(Budget) Hybrid Hunter - Legend Grinders - Guide
- Last updated Mar 13, 2016 (Explorers)
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Wild
- 19 Minions
- 9 Spells
- 2 Weapons
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Unknown
- Crafting Cost: 1180
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 7/4/2015 (Blackrock Launch)
- wingsofwaxiii
- Deck Architect
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- 16
- 23
- 60
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Battle Tag:
WingsOfWax
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Region:
US
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Total Deck Rating
7351
Hey there everyone!
I am a 16x Legend Player with 2x Top 100 finishes who goes by the battletag WingsOfWax or WingsOfWaxIII on other social media (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Twitch, and YouTube).
Don't forget to +1 if you enjoyed the guide/decklist. A lot of time and effort went into these and it's a free and easy way to say thank you.
Introduction to my YouTube Channel:
Currently I will be starting up a series of guides to help newer or budget players develop decks that can be purchased for under 2,000 Dust each (also Requires Naxxramas Unlocked) and compete with the current Meta enough to help you achieve your goal of High Ranks or even Legend.
As of right now, these are the guides I have available:
Burst Rogue (1480 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/263019-burst-rogue-legend-grinder-race-hunters
Budget Oil Rogue (1900 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/263606-budget-oil-legend-grinder-guide-videos
Budget Zad + Combo Druid (1900 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/267369-budget-zad-combo-legendary-druid-guide
Budget Zoolock Warlock (1340 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/267487-budget-zoolock-aggro-legend-grinder-guide
Budget Control Priest (1400 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/270038-budget-control-priest-legend-grinder-guide
Budget Hybrid Hunter (1080 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/270052-budget-hybrid-hunter-legend-grinders-guide
Budget Aggro Paladin (1820 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/270278-budget-aggro-paladin-aggrodin-legend-grinder
Budget Mech Shaman (1580 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/270317-budget-mech-shaman-legend-grinder-guide
Budget SMOrc Warrior (920 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/271749-budget-smorc-warrior-legend-grinder-guide
Budget Mech Mage (1360 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/272893-budget-mech-mage-legend-grinder-guide
Budget Tempo Mage (1200 Dust) - http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/272918-budget-tempo-mage-legend-grinder-guide
Along with this deck list, I have wrote up a small guide to help any new players understand how to choose Mulligans/Opening-Hands, Play-style, and adapting to your current Meta.
Here is a "Rough" Guide to help you on your quest to Ranking Up/Legend
Mulligans/Opening Hand Keepers:
Vs Warriors - 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 1x Knife Juggler, 1x Animal Companion, and 1x Eaglehorn Bow (If Coin = Yes then Keep up to 2xPiloted Shredder or 2x Animal Companion)
Vs Mages - 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, 1x Animal Companion, and 1x Eaglehorn Bow
Vs Druid - Hunter's Mark, 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, 1x Freezing Trap, and 2x Animal Companion. (If Coin = Yes then Keep up to 2x Piloted Shredder or 2x Animal Companion)
Vs Paladin - 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, Ironbeak Owl, 1x Animal Companion, and 1x Eaglehorn Bow
Vs Hunter - 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, 1x Animal Companion, and 1x Eaglehorn Bow (If Face Hunter = Yes, Keep Explosive Trap)
Vs Shaman - 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, Ironbeak Owl, 1x Animal Companion, and 1x Eaglehorn Bow
Vs Warlock -
Opp Kept 2 cards or more (Aggro)? 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, Ironbeak Owl, 1x Animal Companion, and 1x Eaglehorn Bow
Opp Kept 1 card or less (Control)? Hunter's Mark, 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, Ironbeak Owl, and 2x Animal Companion. (If Coin = Yes then Keep up to 2x Piloted Shredder or 2x Animal Companion)
Vs Rogue - 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, and 2x Animal Companion. (If Coin = Yes then Keep up to 2xPiloted Shredder or 2x Animal Companion)
Vs Priest - Hunter's Mark, 2x Webspinner, 2x Abusive Sergeant, 2x Lepper Gnome, 2x Haunted Creeper, 2x Mad Scientist, 2x Knife Juggler, 2x Animal Companion, and 1x Piloted Shredder. (If Coin = Yes then Keep up to 2x Piloted Shredder)
Play-Style:
Hunter is designed to be an aggressive deck because of its Hero Power. With this deck being a little more midrange oriented, you can get away with making small trades to keep the board clear, but overall need to focus on beating your opponents face when you believe the coast to be clear.
Typically minions such as Shredder, Loatheb, and Savanah Highmane should almost always hit your opponents face to ensure decent chunks of damage (especially Highmane). Against most Midrange and Control strategies, you should be attacking your opponents face more often, where as Aggro decks can usually out race you and require you to make more trades.
Vs Warriors -
Control Warrior: If you were a Face Hunter, this matchup would be a lot tougher. Our minions in this midrange/hybrid style are a little more durable and you can eventually kill them with because of this. Warriors tend to struggle against cards like Piloted Shredder and Savanah Highmane, so use these to your advantage and push for damage whenever you can. Denying your opponent draws from Acolyte of Pain or armor from Armorsmith tends to be the correct move when deciding priorities. Save your Owl and Hunter's Mark for minions like Sludge Belcher or an early Amorsmith in your way.
Patron Warrior: This matchup tends to be a bit more difficult than Control Warrior, but I believe it to still be favorable for Hunter (even if it's slightly). Try to be as aggressive as you can by hitting their face and presenting a board state full of minions. Prioritize killing Armorsmith and Acolyte of Pain to prevent incremental Armor or Card advantage. Save Unleash the Hounds for Patron Combo turns to ensure extra damage. Hunter's Mark and Ironbeak Owl are used for Acolyte of Pain, Armorsmith, and Unstable Ghoul (Mostly Owl here).
Vs Mages -
Tempo Mage: Your deck tends to be faster than theirs, so use that to your advantage. Try to deal with early minions and Flamewaker the best way you can. You have enough small minions to decrease the effect of Mirror Entity, so be sure to sandbag/hold a small minion if possible to deny them value. Eaglehorn Bow is your friend in this matchup with Coin, it usually kills a Mana Wyrm and Sorcerer's Apprentice to keep the board clear enough for you to develop minions of your own. Ironbeak Owl is mostly used for Mad Scientists to deny Secret value. Hunter's Mark can help clear a Flamewaker in a pinch, otherwise use it on a midrange/late game minion.
Freeze Mage: This is a tough matchup, but definitely winnable. Try to be as aggressive as possible (SMOrc BOYZ) and use your Hero Power frequently from T4 and beyond. Be sure to save your Ironbeak Owl and Hunter's Mark to help clear a Doom Sayer. Try to hold Loatheb for a turn that will prevent your opponent from clearing your board position (around T6 or T7). Freeze Mage's gain a lot of life, so using your Hero Power often is the best chance of defeating your Opponent.
Vs Druid - I find this to be a decent matchup. Getting an aggressive start with an early minion mana curve is extremely helpful in this matchup. Try to use Hunter's Mark and Ironbeak Owl on Innervate targets or Taunts in your way. Freezing Trap tends to be one of the most important cards in this matchup, so holding 1 or getting Mad Scientist in your opening hand can make all the difference. If you can afford to, try playing around Swipe to prevent being blown out in future turns.
Vs Paladin -
Aggro: You are the Control deck in this matchup, so try to keep your opponents board as clear as possible. Eventually your big minions like Piloted Shredder, Loatheb, and Savanah Highmane will win you the game. Save Explosive Trap and Unleash the Hounds for Muster for Battle turns. Using Ironbeak Owl on a Shielded Mini-Bot is usually correct, otherwise save for Blessing of King targets. There usually isn't any great targets for Hunter's Mark, so if you can find value, take it.
Midrange/Control: In order to have a decent chance at winning in this matchup, you will need an early start and for the most part and ignore your opponents minions. Save your Ironbeak Owl and Hunter's mark to help clear cards like Sludge Belcher and Tirion. Save your Unleash the Hounds for Muster for Battles. Try to setup Freezing Trap, by clearing small minions when possible.
Vs Hunter - This matchup tends to be based on whoever is the most aggressive is and knowing when you can trade for value. Best cards in this matchup by far are Haunted Creepers and Mad Scientists just from the value they pose. Try to save your Unleash the Hounds to trigger Traps like Freezing and Explosive. If your holding a lot of damage like Eaglehorn Bow and Kill Command, I'd consider trying to "Race" your opponent and start going Face.
Vs Shaman - In this matchup, Unleash the Hounds is your greatest ally. In the beginning of the game, try to keep your opponents board clear as best as you can to hold the tempo of the game and board position in your favor. Once you have a couple minions in play and your opponents board is relatively cleared, you can start pushing for damage. One thing to note is most Shamans have 0 healing effects, so every damage you can manage to push for really counts towards closing out the game quickly. Ironbeak Owl should be saved for cards with Taunt or major totems like Flametongue Totem or Mana Tide Totem.
Vs Warlock -
Aggro: Typically you are the control deck in this matchup, but if you can trick your opponent into thinking they need to control the board, you can usually win every time. I would try pushing for face damage immediately unless you can "trade-up", however if your opponent is trying to race you instead of trading, it's time for you to go on the defensive and start making trades. Unleash the Hounds and Explosive Trap are necessary cards to winning this matchup. I'd consider saving your Knife Juggler to help combo with Unleash on T5 or later.
Control: RACE THEM! SMOrc BOYZ! Try to push for as much damage as possible. Hold onto your Ironbeak Owl and Hunter's Mark for large taunts standing in your way. Try to attack with Molten Giant + Taunt (Sunfury Protector & Defender of Argus) in mind and do a little math to make their low life total turns awkward for giant + taunt. You would prefer to hold onto Kill Command until you can lethal them behind a wall of Taunts. Be careful of Sunfury Protector, Defender of Argus, Antique Healbot and Ironbeak Owl getting Freezing Trapped (try to prevent it if possible).
Vs Rogue - Try to be as aggressive as you can in this matchup. There aren't many if any targets for Ironbeak Owl, so sandbag it long enough to find a target. Hunter's Mark is a great answer for Violet Teacher, Loatheb, Sludge Belcher, or Azure Drake. Usually casting Savanah Highmane is a liability, so don't do it unless you have to or can afford to get it Sap'ped. Eaglehorn Bow tends to be one of the best cards in this matchup since it can either push for damage or deal with pesky early minions.
Vs Priest - Eaglehorn Bow and Animal Companion are typically your best cards early in the game. Knife Juggler should usually be coined into play before any other 2-mana minions to apply pressure and have an easy way to deal with Northshire Cleric. Try dealing with your opponents board to deny them value from their Hero Power. Savanah Highmane and Piloted Shredder are great late game minions against Priests from their durability. Try to time Loatheb to prevent your opponent board clearing for a turn.
Adapting to your Meta:
Vs More Aggro decks? -2 Freezing Trap -1 Savanah Highmane +1 Explosive Trap +1 Ironbeak Owl +1 Sludge Belcher
Vs More Control decks? -1 Explosive Trap -1 Unleash the Hounds +1 Snake Trap +1 Hound Master
Make other changes as you see fit or if you just have the urge to try something new.
Card Choices:
Hunter's Mark - With the recent spike in Deathlord, Hunter's Mark seems like a perfect fit in this deck to help answer an early/pesky Deathlord or to be saved for a later point when a large Taunt is standing in your way.
Piloted Shredder - The most durable 4-drop minion that benefits aggressive/midrange strategies. Think of Shredder as a bigger and better Harvest Golem.
Here is Video:
Budget Midrange Hunter Gameplay & Commentary 8/4/2015
Budget Hybrid Hunter - Games & Commentary - 8/6/2015
FAQ:
Q - 2k Dust and Naxx? That seems like an expensive "budget."
A - These guides are intended for people looking to spend some Dust/Gold and have the ability to acquire at least the bare essential Adventure Mode, Naxxramas. Budget is much different than F2P, which is why I don't label my decks and guides as F2P to cause confusion. Budget means you are willing to spend a little, where as F2P means ...well....Free.
Q - Budget Not a Problem?
A - I suggest this list: (It is only 1 card different) http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/271156-hybrid-hunter-w-boom
Q - Why Leper Gnome in a Midrange Deck?
A - Leper Gnome is a solid 1-mana minion that majority of the time is worth at least 4 points of damage and with a Hero Power of 2-mana Deal 2-Damage, Leper Gnome damage adds up. I also like how this minion can stump an opponent into think you are Face Hunter, having the need to use removal spells much quicker (creates mind games for your opponent), then a Shredder or Savanah Highmane comes down unscathed and ready for action.
Interested in learning more? Feel free to stop by my stream, in which I play a variety of decks and try to help educate players on making better decisions and improving their game play. Here's to hoping this deck/guide is in some way beneficial to your Grinding Experience!
Follow On Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/wingsofwaxiii
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Don't forget to +1 if you enjoyed the guide/decklist.
Thank you for checking out this deck and I hope it works well for you,
-Wings
It will occasionally throw people off guard and work sometimes. I would bring more consideration to Sludge Belcher since it's more consistent.
That's awesome! Congratz HeroStefano!
Glad the deck has been working out for you, I find this list to be pretty consistent.
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
Hey there Fledex,
The reasons why I didn't include Quick Shot into this deck was because you with 5 and 6 mana minions, you can't reliably empty your hand enough to get value. Also adding QS would mean removing an already useful card from this deck.
Hope this helps! Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
Heya xCorn,
The FAQ has a link to answer that question. ^^
As far as Ragnaros goes, I feel he's not worth while compared to Dr. Boom since his effect is RNG and also requires you to spend 8 mana (which is a lot in any Hunter deck). It also forces you to play the "board clear" game and you can't afford to do that always, so I'd rather not put Rag in for clunky reasons. It's a great card in decks that constantly plan to keep the board clear and have many other BGH targets, but I'd rather not have him in a Hunter build.
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
Hey thanks for this great guide. I'm not nearly as serious (or as good) of a player as you, but I've been rolling with a similar hunter deck, except I scrap one Animal Companion, one Sergeant, and the Owl for two Undertakers and Baron Rivendare.
I have never tried grinding to Legend, but I am thinking about giving it a go. I was wondering if you have any thoughts about my alternate choices above. Would you play with Baron Rivendare is this wasn't a budget deck? And why not the Undertakers in a deck so deathrattle-heavy?
Thanks again. You are the first Hearthstone player whose stream I've taken the time to watch. And I enjoyed it!
Well thank you for the compliment(s)! I'm glad you are considering taking your Hearthstone gaming to the next level too. ^^
I feel like the changes you made were more for a "fun" aspect rather than a competitive one. Mostly because Animal Companion is the strongest 3-drop minion Hunters have and it compares to the same powerlevel as a Paladins Aldor Peacekeeper, Warlocks Imp Gang Boss, Mages Flamewaker, Druids Shade of Naxxramas, etc... I would reconsider going back to a deck similar to this one for consistency reasons and an overall higher win %.
Owl is such a powerful card in this Meta as well, so much so that I've been trying to figure out where I can squeeze a second one in the mix. Being able to silence a Nerubian Egg, Sludge Belcher, Ancient of War and much more can prove extremely beneficial. In this strategy the Hunter's Mark takes the 2nd Owl's place to give you an easy answer to things like an early Deathlord.
Abusive Sergeant is more of a personal choice rather than using a different 1-drop. I wanted something that could be a 1-mana 2/1 in matchups that my opponents Hero Power couldn't remove it as well as help your smaller minions trade up. This also counts as a 2 damage surprise when combined with stuff like Unleash the Hounds. You could however run a number of other cards in slot of this, but I feel Abusive Sergeant helps in a few different areas and all at the cost of 1-mana.
Hopefully this helps persuade you to try a more consistent deck like this one, but feel free to play whatever makes you happy in the end. Your enjoyment is all that really matters when it comes to any game.
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
Thank you for your thoughtful response.
Very nice deck
Glad you are enjoying the deck. It's quite consistent and durable in most matchups.
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
I'm extremely happy that these guides have helped you. It's always nice to hear comments such as these and ultimately make creating these guides feel worth while in the end.
As I mention this, there's someone going through each of my guides and downvoting all comments and guides to get at me. So with the good comes the bad, but that won't stop me from creating content. ^^
I wish you the best of luck this season on reaching Legend and believe it is highly possible considering you've already hit the "Meta" at and around Rank 5. This is extremely impressive for someone who's only been playing Ranked for 3 seasons (possibly Hearthstone too?).
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
I do my best not to let it bother me, but it's hard to ignore someone deliberately sabotaging your hard work. I've put around 30 hours into creating this guide series already and still have 2 decks left - Budget Mech Mage and Budget Face Warrior.
These are the last two guides for this Budget Series and after they are done, I'd prefer not to be tied to another series for a little while. I do plan on playing some Tempo Mage at some point down the line, but I'd rather not give an exact time frame since real life is starting to get busier for me. When I do create another guide (and I'm sure I will in time) I plan on playing something I enjoy (not that this series hasn't been fun) that way I don't mind creating it and overall it becomes more enjoyable and educational content. ^^
I gotta say, for only playing the game for 5 months (Ranked for 3 months), it is impressive you made it to the Ranks you've hit. I see Legend soon in your Future for sure.
I wish you the best of luck. Grind on my friend,
-Wings
Great time with this deck, thank you.
I'm missing one shredder so I switch it with Dark Iron Dwarf, always fun.
This deck is very consistent, so i'm glad you are enjoying it! The Dark Iron Dwarf trade off is not bad either, I would consider trying out a Houndmaster instead, but if the Dark Iron Dwarf is working well then stick with it. ^^
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
Thanks for the budget decks. I have tried most of them and they are fun keep up the good work.
Glad you are enjoying the decks! I'd recommend Priest, Rogue and Paladin for my three favorite from the guide series thus far in case your looking for recommendations. Hunter is a consistent class/deck, but if your looking to try more out of the box strategies, those are the ones I find enjoyable and powerful.
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
First of all I'm glad you are enjoying the deck! One of the biggest issues I've seen people make with Hunter Variations similar to this is they make too many minion trades instead pressuring your opponent s life total. I'm not sure if this is the issue you are running into for sure, but it's just a common problem people have deciding when to trade or when to face.
Typically minions such as Shredder, Loatheb, and Savanah Highmane should almost always hit your opponents face to ensure decent chunks of damage (especially Highmane). Against most Midrange and Control strategies, you should be attacking your opponents face more often, where as Aggro decks can usually out race you and require you to make more trades.
Hopefully this sheds some light and thank you for the compliments!
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
I'm glad the advice answered some of your questions! I wasn't sure if your attacks were the issue or maybe just the deck was under performing for you (both tend to happen). I'm actually going to edit and add a portion of my comment to the Play-Style section since I feel it is decent advice.
Not entirely sure when my next stream is due to real life getting busy, but I look forward meeting you sometime!
Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
Interesting deck, it looks promising too but without the right curve you feel completely screwed due to the lack of card draw. I got owned by a lock, mage and druid. Even when I drew the right answers, they had the advantage because they had more card draw and taunts, when all I had were things like a puny knife juggler and explosive trap sitting in my hand.
Congratulations on legendary but this deck seems to be lacking that key component, which puts the player at a huge disadvantage when they mulligan into savannah highmane, knife juggler and owl on turn one. You better pray to god or your lucky stars and hope that your opponent has a terrible curve and is playing a deck with no draw mechanic incorporated into it.
I find the deck to be pretty consistent to be honest. Even if you don't have a 1-drop, you can usually control the Tempo of the game until reaching Savanah Highmane turns to start blowing out your opponent. Also the "without the right curve you feel completely screwed" goes for any deck that you play, Card Draw or no Card Draw.
Against Handlock, Mage, and Druid, you need to be a bit more aggressive and keep putting on Face Damage as much as possible, if they have answers for everything, sure! they'll win, but you have to keep pressuring them in order to put them in awkward situations.
Thank you for the comment! Good luck and grind on,
-Wings
Mad Scientist and a lot of other Naxx cards are extremely powerful and useful in Ranked. If your interested in playing Ranked, start saving now so at some point you can unlock Naxx and play these powerful cards! ^^ (It's hard to replace Naxx cards)
Thank you for the compliment. Good luck and Grind on,
-Wings