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Ye can’t keep a good Pirate down inMagic: The Gathering, and there’s no better example of that than inThe Lost Caverns Of Ixalan’s Ahoy Mateys commander deck. This deck is full of Pirates that will do everything you’ve come to expect of the creature type: aggression, evasion, theft, threats, plunder, and above all, booty.
Because this is The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan, there’s a little bit of exploration thrown in there too, but it’s all in service of the greater good. That greater good being a bunch of Treasure tokens to ensure the continued presence of Admiral Brass. Let’s set sail with Ahoy Mateys and see how this commander deck performs.
Unclaimed Territory
Ahoy Mateys Commander Deck Key Themes
Ahoy Mateys isa bit of a generalist deck. Certainly, there are a lot of pirates, and they all seem to do something a little different.
We’ve gotPirates that steal, such as Hostage Taker and Zara, Renegade Recruiter; we’ve gotPirates that draw, such as Storm Fleet Negotiator and Spectral Sailor; and we’ve got a number ofPirates that merely reward aggression, such as Francisco, Fowl Marauder and Fathom Fleet Captain. There are evenPirates that focus on creating Treasuretokens to help ramp out some of the pricier cards in the deck.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with a deck that can do a little bit of everything in a casual Commander environment. However, Ahoy Mateys can oftenfeel like you’re scrambling for an effective strategywell into the late game.
The commander of every Commander deck sets the deck’s tone, and looking at Admiral Brass, Unsinkable, you’d think that Ahoy Mateys would feature a strong recursion theme. There area few cards that help fill your graveyard(besides Admiral Brass herself),but not so many that you can expect to constantly be recurring Piratesfrom your graveyard.
Ahoy Mateys' other commander,Don Andres, Renegade, focuses too much on theft to be effective as your commander. He’s often not providing much benefit at all given the small number of cards that will steal from your opponents.
Don Andres would benefit greatly from being in a deck that focused on stealing your opponent’s cards. For this reason, it’s best touse Admiral Brass, Unsinkable as Ahoy Mateys' commander.
Ahoy Mateys Commander Deck Analysis
For a typal deck that’s not too concerned with swarm tactics,34 creatures(not including your commander) is a decent number to ensure board presence. Ahoy Mateys has an alright number of instant-speed removal spells,three good board sweepersin Evacuation, Blasphemous Act, and Blood Money, and agood amount of rampif you include all nine artifacts and a few Treasure-focused Pirates. With37 lands, you shouldn’t have any trouble developing a mana base.
You might even find this deck to be a little mana-heavy, but with Admiral Brass the lynchpin of the deck, it’s best to have spare mana to keep recasting her when she inevitably eats a removal spell.
WhatAdmiral Brass could use some help withisfilling the graveyard. Yes, she does mill four cards herself, but the odds of catching Skeleton Crew to combo with the good Admiral the first time she’s played are fairly low. Cards likeFaithless Looting and Daring Saboteur help, but you can do better.
The Grim Captain’s Locker
Don Andres, the Renegade
Yes, we’re getting rid of one of the deck’s commanders. Unfortunately,Don Andres just doesn’t really fit the recursion theme. He’d be great in a Pirate deck that wants to steal everything, but he should be given his own deck that supports a theft strategy.
Treasure is always nice to have, but maybe it doesn’t needthatmuch treasure.Pitiless PlundererandGemcutter Buccaneerwalk the plank for being too focused on making Treasure work in a deck that really just wants to keep playing Pirates.
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro gets the bootfor going against Admiral Brass’s strategy,as does The Grim Captain’s Locker. Departed Deckhand, Daring Saboteur, Captivating Crew, and Azure Fleet Admiral just aren’t very impactful, andDire Fleet Ravager just angers the table for no real gain.
Ahoy Mateys Commander Deck Budget Upgrades
The recommendation here is tofocus the deck just a little more towards Admiral Brass’s recursion themeby bolstering the deck’s ability to fill the graveyard with Pirates. We’re also going to throw in a few cards that are just too good to ignore.
Breeches, Eager Pillager
Breeches does a bit of everything. Every time he attacks, he either makes it easier for your Pirates to get through, creates a Treasure, or exiles the top card of your library and makes it available to play. He might not mill, but his utility is unmatched.
Captain Vargus Wrath
Odds are Admiral Brass will be recast several times from the command zone, meaning Captain Vargus Wrath will make your Pirates that much more deadly. A more impactful addition that enhances this deck’s aggression significantly.
Dire Fleet Poisoner
you may never have too many instant-speed answers, and it’s a double bonus that this card also happens to be a Pirate.
Forerunner of the Coalition
The one thing this deck desperately needed was a tutor, and this card is it. Pair with Breeches or Spectral Sailor to get that card a bit faster.
Glint-Horn Buccaneer
Discard to fill your graveyard and damage to each opponent. This card offers value in spades and pairs well with Francisco too.
Kindred Discovery
Any blue typal deck can benefit from Kindred Discovery. It’s pushing the definition of budget at just under five dollars, but it’s worth it.
Kitesail Larcenist
Steal your opponents' stuff and turn it into treasure. This Pirate is fantastic for removal and an incredible target for Admiral Brass to recur.
Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel
Even without four chorus counters, Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel helps this deck with card cycling to fill your graveyard. Once you have four chorus counters, you don’t even need to bother with Admira Brass’s ability; you can just play whatever you draw for free.
The Everflowing Well
Mill two cards, draw two cards, and then when you’ve got a graveyard full of cards (not hard to do with Admiral Brass), suddenly you can start copying whatever permanents for double trouble. Why not two Admira Brass? Two Kindred Discoveries? Two Kitesail Larcenists? This card does so much for so little.
Other Budget Upgrades To Consider
Fiery Cannonadeis a very good instant-speed removal spell that also eliminates token and weenie strategies. It might be something to consider over Prismari Command.
Felwar Stoneis often better than a Signet in multiplayer games, and since you’ll occasionally want mana of different colors, it’s a nice mana rock to have. Since you’re filling your graveyard anyway,Victimizeoffers a lot of sustain to keep the Admiral Brass recursion going on high-value Pirates.
Finally, Blood Money is expensive and Evacuation might not be allowed at your table, depending on house rules.Nevinnyral’s Diskis a fantastic color-agnostic board sweeper that’s criminally under-represented these days.
