So, I had always planned to build a pirates deck once Ixalan hit, and never got around to it. I've recently gotten the itch to build again, so I want to put together a Pirate-themed deck. By choosing Pirates, I already understand that this deck will be largely casual, but I think it has a chance to win some games. And after playing with the list, I think it will play out in a fun way. I was a bit surprised to find that nobody had made a Pirates EDH decklist on here.
But I always appreciate help! The goal of the deck is to amass some Pirates, swing for large chunks of life and steal valuable permanents. I got the base of my ideas off EDHREC, but that's only a starting point, not a finished product.
As with any tribal theme where the individual creatures are pretty weak in of themselves, I'd suggest a few more ways to strengthen them.. Adaptive Automaton AKA robo-pirate (you have Metallic Mimic in your maybe already) Door of destinies Konda's Banner A fine flag for the captain Shared Animosity Heirloom blade always good to draw more pirates
Thanks for the input!
I definitely agree that Adaptive Automaton would be great, and he's already in the list. I know there's a million creatures so it's hard to see. Door of Destinies and Konda's Banner: Both are fine cards. It's hard to choose between Herald's Horn, Vanquisher's Banner, Door of Destinies, and Konda's Banner. I'm not sure if all of them would be too much. The reason I've currently chosen Herald's Horn and Vanquisher's Banner is that those two provide card advantage. Once I play the deck some, I'll hopefully get a feel for if my Pirates are just too small, in which case I'll consider the Door and the Banner. Shared Animosity is great; unfortunately, my only copy is in another deck. If I get my hands on another copy, I'm sure it will find its way in here. Heirloom Blade is a good idea too! At 3CMC, it is competing with Herald's Horn for utility that can draw cards, and at that I think the Horn wins out; however, a lot of my Pirates have some form of evasion, so I wonder if this would be worth it for the incremental damage and the extra card on death.
I do actually have a Becket Brass deck built and sleeved, but can't contribute a lot of experience, since I've never really played it so far.
I was just very tempted to build a "theme over efficiency" tribal deck for a long time. Another deck-style box I'd been wanting to check for a while was a thieving theme and since that goes very well thematically with pirates, I finally pulled the trigger when Ixalan came around.
Only thing that comes to mind I would specifically recommend is Cover of Darkness as a nice way to actually get your pirates through and get value from the admiral's eot trigger.
I'll also leave the full list here. It's far from optimized (and mostly doesn't even want to be), but maybe there is an idea or two in there for you
(I plan to add an Expropriate and a Kindred Discovery sometimes, but since the deck is not high on my update priority, I didn't so far for budget reasons)
Thanks for the input, and I love the all-in theme deck!
Cover of Darkness is a great idea, and on theme too - I can see my pirates advancing their ships under the cover of darkness. I’ll have to see if I can find my copy.
Makeshift Munitions is a neat card I didn’t remember. I’m not as heavy into thievery as you are, but I still have quite a few theft options, and aside from High Market, I didn’t have much in the way of a sac outlet.
Patriarch's Bidding is really great, unfortunately my only copy is in a 5-color tribal modular deck I have built right now.
Belbe's Portal and Cryptic Gateway are both good ways of getting my pirates into play, but I notice that many of my pirates are low on the curve. Between their generally low CMC and my suspicion that this deck will produce large amounts of treasure tokens, I'll have to see through playtesting whether I need the ability to spew out more pirates.
You may also want to look into War Cadence. It does the same job of helping make it harder to block by taxing it. You can use it for yourself or assist another player when they declare attackers not targeting you.
There's also the opposite War Tax if you want to control who can attack.
The deck made its maiden voyage this weekend, and results were mixed. It got pounded a few times because it lacks removal, but I smashed two opponents on the heels of Fell Flagship, Admiral Beckett Brass, and Dire Fleet Neckbreaker. Those buffs really added up quickly!
I definitely think this deck could go all-in on creature theft and sacrifice, and I’ve considered that in the past. I wonder if I use Mob Rule to steal a player’s creatures, hit him/her with 3+ pirates with Admiral Beckett Brass on board, will I be able to trigger the permanent theft at end step, or are they not under that player’s control when the Beckett trigger goes off?
End of the turn effects like Mob Rule ends during the cleanup step of the end phase after the phase when 'At the beginning of the end step' would trigger.
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So, I had always planned to build a pirates deck once Ixalan hit, and never got around to it. I've recently gotten the itch to build again, so I want to put together a Pirate-themed deck. By choosing Pirates, I already understand that this deck will be largely casual, but I think it has a chance to win some games. And after playing with the list, I think it will play out in a fun way. I was a bit surprised to find that nobody had made a Pirates EDH decklist on here.
But I always appreciate help! The goal of the deck is to amass some Pirates, swing for large chunks of life and steal valuable permanents. I got the base of my ideas off EDHREC, but that's only a starting point, not a finished product.
1 Admiral Beckett Brass
Creature
1 Deadeye Tracker
1 Siren Stormtamer
2 Daring Saboteur
2 Departed Deckhand
2 Dire Fleet Captain
2 Dire Fleet Daredevil
2 Dire Fleet Poisoner
2 Fathom Fleet Captain
2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
2 Kitesail Freebooter
2 Shipwreck Looter
2 Storm Fleet Aerialist
2 Timestream Navigator
2 Warkite Marauder
2 Wily Goblin
3 Adaptive Automaton
3 Captain Lannery Storm
3 Deadeye Tormentor
3 Forerunner of the Coalition
3 Protean Raider
3 Rishadan Cutpurse
3 Ruin Raider
3 Ruthless Knave
3 Sailor of Means
3 Storm Fleet Spy
3 Tomb Robber
4 Captivating Crew
4 Crafty Cutpurse
4 Deadeye Brawler
4 Deadeye Quartermaster
4 Deadeye Rig-Hauler
4 Dire Fleet Neckbreaker
4 Dreamcaller Siren
4 Fathom Fleet Cutthroat
4 Hostage Taker
5 Keeper of Keys
4 Marauding Looter
4 Pitiless Plunderer
4 Rishadan Footpad
4 Rowdy Crew
5 Deadeye Plunderers
5 Dire Fleet Ravager
5 Prosperous Pirates
5 Rishadan Brigand
7 Angrath's Marauders
4 Mechanized Production
4 Storm the Vault
5 Kindred Discovery
5 Revel in Riches
Land
8 Island
8 Swamp
7 Mountain
1 High Market
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Rakdos Guildgate
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Temple of Deceit
1 Temple of Malice
1 Command Tower
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Temple of Epiphany
1 Path of Ancestry
1 Unclaimed Territory
Artifact
1 Sol Ring
2 Dimir Signet
2 Izzet Signet
2 Rakdos Signet
3 Fell Flagship
3 Herald's Horn
4 Bident of Thassa
5 Vanquisher's Banner
3 Lookout's Dispersal
5 Spell Swindle
Sorcery
1 March of the Drowned
7 Brass's Bounty
7 Kindred Dominance
And there are a lot of cool cards that I'd like to play, but haven't found a spot yet. Check them out below.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsAs with any tribal theme where the individual creatures are pretty weak in of themselves, I'd suggest a few more ways to strengthen them..
Adaptive Automaton AKA robo-pirate (you have Metallic Mimic in your maybe already)
Door of destinies
Konda's Banner A fine flag for the captain
Shared Animosity
Heirloom blade always good to draw more pirates
Thanks for the input!
I definitely agree that Adaptive Automaton would be great, and he's already in the list. I know there's a million creatures so it's hard to see.
Door of Destinies and Konda's Banner: Both are fine cards. It's hard to choose between Herald's Horn, Vanquisher's Banner, Door of Destinies, and Konda's Banner. I'm not sure if all of them would be too much. The reason I've currently chosen Herald's Horn and Vanquisher's Banner is that those two provide card advantage. Once I play the deck some, I'll hopefully get a feel for if my Pirates are just too small, in which case I'll consider the Door and the Banner.
Shared Animosity is great; unfortunately, my only copy is in another deck. If I get my hands on another copy, I'm sure it will find its way in here.
Heirloom Blade is a good idea too! At 3CMC, it is competing with Herald's Horn for utility that can draw cards, and at that I think the Horn wins out; however, a lot of my Pirates have some form of evasion, so I wonder if this would be worth it for the incremental damage and the extra card on death.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsI was just very tempted to build a "theme over efficiency" tribal deck for a long time. Another deck-style box I'd been wanting to check for a while was a thieving theme and since that goes very well thematically with pirates, I finally pulled the trigger when Ixalan came around.
Only thing that comes to mind I would specifically recommend is Cover of Darkness as a nice way to actually get your pirates through and get value from the admiral's eot trigger.
I'll also leave the full list here. It's far from optimized (and mostly doesn't even want to be), but maybe there is an idea or two in there for you
1 Admiral Beckett Brass
Creature
1 Bazaar Trader
1 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
1 Deadeye Tracker
1 Siren Stormtamer
1 Kitesail Freebooter
1 Storm Fleet Aerialist
1 Rigging Runner
1 Siren Lookout
1 Fanatical Firebrand
1 Pitiless Plunderer
1 Grasping Scoundrel
1 Spectral Sailor
1 Skyship Plunderer
1 Daring Saboteur
1 Captain Lannery Storm
1 Hostage Taker
1 Fathom Fleet Captain
1 Dire Fleet Captain
1 Storm Fleet Spy
1 Daring Buccaneer
1 Forerunner of the Coalition
1 Warkite Marauder
1 Protean Raider
1 Storm Fleet Sprinter
1 Dire Fleet Poisoner
1 Dire Fleet Daredevil
1 Kitesail Corsair
1 Slippery Scoundrel
1 Storm Fleet Swashbuckler
1 Departed Deckhand
1 Glint-Horn Buccaneer
1 Dreamcaller Siren
1 Prosperous Pirates
1 Deadeye Plunderers
1 Ruthless Knave
1 Headstrong Brute
1 Siren Reaver
1 Marauding Looter
1 Captivating Crew
1 Coastal Piracy
1 Cover of Darkness
1 Barrage of Expendables
1 Military Intelligence
1 Revel in Riches
1 Makeshift Munitions
1 Dead Man's Chest
1 Stolen Strategy
Land
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Vivid Creek
1 Vivid Marsh
1 High Market
1 Path of Ancestry
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Unclaimed Territory
9 Mountain
9 Island
1 Vivid Crag
1 Highland Lake
8 Swamp
Artifact
1 Vanquisher's Banner
1 Treasure Map
1 Fell Flagship
1 Sleek Schooner
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
1 Reins of Power
Sorcery
1 Bribery
1 Threaten
1 Mark of Mutiny
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Kari Zev's Expertise
1 Walk the Plank
1 March of the Drowned
1 Hijack
1 Mass Mutiny
1 Mutiny
W(W/U)U Ephara - Flash & Taxes W(W/U)U || B(B/G)G Meren - Circle of Life B(B/G)G
RGW Marath - Ever shifting Wilds RGW || (U/R)C(W/B) Breya - Artificial Dominion (U/R)C(W/B)
UBR Becket Brass - take what you can, give nothing back UBR
Cover of Darkness is a great idea, and on theme too - I can see my pirates advancing their ships under the cover of darkness. I’ll have to see if I can find my copy.
Makeshift Munitions is a neat card I didn’t remember. I’m not as heavy into thievery as you are, but I still have quite a few theft options, and aside from High Market, I didn’t have much in the way of a sac outlet.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsPatriarch's Bidding lets each player bring back tribal creatures from their graveyard.
Belbe's Portal and Cryptic Gateway are both good ways of getting my pirates into play, but I notice that many of my pirates are low on the curve. Between their generally low CMC and my suspicion that this deck will produce large amounts of treasure tokens, I'll have to see through playtesting whether I need the ability to spew out more pirates.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsThere's also the opposite War Tax if you want to control who can attack.
Treasure Hunt for flavor
Treasure Hunt is very flavorful. I wish I could take full advantage of it in my list. Similar to Dead Man’s Chest.
The deck made its maiden voyage this weekend, and results were mixed. It got pounded a few times because it lacks removal, but I smashed two opponents on the heels of Fell Flagship, Admiral Beckett Brass, and Dire Fleet Neckbreaker. Those buffs really added up quickly!
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsAncient Excavation for mass looting or basic land cycling.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebears