Use lions you won't breed as hunters (they can't hunt if they have cubs). As for broodmothers and breeders, don't use NCLs--buy them or breed them. Generally, the more markings, the better.
P.S. The rarer the base, the better. The higher the rarity of the parents, the more likely their kids will have a rarer base. (Special>Rare>Uncommon>Common) You can always try breeding with my male, he produces Rare bases a lot and there's a chance for a pie Since you're super new, I'll give a couple studdings to you free