Hearthpwn

(Edited to a catchier Deck Name... the explanation is hidden in the article, if you don't get it.)

Will post some video of play if it gets to 10 upvotes!  Thanks!

Mulligan

Mulligan hard for spell critters like Animal Companion, the one Ball of Spiders, and Bear Traps.  Keep in mind, Lock and Load can get you cheaper creatures also, and may be worth holding one and or dropping with as few as two spells to play after. 

Against Druid, Shaman, and Paladin, you may want to be happier to keep spells that are decent removal against tokens. Against Shaman and Druid, this includes Deadly Shot (for the faster big dudes they can drop).

Deck Strategy:

Early game: SMorc on curve, cast critter spells, and most traps. Attack with Bears, Companions, and, if a good reason for summoning them, Hounds. Hold coin, non-trap damage (especially arcane shot), misdirection (to time), except for essential removal (smart trades), and maybe buffed Kill Commands to the face. Track hand count to leave room for eventual Spider and Lock gains.

Midgame get either Lock and Load or Ball of Spiders off (around t5-7).  

Late game, drop larger creatures and/or start to flood or burst with extra cards. Check lethal a lot, as the deck has reach.

Assorted Card Rationales

Hunter has a few nice spells to give early board presence, and a lot of great removal for fatties and damage for face.  Malygos is really good with the damage secrets (it does boost them, too).

Dart Traps are like having extra  Kill Commands on an empty board, and good softeners when they hit a fatty.  Dont underestimate this trap.  Its even solid if it just takes out a totem or other token... early pressure and the druid combo is the only real threat for this deck I have run into so far.

One Explosive Trap (actually useful against Druid and Shaman, and combos with  Malygos) and one Unleash the Hounds, as both are situational singletons, but great when the timing is right.

Lock and Load can be huge if held and fired off just before getting the mana to play the fatties. Try to save coin for it, unless you are saving it to Arcane Shot with Malygos on t9 (or twice on t10).

Hero Power as much as reasonably possible even in favor of the Bear Trap unless they have something to trigger it (weapons, and hero powers, too).  At least unless tempo requires otherwise or until you are a turn or two from lethal. 

Q: How do you catch a Red Elephant?  A: With a Red Elephant Trap!

 

Substitutions

This deck is a lot more flexible than it might seem. I won most games before Malygos was even needed, and rarely played Alex, which suggests those could be subbed out pretty easy.  I won most games where I did not draw Locks, although, the ones I did, were easier wins.

If you only have one Lock, a 2nd  Ball of Spiders is a good sub.  Both help get the Mountain Giant down sooner.  An Eaglehorn Bow or two also make good subs.  It will work great with the slate of secrets, which are even better with no Kezan's in this current brawl meta.

Some fatties can be swapped out for preferences... I like Kel, even with the light creature count (he is great with Boom Bot and Spiders), but you can flavor to taste (A 2nd Mountain Giant is a thought).  Malygos is highly synergistic, but honestly, I won without it most games.  If you don't have it, sub another dragon, giant, or big bad that you do have.  Dr. Boom cant really be out done at the slot, but is not synergistic, so can be subbed for with a slight drop in effectiveness. Ragnaros the Firelord, is pretty important, too.

My Results

Went 15-3 in a few hours play. 2 losses to druids with combos, 1 to a shaman friend who had spectated the deck, which was the only challenge game, the rest were random pairings. Thanks to those who have helped it get to the front Hunter page, as one of the three featured Brawl decks (when you click the Hunter tile at the top of the main page deck grid)! A really fun deck! 

Happy to entertain other suggestions... I used cards I have and have some gaps in my collection, so there may be better ones. Hope you will share your substitutions in the comments, too!