Standard Deck Guide: Grunter Hunter - A Partnership Between Warrior and Hunter!

Heroes of Starcraft inspired many new decks, but that's not the case for Grunter Hunter. This deck already existed before this mini-set came along, yet it still demands our attention because its win rate is simply too high - 56.73%, according to HSReplay on February 16th, 2025.

We, at Cards Realm, tested this list so we could show you exactly how to play it. In this article, we'll explore its cards, win condition, mulligan, and more. Check it out!

Grunter Hunter is relatively simple to play, and has a clear game plan as well as a clear win condition. The idea is to combine Hunter's Discover cards with Warrior's hand buff spells, and this way make your minions powerful enough to win the game.

The reason we can use these two classes in the same deck is Ranger Gilly's effect.

Your biggest issue will be knowing which cards to pick when you use Discover effects, which this list plays lots of. Sometimes, you'll need a minion, but in others you'll need a spell or a Secret. So, try to think about what you need in each situation to get the best out of this mechanic.

Let's see all the cards with Discover that we play.

Cards

As we mentioned, our win condition is quite specific, so you'll need to draw the right cards. That's why Discover is so important, and why you'll need to play cards like Tracking, Birdwatching, and Master's Call.

Besides all of these Discover effects, we also play Exarch Naielle, a legendary minion. She turns your Hero Power into a Tracking, so you'll be able to use this effect every round.

Lastly, we have Titanforged Traps. Though it doesn't give you cards that were originally in this deck, this spell gives you a variety of useful Secrets for many situations. For instance, you can get Ice Trap and Explosive Trap, defensive spells, and Rat Trap, which puts more pressure on your opponent.

Your goal is to Discover a specific minion as well as play many cards to buff it while it is in your hand. This will make you a bit vulnerable, so, this list plays a few removals or minions with Taunt, like Punch Card, Barrel of Monkeys, Parallax Cannon, and Alien Encounters. Please note that the last two cards are better after you use Discover.

You can also use Sneaky Snakes and Char to fight for the board in the first few rounds.

In terms of hand buffs, Warrior is the best class, so this list plays spells like Cup o' Muscle and Reserved Spot.

Hunter also has a few ways to buff your minions before you play them, like the legendary Ranger Gilly, in particular. He will both buff your minions and create more resources for you.

Finally, this list plays Catch of the Day and Warsong Grunt, both minions with Rush that, with Always a Bigger Jormungar, can attack, even if indirectly, the enemy hero in the same turn you play them.

If your opponent doesn't have any minions for you to attack and kill with Grunt's Rush, you can use Food Fight to create one, and it also will summon another minion for you for no extra cost.

Warsong Grunt is the minion that inspired the name of this deck, "Grunter", and, like so, it is your main win condition. Its effect states that, whenever you attack and kill an enemy minion, you can attack with it again several times in the same turn you play it, as long as you kill a minion. If you buff it properly and play it with Always a Bigger Jormungar, it can be game-winning.

Food Fight is also great in this combo, considering it creates a 0-attack minion. It's another "reset" for Warsong Grunt, and lets you damage the enemy hero another time.

Below, you can see how this combo can win games. Basically, the idea is to buff Warsong Grunt as much as you can while it is in your hand, and, when your opponent has a lot of minions, to play it with Always a Bigger Jormungar.

Each of Grunt's attacks will deal the extra damage to the enemy hero, similar to Overwhelm in Legends of Runeterra. Your opponent will have no way to defend themselves because Rush and its effect will let you deal damage to them three or four times on the same turn.

Ideally, your first few turns should have Tracking, Birdwatching, and Exarch Naielle. The idea is to Discover the key pieces for your combo straight away, and then draw Warsong Grunt with Birdwatching so you can start buffing it.

Considering your other spells and your Hero Power, I highly recommend you look for Cup o' Muscle, Always a Bigger Jormungar, and Reserved Spot when you use Discover.

Some alternatives that also make sense are Sneaky Snakes and Titanforged Traps.

Aggro

Grunter Hunter has many ways to deal with aggressive decks: Sneaky Snakes, Barrel of Monkeys, Punch Card, and Parallax Cannon, for instance, are great ways to fight the enemy board fast and efficiently. Keep them in your opening hand, and try to survive the early game pressure - this is how you'll win.

Titanforged Traps is also a great option, as you can use it to counter important enemy spells or minions.

Control

Against control decks, you should follow your main game plan until your opponent has summoned enough minions for you to win the game. Don't worry about removing anything early on. If you're facing a really slow deck that doesn't play any threats in the first few rounds, you can leave their minions alone until you're ready to play your combo.

This deck is simple, and only has a few legendary cards - yet it is still a tier-1 deck nowadays! I highly recommend it for all players, particularly free-to-play players.

I hope this guide helped you learn more about Grunter Hunter.

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Thank you for reading, and see you next time!