Our Pirates minion and composition guide goes through everything you need to know about the Pirates tribe in Hearthstone Battlegrounds! This guide will teach you when and how to use Pirates in your warband in Battlegrounds!
Introduction to Pirates
Pirates are a tribe based on attack mechanics: the more your Pirates get to attack, the more they buff themselves and other Pirates during combat. This can result in some huge Pirate boards, but all of these buffs are temporary as they are applied during combat and this means that Pirates can struggle in a meta where huge minions are the dominant force. Pirates are strong in the mid-game and if they can gain enough of an advantage then, they can take the lobby. If they cannot, they may fall behind in the late game.
The introduction of Elementals as a purely stat-based tribe has been difficult for Pirates and the tribe has fallen to the bottom of the rankings as of late. However, Pirates still can and do win games, even though you are usually not actively pursuing the tribe in the current meta. It is still important to recognize when the opportunity to go for Pirates exists and should be taken, and in this guide, we will go through everything Pirates have to offer.
Table of Content
- Pirates and Pirate-related Minions
- Best Heroes for Pirates
- Pirates Early Game Strategy & Compositions
- Pirates Mid Game Strategy & Compositions
- Pirates Late Game Strategy & Compositions
Pirates and Pirate-related Minions in Hearthstone Battlegrounds
Tier 1
Deck Swabbie is a situationally useful tier-one minion. Usually, you do not want to pick it at the start of the game, but reducing the cost to upgrade Bob’s Tavern can be useful at many different stages of the game, and weaving in a Deck Swabbie to your turns, especially before your planned upgrade turn, can be useful so that you can upgrade and refresh on the same turn or upgrade a turn early. Sometimes you may want to pick up Deck Swabbie on turn one and not play it until after you have upgraded your Tavern on turn two to make your next upgrade cheaper; or as Captain Eudora, you can buy Deck Swabbie on turn one and sell it to use your Hero Power every turn while keeping your Tavern upgrades going.
Scallywag is a fairly weak minion early in the game and you generally don’t want to pick it up on turn one. Because the minion summoned from its Deathrattle attacks immediately, it has some interesting synergies with other Pirates that can make it a worthwhile addition to some Pirate warbands. It is notable that Scallywag’s Deathrattle works with Baron Rivendare even if your board is full: Scallywag summons the Pirate, which then attacks, and if it dies, another Pirate is summoned that also attacks immediately. This can be interesting with Ripsnarl Captain or Dread Admiral Eliza that provide buffs when Pirates attack.
Tier 2
Freedealing Gambler is essentially gold storage. You buy it for three Gold and you can sell it for three Gold, so you get a decent body on the board for a while in the early game and can spend more Gold on some later turn by selling it. It has no permanent place in any composition, but all compositions can make temporary use of it.
Southsea Captain is the first and weakest Pirate buff. A static +1/+1 buff to your other Pirates for as long as the Captain is on the board, it is a decent minion in the early-game when a small buff can make all the difference. It also works well with Scallywag early in the game if you happen to get both of them. Later in the game, Southsea Captain is too weak to justify a board slot.
Tier 3
Bloodsail Cannoneer gives your other Pirates a small Attack buff. It is a fine minion to go through when you are buying and selling Pirates, but it has no place on the board after you have received its Battlecry effect.
Salty Looter is one of the Pirate build-around minions. It grows every time you play a Pirate and can be one of the cornerstones of your Pirate warband all the way to the end.
Yo-Ho-Ogre is a big Taunt minion for the early game, and thanks to its effect, it can help you activate the Pirate attack buffs from Ripsnarl Captain or Dread Admiral Eliza. Later in the game, it can be difficult to make it survive the attack so that it could strike back.
Tier 4
Goldgrubber is one of the most popular Pirates. It can be used in pure Pirate compositions, but it will also happily slot into any composition that uses multiple Golden minions, as it keeps growing when on the board alongside them.
Ripsnarl Captain is one of the key Pirate minions. Whenever other friendly Pirates attack, Ripsnarl Captain gives them a +2/+2 buff. A pair of these Captains or a Golden copy can make your minions grow fast – but only until the next battle, as buffs gained during combat are not permanent.
Southsea Strongarm is a good Pirate to cycle through when you’re committed to the tribe as you can then buff up your key minions, but it is not a minion that would stay on the board to fight.
Tier 5
Cap’n Hoggarr is the key build-around minion for Pirates. It gives you a partial refund for buying a Pirate, and a pair of Hoggarrs or a Golden copy can make Pirates dirt cheap. With Hoggarr on the board, you will rapidly cycle through multiple Pirates and can really make good use of Bloodsail Cannoneers and Southsea Strongarms to buff your army.
Seabreaker Goliath can be devastating if it is bigger than your opponents’ minions. With Windfury and an Overkill buff effect for your other Pirates, Seabreaker Goliath can rush into battle and improve your board by miles – but only if it can Overkill the opposition.
Tier 6
Dread Admiral Eliza is a powerful buff minion that can really beef up your board if your Pirates get some attacks in.
The Tide Razor is not a Pirate itself, but it summons three random Pirates as a Deathrattle. These can be anything from tier-one to tier-six Pirates, and The Tide Razor can be a strong asset to a Pirate board.
Amalgadon is a Pirate too! It is also a Pirate that can have Taunt, Divine Shield, and Poisonous. Yeah, Amalgadon is pretty good.
Heroes With the Best Pirate Synergies
Any Hero can succeed with any tribe, and many of the most powerful Heroes can use almost all tribes with a high rate of success. However, some Heroes have a greater affinity to specific tribes, and Pirates are no exception.
Patches the Pirate is the dedicated Pirate synergy Hero, and indeed, forcing Pirates is a viable strategy for Patches. Patches is the only Hero who will gladly go for Pirates right at the start, as picking up two Pirates by turn three allows Patches to also use its Hero Power to get an additional Pirate.
A. F. Kay is one of the best Heroes to go Pirates with, and they are still not the first choice for her. Hangry Dragon, Deflect-o-Bot, and Soul Juggler are the top three options for Kay from her Hero Power, but Salty Looter comes right behind them and is sometimes the best thing available.
When and How to Use Pirates in the Early Game
In general, you don’t go for Pirates in the early game. While you may pick up Deck Swabbie or Scallywag on turn one if your Tavern is weak, you’re more than likely to sell them on turn three to go for a double buy. The only way to end up with Pirates in the early game is to pick up Southsea Captain with another Pirate, and even then you’re not committed until you get one of the build-around minions. As it happens, because Salty Looter is a tier-three minion, A. F. Kay may end up going for Pirates early as most tier-three minions are fairly weak.
An example of the early game for a Pirate player:
Turn 1: Scallywag
Turn 2: Upgrade your Tavern
Turn 3: Scallywag, Southsea Captain – and an additional Pirate if you’re Patches!
When and How to Use Pirates in the Mid-Game
Pirates are still not your first choice in the mid-game, but an early Salty Looter or Ripsnarl Captain can serve as your first building blocks towards a Pirate composition. The real commitment comes when you get your first composition-defining tier-five minion: if it is Cap’n Hoggarr, then Pirates it is! Cap’n Hoggarr enables you to cycle through Pirates at a rapid pace, which makes your Salty Looter grow and also helps you find Golden minions faster.
There is also a way to end up with Pirates if you pick up Baron Rivendare as your definitive tier-five minion. While you may prefer other tribes, Baron Rivendare works fairly well with Scallywag and Dread Admiral Eliza, and it can also be useful with The Tide Razor. If you find Pirates and cannot find Beasts, Deathrattle Pirates can still get you somewhere.
Examples of mid-game Pirate boards:
Starting the APM: Selfless Hero, Seabreaker Goliath, Cap’n Hoggarr, Salty Looter, Goldgrubber, Water Droplet, Refreshing Anomaly (Cap’n is getting you started on the Pirate transition)
Which leads to APM Pirates: Selfless Hero, Seabreaker Goliath, Seabreaker Goliath, Salty Looter, Goldgrubber, Cap’n Hoggarr, Salty Looter
Scallywagging: Scallywag, Salty Looter, Cap’n Hoggarr, Freedealing Gambler, Bloodsail Cannoneer, Southsea Captain, Ripsnarl Captain (the middle slots are Pirates that are getting sold every turn)
When and How to Use Pirates in the Late Game
In the late game, Pirates often start to fall behind because most of their buffs take place during combat whereas many meta compositions are buffed in the Tavern. Some Pirate compositions can get good stat buffs in the Tavern too, especially with Salty Looter and Goldgrubber, and there is always the chance to get some Poisonous Amalgadons to help out. The Tide Razor combined with Ripsnarl Captain and Dread Admiral Eliza can also sometimes provide enough Pirate bodies on the board to catch up with the opponent during combat.
Examples of late-game Pirate boards:
Big stats: Seabreaker Goliath, Salty Looter, Cap’n Hoggarr, Goldgrubber, Goldgrubber, Ripsnarl Captain, Dread Admiral Eliza
Boat: Amalgadon, Seabreaker Goliath, Yo-Ho-Ogre, The Tide Razor, Ripsnarl Captain, The Tide Razor, Dread Admiral Eliza
