THL Kobolds and Catacombs Card Reviews: Hunter, by Markshire

Rhok'delar: 1/5
For this to be any good at all, you have to be running a no minion deck, and even then it is not that powerful of a card. On curve, you will burn a card, and random spells mean that you will get a lot of situational cards that may not work. Because Hunter lacks good board clears and comeback mechanisms (although that is getting better with this expansion) the tempo loss from only equipping a 4/2 weapon on turn 7 will be difficult to justify. ​

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Kathrena Winterwisp: 1/5
8 mana is simply too slow for this kind of effect in Hunter. I don’t see a slower Hunter deck having the amount of support needed to get to turn 8 or later and be in a position to win consistently. High-cost minions without an immediate effect on the board have historically not seen play, and I don’t think this will be the exception. ​

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Crushing Walls: 1/5
This would only ever be played in a Control Hunter deck, which has never been viable, and judging from the rest of the reveals looks like it will continue to be trash tier. The effect is easy to play around and not needed for a tempo-based Hunter list. ​

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To My Side!: 1/5
To start this off, this is not a great card that is unlikely to see play in meta decks come the expansion. However, the massive outcry over this card is completely unjustified. In a no minion deck, this is actually quite powerful and one of the better cards. The amount of stats + effect you get on average for two Animal Companions for 6 mana is very good. The existence of decks like Big Hunter with the Barnes / Y’shaarj combo means that Hunter decks with a small amount of minions is not a completely far-fetched idea. However, I don’t see No Minion Hunter being a very successful deck, so I’m giving this a 1. ​

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Lesser Emerald Spellstone: 4/5
With no upgrades at all this is a solid card, giving a total of 6/6 stats spread across two beast bodies. It is not unlikely at all that you play one or two secrets before this on turn 5, making it even more powerful. Hunter has struggled in the past to find a consistent 5 drop to bridge the gap to Savannah Highmane on 6, and I think this is the answer. While it is weak to AOE spells, one card creating enough power on board that your opponent is forced to use a board clear is an acceptable trade-off. Should be a great addition to Midrange Hunter. ​

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Seeping Oozeling: 1/5
High-cost value card that is not a beast and has an inconsistent effect unless you build your deck in a very specific way. This card seems much worse than Savannah Highmane or Cairne Bloodhoof, I don’t think it will see play.

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Wandering Monster: 2/5
This is a potentially powerful effect, but I struggle to see this card consistently being played because the 3 drop is random. I think it is worse than Freezing Trap in most cases and is relatively easy for the opponent to play around. It does completely deny an attack from an enemy, so maybe this could see play in a secret-heavy Hunter list. But more than likely it does not make the cut. ​

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Candleshot: 2/5
Hunter does want early game removal, but with only 1 attack this card is unable to kill anything except tokens. The upside is that you can play this with Hunter’s Mark to get an easy kill on a troublesome minion, but outside of that the weapon is not doing much.

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Cave Hydra: 2/5
This is a cute effect on a decent body. But ultimately, this just isn’t what Hunter wants. The 3 drop slot is already very crowded, and this provides less of an immediate effect than cards like Eaglehorn Bow or Animal Companion. ​

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Flanking Strike: 4/5
​This card is exactly what Hunter needed. It’s efficient removal that also provides decent body with a Beast tag. One of Hunter’s weaknesses is getting back on the board once they have fallen behind: this helps that by providing a strong tempo swing for only 4 mana. Flanking Strike should be a great addition to Midrange Hunter.

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