Some players have long wanted Hunter decks making good use of traps. The question is how many traps and which types.
This was a deck I used on the Test Server when the SF Beta first started, slightly modified because I did not use Hunter's Gambit not realizing in full what it did until seeing it played.
Baduruu
4x Spitfire Hound
3x Ravager Zealot
4x Rampant Krygon
3x Snare Trap
4x Decoy Trap
4x Ricochet Trap
4x Death Trap
4x Hunter's Gambit
4x Cobraskin Wraps
2x Feathered Longbow
6x Power Bows (Soul Seeker, Grundler's Double, Emore Crossbow)
This deck operates in 4 parts, that may be seen as too many compared to more focused decks yet it has worked.
Traps
I first set out trying to make a true trap deck.
Snare Trap - For dealing with early allies.
Decoy Trap - For protecting the meager number of allies used.
Ricochet Trap - Hero protection and I just discovered it will harm opponents under Stealth.
Death Trap - For dealing with all allies
Initially, this deck has a deception element, less so later but there still is one. Part of the deception is people not realizing what traps you use. Good players will figure this out as the game goes on or in rematches but even then, the deception still exists in that when you play a trap, the opponent still has to figure out which one it is.
Snare & Decoy are both 2cc, the only way to know which is out there is to bait it. Death & Ricochet are the same at 3cc. While it is possible to bait Snare and Death, there can still be problems based on how many traps you build up plus I found you can play 2+ of the same trap on your side. You can have 2 Snares out, he baits one but then plays into the second, same for the others so the deception element still exists to a degree.
Playing so many traps provides a defensive element that allows Baduruu to survive until he gets out his bows. Also in a tournament that allows a sideboard, you can sideboard other traps for use against certain opposing Heroes such as Enchanted Oaks against Mages & Net Traps for decks only using high cost allies. I am still not confident Rolling Boulders is useful right now, 3cc for a Retreat only against high cost allies with a meager card draw does not compare well to other traps at that cost or even lessor cost.
Weapons
Obviously being a Hero with a weapon focused ability, bows get used and now there are 3 Power Bows to choose from. Try not to use them so much on allies because they are needed to hit the opposing Hero.
Soul Seeker - For healing.
Grundler’s Double - For card draw given the small ally numbers, has +1 DUR compared to other weapons and allows allies to attack through Stealth.
Emore Crossbow - Does the most damage to allies.
I should note the extra weapon, Feathered Longbow. Originally not in, I added a pair after playing a Threbin who, twice, destroyed a Power Bow leaving me for a turn or two without a weapon. Feathered is there for when that happens, it never gets played through Baduruu’s ability.
Allies
After working out Traps and Weapons, I realized I did not have much room for the ‘usual’ number of allies that is roughly 18 give or take a few. I had to get very picky in regard to what I added. Amazingly, I discovered the 2 low cost Ravagers, long considered not that good, actually fit here since I could destroy uneeded traps to activate their abilities, now they can also destroy Gambit. Rampant Krygon went in due to Haste. I consider all my allies one shot wonders, only Krygon is considered playable early, the Ravagers are more for mid to late game for their abilities though I might consider replacing Krygon with Bobcat to see what happens.
Card Draw & Low Resources
This I consider the same area. I had read how it was possible for Baduruu to play with low resources so I added Cobraskin Wraps instead of other armor, Wraps guarantees a card draw while other 4cc Hunter armor requires ally deaths plus Wraps might mess up the play of your opponent but does not bother you. Originally, I used Anmor’s Horn also for draw and getting rid of a card in hand I might find useless by saccing it then using the Horn for draw but now have switched to Hunter’s Gambit that can be destroyed by Ravagers.
Conclusions
I have only played this twice on the Live Server as I am now seriously playing Darkclaw and working on some other decks (including next post) but when I used it on the test server, here is what I noted.
- Despite seeming odd, this deck can actually win so long as you stay focused and pay attention to what you do. I usually build decks using allies so this was a first for me, a deck using elements of Stall & Control. I did not even intend to build what I consider a ‘techy deck,’ I just wanted to see if a trap deck could work.
- The matches I lost, I can say for certain it was my fault. I recall in every lost match there was a time I did something, clicked END TURN then suddenly asked/told myself, “Why did I do that?” or, “I shouldn’t have done that, I should have done this.” I lost because of my mistakes, not really the deck.
- I actually got complimented by someone from a SE Team who was playing, at the time, the ‘killer’ Test Server Rothem and that match may have got close if I remember right before he broke out the 'killer' combo plus I know I made a mistake on one turn like my other losses. I have never gotten a compliment before from a Team member.
- Hunter Trap decks appear to have potential, they just need tailoring based on the Hero (see below) and discussion especially since this is normally outside what deck type, Ally, I am used to.
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