Creep Tumor
An aura that gives rush seems quite powerful, though Creep Tumor’s limitation to the Zerg tribe means that Demon Hunter can’t go too crazy with this. Zerg minions are generally small, so the swing potential enabled by Creep Tumor isn’t high. The class also doesn’t have access to buffs that could leverage it further. You’re looking at Zerglings and Mutalisks being the highest value targets for this spell. Zerglings because they’re cheap. Mutalisks because they have the highest impact when they’re given rush.
This card is okay, but we don’t have as much faith in its surrounding actors and their ability to slot into an aggressive deck.
Score: 2
Lurker
We think it’s a safe bet that Lurker is not good enough in a deck that isn’t packed with Zerg. A more expensive Coconut Cannoneer isn’t what we’re looking for when we want to leverage our wide boards in a deck like Pirate Demon Hunter. Dealing 2 damage becomes more interesting, with Zerglings clearly being the main benefactors of Lurkers.
However, it’s hard for us to see Lurker working out particularly well. It seems great when we have a board of Zerglings that our opponent can’t kill, but it’s a very difficult card to use if we’re not clearly ahead. Creep Tumor theoretically allows us to play Lurker alongside Zerglings, but it requires a setup turn, an enemy board to rush into, while spending at least 6 mana to have a meaningful swing. That’s fantasy in the context of current Demon Hunter, which cannot afford to prolong games.
Score: 1
Mutalisk
It’s safe to say that Mutalisk is a completely useless card without giving it rush on the turn it’s played. Otherwise, what are we doing with a 4 mana 5/2 that needs to survive to be useful? Demon Hunter has three ways to give it rush: Creep Tumor, Spawning Pool and Through Fel & Flame. The 0-mana spell is clearly the best one, while the other two require some level of setup that makes them hard to use on-demand.
What does Mutalisk do when given rush? It’s a reasonable cleave effect that can deal some face damage if we aim it at a side minion. Does it win the game? You might treat this card as a Hollow Hound or Warsong Grunt in Hunter. Demon Hunter could use Shaffar and Zerglings to buff it to an extreme degree and turn it into a real win condition, but it’s a long shot.
Score: 2
Final Thoughts: Demon Hunter still waits for meaningful late game, gets a Zerg package that’s purely aggressive, yet doesn’t feel like it entices us to move away from Attack or Pirate DH shells.