I recently started playing spellhunter at rank 3, but had a really rough start. The number of decisions per turn is much higher than in the decks I usually play (like odd rogue).
Here are 2 examples where I was blown out in match-ups I think should have been better than that:
Any tips or advice on what I could have done better or how to improve would be much appreciated. (If you wonder why I wasted mana in some turns, it's because I ran out of time)
While I don't consider myself an expert at Spell Hunter play, there were a few things I saw that were somewhat questionable. Sorry about the length, but if you're looking for an in depth analysis on some parts, here it is. :)
In the first game (against the Even Shaman), I'm curious why you chose to play Rexxar when you did. I personally might have played him the turn before so I could start building beasts the next turn since other than playing Rhok'delar there wasn't much for you to do. I think it was fine to not play him that turn, especially if you were saving him for a board clear and knew that you could get plenty of value from Rhok'delar the next turn. Playing Flanking Strike was just fine there. However, I think playing him the next turn was a mistake as playing Rhok'delar then would have set you up with more resources to keep up the tempo on the next turns, even if you end up burning a card, which isn't a big deal in with Spell Hunter since you had DK Rexxar's hero power. The turn afterward I think you also misplayed with how you removed the Lich King as playing To My Side + Wing Blast was a guaranteed clear that also leaves you with board control with two minions. The turn afterward when you setup for the explosive trap, the fact that they had a healing totem on board and you did nothing else means that there is no reason for them not to just wait a turn, even if that means that you can play more next turn since they can play more optimally around it later. Also, playing the Misdirection then would have been a waste if they actually triggered the Explosive Trap. One finer detail would be to be aware of cards that have been sitting in their hand for a while that they haven't played. The Sea Giant in this case could have been something that you deduced from that, or just something you need to know about as it is one of Even Shaman's stronger cards. I don't fault you for that though since I doubt I would have thought it through in game that much, but it is something you can learn from. After that, when you are behind on board, you don't always need to hero power first if there seems to be a good way to stabilize the board, especially when they don't have many cards in hand. Likewise, on the last turn, since you knew that Explosive Shot wouldn't be enough, hero power first to give yourself more options with beasts.
As for the second game, part of the reason you lost was that you just didn't draw Rhok'delar or Rexxar, so you were suffering from that. I think you probably should have played Rat Trap on 3 since they had the coin, so it would be more likely to trigger. My question though would be what your strategy for winning would be once you saw that it was a Quest Priest. If you're plan was to try to burn them before they got the quest completed, I think your play to remove the Rotten Applebaum was fine as it established more tempo, but it did leave you without good removal against their bigger threats later. Since you didn't have a Spellstone to start and upgrade, you could have taken a longer strategy and relied on Rexxar to win (and just hope you draw him soon). Not that you would have been in a good position anyway, but maybe you might have had a shot (as in drew Rexxar the very next turn and got good beasts). Like you said, Spell Hunter has more decision making than purely tempo deck, and game plan/win condition is one of them. Sometimes it just happens like that though where you run out of resources.
Biggest tip I can give people that they neglect is the order in which you play the traps is the order they will trigger. This can make a huge difference in creating tempo. A prime example is if you are dropping freezing and Wandering Monster you'll generally want Monster first. This way when they attack you generate a creature and the attacking creature is then returned to their hand without damaging your new minion.
I see a lot of misplays on this front from other players. Something else to note, spell hunter can hit patches where it just doesn't work. You draw bad and you lose. It doesn't run card draw and tracking is more of a bandaid and sometimes makes you lose important cards. It might not be your fault at times, you can just lose 4 games in a row to shit draws. On the flip side sometimes you just are dropping 12 stats worth of wolves on turn 5 while your opponent keeps getting tripped up on the traps. Rexxar can give you sick comeback potential. There's a lot of lifesteal/rush or charge minions that can take you out of lethal. Also a few aoe/poison combos that will clear an opponents board. At the same time sometimes it's better to just let Rexxar rot in your hand while you take a few turns to ping off the last few life from an opponent with your standard hero power.
I recently started playing spellhunter at rank 3, but had a really rough start. The number of decisions per turn is much higher than in the decks I usually play (like odd rogue).
Here are 2 examples where I was blown out in match-ups I think should have been better than that:
https://hsreplay.net/replay/9HVDnioKXUDRUoUbMJR5PH
https://hsreplay.net/replay/LNLn89kAehvKSeNzSEnbmB
Any tips or advice on what I could have done better or how to improve would be much appreciated. (If you wonder why I wasted mana in some turns, it's because I ran out of time)
While I don't consider myself an expert at Spell Hunter play, there were a few things I saw that were somewhat questionable. Sorry about the length, but if you're looking for an in depth analysis on some parts, here it is. :)
In the first game (against the Even Shaman), I'm curious why you chose to play Rexxar when you did. I personally might have played him the turn before so I could start building beasts the next turn since other than playing Rhok'delar there wasn't much for you to do. I think it was fine to not play him that turn, especially if you were saving him for a board clear and knew that you could get plenty of value from Rhok'delar the next turn. Playing Flanking Strike was just fine there. However, I think playing him the next turn was a mistake as playing Rhok'delar then would have set you up with more resources to keep up the tempo on the next turns, even if you end up burning a card, which isn't a big deal in with Spell Hunter since you had DK Rexxar's hero power. The turn afterward I think you also misplayed with how you removed the Lich King as playing To My Side + Wing Blast was a guaranteed clear that also leaves you with board control with two minions. The turn afterward when you setup for the explosive trap, the fact that they had a healing totem on board and you did nothing else means that there is no reason for them not to just wait a turn, even if that means that you can play more next turn since they can play more optimally around it later. Also, playing the Misdirection then would have been a waste if they actually triggered the Explosive Trap. One finer detail would be to be aware of cards that have been sitting in their hand for a while that they haven't played. The Sea Giant in this case could have been something that you deduced from that, or just something you need to know about as it is one of Even Shaman's stronger cards. I don't fault you for that though since I doubt I would have thought it through in game that much, but it is something you can learn from. After that, when you are behind on board, you don't always need to hero power first if there seems to be a good way to stabilize the board, especially when they don't have many cards in hand. Likewise, on the last turn, since you knew that Explosive Shot wouldn't be enough, hero power first to give yourself more options with beasts.
As for the second game, part of the reason you lost was that you just didn't draw Rhok'delar or Rexxar, so you were suffering from that. I think you probably should have played Rat Trap on 3 since they had the coin, so it would be more likely to trigger. My question though would be what your strategy for winning would be once you saw that it was a Quest Priest. If you're plan was to try to burn them before they got the quest completed, I think your play to remove the Rotten Applebaum was fine as it established more tempo, but it did leave you without good removal against their bigger threats later. Since you didn't have a Spellstone to start and upgrade, you could have taken a longer strategy and relied on Rexxar to win (and just hope you draw him soon). Not that you would have been in a good position anyway, but maybe you might have had a shot (as in drew Rexxar the very next turn and got good beasts). Like you said, Spell Hunter has more decision making than purely tempo deck, and game plan/win condition is one of them. Sometimes it just happens like that though where you run out of resources.
Biggest tip I can give people that they neglect is the order in which you play the traps is the order they will trigger. This can make a huge difference in creating tempo. A prime example is if you are dropping freezing and Wandering Monster you'll generally want Monster first. This way when they attack you generate a creature and the attacking creature is then returned to their hand without damaging your new minion.
I see a lot of misplays on this front from other players. Something else to note, spell hunter can hit patches where it just doesn't work. You draw bad and you lose. It doesn't run card draw and tracking is more of a bandaid and sometimes makes you lose important cards. It might not be your fault at times, you can just lose 4 games in a row to shit draws. On the flip side sometimes you just are dropping 12 stats worth of wolves on turn 5 while your opponent keeps getting tripped up on the traps. Rexxar can give you sick comeback potential. There's a lot of lifesteal/rush or charge minions that can take you out of lethal. Also a few aoe/poison combos that will clear an opponents board. At the same time sometimes it's better to just let Rexxar rot in your hand while you take a few turns to ping off the last few life from an opponent with your standard hero power.
thank you