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Head of the Hunt
AI draftAI-generated draft analysis — not yet human-reviewed. Treat with healthy skepticism.Limited summary
A strong flash threat that can ambush an attacker and turns every opposing creature that dies while it is in play into a 2/2 Wolf. Its 4 power, Wolf typing, and repeatable token generation make it a premium rare for BG despite the demanding double-black cost.
Roles
Archetypes
Play around this
When the opponent holds up four mana including double black, avoid attacks that let a flashed-in 4/3 eat an attacker or turn a trade elsewhere in combat into an additional 2/2 Wolf.
Gameplay notes
Flash it in before opposing creatures die, not afterward. Casting it after blockers are declared can both ambush one attacker and convert every other opposing creature that dies in the same combat into a Wolf token.
Key synergies
With Head of the Hunt on the battlefield, Gnashing's -1/-1 mode exiles each opposing creature it kills and creates a 2/2 Wolf for each one, turning the sweeper into both mass removal and a major board-building effect.
With Head of the Hunt on the battlefield, Burn, Burn, Tree and Fern's first chapter exiles the opposing creature it would kill and creates a 2/2 Wolf, turning the Saga's removal into both an answer and a creature.
Head of the Hunt's 4 power turns on The Chief Warg's Ferocious attack trigger, while the extra Wolf tokens help maintain a wide board that can attack and exploit the resulting card draw.
Head of the Hunt is another Wolf toward the Company's attack restriction, and every opposing creature that dies can supply another Wolf token. In return, the Company's upkeep tokens make it much easier to keep enough Wolves for both large creatures to attack.
Head of the Hunt exiles opposing creatures instead of letting them enter the graveyard, so those creatures are not valid cards for Supper for Spiders to return as Food.
If Head of the Hunt is on the battlefield, opposing creatures that would die to Desolation of Smaug are exiled instead and each produces a fresh 2/2 Wolf after the sweep, converting the mass removal into a new board for you.
With Head of the Hunt in play, destroying an opposing creature exiles it instead and creates a 2/2 Wolf, turning Bilbo's Deadly Slice into removal plus a creature.
With Head of the Hunt in play, the creature sacrificed to the Blade is exiled instead and produces a 2/2 Wolf, making the edict generate both removal and an additional body.
Head of the Hunt supplies 4 power for Quarrel, and when Quarrel kills an opposing creature, Head exiles it and creates a 2/2 Wolf.
Spew Flame can kill an opposing creature for Head of the Hunt to exile and convert into a 2/2 Wolf, while still leaving Smaug available to cast later.
With Head of the Hunt in play, Stir Up Trouble exiles the opposing creature it destroys and creates a 2/2 Wolf, turning efficient removal into removal plus a body.
The two +1/+1 counters make Head of the Hunt a 6/5 before it fights, helping it kill a large opposing creature and survive; that creature is then exiled and replaced with a 2/2 Wolf.
When Bolg's damage kills an opposing creature, Head of the Hunt exiles it and creates a 2/2 Wolf, adding another payoff to Bolg's sacrifice-based removal.
When Gandalf's enters trigger kills opposing creatures, Head of the Hunt exiles each instead and creates a 2/2 Wolf, turning Gandalf's removal into additional board presence.
Head of the Hunt provides 4 power at flash speed to enable the attack trigger, while its removal-conversion ability creates additional Wolf tokens that receive Puppyyyy's team-wide counters.
Stone by Sunlight can destroy an opposing creature with power 4 or greater at instant speed, causing Head of the Hunt to exile that creature and create a 2/2 Wolf.
When Azog targets an opposing creature, Head of the Hunt replaces that creature's death with exile and creates a 2/2 Wolf for you; Azog still makes that opponent amass based on the targeted creature's power.
Head of the Hunt converts opposing creatures dying into Wolf tokens; multiple deaths in one turn can supply the second and third token entries Belladonna needs for a card and a team-wide pump.
Head of the Hunt naturally has 4 power, reliably turning on the Rabbit while also adding Wolf tokens that help stabilize the battlefield.
Both cards replace an opposing creature's death with exile. Because Pinecone Strike's replacement can be applied instead of Head of the Hunt's, the creature may be exiled without Head creating a Wolf token.
Head of the Hunt's 4 power enables Ravening Warg's Ferocious trigger, and Ravening Warg's deathtouch encourages profitable combat trades that Head replaces with 2/2 Wolf tokens.
Head of the Hunt immediately supplies the 4-power creature Wargling needs, and its replacement effect can create additional Wolves that benefit from Wargling granting the whole attacking team trample.
Head of the Hunt exiles opposing creatures instead of letting them die, so those opposing creatures do not enable Dreaded Bat-Cloud's cost reduction; deaths among your own creatures still work normally.
Head of the Hunt's natural 4/3 body reliably enables Ferocious, allowing Nighthowl Pursuer to attack as a 3/3 menace while both remain in play.
Head of the Hunt replaces opposing creatures dying with exile, so those creatures do not trigger Great Fierce Bee's scry ability; creatures you control can still die and trigger the Bee normally.
Head of the Hunt supplies both a Wolf body and additional Wolf tokens, giving Bejeweled Warg plentiful targets for its combat-damage counter mode; those counters make Head or its tokens more threatening in combat.
If Giant's Boulder destroys an opposing creature while Head of the Hunt is present, that creature is exiled and produces a 2/2 Wolf, adding board presence to the Boulder's late-game removal.
Easy Pickings can kill multiple opposing 1-toughness creatures at once, and Head of the Hunt converts each of those deaths into a 2/2 Wolf while Glóin remains available to cast afterward.
When Magnificent End's 5 damage kills an opposing creature, Head of the Hunt exiles it and creates a 2/2 Wolf, adding a creature to the efficient removal exchange.
Stone-Giant can repeatedly sacrifice artifacts to deal 4 damage, and every opposing creature killed by that damage is exiled by Head of the Hunt and replaced with a 2/2 Wolf.