Classic Hunter guide - March 2016

Our complete guide to Blizzard's Classic Hunter Deck Recipe.

Guide by John Bedford Contributor

Published on March 14, 2016

Blizzard has just released a patch introducing the Deck Recipe system to Hearthstone, and that means there's a whole host of tried-and-tested deck archetypes to get stuck into and experiment with.

We'll be bringing you complete guides to all of the decks included with this exciting new feature over the coming days. First up is the Classic Hunter, which seems fairly weak at first glance but should prove excellent at showing new players the ins and outs of this Hero.

Classic Hunter strategy - March 2016

You already know the deck of course, but it does no harm to list it here for reference. It's pretty familiar fair for anyone who's played much Midrange Hunter in the past, but there are a few differences to think about here, as you don't have the benefit of those lovely Mad Scientists pulling your Secrets into play.

In the early game, you'll be looking to use your low-Mana minions and spells to control the board and start slowly building up your own presence. Don't forget that Eaglehorn Bow's Durability is buffed for each Secret exposed, so try to get those into play intelligently if they're in your hand.

As you approach the mid-game, you've cards like Houndmaster to beef up one of your smaller threats, as well as Savannah Highmare. Your main late-game presence arrives in the form of Ragnaros the Firelord - a meaty character, but a rather unpredictable one.

Classic Hunter Mulligan guide - March 2016

Cards like Leper Gnome, Bloodfen Raptor, Animal Companion, Jungle Panther and Eaglehorn Bow are all solid keeps. Don't hang onto any Secrets unless you have the Bow in hand as well - if you go down this route though, prepare to exercise patience.

Classic Hunter combos and synergies - March 2016

A lot of the combos involved in playing Blizzard's Classic Hunter will be very familiar to anyone who's spent much time with the Hero. Still, it never does any harm to refresh your memory!

Here's our complete breakdown of all of the most important combos you need to commit to memory if you're to inch your win-rate up as high as it can go.

- If a card is designated as a Beast (check the bottom of the image), then it will increase the power of your Kill Commands. Note that even the snakes that spawn from Snake Trap count as Beasts.

- Likewise, Scavenging Beast grows in power for each Beast card that expires on the battlefield. This effect can grow rapidly in conjunction with the creatures created by the likes of Snake Trap and Unleash the Hounds. Think your turn through carefully before committing to your first play.

- If you can get your opponent to trigger one of your many Secrets, you'll get an extra point of Durability added to your Eaglehorn Bow. Always try to keep one charge left on this weapon, so that you'll benefit from the triggering in due course.

- Every Beast you play onto the board while Tundra Rhino is out in play will be able to start doing damage immediately.

- Watch your positioning of Dire Wolf Alpha. You may well want it to buff your unleashed doggies one by one, and as they are cycled through to do damage to enemy minions. Try to keep it far to the right so that the dogs spawn to one side when Unleash the Hounds is cast.

- Hunter's Mark combined with Unleash the Hounds can bring even the mightiest of enemy minions down to a very manageable size. Snake Trap creatures and Arcane Shot can also be used to finish off the job.

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