Hearthpwn

Yo! My names August (Shrekmate) from the US and this is my first time writing a guide, so bear with me. This deck got me legend for the second month in a row (and second time ever! I haven't been playing all that long) and I figured I'd lay it out here so you can maybe get some ideas or compare it to other Hunter decks from this season.

Proof of Legend in case ya wanted any, I would have the post-game results but I clicked past it by accident: 

The name of the game with this deck is sticky minions. High-value cards like Mad Scientist, Haunted Creeper, and Piloted Shredder are your keys to controlling the early game, and allow you to maintain board presence until you can pressure you opponent with Savannah Highmane and Dr. Boom or explode with Call of the Wild. Additionally, having minions with strong deathrattles means that you can switch from trading to going face at the drop of a hat. While this deck does lack one drops, it has incredible comeback potential with double Knife Juggler, which combos both defensively and offensively with Haunted Creeper and especially Unleash the Hounds. Going second is a boon with this deck, as being able to start with a Mad Scientist into King's Elekk or Haunted Creeper allows for lots of early pressure (and value!).

Tech choices and in-depth discussion:

Speaking of one drops, I originally ran two Webspinners in place of the King's Elekks. While Webspinner is guaranteed value through its deathrattle, I found that its single attack point was just too underwhelming to merit a place in the deck. All too often, I'd start Webspinner against a Secretkeeper, Mana Wyrm, or Voidwalker and have it do inconsequential damage and net me a card that simply wasn't worth the loss in tempo. Were my list more aggressive and face-oriented, I could see it working alongside another Hound Master and Fiery Bat. King's Elekk, on the other hand, has 3/2 body that's strong enough to contest almost any other 1 or 2 drop in the game, and when its effect pulls a Loatheb, Highmane, or Dr. Boom from your deck, you're practically never going to run out of steam. Additionally, its relative strength against classes with "ping" hero powers like Mage, Rogue, and Druid gives it a leg up over the alternatives.

I originally ran Explosive Trap instead of Bear Trap, but quickly found the 2 damage to be too few: too many early game minions nowadays have 3 or more health, and people play around Explosive Trap more times than not. Bear Trap, on the other hand, often serves to interrupt decks like Zoo and Aggro Shaman in their haste to go face, and allows for easy pickings against Voidwalkers, Northshire Clerics, and more. It effectively turns Mad Scientist into a 5/5 for 2 mana, which is incredible. I've seen some players run only Freezing Traps, but I found that having the third target for Mad Scientist allowed for a stronger early game in general, and Bear Trap still performs well when drawn on-curve. I AM considering replacing it or a Freezing Trap, however, with Snake Trap, a beautiful combo enabler with Knife Juggler. 

Moving up the mana crystals, an important tech choice I found helpful was Deadly Shot. A significant weakness of this deck is strong taunt minions like Sludge Belcher and especially Deathlord. Deathlord especially can be a nightmare for this deck, as even a strong start of Elekk, Mad Scientist, and Eaglehorn Bow will struggle to take one down, and a single buff from a Power Word: Shield or Velen's Chosen can be game-losing. Deadly shot solves this problem efficiently and on-curve, and beats out cards like Stampeding Kodo (turn 5 is usually too late) and Doomsayer (which conflicts with Bear Trap and other early game minions).

Eater of Secrets replaced a 2nd Houndmaster, which I often found cloggy, as my opponents would anticipate it and kill my Haunted Creeper or King's Elekk at the first opportunity. It absolutely destroys Freeze Mage, allowing for sneaky kills past Ice Block, and does work against other Mage and Hunter decks as well. Secret Paladin is where it really shines, however, turning a losing situation into a winning one, and gaining more advantage in the process than either Flare or Kezan Mystic. We know who you are, Mysterious Challenger. We know who you are.

Loatheb gets played over Princess Huhuran for two reasons: 1, it cripples classes like Mage, which often rely on spells to kill you or remove threats, and Priest, which often relies on board clears to win back the early game. 2, I don't have it. Yup. We're broke, boiz. Even if I did, however, replacing the Webspinners with King's Elekks leaves it weaker than Loatheb in a lot of situations, and I was happy with my pick.

Finally, what might be raising some eyebrows is my lack of a second Call of the Wild. To be honest, I only have one, but in practice I rarely needed a second. With this deck it's crucial to draw an early curve, and Call of the Wild was usually only necessary to close out the game once I'd powered my way to turn 8. Having one fewer potential dead draw in the early game was a big factor in taking so many wins from fast decks like Aggro Warrior and Zoo.

Mulligan Guide:

Mage- King's Elekk, Mad Scientist, Haunted Creeper, Eaglehorn Bow, Animal Companion. Sometimes I'll mulligan away a Bow if I'm going first and don't have a 2 drop going first. If I have a 2 and 3 drop I'll keep an Eater of Secrets.

Shaman- Same, but I almost always keep Bow because it counters Tunnel Trogg before it can get out of control, and does work against Feral Spirit.

Warlock- King's Elekk, Mad Scientist, Haunted Creeper, Eaglehorn Bow, Animal Companion. If I start Haunted Creeper I'll also keep a Knife Juggler, as it can put in work against 1-health minions, and if I start Knife Juggler and Unleash the Hounds I'll keep both. 

Priest- King's Elekk, Mad Scientist, Haunted Creeper, Animal Companion, Eaglehorn Bow. I'll keep a Piloted Shredder and sometimes Deadly Shot if I already have a 2 drop.

Warrior- Same as Priest, minus the Deadly Shot.

Rogue- King's Elekk, Mad Scientist, Haunted Creeper, Animal Companion, Eaglehorn Bow.

Druid: King's Elekk, Mad Scientist, Haunted Creeper, Animal Companion, Eaglehorn Bow. 

Paladin- King's Elekk, Mad Scientist, Haunted Creeper, Animal Companion, Eaglehorn Bow, Unleash the Hounds, Eater of Secrets.

In general, I keep Knife Juggler if I also have Haunted Creeper against specifically Paladin, Rogue, and Warlock. These classes tend to have an abundance of 1 or 2 health early-game minions that I can kill with juggles.

I generally mulligan Quick Shot because a 2 drop minion is stronger in most cases, but against Mage, Shaman, and Priest it can be especially strong because of their 3-health 1 drops.

Anyway, this is a lot of info, but feel free to ask for more in the comments section. Happy hunting!