Last updated on Aug 06, 2020 at 16:00 by Kat 28 comments

This guide contains detailed strategy, mulligan, and deck-building information to help you improve your Midrange Hunter play for the Scholomance Academy expansion.

Midrange Hunter is a staple archetype in Hearthstone since the game was released. Although the deck has evolved over time, the strategy of the deck has always remained the same. It aims to use a strong curve of Beast synergies to create a board that gradually snowballs out of control, putting pressure, and controlling the board while chipping away at opponent's Health. The damage this achieves puts opponents into a position where they are vulnerable to being burned down with Steady Shot and Kill Command before they are able to stabilise.

Card List

Hunter Cards
1 Helboar AO 2
1 Wolpertinger SA 2
2 Freezing Trap Legacy 1
2 Pack Tactics AO 1
2 Phase Stalker DoD 2
2 Scavenger's Ingenuity AO 2
2 Scavenging Hyena Legacy 2
3 Ace Hunter Kreen SA 1
3 Animal Companion Legacy 2
3 Desert Spear Uldum 2
3 Kill Command Legacy 2
3 Ramkahen Wildtamer Uldum 2
3 Shan'do Wildclaw SA 1
3 Unleash the Hounds Legacy 2
3 Zixor, Apex Predator AO 1
4 Krolusk Barkstripper SA 2
4 Scrap Shot AO 2
5 Tundra Rhino Legacy 1
Neutral Cards No neutral card

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Midrange Hunter Deck Mulligan Guide

Midrange Hunter is heavily reliant on a fast opener in order to pressure opponents. In order to facilitate this, you should use your Mulligan to create the strongest Mana Curve possible.

In all matchups, you should look for Helboar, Wolpertinger, Phase Stalker, and Scavenging Hyena. If you have both a 1-drop and 2-drop, you can also keep a copy of Animal Companion.

If you have The Coin, you can adjust you mulligan accordingly by looking for 2 2-drops or a 1-drop and Animal Companion.

Against Aggro, you can keep Desert Spear to control the early-game board.

Against Control decks, you can keep a copy of Shan'do Wildclaw to ensure long-term value.

Midrange Hunter Deck Strategy

In the early turns, your primary aim is to secure yourself a position on the board. This can usually be done by playing Wolpertinger or Helboar, followed by Scavenging Hyena or Phase Stalker. If your opponent aggressively secures the board before you, you can alternatively opt to play Desert Spear to control the board instead.

Going into Turn 3, you will have multiple options as to how you wish to progress your game plan. In most situations, Animal Companion is the best choice and will allow you to compound your early-game opener. Alternatively, you can use a mix of cheaper minions like Scavenging Hyena and Helboar. This line of play is stronger against opponents that contest the board, allowing you to have multiple minions that threaten to trade into your opponent.

Going into the mid game, you can begin truly pressuring your opponent. At this stage, you should avoid taking any unnecessary trades, only doing so if it will prevent one of your other minions from being killed. Ideally during this time, your trades will also be done with cards that cannot go face, such as Locusts from Desert Spear, so that you can pressure your opponent's Health as much as possible.

If at any point your opponent develops a wide board, the deck runs one of Hunter's oldest board clears, Unleash the Hounds. Before using Unleash, you should look to pair it with Leokk or Scavenging Hyena. It is important to not fixate on the the idea of clearing the board with one of these combos. The natural damage caused by the minions in the deck combined with one of the aforementioned combos can regularly generate enough damage for you to rush down your opponents. Alternatively, you may also choose to only trade with your opponent's largest minions to hinder your opponent's board while maximising the damage you deal.

Going into the late game, you can continue to compound your lead further using Tundra Rhino, which can later be paired with other aggressive Beasts. Tundra Rhino provides opportunities for huge amounts of burst damage on future turns and will draw your opponent's full attention. You should try to play it onto an empty board to lower the chance your opponent can deal with it. Your large minions buffed by Scrap Shot and Scavenger's Ingenuity can be played in similar situations, but represent more guaranteed damage when charged.

When it comes to winning the game, there are 2 main lines of play that the deck can take.

  • Against opponents that lack healing, such as Aggro Midrange decks, your initial tempo will cause irreparable damage to their Health. To exploit this, you should try to weave in your Steady Shot Hero Power during each of your turns in the later stages of the game. This line of play will limit the amount of turns that your opponents will be able to come back into the game, even if they clear your board. To go alongside this, holding onto copies of Kill Command for the final damage will end the game even faster and can often catch people off guard.
  • Maintaining a consistently strong board for multiple turns in a row to be able to out-damage any healing your opponent may have. When taking this line, it is a great idea to manipulate your hand in such a way that Ramkahen Wildtamer can copy big minions like Krolusk Barkstripper in order to maximise the number of turns you can keep up this pressure.

Midrange Hunter Deck Card Swaps

Savannah Highmane can be added to give more late-game strength against control.

Hench-Clan Hogsteed can be added to have more reactive tools against Aggro and to add further Rush synergy into the deck.

Changelog

  • 06 Aug. 2020: Deck has been updated for the Scholomance Academy Expansion. Removed 1x Unleash the Beast, 1x Freezing Trap, 2x Savannah Highmane, 2x Shimmerfly, 1x Tracking for 2x Wolpertinger, 1x Zixor, Apex Predator, 1x Ace Hunter Kreen, 1x Shan'do Wildclaw, 2x Krolusk Barkstripper
  • 07 Apr. 2020: Deck has been updated for the Ashes of Outland expansion. Removed 2x Dire Frenzy, 2x Master's Call, 2x Springpaw, 2x Clear the Way, 2x Vicious Scalehide, 2x Diving Gryphon, 2x Timber Wolf, 1x Zul'jin for 2x Hellboar, 2x Scrapshot, 2x Houndmaster, 2x Scavenger's Ingenuity, 2x Ramkahen Wildtamer, 2x Savannah Highmane, 2x Phasestalker, 2x Freezing Trap, 1x Pack Tactics.
  • 10 Dec. 2019: Deck has been updated for the Descent of Dragons expansion. Added 2x Diving Gryphon, 2x Clear the Way for 2x Wild Bloodstinger, 1x Marked Shot, 1x Tracking
  • 01 Sep. 2019: Deck has been updated for the September play season. Removed 2x Headhunter's Hatchet for 2x Desert Spear.
  • 06 Aug. 2019: Deck has been updated for the Saviors of Uldum expansion. Removed 1x Marked Shot, 1x Unleash the Beast for 2x Wild Bloodstinger.
  • 01 Jul. 2019: Deck has been updated for the July card rotation. Removed 1x Hench-Clan Hogsteed for 1x Vicious Scalehide.
  • 04 Jun. 2019: Deck has been reviewed for the June balance patch.
  • 01 May 2019: Deck has been updated for the May play season. Removed 1x Tundra Rhino, 1x Hench-Clan Hogsteed, 1x Savannah Highmane, 1x Vicious Scalehide for 2x Unleash the Beast, 1x Dire Frenzy, 1x Zul'jin.
  • 08 Apr. 2019: Deck has been updated for the Rise of Shadows expansion. Removed 2x Dire Mole, 2x Crackling Razormaw, 2x Candleshot, 2x Hunter's Mark, 2x Flanking Strike, 1x Deathstalker Rexxar for 2x Shimmerfly, 2x Headhunter's Hatchet 2x Hench-Clan Hogsteed, 2x Vicious Scalehide, 2x Marked Shot, 1x Tundra Rhino.
  • 03 Mar. 2019: Deck has been reviewed for the March play season.
  • 07 Feb. 2019: Deck has been reviewed following the February balance patch.
  • 07 Jan. 2019: Deck list updated. Removed 2x Untamed Beastmaster, 2x Spirit of the Lynx, 2x Houndmaster, 2x Bearshark, 1x Halazzi, the Lynx, 2x Headhunter's Hatchet for 2x Master's Call, 2x Candleshot, 2x Hunter's Mark, 2x Tracking, 1x Dire Frenzy, 1x Tundra Rhino, 1x Timber Wolf.
  • 01 Jan. 2019: Deck has been reviewed and deemed appropriate for the January play season.
  • 10 Dec. 2018: Deck added.
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