You might be surprised to learn that there are actually a fair number of Pirate minions in Hearthstone; eight, to be exact. On top of those, there are also a couple “supporting” minions for the theme; namely, Ship’s Cannon and Captain’s Parrot. With a total of 10 cards made for a single theme, there must be some worth to them…right?

How I wish that were true. Not because “Pirate” is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a minion type I’d love to play, but because the Pirate cards are legitimately fun to use. Having a Ship’s Cannon or two out, summoning a massive Bloodsail Raider, blasting the opponent with your cannons and dropping a free Dread Corsair to protect your board is just FUN. Not necessarily “very strong play,” but FUN. So, what’s causing players to be uninterested in raising the Jolly Roger?

Lack of a big minion

Let’s compare Pirates to another minion type that felt under-served for a long time, Dragons. While we don’t currently have a true “Dragon deck,” they are able to be splashed in other decks, and to great effect. If you want a big Dragon, you have options: Ysera, Chromaggus, Alexstrasza, Malygos, Nefarian are all cards that can see play in high level decks. What are our options for a big Pirate minion? Salty Dog, a 7/5 with no effect, or Captain Greenskin, a 5/4 with a Battlecry of debatable usefulness. With no big, scary Pirate to drop at any point in the game, there’s not nearly as much incentive to drop even a few Pirates into a deck (with the exception of Dread Corsair, and occasionally Southsea Deckhand.)

They’re outgunned

Let’s take a look at two very similar cards, Ship’s Cannon and Flamewaker:

Flamewaker has one more Health, while costing one additional Mana. Not a huge deal there, though it does make it a bit sturdier than Ship’s Cannon. Their effects each deal 2 damage when playing another specific card type, although the way in which they deal the damage is slightly different. Each way can be more beneficial than the other depending on the scenario, so we won’t really debate that. What really makes Flamewaker strictly better than Ship’s Cannon is its versatility. It works with any Spell, whereas the Cannon needs a specific type of minion to activate. As you are no doubt aware, there are significantly more Spells than Pirates to choose from. Playing Flamewaker on turn 3 is sometimes not a bad play, as you’re quite likely to have Spells after that to utilize its effect. Playing Ship’s Cannon on turn 2 without any Pirates in your hand means there’s a very good chance the Cannon will be destroyed before ever activating its effect.

Pirates don’t work well without their weapons

While that may make a lot of sense thematically (and it does get points for that,) the fact that most of your better Pirates (Southsea Deckhand, Bloodsail Raider, Dread Corsair) need you to have a weapon equipped means that they’re not very powerful on their own. If a 4 mana 3/3 Taunt was a good minion by itself, we’d see Ironfur Grizzly in every deck (it only costs 3!) The fact that these minions need a weapon to be effective, and even then aren’t incredibly strong, means you’re essentially forced to play them as a combo. Combo decks can be quite strong, but without any extremely strong Pirates (see point #1,) there’s no real reward for putting in the effort. As I mentioned earlier, Ship’s Cannon plus a couple Pirates is a whole lot of fun to play, but doesn’t necessarily put you in a very strong position in the game.

Warsong Commander + Bloodsail Raider is a no-go

If nothing else, you’d like to be rewarded for trying to play a Pirate Warrior deck by taking advantage of Warsong Commander to put your combo pieces into action right away. Unfortunately, since Battlecry effects technically take place before a minion is summoned, Bloodsail Raider will come into play with more than 3 Attack when you have a weapon equipped. This means she’ll be unaffected by Warsong, and will not gain Charge. There's debate over whether this is a bug or intended, but either way, as of right now, the combo does not work. This wouldn’t exactly be a game-winning combo, but would at least lend some strength to Pirates. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong that this doesn’t work, but it’s just one more reason Pirates are forced to walk the plank.

This is apparently not a Pirate

Nevermind the pirate get-up, and the Jolly Roger in the background. Definitely not a Pirate.

They’re still so much fun

I’ve used the word “fun” a lot throughout this article, and there’s good reason for that: Pirates are fun to play! Blizzard did a great job making them enjoyable to use, as well as thematically appealing. I’ve had enough fun with them that I’ve even spent some time laddering with a Pirate Warrior deck just because it keeps the game enjoyable. I’ve only seen mixed success so far (3-3 through 6 games at rank 15-14, as of the time of writing this article), but I’ve had a blast even in the games I’ve lost. Sometimes, just watching my opponents pause as they wonder what the heck I’m doing when I drop a Southsea Captain on the board makes the whole experience worth it.

Blizzard pls

I would really love to see some stronger Pirate cards get made. I’m not asking for Pirates to be the centerpiece of a Tier 1 deck, I’d just like them to be able to exist peacefully in a Tier 2 deck or so. Something that can do decently at the higher end of the ladder against unprepared opponents, but wouldn’t likely see tournament play. If we could have something like that, I’d be quite happy. In the meantime, if you’re around rank 15 right now…prepare to be boarded! 

If we don't get some better Pirate support in the next expansion/adventure, I'll be a salty dog