The best MTG pirates in the trading card game

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is so explosively powerful that the card had to be banned in the Legacy and Historic MTG formats. Whenever this 2/1 creature deals combat damage to a player, you can create a Treasure token and exile the top card of that player’s library. Until the end of your turn, you can cast that card – a nice cheeky theft by the Monkey Pirate.

Ragavan’s Dash ability adds even more spice to the mix. For two mana (1C, 1R) you can give the card Haste and return it to your hand at the start of the next end step. It’s cheap, swift, and can pinch some powerful spells from your opponents.

Modern and Vintage players will find a lot to love here – though Ragavan is slightly less impressive in Commander games. He’s much easier to block, and there are less practical spells to cast from the top of your opponent’s library.

When Admiral Beckett Brass is on the board, every other pirate under your control gets +1/+1. That’s a neat little feature that can buff everything else in your deck. Even better is the card’s second ability: at the start of your end step, you gain control of a non-land permanent controlled by a player who was dealt combat damage by three or more pirates on this turn. Beat down your foes, and then steal their cards – glorious.

Thanks to a handy spread of MTG colors and this general synergy, Admiral Beckett Brass is one of the most popular MTG Commanders for pirate decks. A word of warning, though. She may command the fleet, but Admiral Beckett Brass may struggle in competitive games. A lack of impressive combos or general abilities, plus a puny 3/3 for power and toughness, make her better suited to casual games.

Dockside Extortionist is a pirate that Commander players have a lot of strong feelings about. Some despise it, claiming it’s a prime contender for the MTG banlist. Others adore it and have a copy in every Treasure-focused MTG Commander deck they build. Whatever you think of it, Dockside Extortionist is a pirate card of immense power.

When it enters the battlefield, this two-drop creature creates Treasure tokens equal to the number of artifacts or enchantments your opponents control. When you’re playing against multiple opponents, this is a handy way to generate mana. Even better if they’re playing an artifact or enchantment heavy deck.

So far, there’s been one clear trend among the best pirate cards: most of them love stealing. Hostage Taker is another textbook example of this. When the card enters the battlefield, you can exile an artifact or creature until Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield. While the card is in exile, you can also cast that card, using any mana type you like to do so.

Hostage Taker only has three toughness, so chances are it’ll be taken out of play before you can complete your grand theft. But under the right circumstances, it’s a handy way to mess with the state of the battlefield.

Dire Fleet Poisoner is one of the best examples of what pirates can do with a bit of black mana. It’s a two-mana 2/2 creature that’s designed to help you attack and defend. The card comes with Flash and Deathtouch, meaning you can sub it in as a surprise blocker and take out an opponent’s creature. Alternatively, you can Flash it in while attacking, and it’ll give another attacking pirate +1/+1 and Deathtouch until the end of the turn.

Dire Fleet Poisoner offers some nice removal options and fun plays, but it’s not too much of a threat in high-power formats. Still, if you’re building a casual pirate deck with black mana, we consider it a must-have.