V4L’s Legend Dred Midrange Hunter Guide (April 2017)

Introduction :

V4L, is a french streamer for the esport team CM Gaming.

During the 14th-17th of april week-end, he has reach Legend in a not-so-hard journey with this funny Dred Midrange Hunter. Here is an explanation on card choice and how to play match-ups (original guide).

Proof of legend and stats can be found here.

V4L realised that Hunter could go as fast as a Tempo Warrior, even faster, with Scavenging Hyena and the new beast synergies. Furthermore, when it comes to build a Hunter list, there is a lot of flexibilty and tech choices.

So he decided to build a list that is heavily board-oriented. In some kind of way, it works like a Zoo : you get the board early, you trade the best you can and, if you find time before the “me go face” time, try to make it out of control with Scavenging Hyena or Crackling Razormaw.

Decklist :

2x Alleycat : a 2/2 for 1 mana in 2 different bodies ? Yes ! Plus, it has the benefit to pop 2 bodies, which is really good for Scavenging Hyena !

1x Fiery Bat : ok card, not scary but in a Meta with Pirate Warriors and Token Druids, the ping with the deathrattle is pretty useful. In the first version of the deck, V4L only used 5 1-drops but wasn’t lucky enough to draw or have them constantly in his opening hand. He guesses 6 1-drops is optimum + obvious synergy with Tol’Vir Warden (see above).

2x Jeweled Macaw : a card that helps a lot Hunter in its comeback in the Meta. This cutie can give you ANY beast, which means that you have Direhorn Hatchling, Orenery Direhorn, Tyrantus, Chittering Tunneler (yes, this one saved my ass more than once)… Hunter doesn’t have a lot of draw, Jeweled Macaw refills your hand with a random card that, whatever it is, will work with the rest of your deck. Crazy card. You need it golden!

1x Timber Wolf : do not keep this card in your opening hand. Its goal is to get better trades with the beasts already on your side of the board. It goes crazy when it matches with Unleash The Hound ! Also, it is really nice to pull it off from Tol’Vir Warden.

2x Crackling Razormaw : THE reason why Hunter is so good right now. Shall we really write down why ?

1x Golakka Crawler : a tech card that is… not really a tech card. It has the beast tag, so, even if it doesn’t eat up a pirate, it’s still an OK minion that you can buff later with Crackling Razormaw or Houndmaster.

2x Kindly Grandmother  : good on its own, very good with Crackling Razormaw, excellent with a Scavenging Hyena on the board, out of control with a Tundra Rhino.

2x Scavenging Hyena : MVP of the list. You are not just playing a midrange deck, you are playing a deck that can give you a lot of tempo and put you REALLY far ahead. Works with almost every creature of the deck.

2x Animal Companion : staple.

1x Deadly Shot : a tech card that seems only relevant against Quest Warrior. But you shall never hesitate playing it instead of trading several of your minions ! Some players like to play the bow instead, but V4L don’t get the point playing it without secrets…

2x Kill Command : it won’t be difficult to deal 5 damage. But, in this deck it is not a finisher ! It is a nice spell that gets rid of a big minion and gives some rest to your minions on the board. Do not hesitate playing it instead of trading our minions ! In one of the last games before reaching Legend, V4L had the board with small 2 attack beasts, and he had to Kill Command his opponent’s Acolyte of Pain. It seems a bit too excessive, but guess what ? he won around turn 9 and the Taunt Warrior in front of him had only 2 cards in its hand…

2x Rat Pack : we didn’t see you a lot past months, but now is your time, rats ! An ok body with a nice deathrattle effect… which can be even better with a Houndmaster or a Crackling Razormaw on it ! Plus its deathrattle will feed your Scavenging Hyena.

1x Unleash the Hounds : not a fan of this card atm… On its own, V4L thinks it is really bad because one don’t try to rush an opponent HP as fast as possible and, in terms of trading, it will almost never be a 1 for 1… But ! If you manage to play UTH with Scavenging Hyena, Cult Master or Timber Wolf it will be suddenly be better. That’s why V4L only runs 1 copy of it, it is too much situational for a deck like this.

1x  Cult Master : this one used to be more included in midrange decks by the past. Now, more than ever, it should be in every Hunter list. We aim to get the board early. We have sticky deathrattle minions. We trade often our beasts to keep the board. 3 reasons to play Cult Master. Do you want more ? We play Unleash The Hounds ! We play Tol’Vir Warden who will help you sacrifice tiny creatures and draw ! V4L cannot conceive a Midrange list without this minion.

2x Houndmaster : staple. You have so many targets ! With him, your 1-drops become suddenly more dangerous.

1x Tol'vir Warden : at first, V4L thought this card would only played in Quest Hunter. But, in a Meta without Azure Drake, this dude assures you to draw in the middle of the game 2 cards that you wouldn’t like to play in the late game. He sharpens your deck and you will topdeck more likely your threats or answers in the late game. Sure, the body is awful, but with all our synergies, it is worth the inclusion !

2x Tundra Rhino : V4L tried Knuckles and one Rhino, but it seems that, when you are in the middle of the game, topdecking ACTIVE cards like Rhino is just better than a minion with a good body, but no immediate impact. Your opponent will not find an answer to him more often than you think !

2x Savannah Highmane : staple.

1x Swamp King Dred : V4L’s secret love! He really really really thinks that this dinosaur is a MONSTER. Few are the times when his opponents had an immediate answer to this killing machine. You can play without it, but damn ! it absolutely straightens your opponent. And if he can’t answer it, you just win. Simple as that. It also has the benefit to be played just after Savannah Highmane, on which your opponent will be more liable to play his removal. Cherry on the cake, it is also a defensive minion that can prevent a lethal from a Charge creature !

Matchup and tips :

Warrior 60-40

During the climb, V4L faced a lot of Warriors. About 50% of his opponents were Pirate Warrior or Quest Warrior. And guess what ? He crushed them.

• Pirate : strangely enough, first thought that Pirate Warrior would be the more difficult to defeat, but then it seemed easier than Quest. The only logical explanation found was that every Pirate list is already well-known and is easy to ready. Beware of their big tempo turn, you won’t be able to come back on board if they can clean your minions. Often chose the deathrattle Adaptation with Crackling Razormaw. If not, Divine Shield will do the trick. Keep your Kill Command for the Berserker. Don’t try to rush them, it is useless and unecessary. Fight for board presence.

• Quest : it is favorable. You won’t win against every Quest Warrior, but you will win more than you lose. Scavenging Hyena is really a big deal for them. And if you manage to get a big Hyena, try to push as much dommage as possible in their face. They just play their best minion turn after turn. Destabilize them with a tempo turn. Try to value Deadly Shot for the “me go face” time and use Kill Command instead when it comes to killing a big ass taunt.

Rogue 70-30

Mostly were Quest.

• Quest : Me. Go. Face. The matchup isn’t really hard. Sometimes they will complete their Quest on turn 3 and you will lose. All the other times, you will burn them easily.

• Miracle : tricky matchup, especially if they play Arcane Giant. If a good Hyena isn’t enough, well, a Highmane will do the trick. Fight hard for the board, be careful of Sap, SI:7 and Vilespine Slayer, but you can go face earlier due to the fact that they can’t heal.

Hunter 50-50

• Midrange : fight hard for board presence. They may have the Bow or Nesting Roc, and this will be hard. But if you manage to got to the late game, King Dred will be effective ! Cult Master can make a difference here.

Druid 40-60

• Token : the hardest matchup. You need to curve like crazy, pump your minions and fight non-stop in order to establish and dominate the board. Once they leave it, you will win. Crackling Razormaw is crucial here !

Paladin 70-30

All of them were the list Thijs played recently

• Midrange : they play like Quest Warrior, but with less taunt and more life. Apply the same strategy than against a Quest Warrior. Not so scary. Avoid pushing too much and keep some fuel in hand. They can recover faster than Warrior.

All other classes were less seen, if not at all like Warlock.

Hunter is in a very sweet spot : there is no unwinnable matchup and you can play something else than just a face deck. If you can curve well, you can beat almost everything. Midrange Hunter feels like a Jeep car : it can go everywhere, you are insure to see it working well. You can change the deck for something more aggresive, or slower, depending of the Meta.

There are a lot of options for the 5-slot!

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment. V4L and CM Gaming players will be happy to discuss the deck with you !