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Deathrattle Hunter deck list guide - Darkmoon Faire - Hearthstone (December 2020)Our guide to mastering Deathrattle Hunter in the Darkmoon Faire meta.

Our guide to mastering Deathrattle Hunter in the Darkmoon Faire meta.

Deathrattle Hunter is aHearthstonedeck that utilises a number of Deathrattle cards to gain board control and summon powerful minions to overwhelm your opponent.

This version of the deck list guide is updated for the Darkmoon Faire meta. We’ll keep an eye on Deathrattle Hunter to see if it makes any big changes in the meta, but for now it’s a fairly similar deck to what we’ve seen before.

UPDATE - DECEMBER 2020

Deathrattle Hunter is still a decent mid-tier deck list, but updated for the 2020 metagame we’ve just slotted a new list in here. If things keep going well for the deck, we’ll make sure to update the full guide, but for now here’s the latest deck!

Select and copy the long ID string below, then create a deck in Hearthstone to export this deck into your game.

Deck Import ID:AAECAR8IxwOHBMkE8ZYDitID6OED8+EDj+MDC5cItpwDoaED+68DpLkDnssDlc0D8uED+uEDg+IDhOIDAA==

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General strategy

N.B: This is a guide for an older version of Deathrattle Hunter

The Deathrattle Hunter archetype hasn’t been supported enormously in Saviors of Uldum, so the main addition has beenHyena Alpha, a 4 mana 7/7 to go with the Secret package in this deck.

Early game:In the early game, your Secrets and associated cards can heel the opponent at bay. Putting aSecretkeeperon the board on turn 1 and buffing her with traps is a great way to get ahead in the early game, and once you have Secrets in play,Hyena Alphacan be an enormous swing in your favour. Tempo-wise, you should be able to stay on the front foot with these tools, and you have alternatives likeEaglehorn BowandUrsatronfor when things aren’t falling into place yet.Spider Bombis a good piece of removal too, and don’t forget that you can Magnetise it to other Mech minions for an immediate trade.

Mid game:Now, your Deathrattle synergies can come into play. If you can get anOblivitroninto play on turn 6 while you have aMechanical Whelpin hand then do that. The tempo swing of that Deathrattle has won us a lot of games in the past, especially when the opponent isn’t necessarily looking to play around it.Necromechanic, after its Rise of the Mech buff, is a viable option to try to stick onto the board in the mid game, and doubling up on yourOblivitronorMechanical Whelp’s Deathrattles is hugely problematic against most opponents.Subject 9reloads your hand and thins out your deck to avoid missing out on good topdecks, and castingNine Livesis a solid refill on your board and hand as well as being removal of enemy minions if you chooseSpider Bomb.

Late game:You should be able to keep up the pressure at this point with your solid stream of big, sticky Mechs.Zul’jinis present in this deck as usual to destroy any enemies who think they’ve got a chance in the late game, recasting all your Secrets as well asNine Lives,Unleash the BeastandAnimal Companion. Your board will be suddenly refilled, Secrets reactivated, and hopefully the enemy is out of answers.

Aggro opponents

These tips should help you out when you’re facing aggro decks on the ladder:

Control opponents

Here’s what you should consider when up against control decks:

Deathrattle Hunter Mulligan guide

Here are a few cards you’ll want to go hunting for in your opening hand.

Deathrattle Hunter tips, combos and synergies

Compared to the Deathrattle Hunter builds of old, this one is much more of a hybrid deck. You can’t over rely on the Deathrattles, although they can be a powerful win condition if you play the right way:

-Necromechanicwas buffed during the Rise of the Mech event, now costing 4 mana rather than 5. A 4 mana 3/6 with such a potentially powerful effect is likely to survive if played on turn 4, allowing for impressive setups for future Deathrattle turns.

-SN1P-SN4Pworks both as a Deathrattle card to play with Echo, or as a great tempo play in the early game.

  • WhenSpider Bombis destroyed it’ll choose an enemy minion at random and obliterate it at the same time.

-Ursatrondraws you an extra Mech from your deck, the perfect cards to get your Deathrattle synergies going.

-Nine Livesis vital for this deck’s success, and choosing the right minion from it can be a game changer.

  • Don’t chooseOblivitronfromNine Livesif that’d be the only Mech in your hand! You’re better off picking aMechanical Whelp, or even anUrsatronif you’ve not drawn enough.

-Zilliaxis vital to survival against aggro.

-Hyena Alphais a 4 mana 7/7 play, so when you get the chance to trigger that Battlecry, there’s not many better plays.

Card choices and substitutions

Here are some of the key cards seeing play in Deathrattle Hunter right now, as well as a few card swap options where possible.