The early game is mostly about building a frontline. In that sense the only really important Hunter is Beastmaster, and the easiest way to build a durable frontline is to combine him with another Orc, usually in addition to two other Warriors. With the frontline secured, you can aim to get your (3) Hunters bonus from two backline damage dealers like e.g. Drow + Windranger.

Of course, other openings are possible. Grabbing a few Knights in the early game will allow you to get the (2) Undead bonus early on from Drow + Abaddon, which is extremely powerful with the high physical damage of Hunters. Bear in mind that even Beastmaster’s ultimate deals physical damage.

Last but not least, never underestimate a Goblin-Mech opening. A Goblins frontline is very durable and in the mid game will buy your Hunters a lot of time to deal damage freely. In the late game, however, you’ll probably have to start replacing your Goblins with better units to finalize your lineup.

A Druid/Elf opening is also possible, but you will usually end up with a (6) Elves (3) Hunters lineup rather than the other way around.