Help me create a pirate theme deck (Arena)
Standard Deck Help forum
Posted on Feb. 3, 2019, 10:36 a.m. by Marchiali
So back when pirates of ixalan were released no one really played them because of the mana base, at least not in Grixis. Right now the mana base is solid enough to technically make them work.
What I am trying to do right now is creating a deck where all cards fit into the pirate theme while still staying somewhat competitive. It doesn't have to win all the time but having a chance against burn and Teferi would be nice.
It... hasn't really worked out so far. Is such a deck even possible?
The most success I had so far was basically Tempo Blue with some splashing for Grixis so your flying pirates benefit from effects like Dire Fleet Neckbreaker and Fell Flagship .
With cards like Siren's Ruse , Lookout's Dispersal and of course Siren Stormtamer you have decent disruption, I have even been experimenting with adding more discard like Duress or Heartless Pillage . The latter is pretty great as far as discard spells go since it is effectively CMC 2. Cancel , Hornswoggle , Admiral's Order and Spell Swindle are pirate themed but not worth including in my opinion.
As for Lifegain your choices in a pirate theme deck are basically limited to Fountain of Renewal and Navigator's Compass . Compass is actually not that bad since it let's you fix your mana base without handing aggro decks a free 2 damage. (I am making an exception to the theme rule for Shocklands)
Admiral Becket Brass is a great flavor card but usually when you can hit your opponent with 3 pirates they are either dead or would be if you had dropped a Dire Fleet Neckbreaker instead of the Admiral.
The real problem with pirates seems to be that they want to go fast since their late game sucks but they have basically no advantage over mono red or blue other than tribal synergies. And their tribal synergies aren't that great, most of them are not even available until turn 4 or 5.
For Removal there are some options: Walk the Plank is great flavor although a bit hard to cast. Hostage Taker and the Admiral are decent for dealing with Teferi but not that amazing. Lightning Strike , Makeshift Munitions (bombarding your opponent with treasures is hilarious) and Fiery Cannonade are your go-to burn spells.
There are some good red combat tricks as well as Dire Fleet Poisoner but I am kinda on the edge concerning those. Buccaneer's Bravado on an unblocked creature with decent power can close out games.
Card Draw can be provided by Curious Obsession (a bit tricky when you are also running Siren's Ruse), Chart a Course and maybe Treasure Map Flip and Dead Man's Chest . March of the Drowned could also be very valuable since it only costs 1 mana.
Like I said the best creatures seem to be the pirates that either have very good tribal synergy or flying. I am considering Fathom Fleet Captain and Forerunner of the Coalition but they both seem to be too slow. When you have a lot of treasures getting the city's blessing for an early extra turn via Timestream Navigator isn't too hard but I haven't really profited from it that much.
Revel in Riches is an interesting wincon but just too slow. Maybe an option for a more control-based approach. But when you have lots of treasures out it seems to be more viable to cast Mnemonic Betrayal , which technically isn't a pirate spell but looks like one. Or use overpriced Cards like Pirate's Prize that create more treasures.
With all that knowledge I still can't figure out a decent pirate deck, am I missing something? I am aware that you got to concentrate on some mechanics to make them work but I am not sure on which ones.
I really want to make pirates work before they rotate out and possibly never return to Standard.
EDIT: Just noticed there is also a token-based approach with Fathom Fleet Captain and Vraska, Relic Seeker
Darkshadow327 says... #3
I think a build around Admiral Beckett Brass with things like Act of Treason to steal opponents creatures could be fun.
Argy says... #2
"all cards fit into the pirate theme while still staying somewhat competitive"
That's your problem right there.
I don't think you can achieve both.
I definitely wouldn't go aggro. I think Control would be much better.
You'd have a decent chance of having your pirates hang around.
February 3, 2019 9:18 p.m.