During my annual visit to Disney World in October, I was once again reminded of how incredible the classic Pirates of the Caribbean ride is despite its age and the advances in amusement park rides since it opened over 50 years ago. It’s a testament to the amazing talent and craft of Disney’s imagineers, telling a story rich with atmosphere, detail, and immersion. Pirates are one thing that Disney does right, for the most part, from Captain Hook through Jack Sparrow. And with Azurite Sea, pirates are making a big splash in Lorcana and I’m absolutely here for it as one of my favorite budget decks is all pirates, all the time.
I posted an article about this deck last year, and it’s time to look at updating it with some of the new cards- many of which replace some of the more iffy or borderline cards in my original build. To that end, I’m pleased to present to you version 2 of my pirate deck!
One of the things I struggled with in the original configuration is that I had to rely too much on not-that-great character options to meet my Pirate keyword requirement. But I’ve been really pleased with some of the new options I have, including a standard 1 drop in Michael Darling and an exceptional 3/2 with Moana – Self Taught Sailor. I really like the Moana in particular- she needs a Captain in play to challenge, but that dovetails nicely with the standard Captain Hook – Forceful Duelist that also has strong synergy with Mr. Smee – Bumbling Mate. Wendy Darling – Courageous Captain also gives me another captaining option, but even better is that she’s Evasive and gets +1 strength and lore when another Pirate is in play. Mr. Smee – Captain of the Jolly Roger also plays off the number of pirates in play for some direct damage and he shifts onto Bumbling Mate or Steadfast Mate. This is easy combo stuff, ya’ll, and all with dirt cheap cards like how I like it.
Billy Bones was one of the crappier cards in the old build but he gets a nice upgrade here with his Space Sailor variant, bringing some item/location removal. I liked the Kakamoras in the original deck but the three I’ve edited it down to here give me more options- such as the direct damage options that I like to see and more Evasive coverage. John Silver – Greedy Treasure Seeker remains a staple but now he’s got a Stern Captain Floodborn option and his Don’t Just Sit There ability, which deals damage to each opposing ready character, can really whittle down some late game opposition. Possibly opening up Donald Duck – Buccaneer’s Boarding Party action, whereby he gives all characters +1 lore when he banishes a character.
All in all, I think the character package in this build is quite strong. The synergy is off the charts, and there are answers to several issues that I found playing the first version of the deck. This midrange deck really relies on swamping the board with Pirates and using Pirate-specific abilities- it’s very focused and doesn’t wander off into other strategies or concepts, which does open it up to some weaknesses (it struggles against discard in particular) but I feel like the focus makes it feel fairly consistent and sturdy overall.
I’ve chosen just a few key actions, songs, items and locations to shore it up, so to speak. Fire the Cannons and Brawl and plain old control cards for taking things off board with minimal fuss. None of the characters are particularly strong, but a little off the top with Fire the Cannons can make a difference. Likewise, Grab Your Sword (which is the only “tangentially Piratical” card in the deck) is for when the opponent goes wide. Captain Hook’s Rapier is normally an “unplayable” card per the sweats, but it’s great to pump up Forceful Duelist and as one of this deck’s few card draw options. Usually my opponent doesn’t know what the card even does since it’s rarely seen in play.
Jolly Roger – Hook’s Ship is simply a must-have at 4 here, as it was in the “classic” build of this deck. Pirates move here for free, and rush. Boom, every pirate is a Mauibomb. This location also powers John Silver to glory. The other 4-of location is Skull Rock – Isolated Fortress. With Safe Haven granting 1 lore per turn if you have a Pirate there, it’s a no brainer and the Familiar Ground +1 strength is a nice pump if you are going aggro.
It’s great that the Pirate deck has some options now, and frankly this is just my current take on it. I’ve toyed with the idea of changing the ink colors as there are some great Pirate options in Amber and Emerald now as well. It really hurts to not have Piglet – Pooh Pirate Captain in the deck. And there are other fun Pirate choices out there- the rest of the Hundred Acre Woods gang, Mickey and Minie or Donald and Daisy. Heck, I actually don’t even have A Pirate’s Life for Me in this deck, let alone a single Captain Hook. There’s a lot to play with if you like Pirates or “tribal” decks, and I’m hoping that there’s more to come.
Next time: Lorcana’s Main Character!
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.
