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Hunter has always been pretty mediocre in Arena. Hunter did see a rise in play and win percentage sometime after the release of Kobolds & Catacombs and shortly during the release of Witchwood, where it got some powerful tools to help the class' lack of hard removal and board control.
Hunter will lose some great cards in Constructed, when the sets of Journey to Un'Goro, Knights of the Frozen Throne and Kobolds & Catacombs rotate out from the Standard Format. The metagame is definitely going to change for Hunter in Arena, but hopefully, the class gets some new and useful mechanics when the new expansion hits Hearthstone in a couple of months.
We've also covered great cards Druid will lose from Arena and Constructed. So here are the best cards in Arena that proved to be extremely useful to the class and helped Hunter go from bottom tier to mid-tier and almost top-tier (can't outshine Mage and Rogue still!)
#5. Crushing Walls
Expansion: Kobolds & Catacombs
Kobolds & Catacombs added a fine collection of cards for the Hunter class. Among these, Crushing Walls was one of the great additions. Your opponent had to start being careful about positioning their minions and making sure they didn't place the best ones in the leftmost and rightmost positions.
Crushing Walls is one of the few hard removals that Hunters lack. It is also one of the few cards that made use of positioning (the other best ones are Mage's Meteor and Rogue's Betrayal).
While Hunters do have other powerful positioning removals such as Explosive Shot, Crushing Walls removed minions entirely instead of only dealing damage to them. Hunters don't have cards like this!
But if your opponent is smart enough to play around it (usually happens in higher wins), Crushing Walls may not be as useful but it is not useless either.
#4. Jeweled Macaw
Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro
Jeweled Macaw is quite RNG dependent, but as a 1-drop with it's Battlecry, it can prove to be incredibly useful. You have a 1/1 body worth of stats, which also adds a Beast to your hand which you can use later.
You might get mediocre beasts like Oasis Snapjaw sometimes but in general, most Beasts are pretty useful to play in Arena. You may get some amazing beasts with amazing synergy but it's also fine if you don't!
#3. Candleshot
Expansion: Kobolds & Catacombs
Candleshot is just as good in Arena as it is in Constructed. While you may not always draft a Hunter's Mark to synergize with the weapon, a 1 damage ping in Arena is surprisingly helpful. That's why cards like Elven Archer are better in Arena.
At a cheap cost, Candleshot can be used to tear down your opponent's 1 or 2-drops, but it can also be helpful to do that one additional damage in case you are short of damage while trading against a big minion.
#2. Venomstrike Trap
Expansion: Knights of the Frozen Throne
Venomstrike Trap pretty much sees no play in Constructed. In Arena, however, this card is one of the best secrets you could draft while also punishing your opponent for trying to attack your minions. Poisonous minions have a lot of value in Arena because they are not so easily removed like they are in Constructed.
Emperor Cobra is also a great standalone card. Popping up as a surprise and as a threat on your board is some serious value!
#1. Flanking Strike
Expansion: Kobolds & Catacombs
Just like in Constructed, Flanking Strike proved to be a surprisingly useful spell in Hunter. Dealing 3 damage to a 3-drop, 4-drop on turn 4 or even as bonus damage against a bigger minion you are trading. The 3/3 Wolf is also a useful body to have. It is also a Beast, which synergizes with many Hunter cards.
Honourable Mentions
Abominable Bowman
Expansion: Knights of the Frozen Throne
A fairly statted 6/7 body, the Deathrattle of Abominable Bowman also allows you to recover a Beast and gain an additional body. You may not always get the best Beast but this minion is a sticky one, much like many Hunter Deathrattles.
Nesting Roc
Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro
Nesting Roc is a Beast, which will have synergies with Hunter. It's also quite easy to stick 2 minions on the board with Hunter. Although this is a Neutral, Nesting Roc has great synergy with the Hunter Class.
Crackling Razormaw
Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro
Crackling Razormaw is just as good in Arena as it is in Constructed. You can adapt your Beast to help turn around the game for you and your board presence. Even the 1/1 plants are very sticky and useful to have in Arena.
Lesser Emerald Spellstone
This spellstone is the best one among all classes in Arena. Summon four 3/3 wolves in Arena is the ultimate value. All you need is to play 2 secrets when this is in your hand. Even with three wolves, the additional bodies are a big threat to your opponent and it can beat down their face or they can trade effectively against other minions you play.
Blizzard lowered the occurrence bonus for this card eventually because it was just too strong.
