordingly, but of course you can usually play this on turns 5+ no matter what as sniping azure is also pretty good.

It's also fantastic when they want to play Leeroy, as they will attack you with their other minions, and when nothing happens they will likely expect it to be Snake trap and hopefully drop Leeroy right into his death! It has happened before. Best vs Miracle Rogue

 

Deadly Shot Very good vs Miracle Rogue. Run 2 if you're facing a lot. I'm tempted to just put this in the essential section as its pretty decent in all popular matchups. Obviously do your best to remove smaller minions so you have better odds of hitting something big, but don't be afraid to take risks.

For example, enemy druid has a yeti, damaged golem, and an ancient of war. Just do it! Same goes for handlock but even more so. 2 giants, an argus and 2 earthen ring farseer? Do it. Sometimes Rngesus is merciful, you just have to have faith. Awesome vs Miracle, great vs control. Weak vs paladin and shaman

 

Stranglethorn Tiger If you're in a more control and Midrange centered metagame, then you need these. Trades well, is a beast, and can't be removed before getting a chance to attack. Good against Control and Midrange. Bit slow vs zoo and rush 

 

Big Game Hunter As a last resort if you already have 2 hunters marks and deadly shots and are running into stacks of handlocks. 

 

Razorfen Hunter Many people find Animal companion a little unreliable, and this is the appropriate replacement. Just a solid and reliable 3 drop. Additional reliable 3 drop. Bad vs Freeze mage, Hunter

 

River Crocolisk Inferior to Haunted Creeper in my opinion, but still solid. If you want a more reliable early game adding one or two over Snapjaw and/or your second Kodo certainly won't hurt. Heck, it might even make the deck just flat out better. I'll have to test! Additional reliable 2 drop

 

Maexxna Woa woa woa what?!! isn't this card supposed be utter shit? I can't really be bothered explaining why I think it's good in much depth, but basically it nearly always trades 2 or 3 for 1, and gets infinitely better when buffed. I see it as a 6 cost 8 health infinite attack beast that can't attack face and is risky vs priest and decks with Kodo. Damn, I just made it sound even worse. Good vs board control decks. Sub-par vs everything else

 

The Beast By far and away the best card in the game. Don't even try to disagree. Incredible vs everything