The Comprehensive Into The Emerald Dream Preview

 

Exotic Houndmaster

A 2 mana 2/2 that tutors a beast is already a strong card. The reason why there is seemingly no stat penalty or a drawback to this minion is that its hero power is a drawback for any Hunter deck that is not focused on the Imbue mechanic, which requires leveraging through a beast package. This is particularly notable in Hunter that already has access to Exarch Naielle and Kerrigan for hero power synergies. Houndmaster neatly goes into Imbue Hunter, where it should be the strongest Imbue card in the deck, while it gets skipped by any other Hunter deck.

Score: 3

Grace of the Greatwolf

Dealing 4 damage to the enemy hero is never worth 4 mana, so the first Choose One effect looks completely unplayable. A couple of 3/2’s with rush does seem alright, as a 3/2 rush is worth a little more than 2 mana. Removal is something that Hunter values, as it does not have much of it in most formats.

We do not expect this card to be popular though, as it is not outstanding for its cost. A deck that needs to run a lot of spells due to minion restrictions (such as Reserved Spot) may opt for it, but there should be 30 better cards in most other decks.

Score: 2

Mythical Runebear

Runebear is a stronger Saronite Chain Gang with a handbuff condition attached to its copy effect. Hunter has a wide variety of options to activate Runebear. Reserved Spot and Cup o’ Muscle are strong enablers from the Perils Tourist set. The Imbue hero power makes Runebear a sensible inclusion in the archetype. The most ubiquitous option is Birdwatching, which suits Runebear perfectly.

We think it is very likely that Runebear finds usage in at least one competitive deck considering the ease of its activation. We consider it to be the strongest beast minion in this set.

Score: 3

Shepherd’s Crook

3/2 weapons for 3 mana usually see play if their additional effect is desirable. In the case of Shepherd’s Cook, we are summoning a couple of 3/3’s for our troubles.

While the number of stats here seems strong, the sheep are very slow to impact the board. Two full dormant turns means that the Sheep cannot attack before turn 6-7 if we are playing Crook on curve. If we are playing an aggressive deck with a short average game length, the window of opportunity for the Sheep to make a difference is extremely small here.

Crook makes a bit more sense in a slower Hunter deck, where we do not mind extending the game, but unless we are utterly desperate to answer early game minions, we do not see how this weapon furthers a late-game-oriented deck’s game plan.

Score: 1

Spirit Bond

If Spirit Bond’s condition is met, it looks strong for its cost. A generic 3 damage to a minion spell is worth a bit less than 2 mana, so getting an extra 3/2 rusher is good value for money.

Hunter values removal and ways to swing the game early, as it normally does not have access to many reactive cards. These cards open space for the class to pivot to late game strategies rather than strictly play the beatdown role, as they can afford to play from behind.

Spirit Bond is admittedly a worse card than Plague Strike, but Plague Strike was a fantastic card in Death Knight that was underrated by many players, so there is no shame in that. Defensive Hunter decks should consider this one.

Score: 2

Umbraclaw

This Imbue card is far less impressive than Houndmaster. The Imbue effect is attached to a deathrattle, while Umbraclaw’s stats are a bit stinky. It is effectively a 4-mana spell that deals 5 damage to a minion. We would not play this theoretical spell in any deck.

There are some extenuating circumstances that could push Umbraclaw to competitive play. It can be soft tutored by Houndmaster, which can help Hunter Imbue faster and more consistently. It is a decent target for the Imbue hero power, which both discounts it and boosts its attack to kill bigger threats.

There is a world where Imbue Hunter skips this one. Umbraclaw will see play if maximizing the Imbue hero power proves to be mandatory.

Score: 2

Amphibian’s Spirit

A 2/2 buff for 2 mana on a single minion is weak. However, Amphibian’s Spirit does apply a deathrattle that can make things awkward for the opponent if we have multiple minions in play. Should the buffed minion die first, the buff will “jump” to another friendly minion, just like Leapfrogger in Battlegrounds.

To cleanly deal with the buff, other friendly minions need to be removed first, or an AOE effect needs to clear the whole board in one swoop. This makes Spirit a stronger single target buff in decks that like to go wide, like Token Hunter.

Another potential use for it is in egg decks, as they are naturally sticky. With Bunch of Bananas rotating, we may want alternative buffs to activate early game eggs. A couple of eggs on the board with Amphibian’s Spirit should be annoying to deal with.

Of course, the easiest way to immediately get value out of the spell is by buffing a minion and trading it into an enemy minion, which will send the buff to another friendly minion in play. This way, we are guaranteed 4/4 stats for 2 mana, which is strong.

The main thing we dislike about the buff is how weak it is early. If we are buffing a 1-drop on turn 2, we are not getting enough value for the cost. In scenarios where we do not land multiple “jumps”, we are on the losing end of the exchange.

Score: 2

Verdant Dreamsaber

Dreamsaber is an obvious target for Hunter’s Imbue hero power, as it requires an easily achievable 2-mana discount to activate its battlecry. It can also be included in a deck with Mystery Egg.

However, we are not moved by Dreamsaber’s impact. Yes, an active Saber turns into a pseudo rush minion with Windury, which helps us deal with two enemy minions. But Dreamsaber is useless on an empty board, which means it is a purely reactive card.

While we do appreciate removal in the class, this is a case where that removal sneaks into the payoff package and potentially interferes with it. If we are looking to pressure the opponent with an Imbue/Beast play, the buff landing on Dreamsaber would slow down our game plan. This makes the card a possible liability in slow matchups.

Not only that, but we are not even convinced this card is consistent in fast matchups, as the Imbue/Egg can once again land on the “wrong target” and set us back. Compare this to Runebear, which is always useful, no matter the opponent or the board state.

When it comes to Handbuff decks with the Warrior Tourist package, it is the same story. Dreamsaber’s lack of proactive usefulness makes it a weird fit alongside other beasts we want to buff with the Imbue hero power.

This is no Hollow Hound. We suspect Hunter skips this one.

Score: 1

Broll Bearmantle

Broll is a very interesting build-around card with massive swing potential. A couple of Animal Companions and we are already getting our mana’s worth, with the potential to pound our opponent’s face with Huffer or protect Broll with Misha. The issue is Broll’s mana cost and Hunter’s available spells to fuel it. The class does not have 0 mana spells, like Rogue, so without significant deckbuilding manipulations, Broll does not become a big threat until around turn 7.

Thankfully, there are some things that can be done to make Broll faster and more consistent. A spell heavy shell would make sense with Broll, so Reserved Spot becomes a possible path to discount it. Birdwatching and Fetch can tutor it. Cash Cow can give us coins.

If Broll is built around aggressively, we can envision a pop off turn that summons a full board of Animal Companions, which is a serious win condition that can destroy all but the most defensive minded strategies carrying mass removal. The main question is whether Hunter has a strong enough shell of spells to support it, but Broll is an evocative card that can create an entirely new deck for the class.

Score: 2

Goldrinn

A 9 mana 9/9 rush is completely unplayable. Goldrinn is a pacifist King Krush, refusing to go face. Its ability has some damage implications, but it requires us to have a board of beasts to take advantage of.

Clearly, the only path where Goldrinn looks remotely playable is if it is discounted by Hunter’s Imbue hero power, or Mystery Egg. The latter does not even seem that good, as a 6 mana Goldrinn is still worse than a full cost Mister Mukla.

Just like Dreamsaber, we suspect Goldrinn will end up blocking our synergies landing on more desirable beasts. The most notable “combo” with Goldrinn is with King Plush, yet we are likely better off cutting Goldrinn as it might soak buffs intended for Plush. This legendary is just a bit too awkward for us to get behind, with an ability of questionable impact.

Score: 1

Final Thoughts

Into the Emerald Dream Set Rank: 8^th

Overall Power Ranking: 4^th

Hunter is one of the classes that should feel very good going into rotation. The discover package has been foundational to the class’s success and it is not going anywhere, even if Alien Encounters has been nerfed.

Discover Hunter’s ability to develop Seaside Giants at lightning speed does not change. Its ability to burst opponents down with Hydralisks does not change. As for novelties, Dark Gift minions have terrific synergy in the archetype too. We would expect Creature of Madness and Nightmare Lord Xavius to become core cards in the deck. 

Imbue Hunter is an interesting archetype to explore. We are a bit conflicted here. We like the Imbued hero power a lot. We do not like the payoffs as much. The payoff we like is King Plush. This card, in combination with a heavily upgraded hero power and Sing-Along Buddy, can kill opponents without counterplay. Taunts, in particular, cannot stop a powered-up King Plush. 

Our liking Plush so much is, perhaps, why we do not like the other beasts as much. Why would we waste time buffing and discounting beasts to put on the board when we can just hard tutor Plush? We will see how that pans out, but we are fans of Imbue Hunter’s late game inevitability. 

Handbuff Hunter has been obliterated by the nerf to Zergling, while Warsong Grunt is gone. We wonder if the Warrior Tourist package can find another purpose. A spell heavy deck running Reserved Spot, Mythical Runebear and Cash Cow can perfectly complement Broll Bearmantle.

Finally, aggression could be on the menu, served with Eggs. The nerf to Zergling does not affect the tribe in the context of it going wide, while Amphibian’s Spirit further suits the strategy. Terrorscale Stalker is a major addition for Hunter in the core set, which can help replace Yelling Yodeler in Starship Hunter too.

Expect good times for the Hunter class. It has too many promising angles to fail.