D5 - Legend with Even Reno Hunter!

Firstly, yes I'm aware that it's late in the season and therefore not that difficult to get to legend. That's not the point of this post. I'm making this as I've not heard anyone mention even reno hunter since the season started, and I believe it's a strong and fun deck with potential to win every possible matchup, as I encountered a healthy mixture of aggro, combo, and control on my way up the ladder.

MULLIGANS

-Mulligans do differ per matchup, but generally Zephrys is always a keep. In more value-based matchups you can afford to hold on to him longer to get a game-swinging boardwipe or a potential Bloodlust on a wide board of RC hounds, and in aggro matchups he can often provide a useful board clear turn 5 (or 4 with coin). I'd never throw him back, as you can never be sure if you're facing combo and even then he can still offer a Wild Growth to get you ramping towards a Theotar.

-Another "always-keep" card is Spirit Poacher. The tempo and value this creates if dropped on turn 1 or 2 can be a huge determining factor in securing a win. Classes like Druid that struggle to fight for board can be decimated entirely by a Bear or Stag, and the Fox is really strong into aggro. This and Cult Neophyte fall into the same category of earlygame tempo drops that are strong into almost any matchup.

-Another card that I almost always keep is Dun Baldar Bunker. Against combo and control it's a no-brainer, and even against aggro it can draw you a 1-cost Zombees! or Explosive Trap that can help you stabilise until you find Reno, Aggramar or Tavish to secure your board advantage.

-Finally, an honourable mention for Bargain Bin. With only 1 weapon in the deck, I considered cutting Bin, but if you draw this before your Rifle it's insane value for 2 mana. I also would always keep Explosive Trap against Rogue or Demon Hunter for the likelihood of pirates, but do note this can be a dead draw against a lot of matchups.

GENERAL STRATEGY

-There are many ways you can end up securing victory with such a versatile and adaptable deck, but the general gameplan is to establish board presence and tempo whilst disrupting your opponents' strategy and counterplay with Secrets and cards like Speaker Stomper and Theotar. This strategy, combined with the consistent pressure of the 1-mana hero power to even out your curve should result in gameplay evoking the early days of Hearthstone, when tempo mattered and every point of health counted.

-Early-game should be focused on dropping generally good cards such as Spirit Poacher, Bunker, and Cult Neophyte to put pressure on your opponent and begin establishing the board presence that will allow you to push the win, whilst also trying to figure out what kind of deck your opponent could be playing.

Against Aggro, we want to look for cards like Explosive Trap, Zombees! and Theldurin The Lost. Your number one priority should be establishing a presence on the board to allow for positive trades or forcing your opponent to trade, allowing you to survive until the critical Turn 6, where so many of your counter-aggro tools come online. Serpentbloom is a great card to draw slightly later in this matchup, where you can take Dreadscale from your E.T.C, Band Manager to completely boardwipe and establish a pseudo-taunt for next turn. This combo can single-handedly win a lot of aggro matchups. You can also drop your Serpentbloom on Hollow Hound for an almost equally-devastating minion. Most aggro matchups are a win if you haven't died by turn 7, as you can usually find a Reno Jackson or other stabilising card and then begin dropping large threats to destroy all hopes of your opponent taking board back.

Against Combo, there are two lines you can take, and a combination of these strategies is usually the most effective approach - Rushdown and Disruption. You will want to save your Zombees!, Snipe and Speaker Stomper for critical moments in the combo, such as when you're suspecting your opponent will drop a spell damage minion, or want to pop off with a lot of spells next turn. If your opponent hasn't combo'd by Turn 6, You should be looking at Theotar or Wild Bloodstinger which can instantly end the game by stealing a key combo piece, or Dirty Rat if you know you have the board to clear whatever threat he may pull from hand. On the other hand, matchups can be won with the Rushdown strategy, where you establish a strong board presence early to end out the game around turn 7ish. This is the matchup where you would consider taking Dinotamer Brann from your E.T.C, Band Manager, as the extra 8 damage and immediate threat from King Krush can destroy your opponent just before they can pull of their combo. Combo matchups are a win if you can draw your disruption tools without giving up tempo.

Finally, against Control, we face our hardest matchup. Controls decks usually do what we do, but better, in terms of disruption and value. However, most control decks do not have the aggressive capacity that our deck does. These matchups are where drawing our Spirit Poacher and Cult Neophyte are most crucial, and we want to be tapping our hero power at every opportunity. Conversely, these are also the matchups where our lategame value can finally come online. Swamp King Dred and King Mukla are fairly powerful into combo, and in games that go later we can bring them back alongside Hollow Hound with Stranglethorn Heart, a stat-bomb that may be too much for your opponent to handle after dealing with your constant pressure all game. Finally, Reno, Lone Ranger rarely gets a chance to shine outside of longer games such as against control, but we all know how he works by now. In the control matchup, you can really take whatever fits the situation from your E.T.C., with Flare being an auto take against control mages. Most control matchups are a win if you can get the right balance of disruption and tempo to always keep your opponent on the back foot.

POSSIBLE DECK CHANGES

-Lorekeeper Polkelt could be subbed in for a 6-drop, as there are already more than enough 6-drops in the deck.

-Astalor Bloodsworn is a lot of value, however he didn't make the cut over more tempo-oriented cards as the deck already has a ton of 2-drops in the form of secrets and strong minions.

-The Big Beast Package is very 6-drop heavy, and Stranglethorn Heart is a useless card in 9 out of 10 matchups. I have, however, found that it does work better in practice than it seems from just looking at the decklist, and I love playing big beasts so I haven't found reason to cut it. I would still say it's the first collection of cards you could remove if looking to make alterations.

-In your E.T.C, Flare can be replaced with Product 9 if you don't find yourself queuing into many mages. If you establish lots of secrets early, Playing E.T.C on 4 or 5 and Product 9 on 5 or 6 will likely decimate most aggro or combo opponents. I found in the end that this wasn't a situation I found myself in often, and I'd almost always take one of the other two options over it, so I ended up swapping it out for Flare, but it's a consideration you could make.

Thank you for reading my essay, and please give this versatile and fun deck a go if you have the interest! Decklist:

### EVEN RENO

# Class: Hunter

# Format: Wild

#

# 1x (0) Devouring Swarm

# 1x (0) Serpentbloom

# 1x (2) Bargain Bin

# 1x (2) Cult Neophyte

# 1x (2) Dirty Rat

# 1x (2) Dun Baldar Bunker

# 1x (2) Explosive Trap

# 1x (2) Gold Panner

# 1x (2) Patchwork Pals

# 1x (2) Snipe

# 1x (2) Spirit Poacher

# 1x (2) Zephrys the Great

# 1x (2) ZOMBEEEES!!!

# 1x (4) Blademaster Okani

# 1x (4) E.T.C., Band Manager

# 1x (1) Flare

# 1x (3) Dreadscale

# 1x (7) Dinotamer Brann

# 1x (4) R.C. Rampage

# 1x (4) Rinling's Rifle

# 1x (4) Speaker Stomper

# 1x (4) Theldurin the Lost

# 1x (6) Aggramar, the Avenger

# 1x (6) Beaststalker Tavish

# 1x (6) Genn Greymane

# 1x (6) Hollow Hound

# 1x (6) Mister Mukla

# 1x (6) Reno Jackson

# 1x (6) Swamp King Dred

# 1x (6) Theotar, the Mad Duke

# 1x (6) Wild Bloodstinger

# 1x (8) Stranglethorn Heart

# 1x (10) Reno, Lone Ranger

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