Mulligans
General Mulligans
there is actually no right mulligan for every kind of matchup, you are going to earn huge tempo by getting these 4 cards and secrets (i just suggest to not keep the freezing trap cause it's usually better in late). a good play by coin is secretkeeper turn 1, cloaked huntress and secrets (w/ coin on turn 2), then bow on turn 3 for even more value from secrets. that's the dream.
no reason to explain these 3 cards, just core.
i chosed secrets accordingly to effects and value, everyone can arrange with the secrets they have obviously. i think this is the best combination tho.
Quick Shot good card, can clean the minion early that’s making you run out of tempo and can provide a 3 dmg+draw in late.
King's Elekk can provide a draw almost every time, useful to spot some opponents minions in order to better guess which kind of deck he’s playing (hallazeal in shaman would make him control for example). that can arrange some plays we are going to do, even if slightly that can win the game.
Animal Companion the three companions are just too strong.
Call of the Wild do i really have to explain while getting the whole team is so good? (yeah even for 9).
Barnes barnes can provide tech cards or simply good drops: the only card that would be totally dead is elekk, others are better or worse but always good (azure drake can still provide 4 dmg quick shot, 3 dmg explosive and 6 dmg snipe).
Azure Drake simply a great card, magic dmg is not the most useful stats but can still do sth, the draw and the stats are extremely good.
Savannah Highmane just too good to miss in every hunter decks that’s not face hunter (can be a bit too slow in that deck).
Ragnaros the Firelord Huge tempo card, huge body, huge threat. unless you are going to die on turn 8+ it’s almost always the best choice. great target for barnes too.
Starving Buzzard here we come to the strangest card in the list. The curator usually finds a great spot in the deck (we have beasts and dragons) but i don’t think those are the cards you are usually looking for (maybe the beasts) and don’t always provide what you need. Buzzard can provide a real draw from the top of your deck getting you also spells (god bless the green secrets xmas tree). Buzzard can apply sinergy with 3 secrets (4 if we count cat trick x2), highmane’s deathrattle, Barnes’ battlecry (and also deathrattle if he gets the highmane) and CoW/Animal Companion.
Substitutions:
As i previously said all the secrets are core but don’t need to be those exactly secrets: 2xbear trap and 0xsnake trap works still fine for example. make freely your choice accordingly to dust and preferences.
Secretkeeper Eaglehorn Bow Cloaked Huntress have no substitutions.
Savannah Highmane can find a substitution in infested wolf but i would run the highmane every time i can.
Ragnaros the Firelord no real substitution, maybe King Krush for similar effect or Yogg-Saron, Hope's End to get tempo if lucky (not as solid as Rag or Krush but can work).
Animal Companion just higher your hunter level and get this card.
Call of the Wild another card that is hard to play without. i would maybe go with more secrets but this is still to good. hunters wouldn’t see play without this. not so much at least.
Azure Drake provides sure draw, hard to play without but i’d run infested wolf or one more quick shot+kill command.
Barnes simply get an infested wolf instead.
King's Elekk provides draw on creatures that will curve on mid game. a couple of secrets or tracking+second quick shot can work.
Starving Buzzard this is what makes the deck really different from others secrets and can win the game (it won me a couple of though situations), surely can be a useless drop (just as yogg, still it’s played). i would go for the curator instead but you don’t really need that taunt usually.
No unleash the hounds?
I can see a point for no unleash in this build. With no juggler and freezing trap it doesn’t seem as good.
How about The curator? Nothing says card advantage like curating up a buzzard and a drake. Ha!
Oh yeah. I am just thinking unleash with starving buzzard combo is good.