BG Know-How

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Standard Compositions: Pirates

These different compositions are meant to display proven setups to strive for, for the very end game (top 4 and above). In general one of the seven slots will be the 'flex' spot, used to cycle new minions during the tavern rounds. Therefore, your actual board will rarely be as perfect as these listed here. Of course as many minions as possible should be tripled (the exception being minions with Divine Shield or Venomous) and buffed with Reborn, Venomous, Divine Shield or Taunt.

If you got a build that buffs multiple minions via Rock Rock, Nalaa the Redeemer, or Mrglin' Burglar, the ideal cards you should be looking for should have a special effect such as Cleave or Divine Shield. Alternatively look for unique effects like Impulsive Trickster or Wildfire Elemental. But in general, just buff any card. Don't roll for the ideal, it can cost you the game to desperately try to find them. You want to scale early, not later.

Also primary support units like Brann and Drakkari Enchanter will usually be tossed for the very last fights, but are sometimes displayed here when being integral to the setup. If one of your units is lacking, it is also often beneficial to replace it with a Leeroy the Reckless or a Transmuted Bramblewitch, before a deciding fight.




All available Pirates and Pirate-associated minions

The main mechanic of Pirates is spending or gaining Gold. Ripsnarl Captain and Gunpowder Courier are very good early game boosts, but kinda lock yourself into a full Pirate board. They feature the cheapest Cleave minion in the form of Blade Collector.

Pirates are the original APM (meaning high-speed buying/cycling of cards) minion type as the power of Fleet Admiral Tethys enables different builds.

Buff Comp

Blade CollectorBlade CollectorCrow's Nest SentryDefiant ShipwrightDefiant ShipwrightGunpowder CourierGunpowder Courier

By no means is this a build that gets you first place. It is a decent build to get you Top 4, however. It's a simple build where you buy spells and use as much gold as possible to gain attack on your minions. Sadly, this build will be utterly destroyed by things like Divine Shield, Reborn and Deathrattles.

Bob's Tip Jar, Kodo Leather Pouch, Booty Bay Brew, Windrunner Necklace, Ceremonial Sword, Elementium Chest, Fancy Spelbook, Designer Eyepatch, and Balladist Portrait are all ideal trinkets.

Infinite gold aka APM Comp

Ice FisherPeggy SturdybonePeggy SturdyboneSalty LooterFleet Admiral TethysFleet Admiral TethysBrann Bronzebeard

Peggy Sturdybone gets some diminishing returns if you have a wide board of Pirates. So when she stops being effective buffing your Blade Collector, you can replace her with Brann and use battlecries like Lovesick Balladist and Crow's Nest Sentry. Tethys is your endgame minion to really go infinite.

To make sure you go infinite and gain a lot of minions from Tethys, you have to buy cards that give you extra gold to spend. Cards such as Tavern Tempest, Shell Collector, Murozond, Primalfin Lookout, Rodeo Performer, and General Drakkasith.

Essence of Dreams, Bob's Tip Jar, Kodo Leather Pouch, Booty Bay Brew, Ceremonial Sword, Elementium Chest, Fancy Spelbook, Designer Eyepatch, Goldenizer Supply, and Balladist Portrait are all ideal trinkets.

Eliza Deathrattle Comp

Cruise ControllerSky Pirate FlagbearerSky Pirate FlagbearerRapscallion RecruiterAdmiral Eliza GorebladeAdmiral Eliza GorebladeTitus Rivendare

The idea here is that we will scale by having as many attacks as we can. The biggest issue with this build is the awkward way to build this composition. We want to have Scallywag attack first, but Rapscallion Recruiter must also attack next. The moment Eliza or even Titus goes down, the whole build falls apart. Cards like Glowscale and even Phaerix can be great cards to help support this build. Prime Mate and Ghoul-acabra would really help out in this build.

Staff of Scourge, Fishy Sticker, Windrunner Necklace, Ceremonial Sword, Elementium Chest, Fancy Spellbook, Goldenizer Supply, and Balladist Portrait are all ideal trinkets.





These compositions are brought to you by high-MMR player and BG coach Mewwy. Check out his YouTube channel and maybe buy him a coffee if you like this information (Last updated: 20.10.2024).