Pirate Rogue is Better Than Ever

The Grand Tournament offers up some great cards for Pirate Rogue, taking it well above gimmick status and making it into a serious threat. One of these cards in particular, Buccaneer, is great by itself, but extremely useful when placed in a deck with difficult to use Perdition's Blade, acting as a combo activator AND buffing the weapon itself into a 3/2. If you're lucky enough to have a Ship's Cannon on the board by turn 4, you get another free 2 random damage on top of this high value combo play. In the middle of all the Cannon combo fun with Pirate plays, you have the new Shady Dealer, a massive 5/4 for 3 mana if you play your cards right ;) TGT further enhanced piratical play by adding Skycap'n Kragg to the mix, extending your reach and helping end games.

This is a Tempo Deck That Wishes It Was a Combo Deck

While you might see the abundance of cheap cards and immediately think "FACE DECK GO ALL IN", that is how you lose with this deck. The smart way to play it is to take your time and try to get big combos in hand with immediate effects such as playing Cannon and then multiple cheap Pirates. Ideally some of them survive until the following turn, at which point you play Southsea Captain and go for the kill. Failing that, the classic Southsea Deckhand into Tinker's Sharpsword Oil power combo can also pull out the win. This is why I implore you not to just throw your minions on the board the moment you can. They all have multiple uses within the deck and the key to winning is recognizing them and how to take maximum advantage.

An ideal opening would be to go 2nd so you get the coin, then play Ship's Cannon on turn 2, Buccaneer + Perdition's Blade on turn 3. Between the combo damage on PB and the 3 damage weapon now in hand, you should be able to deal with whatever the opponent has played on their own turns and take control of the match. At this point focus on keeping your Pirates alive using your weapons and spells to enable combos like Shady Dealer's Battlecry and Southsea Captain power turns.

Here is a write up I did at Reddit on August 31, 2015. A lot of it remains true, but I'm adjusting some things.

As you can see, the curve heavily favors 1-3 cost cards, with Dread Corsair and Skycap'n Kragg easily being played at below their cost any game they show up in. Despite how inexpensive this curve is, it is not played by spamming out Pirates in the style of Face Hunter type burn deck. Rather, rely on your weapons and removal spells in the early turns and hold on to your minions until you can do powerful combos with them. I'll go over some of these combos in the following sections. Because of the nature of the deck not requiring you to spam cards to maintain tempo, a single Sprint is often enough card draw to get you to the finish line (pun intended).

Look What Trawled Out of the Bung Hole!

For a long time now Pirate Rogue has been considered a gimmicky deck like Murlocs (or Dragons in Blackrock Mountain... ugh) that shouldn't be played competitively. I believe that the new tools made available by The Grand Tournament have made Pirate Rogue into a real threat with the addition of:

Buccaneers

1 mana, 2/1, +1 dmg to any weapon you equip, Pirate

Shady Dealers

3 mana, 4/3, +1+1 if you have a Pirate in play, no family

Skycap'n Kragg

7 mana, 4/6, Charrrrge!, -1 mana cost per Pirate in play, Pirate, Legend

We aren't quite spoiled for choice yet as far as viable cards in a Pirate Rogue deck, but we're getting closer with these powerful additions.

You've Got to Know When to Hold 'em

As I mentioned below the decklist, this is really more of a combo deck than a burn deck. Your goal is to use your combinations of inexpensive cards to achieve much greater value than your opponent can deal with. Let's start with a well established Rogue staple that appears in many other decks:

Southsea Deckhand + Tinker's Sharpsword Oil

This is an ideal combination to end a game with, allowing you to do 5 minion + 4 or (easily) greater weapon damage from an empty board. Because you will lose against decks such as Freeze Mage if they can drag things out too long, do NOT rely on drawing a 2nd Deckhand if you see 1. Your Deckhands are NOT a turn 1 play, they are a combo piece and there are few situations where it is justifiable to use them up prior to having the Oil combo ready to go.

Buccaneer + Perdition's Blade

This is the new technology~ Again, do not play a Buccaneer into an empty board unless you can at a minimum use your hero power that turn (so, 3 mana available). It does NOT buff existing weapons, ONLY new ones. This is why it is a perfect card to play as a combo activator for Perdition's Blade! For 4 mana, you now have a 2/1 creature, a 3/2 weapon, and 2 target-able damage! Amazing value, which can be enhanced further if you played a Ship's Cannon first either the same turn or having survived the turn prior, adding another 2 random damage.

Backstab + Perdition's Blade

Essentially turns Backstab into an Eviscerate that costs 1 more and leaves you with (at least) a 2/2 weapon equipped. Not bad! Also works with the Buccaneer + Perdition's Blade combo for the same purpose, allowing the PB to kill a 4 HP minion, at no additional mana cost.

Backstab + Eviscerate + Perdition's Blade

When you really, absolutely, positively, have GOT to do 8 damage to something for 5 mana without hitting it with a weapon (like a Molten Giant, etc...). The loss of 2 cards to kill 1 sucks, but at least you have an answer available. Really you can do 10 damage to a creature with this combo, if you're willing to attack it as well.

Ship's Cannon + Pirate Spam

Again, Ship's Cannon is a good card to hold on to until you have at least 2 cheap Pirates to play with it. For 4 mana you then get to do 2+2 random damage in addition to having a 2/3 + 2 other minions. Do not underestimate the power of the Cannons, you are getting value regardless of if they hit minions or face, because you just need to get their face low enough to die to a good Deckhand + Oil combo ;)

Southsea Captain Power Turns

The Captains are unimpressive bodies at 3/3 for 3, the real value comes from being able to buff all your other pirates. They're essentially a Stormwind Champion in this context, buffing everything except your Shady Dealers and Cannons (13 other minion cards). If at all possible, do not play these until you already have 2+ Pirates on the board and ready to attack to ensure you get value out of this card. It is an extremely high priority target for removal for your opponents, so playing Dread Corsairs first is advisable, they could make the Captain last an extra turn.

Weapon Buffs + Blade Flurry

You have so many ways to make Blade Flurry into an explosive card in this deck. Top off a Buccaneer + Perdition's Blade by smacking something for 3 then doing 3 to all their Quartermaster buffed Silver Hand Recruits. Deal the finishing blow after a Southsea Deckhand + Tinker's Sharpsword Oil combo, adding another 4 or more face damage for the KO. This is not really news to anyone, but Perdition's Blade and the Buccaneers really do serve to give this extra reach long after you've used up your Deadly Poison, and that is something people are not used to when fighting Rogues.

Weapon Buffs + Southsea Raider

Get massive value out of this 2 mana minion by making it into a 5/3 or greater as a follow up to Buccaneer + Perdition's Blade, or just Deadly Poison on your Dagger. It will either trade up into something more expensive (easily) or force your opponent to use a removal spell on it. If they kill it with a weapon, congrats, you did 5 face damage for 2 mana and used up half their weapon. You win pretty much no matter how they choose to deal with this card because it is so inexpensive for what it can do.

Weapon Buffs + Dread Corsair

Again, due to how early and often you can have a 2 or greater power weapon equipped, another great card is allowed to shine. Deadly Poison on a Dagger is the traditional method of reducing Corsair's mana cost to 0, but now you can achieve the same effect with the Buccaneer + Perdition's Blade combo.

Dagger + Poison + Southsea Raider + Skycap'n Kragg

If you have 10 mana and those 3 cards you can pump out 9 damage from a completely empty board with no weapon equipped. Not as good as Southsea Raider + Tinker's Sharpsword Oil for raw burst, but damage is damage and Kragg has enough HP to potentially attack again next turn, unlike many Charge minions.

Southsea Raider + Perdition's Blade + Skycap'n Kragg

Again, if you have 10 mana and these 3 cards you could deal out 10 damage from an empty board with no weapon equipped.

Southsea Raider + Dagger + Deadly Poison + Tinker's Sharpsword Oil + Blade Flurry

The classic 10 mana Oil Rogue finisher. Raider 5 dmg, Dagger 6 dmg, Flurry 6 more dmg for 17 total.

Southsea Raider + Perdition's Blade + Tinker's Sharpsword Oil + Blade Flurry

A variation on the 10 mana classic combo, capable of the same damage for the same number of cards. Raider 5 dmg, Blade 5 + 2 dmg, Flurry 5 more dmg for 17 total.

Pirates vs. Ninjas (and Mechs, Dragons, Tokens, etc...)

Yours is a unique beast among HS decks if you choose to live the Pirate life. You have the potential for huge burst damage, but also tempo control through judicious use of your spells and weapons. Blade Flurry alone is such an incredible tool and many games will depend on whether you draw it or not in this token heavy meta that defines the early days of TGT play. That being said, here is an overview of some matchups:

Control Warrior (OK to Rough Matchup)

CW is back in a big way, but regardless of the variants you will always run into Win Axe and Death's Bite spam, and the looming threat of Brawl. The only real answer to this is to use your cards SMARTLY. Don't just play a Pirate on the board who is just begging to eat a Win Axe. Assume they always have a Win Axe in their hand and plan on getting SOME value out of every card you play THE TURN YOU PLAY IT. CW are the king of value over the long term, but you have some amazing damage potential from very early on with the right draw. Pressure, pressure, pressure, try to get as many 2 for 1s with your weapons / weapon buffs as possible. Don't be afraid of using your weapon to keep their Armor down when they don't play creatures to try to head off easy Shield Slam kills. This and many other Control match ups will rely on you drawing into Sprint at some point near turn 7 to have any hope of punching through them and winning.

Dragon Priest (Rough to Bad Matchup)

My 2nd favorite TGT deck that is here in a big way, and here to stay. Chillmaw, Holy Nova, and Lightbomb will all fuck your world if you over commit to the board, since the majority of your cards have more attack that life, and average about 2 life total. Aside from hoping they don't draw these cards, you need your 4 damage Eviscerate or Backstab + Perdition's Blade combos to kill their Wyrmrest taunters early on. Again, the key to Control matchups is taking tempo and drawing Sprint in time to maintain it. It doesn't matter if they Alex themselves back up to 15 HP on turn 9 if you have your Oil combo ready to kill them anyway after a good Sprint.

Patron Warrior (Great to Good Matchup)

This is a deck with no recovery that won't ever take tempo away from you. Don't mulligan out a Blade Flurry unless you have 2. Save your (easily 3 damage minimum) Blade Flurry for the turn after they do their combo. You should be applying so much pressure so early that they can't afford to save up for a big 1 turn KO combo. If you're doing it right, they should be struggling to live long enough for that and spending cards constantly while trying to keep up.

Secret Paladin (Good to OK Matchup)

This is pretty much a tempo battle that will hinge on how well you use Blade Flurry (again don't mulligan it out unless you got 2). The main thing you have going in your favor is that the only immediate damage a lot of them run is Truesilver Champion, so you get a chance to react before your shit gets wrecked (like say, they do Quarterpounder with Mustard on turn 8, that you can easily wipe just like a Patron combo, but before they even get to do any damage). Draw 2x Blade Flurries and you should not have too hard a time winning this matchup.

Tempo / Mech Mage (Good to OK Matchup)

They're both burn decks so it comes down to your opening draws. Again, Blade Flurry is a great card to keep during Mulligan except vs. Freeze Mages, which do pop up from time to time still. You should easily be able to jack up a Mage's board with your Dagger / Perdition's Blade / Deadly Poison / Buccaneer's so focus on that and try not to over-extend your minions into getting wiped out by a Blizzard or Flame Strike vs. slower Mage decks.

Face Hunter (Great to Good Matchup)

They can't match your tempo since their hero power doesn't affect the board, so this is pretty open and shut. Again try to hold on to a Blade Flurry so you can extinguish all the hope from them when the time is right. You'll take a lot of damage, but none of their creatures should ever live longer than a turn, and yours do more damage (5/4 Shady Dealers, 5/3 Southsea Raiders, etc...). Bonus, random Cannon shots can kill most of their creatures. It is easier to do a Cannon combo vs. Face Hunters than other deck types because dropping a Cannon by itself with no follow up is generally not as likely to result in just losing the Cannon. Even if they do decide to ram their creatures into it, it is a 2/3 for 2, so you'll probably go 2 for 1 and get good value even without a shot fired.

Sideboard? More like OVERBOARD! Because Pirates you see, and...

Here are some cards that could find a home here if you were so inclined:

SI:7 Agent

Feels weird not having this in a Rogue deck eh? Well, Perdition's Blade pretty much fills this role along with letting you attack for 3 the same turn the targeted 2 damage goes out if you did the Buccaneer combo. It is still a great card and a Rogue staple for good reason, so feel free to experiment with getting it back in the mix.

Edwin VanCleef

Your curve is extremely low, so you would constantly be able to play 2 cards prior to VC to make him into a super cheap 6/6. I would include him in the basic list except I'm not sure what I'd remove to make room. If anything a Shady Dealer would be the closest approximation, but they don't require you to burn more than 1 card prior to getting them out for what is still a great value. It would depend on the kinds of decks you are facing regularly I suppose if you wanted a 3rd beefy high value minion to play for 4-5 mana total, including the cost of combo pieces. I could also see him having value as a "red herring" to draw removals / damage away from other cards you haven't played yet like Captains and Cannons that could ultimately provide more value than a cheap 6/6 that doesn't do anything else.

Sap

A great card to be sure, but ideally you have enough weapon damage that between that and Eviscerate you could deal with any taunts in between you and victory, with the bonus of Eviscerate being able to just ignore those taunts completely if that is what needs to happen to win the game. I am not sure what I would replace to add this.

Fan of Knives

I could see this as a combo piece with Perdition's Blade in order to do 3 damage to something, or in a meta with lots of x/1 creatures such as Implosion / Imp Master tokens, Silver Hand Recruits, those new Druid tokens, etc... Not an ideal card, and I'm not sure what I'd replace. Not really recommended unless you can see something here I can't.

Others?

I haven't really swapped a lot of cards in and out of this list to experiment. It mostly uses proven staples of many different Rogue builds (Backstab, Deadly Poison, Eviscerate, Oil, Blade Flurry) in conjunction with proven reliable minions (Southsea Deckhands, Dread Corsairs), and some extremely powerful new minions (Buccaneers, Shady Dealers, Skycap'n Kragg). The biggest thing about this deck that will surprise people is the use of Perdition's Blade, a card that has been difficult to use in the past, but I believe with the power of a Buccaneer combo can finally shine as a solid alternative to Assassin's Blade. Assassin's Blade is just too slow and the extra durability on it doesn't matter when you can't afford to combo it with other cards well and you end up dying 2 turns after you play it, 2 durability still on the weapon. Between this, and the added versatility of the 2 targeted damage on Perdition's Blade, now is the time for Perdition's Pirates.

Comments? Questions?

Fire away, me hearties.