[Legend] Dragon Hunter 68% WR In-Depth Guide
- Last updated May 14, 2020 (Second DH Nerfs)
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Wild
- 18 Minions
- 10 Spells
- 2 Weapons
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Dragon Hunter
- Crafting Cost: 3480
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 5/12/2020 (Second DH Nerfs)
- NeonTalentz
- Registered User
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- 2
- 6
- 11
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Battle Tag:
#2451
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Region:
EU
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Total Deck Rating
35
Hey, I'm Jez - I climbed to Legend this season on Day 4 playing only Dragon Hunter. I've played a fair few of games with it (over 200 in the past couple weeks). I have a good feel for the deck's play style and an idea of what works well so I wanted to share my thoughts with you all.
Intro
It is an incredibly aggressive deck, but it's not a straight up face hunter - it's crucial that you play for board early to gain control, then snowball your way to victory. Don't be afraid to take damage to your face when trading early with the Stormhammer (arguably the strongest weapon, unlimited hits for 3 mana is insane), you need to be the aggressor in every match-up. Sometimes the strongest defence is offence - it's cliché but very true. Most of my games were closed out and finished by turn 7/8 (except Priest which is a complete coin flip for this deck and one of the worst match-ups. Warrior is also a very tough game.)
Stats & Proof
You'll be happy to hear that it was crushing Demon Hunters all over the ladder, as you'll see in my proof below.
Stats + Legend Proof - https://imgur.com/a/EKHoBBV
(I took as much info/data I had saved, plus found some games saved on HSReplay from my streams so added them on too)
What Do I Mulligan?
Generally, you want to make sure that you have a smooth curve, it is very important to have a 1 and 2 drop when going first as we don't want to pass on turn 1 or just hero power on turn 2 as we would with a face hunter - we need control of the board and the only way to get that is with board presence. Going second tends to be worse for our deck as we are the aggressor, but the coin can become valuable if the opponent does have a 1 drop for us to easily contest the board - coining out the Faerie Dragon on turn 1 is the optimal play, it's awkward to remove and you normally get at least 6 damage from it whether it being removed via a weapon or it helps control the board. But using Corrosive Breath to remove early minions is strong, especially with a dragon in hand to keep the damage on the opposition's face.
If Going First:
We are desperately searching for a 1 drop, preferably a Blazing Battlemage for a strong early body to contest, but Dwarven Sharpshooter is also fine to play as it allows us to hero power next turn to kill whatever 1 drop the opponent plays on the board. We don't want to EVER keep Stonetusk Boar, this is our Kill Command activator later in the game to push for lethal, plus we want to draw into it using Scavenger's Ingenuity to get a 1 mana 4/4 with charge. Also, never keep Tracking. We need it to draw into our crucial cards later, playing Tracking on turn 1 should try to be avoided as there's a possibility we may be forced to discard a strong card to make sure our curve is smooth. (I've been offered both Rotnest Drakes and a Stormhammer or Dragonbane many times, which ruins our later turns 5/6+). But if Tracking is the only 1 drop we have in our hand with no strong turn 2 drop like Phase Stalker or Faerie Dragon, then I would consider playing it - it is harder to get back into the game if we are behind as Explosive Trap is our only wide board removal. The only time I would keep Explosive Trap in my opening hand is if I am Vs a Demon Hunter and I don't have a Phase Stalker. Explosive Trap is the bane of DH, they run so many 2hp minions that we can get immense value if we hold off and drop Explosive Trap after they play their Satyr Overseer on turn 3. Imprisoned Felmaw is a great keep, 5/4 for 2 mana is insane value, allowing us to contest the board and have a large body to force the opponent to use removal or trade his board. Imprisoned Felmaw is our contesting card against Shield of Galakrond, only costing us 2 mana to negate the opponents turn 5. I try to keep Stormhammer in my opening hand, if you play Faerie Dragon on turn 2, there's a high chance it lives allowing us to get a minimum of 3 swings for 3 mana from the Stormhammer.
To Sum Up Going First:
Always Keep - Blazing Battlemage, Dwarven Sharpshooter, Phase Stalker, Imprisoned Felmaw (better for slower matchups), Faerie Dragon (great vs mage + priest), Corrosive Breath Vs Demon Hunter and Stormhammer.
If Going Second:
When going second, a lot of the theory from going first remains the same, however we will be playing the Dwarven Sharpshooter differently, instead of playing it on turn 1 we want to hold it in hand, to coin out on turn 2 with a hero power to kill the opponent's 1/2 drop. It is still fine to play Blazing Battlemage Against DH this is incredibly strong, it can take out their Battlefiends and Satyr Overseers. Additionally, you always want to keep hold of your Faerie Dragon as coining this out on turn 1 is also very strong, providing you have a 2 drop for turn 2. On the coin, we always want to keep the Stormhammer as we will need it for the early removal to protect our board and build it up. Stormhammer + Faerie Dragon is yet again one of the best synergies in the deck. Unless the opponent is running Acidic Swamp Ooze, you can capitalise a lot from it. If I have a dragon in hand already, I like to keep Corrosive Breath for early removal as we have more flexibility with the coin. Another option is to coin out Scavengers's Ingenuity on turn 1 to play our buffed beast on turn 2 - as I run Stonetusk Boars in the deck this can also give us a 4/4 to be played on turn 2, but this often leaves us with 1 excess mana unless we have a Sharpshooter or Battlemage in hand. Alternatively, a 5/6 Phase Stalker on turn 2 is also a very strong turn (exept vs priest who seems to always have Shadow Word: Death in hand). Against classes like mages + priests its a good idea to hold Imprisoned Felmaw as it will always hit for 5 damage, they can't remove it until after it has attacked which puts a lot of pressure on the board. While it is dormant we can continue to play minions which forces them to use removal in attempt to gain control.
To sum up going second (Similar to going first):
Always Keep - Blazing Battlemage, Dwarven Sharpshooter, Phase Stalker, Imprisoned Felmaw (better for slower matchups), Faerie Dragon (great vs mage + priest), Corrosive Breath Vs Demon Hunter and keep Stormhammer every game.
In slower match ups, I feel okay with holding Rotnest Drake in hand, but when playing against any aggro you tend to not want to hold a 5 drop from the start of the game, coin or no coin. We need a nice low curve to build our board and remove the opponent's.
Good Synergies + Combo Plays
I'm going to talk about a few plays that I try to make each game when I have the cards available.
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Scavenger's Ingenuity --> Stonetusk Boar + Kill Command
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This combo costs 6 mana (4 if you already drew the boar) and deals 9 damage.
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Can also add in a hero power on later turns for an extra 2 to bump it to 11 damage.
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Make sure you keep track of what beasts are left in the deck when using Scavenger's Ingenuity to judge what card you're most likely to draw. We aim to use the Phase Stalkers in the early game so we can at least get 1 Stonetusk Boar from our Scavenger's.
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Dragonbane + Hero Power on Turn 6
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This combo costs 6 mana and deals 7 damage to the face on an empty board.
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I tend to do this combo on turn 6 after the opponent plays Shield of Galakrond in attempt to clear his board for a 50/50 (assuming you've been clearing his minions with your Stormhammer), dependant on his current total HP. If he is reasonably low <15 then I would commit to the combo, however as its luck dependant, check to see if you have a better/safer play in your hand for a more consistent turn. As Shield of Galakrond can easily be traded into Dragonbane.
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When the combo hits correct it generally swings the game heavily in your direction, forcing him to take out Dragonbane before he takes another 7 damage.
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Faerie Dragon + Stormhammer on Curve (turn 2 + 3)
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By playing out your Faerie Dragon on turn 2 with Stormhammer in hand, you set yourself up for a very strong turn 3 to gain a free swing.
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Plus having Evasive Feywing in hand to play on turn 4 is amazing in case your Faerie Dragon gets hit by a weapon or traded on board. The Feywing allows you to keep using your weapon and not lose any durability. I can't stress enough how strong this can be!
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Phase Stalker + Hero Power on Turn 4
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This is one of the best plays you can make when playing against a Demon Hunter, I only run x2 Explosive Trap as sometimes Freezing Trap can backfire. We want damage to their board and keep applying high pressure.
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Things You Probably Shouldn't Do
Doing these things won't put you in a better spot in game 99% of the time, try to avoid doing them.
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Playing Dragonbane alone on turn 4 - We don't want to run a Sen'jin Shieldmasta, it will almost die every time unless on the lucky occasion the opponent has 0 removal. The card effect is so strong that people will go to extreme lengths to kill it - trust me they do.
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Playing Rotnest Drake on an opponent's empty board - the effect of this card is incredibly strong being able to destroy a minion while generating a 6/5 body all for 5 mana. Even if it is the only card you can play on curve, don't drop it down. Wait until the opponent plays a nice 5 or 6 drop you can immediately clear with it.
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Playing Dwarven Sharpshooter on turn 1 when you have the coin. This feels like a very weak play as its an easy card to clear with only 1 attack, a 3/2 trades nicely into it. It is better to play nothing turn 1 then play it on turn 2 + coin hero power to kill an opponent's minion. You want to get value from it's effect, especially if you have no other removal in hand.
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Playing a Phase Stalker on turn 2 alone when vs aggro classes like DH. If you don't have an Explosive Trap in hand, you are heavily reliant on getting it on the board from using your hero power with Phase Stalker. It's quite easy to remove a 2/3 for most classes whether it be a weapon, Frostbolt, Twin Slice, Chaos Strike, Eyebeam, Holy Smite, Wrath etc.. the list goes on.
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Playing all cheaper dragons from your hand when you still have a Rotnest in hand and no other removal. I know it can be tempting to drop a Faerie Dragon + Evasive Feywing together as its so hard to remove for some, but you need to try to always keep a dragon activator in your hand. In-case you top deck Corrosive Breath you want the damage to also hit their face to get them lower for your Boar + KC. Plus any mass removal that clears the board will mean that you get less swings out of your Stormhammer for having no dragon alive.
I have explained in other sections about various match-ups, the mulligan rules that I wrote above stay very similar with each match-up as our aim of each game is the same. But if you would like I can write another post going more in-depth of each match-up in this meta and more info on game plan for each one.
Feel free to ask me any questions about the deck or a specific card/match-up and I'll try my best to answer. Or any changes you think that could be viable and work to improve the deck?
I stream in the evenings throughout the week starting from roughly 19:00 GMT+1 at: https://www.twitch.tv/jez24
You can ask me any questions you'd like over here and I'll answer them for you while I play. If you miss me offline, check back the next evening or give me a follow and you'll be notified of when I'm live!
I also saved the point of a game (https://www.twitch.tv/videos/615834498?t=14m50s) vs Mage where it shows what the deck can do, I always talk through all my plays as best as I can when playing so you can understand what I think of and why I do it :).
Huge thank you to everybody who read my guide, I hope you found it helpful. If not, then all constructive criticism will be taken on board (it's the first guide I've ever written!).
Go get some wins with the deck!
- Jez
Well that's a good reason to start playing the deck for sure, I'm roughly 90 wins away too :).
Try to always play on curve, and I think it's very important to know when to not play a card, as if you aim to play all available cards every turn you will get out valued and you will run out of gas. We have to be the aggressor in our match-ups to not allow our opponent to have early aggression.
Most games I've played card draw hasn't been a problem, it can be a problem if you over extend into wide board clear from the opponent. But if you do feel yourself becoming low on cards early into the game use this mana to hero power more until you draw into better cards. Remember our Primordial Explorer generates us dragons too, I almost always pick Primordial if im given the chance as it's another free one for great value. Before you play a card think of how easy it could be for him to remove it. E.g don't play a Battlemage into a Dwarven Sharpshooter as it dies next turn to his her power vs hunter.
Hopefully this helped you out, it's a pretty fast deck, I think if you give it a chance to get used to it you may get better results :), not all decks are as straight forward as they seem but when played correct can be very strong.
Sry mate - tried it a bit more and droped hard. It's just not for me i guess.
No worries man, it;s all good. What decks do you usually play to climb with?
Aggro/Midrange/Tempo. I hate control ;). Hit legend with DH last season.
Ohh right I see I see! I think you shouldn't have any major problems playing it in that case, you are already used to the same play style of it :).
And congrats on hitting Legend last season too!
I have 42% winrate with your deck. It seems it jus doesn't fit me well enough :)
First time i got legend with this deck :)
Diamant 3 to legend with 18W- 8L.
DH are free wins hahah
Good job man! Glad to hear you was able to hit Legend with this deck.
DH are definitely free wins if we have a Rotnest Drake to kill Priestess of Fury! Explosive trap is so strong in this match up for us.
Do you guys think Toxic Reinforcements would fit in? Maybe instead of a Tracking?
No. Tracking is one of the best card draw in the game.
Tracking is a very strong card for this deck.
I find Tracking to be an amazing card when we get dealt a below average hand, it helps us pull together the parts for a strong turn 5 for example or helps us find that KC/scavengers we need to draw the boar for lethal.
If you're really sure you want to cut it, I'd advise either replacing both with a 1 mana hunter spell so that we keep the same curve, so either Arcane Shot or Rapid Fire.
Or if you don't mind the curve getting a little more expensive, I would suggest adding a second copy of Evasive Feywing and maybe just keep 1 Tracking in the deck. If you really hate tracking that much then take out the second one for a Scrap Shot (good with beast synergy) or Unleash the Hounds which can be effective board clear or a push for lethal with KC later in the game.
But honestly, I'd highly recommend keeping Trackingin the deck!
Yo i love this decklist, im playing it in mid diamond trying to hit legend. I swapped out one of the Tracking for a Pack Tactics because it works well with Phase Stalker , helps you get more value out of it, and can help you cement your board. It also feels really good against Warrior, DH and Rogue. Just wondering what your thoughts are on this swap and if i should swap something else for pack tactics and keep 2 tracking.
Hey there, I made a comment on this previously so I'll put the same one here,
I find Tracking to be an amazing card when we get dealt a below average hand, it helps us pull together the parts for a strong turn 5 for example or helps us find that KC/scavengers we need to draw the boar for lethal.
If you're really sure you want to cut it, I'd advise either replacing both with a 1 mana hunter spell so that we keep the same curve, so either Arcane Shot or Rapid Fire.
Adding in another secret can be annoying when we need an explosive trap but get pack tactics instead, so I try to not dilute the secret pool.
Or if you don't mind the curve getting a little more expensive, I would suggest adding a second copy of Evasive Feywing and maybe just keep 1 Tracking in the deck. If you really hate tracking that much then take out the second one for a Scrap Shot (good with beast synergy) or Unleash the Hounds which can be effective board clear or a push for lethal with KC later in the game.
But honestly, I'd highly recommend keeping Tracking in the deck!
I was stuck between D5-D2 for couple days but this deck made me legend so fast. One of the strongest in the meta.
68% WR D5 to legend I had.
Hey, glad to hear the deck was so successful for you.
It's very strong to play with, good job on hitting Legend so fast!
65% Winrate is also very good, keep up the good games.
You took a lot of time explaining this for us all. I appreciate that. Decksplanations like this are part of the reason I come here and love this community.
I whipped the deck up right quick and gave it a try at 3 star 5 Diamond. Faced a Gala Secret rogue. Now I'm 1 star 4 Diamond ;)
Nice deck, mate. Thank you for the work you put in to the write up on it.
Hey Danjo, thanks for leaving such a positive comment, I really do appreciate it. Sometimes a deck can be very strong, but if not piloted correctly it may feel much weaker than it really is.
Took me a long time to get it all typed out so I'm happy you got some good use from it. Good job on beating that Secret Rogue too, can be an annoying matchup.
Again, you're welcome, I was happy to write it all. If you have any additional questions feel free to ask me, or if you need a little help with the deck etc. I can do that too.
- Jez
If I were to craft either 2 Stormhammers or Dragonbane, the Stormhammers will matter first, right?
100% craft both of the Stormhammers first, they are a staple in the deck which helps our dragon synergy. There is no alternative to them but Eaglehorn Bow, using this doesn't help with any dragon synergy, instead if you was to run these you would want to be running more secrets - but then this sways away from the Dragon Hunter synergy.
Dragonbane can easily be replaced with an Evasive Feywing, still a strong card for 4 mana.
Hope this helped answer your question :).
My instincts were right then! Played around 50 games with Evasive Feywing as replacement to Dragonbane and I've had 66% WR. Awesome deck!