In this article, we will go over all the Pirate minions in Hearthstone Battlegrounds and explain how they fit in making a good Pirate composition. For the full guide on the actual Battlegrounds gameplay, visit our Hearthstone Strategy Guide for in-depth information. We will only be focusing on Pirate individually to create a different approach to explaining things.
This Hearthstone Battlegrounds Pirate Tribe overview is up-to-date with the latest Season 10 patch
Sure, the final composition is useful to know, but each minion has its strengths at different stages in the game, and that’s why it’s important to go over them individually. That said, let’s start our analysis of the Pirate tribe.
Tavern Tier 1
Aureate Laureate
Aurete Laureate is a niche minion that is pretty good overall. In the early stages of the game, having 2/2 and Divine Shield is pretty neat. The biggest benefit from this minion is in mid-game phase, as you can pair her Battlecry ability with Goldgrubber in order to buff him. Later on, there are better minions to use, and the whole setup is very goldening-friendly, so you will probably replace this one.
Southsea Busker
Southsea Busker is a new minion that is a very niche one. There is no rule on when you can use him – if you can re-trigger his battlecry, that would be great, but other than that, try to do the math and see if you will need that extra 1 gold next turn. He is best used on turn 1 if you are playing Battlegrounds Hero that has (2) Power with summon or take abilities (so that you can get two minions on turn two and upgrade, and get a minion on turn 3).
Tavern Tier 2
Defiant Shipwright
Probably one of the best tier 2 minions in the current meta. This Pirate is amazing for early-game tempo. If you can get a few buffs on Attack, and there are a lot of ways to do that at the moment, he will scale really well. The most notable combo is with Peggy, with no other Pirate on the board. This can make Defiant Shipwright a mid-game carry and make your tempo really good.
Land Lubber
Land Lubber is probably the best minion when it comes to Tier 2 Pirates in the latest patch. Not only that he have enough stats to sustain most minions of his type, but he also has a great ability that can give you some economy boost with Tavern Spells as well.
Surfing Sylvar
Overall, Surfing Sylvar is not a very good minion. Sure, you can use it with Aureate Laureate but other than that, it really doesn’t do much as it gives only attack to minions. You can use it early on, though.
First Mate Pip
Another minion that pretty much only gives you a golden minion (and a triple reward) is First Mate Pip. It’s okay to take it early on and hold it on the board for a while, even if you don’t plan on playing Pirates.
Freedealing Gambler
There isn’t too much to say about the effect of this card, but it can make for some interesting plays/decision-making. For example, if you want to just “hold” your gold when you’re on tavern tier 2, you can just buy Freedealing Gambler and sell him when you get to a high tavern tier and see an appropriate minion. He also works well as a cycling minion for things like Peggy and Gunpowder Courier.
Tavern Tier 3
Goldgrubber
Goldgrubber is a niche minion in the current meta. He can become a key one in the setup if you get several golden minions and Drakkari Enchanter (as well as some Trinkets that work with it). Goldgrubber is a great minion to have in mid game, though – he is very useful as he will gain a nice stat boost during this phase.
Starry-eyed Explorer
Starry-eyed Explorer has a wide usage as this minion doesn’t golden just Pirates, but any Tier 2 minions. That being said, this minion is a bit slow for tempo and has a very niche use.
Plunder Pal
This Pirate is exclusive to Battlegrounds Duos (it’s a Duos-only minion), and while we are generally talking about regular battlegrounds here, Plunder Pal is a mansion, and it’s a part of the Pirate family. He is very good at generating resources and should be picked up in most games, especially if you happen to get him early on.
Peggy Sturdybone
Peggy is also one of the core pirates, as she works very well when you are cycling minions with a lot of gold. One other thing to note is that she works extremely well if she and Defiant Shipwright are on the board (the Shipwright needs to be the only other pirate), because each time you trigger Peggy, she will give stats to Shipwright, and his effect will also trigger. This can make Shipwright very big and carry you through the mid-game.
Gritty Headhunter
Gritty Headhunter is a pretty good pirate who has a very good innate value. Basically, in the early stages of the game, it’s a must-pick because he has decent stats and you also get the spell that gets you a random pirate from the shop. In the later stages of the game, he’s very powerful with Bran because…well, you get the idea. You get a lot of free pirates from the Battlecray.
Lovesick Balladist
This is one of the core Pirates that you will be cycling while you play around your endgame build. The point is to spend as much gold as possible and at the end of your turn buff up a Pirate. Brann obviously works with him very, very well, and Pirates really lack health without this minion, which is why he’s considered a court part of the Pirate composition.
Tavern Tier 4
Doubloon Grifter
Doubloon Grifter is essentially the bread and butter of the pirate economy in this meta, and playing around him is key. The main issue you’re going to face with him is, if you don’t really get him early on, it’s tough to pick up the pace in the later stages of the game. Nevertheless, having two of these or this golden in the combination with some other pirate-generating minions, like Gritty Headhunter + Brann Bronzebeard, is a very good combination to get your economy up and running.
Blade Collector
Blade Collector is pretty self-explanatory, but you should really know when to go for this minion. There are a lot of cases where just buying it straight up is not ideal because you don’t have enough resources or build-up to make him. he requires a good stat boost because his natural stats are awful, and he goes very well with the endgame Pirate build.
Gunpowder Courier
Gunpowder Courier is an interesting Pirate that can be played as a tempo unit as well as an endgame solution to getting your attack up. It’s generally very good if you reach that point in the game when you start to cycle minions, and you also have a few cleaves on your board. However, at that point, you will probably be running a stronger stat-boosting build, so you don’t really need him later on. Keep in mind that in the current meta, he works extremely well with the tier 6 Spacefarer pirate because every time you up the attack of another pirate, the Spacefarer gets +3 Health, which is a very strong combo.
Thieving Rascal
Thieving Rascal is another Tier 4 Economy minion that really works well with other golden units. Even if you just use him for a few turns, it is still a pretty good economy boost. However, you will probably need space later on, and you might consider selling him or Doubloon Grifter at later phases of the game.
Tavern Tier 5
Elite Navigator
Elite Navigator is an awesome minion. It can boost your economy significantly, and that’s its biggest use – to golden Rascal or Doubloon Grifter. This minion is one of those buy-use-sell type of minions, so you should never buff him on the board.
Spellbound Seafarer
Spellbound Seafarer is generally a nice minion to have, but only if you are playing some sort of spell build in HS BG season 10. The fact is that, if you are playing Pirates, APM is going to be a problem in the late phases of the game. You simply won’t have enough time to cycle all the minions and Spells that Spellbound Seafarer gives you. That being said, he is a nice tempo boost in mid-game phases.
Dual-Wield Corsair
Dual-Wield Corsair is also one of the key minions in the stat-gaining pirate build, and, I mean, you get the idea. The more gold you have, the more stats you will get. And do keep in mind that the more gold you have, the more pirates you are able to play and further affect the Doubloon Grifter, which means that in the current state of the game, the pirates have a slow ascendancy, but an extremely powerful late game if you can manage to get there.
Tavern Tier 6
Spacefarer
Spacefarer is the pirate who scales the best. He will have a lot, and we mean a lot of HP if you combine him with pirates like Gunpowder Courier. Spacefarer is the final piece in the puzzle for the stat-gaining pirate build, but do keep in mind that the first issue you need to tackle is your economy, and then, if you manage to get a good ball running, Spacefarer is the pirate that will win you the game.
Dastardly Drust
Dastardly Drust is, overall, one of the most important minions to have. You really want as much support as you can get for your Spacefarer, and Dastardly will do exactly that. However, keep in mind that his stat boost is pretty low, so you will need to have a very good economy (and be very fast when playing your turn) in order for his effect to take place.
Tavern Tier 7
Captain Sanders
Captain Sanders is pretty self-explanatory, and as it’s tier 7, you won’t be seeing much of him in the game, but still, we should mention him. His Battlecry is extremely powerful, and you obviously need to use it on a core minion. One thing to mention is the abuse potential of this Battlecry since Draconic Deathscale or Brann’s Blessing can also be used to trigger this effect and make more of your minions golden. Overall, it’s a pretty powerful minion that is always useful.
Photo Credits: Blizzard Entertainment
![Hearthstone Battlegrounds Strategy Guide [Season 10]](https://fantasywarden.com/wp-content/uploads/hearthstone-battlegrounds-cover-season-10.webp)
