[S38] Reno Quest Hunter v1 – Unleash the Raptors

Your goal is to cave your opponents’ dumbstruck faces in with the most unorthodox Hunter combo yet.

The Marsh Queen‘s role here is different from the common “cram your deck with 1-mana minions” approach. Instead, you use Carnassa to “unleash the Raptors” for some sick burst damage. Tundra Rhino leads the charge as you bombard the enemy with a Raptor stampede.

While your main win condition is to mobilize a dinosaur army, your successes should not solely depend on piecing your combo together. Thus, I worked towards an all-around deck list.

This list includes just two copies of Fire Fly and Raptor Hatchling. For only four cards, you can play up to six 1-mana creatures. Sir Finley Mrrgglton, in addition to Igneous Elemental’s babies, increases the total creature count to 9 and provides a useful heropower-swap effect. The tutors, Tol'vir Warden and The Curator, are effective tools for getting all your combo pieces to your hand.

The removal package consists of Hunter's Mark, Deadly Shot, Powershot, Explosive Shot, and Eaglehorn Bow. Aside from being dirt cheap, Hunter’s Mark and Deadly Shot destroy any type of minion. Powershot and Exposive Shot’s cleave effects are pretty good for finishing off multiple weak minions. Eaglehorn Bow is an ideal choice for maintaining an early game lead, especially when your active secrets get triggered.

The defense package consists of Mistress of Mixtures, Reno Jackson, and Primordial Drake. I did not have Reno in mind when first making this deck; however, after considering how many singletons there were, I knew I just had to be rich. He’s the perfect “fuck you” card against aggro and an immortality elixir against control. Mistress has a favorable statline that puts her on top of early game skirmishes. Drake is also too good to pass up. He acts as an effective meat shield, AOE board clear, and a guaranteed draw from the Curator.

The threats package consists of Swamp King Dred, Ragnaros the Firelord, and Call of the Wild. They’re all late-game options that demand to be answered or else. Rag is an obvious include, as well as CotW for slower Hunters, but Dred isn’t so. Not only does he provide a decent body for the mid-late game transition, but also stops further development on the board. Dred takes up part of the responsibility of destroying minions, which causes you to save more of your resources. As long as you keep yourself up and running, Swamp King Dred’s done his job.

The last package is probably the the most important one for the early game – secrets. Bear Trap, Explosive Trap, and Freezing Trap are all decent on their own, but work much better when pulled from your deck for free by Mad Scientist. Secrets + Tol’vir Warden + the Curator should be enough deck-thinning to secure your combo in no time.

The remaining cards are all very strong on their own and combined with other cards. Brann Bronzebeard amps the power level of Fire Fly, Barnes, Elise,
Azure Drake, Primordial Drake, and the tutors. Azure Drake is the quintessential midgame drop. It gives Quickshot, Explosive Trap, Powershot, and Explosive Shot that extra oomph to deal with 3-health minions. Barnes and Tracking help you get out of some sticky situations.

Hey, wait a sec Zaul, you missed a card!

Elise Starseeker! Of course, how could I forget?

This chick is your back up plan. If you’re playing against a slow class and unleash the Raptors ain’t enough for a kill, Elise will save your ass.

Both secrets benefit your survival, but Freezing Trap finds more use in a lot of situations (e.g. nullifies Miracle Rogue burst, slows Midrange Hunter down, subdues Egg Druid). I also think it’s fair to change a trap for Wild Pyromancer if you’re in need of more AOE or Quick Shot for the single target removal.

Sacrifices potential pizazz for a streamlined combo. If you’re more concerned with getting the combo off reliably, Hemet 2.0 is your best bet.

Cheaper (dust-wise) and less chance of getting abused by opponent. Comes down to your preference honestly: do you favor being in control of the Worm’s recursive effect or Dred’s instant punish?

Seriously tho, the OG king dino is a beast. Krush can kill about every minion while leaving a dangerous body behind. Plus it feels satisfying to play the Curator into Primoridal Drake into King Krush into (enemy) concede.

Possible substitutions

Grab more cards:
    — Stampede
    — Lock and Load

Removal:
    — Unleash the Hounds
    — Gladiator's Longbow
    — Deathwing

High value minions:
    — Bloodmage Thalnos
    — Steamwheedle Sniper
    — Gnomish Experimenter (the one time where a chicken can help win you the game)
    — Savannah Highmane (need more Hunter legendaries)

Shoutout to Sparkz for giving me the ingenious idea of adapting Quest Hunter into a Reno deck! Here’s a list of card swaps for the original 2-ofs:

• -1x Fire Fly                            => +1x Tracking
• -1x Raptor Hatchling           => +1x Igneous Elemental
• -1x Mad Scientist                 => +1x Quickshot
• -1x Deadly Shot                   => +1x Powershot
• -1x Eaglehorn Bow              => +1x Cult Master
• -2x Refreshment Vendor    => +1x Mistress of Mixtures and +1x Reno Jackson
• -1x Tol’vir Warden               => +1x Azure Drake

And one last touch-up:

• -1x Grievous Bite                 => +1x Barnes

Of course, if Reno isn’t your cup of tea, you do not need to make the above changes.