How to take this aggressive deck all the way to the top.
Many variations on the established Hunter deck have performed well since the release of Goblins vs Gnomes, but Naiman’s take on this archetype is proving to be particularly successful this month. The good news is that there’s only one GvG card you even need to pack into this dominant deck, and that’s Dr. Boom. This card is cropping up everywhere in the game right now, so if you’re playing on a budget you should be able to get plenty of value out of the dust you use to craft him.
Naiman’s Hunter deck guide
Constant aggression is the name of the game with this deck, and that means a fast start and endless pressure as you move into the mid and late-game.
Note that when you reach around turn five, you want to be popping your Hero power off as often as possible in order to chip, chip, chip away at your opponent’s health and keep the pressure piled on. The more you take the driving seat in each match, the more your opponent will be forced to deal with your minions, leaving you free to keep smashing away.
If you can time the death of your Mad Scientists in order to boost your weapon then by all means do so, but don’t sit around waiting for a miracle. The point of this deck is to control the board when necessary, but mainly get in your opponent’s face, and stay there until he’s dead. Think carefully about all the combos in this deck – a Knife Juggler played with an early Snake Trap can cause all kinds of chaos for your opponent.
When playing against the popular Handlock deck, be careful about pushing the Warlock below 14 Health, otherwise you make it easy for them to drop their big creatures on the board. Keep building your forces, and wait until you have lethal damage before pushing into the opponent. Don’t forget any damage-dealing spells you have in your hand when calculating lethal either.
Naiman’s Hunter Mulligan guide
If you’ve played just about any reasonable amount of Hearthstone in the last few months, you should have an intuitive understanding of your Mulligan approach with Naiman’s Hunter. Undertaker is king, and if you can get this card in your hand along with a few Deathrattle minions to bolster its strength, you’re halfway home. Beyond this, look for a solid Mana curve that provides you with something to play on each subsequent turn.
Don’t forget you want to start making use of your damage-dealing Hero Power as you approach the middle section of the game.
Naiman’s Hunter combos
Use your Deathrattle minions to feed Undertaker in the early game. Later on, Dr. Boom can be used to beef up an Undertaker that’s shown up late to the party.
Mad Scientist obviously synergises nicely with your weapon, so always keep an eye on your durability and try to think a couple of turns ahead – it may be better to wait a turn, rather than getting that damage in against the Hero.
Hunter’s Mark is an extremely potent tool that should be saved for a significant threat. You can then use any of your many low-attack minions to finish off the threat once and for all.
Kill Command works with any beast, and it makes for a great surprise finisher if you’ve got this in your hand with a cheap beast minion to play alongside it.
Don’t forget that you can use Unleash the Hounds in combination with Sea Giant to get that monster into play earlier. Just make sure you do your Mana maths first!
Knife Juggler combined with Haunted Creeper or Unleash the Hounds can really mess up your opponent’s gameplan.
