Since then, it’s been a tough rotation. To My Side, Lesser Emerald Spellstone and Rhok’delar rotated out of standard format, leaving spell-focused Hunters with little to work with. There’s a new version now though, and it’s a very different kind of deck. This one is aiming for the face. In the latest version of our Spell Hunter guide, we’re highlighting the best version of the deck for the new meta. We also have more specific advice on how to play Spell Hunter across this page, including Mulligan tips, combo details and strategy information.
Spell Hunter deck list and strategy
Here is the version of Spell Hunter seeing the most play right now on the Hearthstone ranked ladder. It’s finding some success, but hasn’t broken into the top tier. Select and copy the long ID string below, then create a deck in Hearthstone to export this deck into your game. Deck Import ID: AAECAR8ExQj7lgOzzAPk1AMNtQPtBpcI6JYD7JYD+a4D/K8D3MwD3cwD5MwDos4D+84DudIDAA== General strategy
- Best Budget Decks - Hearthstone: Best Budget Decks for Ashes of Outland 2. Tier List - Hearthstone deck tier list (Ashes of Outland) 3. Dragonbane Face Hunter - Dragonbane Face Hunter deck list guide (Ashes of Outland) 4. Beast Hunter - Beast Hunter deck list guide (Ashes of Outland) 5. Midrange Hunter - Midrange Hunter deck list guide (Ashes of Outland) 6. Highlander Dragon Hunter - Highlander Dragon Hunter deck list guide (Ashes of Outland) 7. Quest Hunter - Quest Hunter deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
Spell Hunter is an odd one these days. After the loss of Rhok’delar from Kobolds and Catacombs and Zul’jin from Rastakhan’s Rumble, the archetype has had to go in a new direction. You’re more of a combo/face deck now, with cheap damage spells like Rapid Fire just waiting to be buffed by Vereesa Windrunner. Early game: Contest the board with small cheap minions like Wolpertinger and Dwarven Sharpshooter. The aim is to maintain control where you can, but try to avoid using your cheap damage spells as removal if possible as these play a large part of your win condition in the late game. You can fall behind a little, just don’t get overwhelmed. Dwarven Sharpshooter is a great tool for getting rid of enemy minions, allowing you to Hero Power to ping for 2 and get them off the board. Mid game: Continue with the control approach by removing enemy threats from the board using your minion-targeting spells and weapons. Try to remain in control of the board with cards like Animal Companion and Deadly Shot. You can also use Krolusk Barkstripper along with a cheap spell like Rapid Fire to take out enemies with Taunt. Late game: Your Arcane Fletcher and Manafeeder Panthara can keep card draw coming, and if you’ve chipped away at the enemy’s face you might be able to count for lethal. As an addition to this, if you have the extra Spell Damage from Thori’dal, the Stars’ Fury (the weapon generated by Vereesa Windrunner) that’ll make it a little easier to blast your opponent away for good. Keep count for lethal from all avenues - remember Animal Companion has a chance to both get 4 damage of Charge as well as buffing your whole board’s Attack.
Spell Hunter Mulligan guide
Hunt down these cards in your opening hand when playing Spell Hunter for the best chance at finding a win:
- Animal Companion: You’ll want to keep this so you can get a body on the board early to contest your opponent’s minions. 2. Dwarven Sharpshooter: Early board control, allowing your Hero Power to ping minions can put a dampener on a lot of enemies’ gameplans. 3. Intrepid Initiate: Combining this with Coin if you go second, or any of your other cheap spells if you’re first, means it’s basically a 1 mana 3/2, and can immediately put the pressure on.
Spell Hunter tips, combos and synergies
To help you get to grips with Spell Hunter, we’ve produced a list of all the combos that power this particular version of the deck. Make sure you go into your first match with a firm understanding of the following combos:
- Professor Slate gives all your spells Poisonous, meaning in a pinch you can Rapid Fire enemy minions no matter their size and kill them immediately.
- Manafeeder Panthara is a great source of card draw, since you’ll be weaving your Hero Power into each turn. Just remember - you won’t get the bonus from the Battlecry unless you’ve pushed the button that same turn!
- Krolusk Barkstripper kills a random enemy minion with Spellburst, but if you finish an enemy with the spell you cast, like pinging a foe with Rapid Fire, the Barkstripper won’t target it, giving you a bit more control over which minion dies.
- Vereesa Windrunner is a great option for late in the game, but don’t be afraid to just attack with the weapon on the turn she’s played - you probably won’t need three entire Spell Damage turns at the end of the day and it’s 2 very important points of face damage.
- Your direct face damage spells here are Arcane Shot and Rapid Fire. Try to save them for a final combo if you can.
- Adorable Infestation is a powerful spell in its own right, but it can also trigger Spellburst effects, and the 1 mana Cubs also trigger your Arcane Fletcher’s card draw! Now that’s a lot of upsides.
