Managed to reach rank 7 on pirate sword! Here's some insight I have to share:
Pirate sword buffs feel sooo nice. super fun deck which has been scratching my itch for combo roach (i still miss it in rotation)
Overview:
Overall, pirate sword demands much respect due to its high lethal pressure with Barbaros—you can use this to your advantage once you're comfortable tracking lethal thresholds to mind-game your opponent (i.e. set up for Barbaros even if you don't have her to force defensive plays, which subsequently means they don't hit your face :D).
Decklist is fairly balanced, made vs. high-Beyond players in mind which are mostly highlander portal, ramp dragon, amulet haven, and the mirror from what I've seen. You can slot in x2-3 Sharp-Eared Operatives if you find yourself more frequently facing dragon or haven for more aggro = early kill before they can start ramping/healing. Replace a Splendor of the Goldbloom and/or Mars/Beltezore to your liking.
Tech Cards:
Beltezore: You can set up flags to proc on turn 10 to OTK with Beltezore or simply catch opponents off-guard since they'll mostly be wary of Barbaros instead (just don't make it obvious you have him). Beltezore also makes the amulet haven matchup more manageable if you happen to draw him mid-match, as he is a strong lethal option—killing through wards, even—with his SEVO burst damage.
Mars: Mars not only adds versatility to your lethal repertoire, but she is also useful for dealing with boards that are otherwise unclearable with her bane and spawned knights. Additionally, Mars is a great lethal option vs. decks with wards, especially vs. Forest which will almost always have big wards up each turn by turn 8. Note that Mars is thicc, so try to make sure you give her knights enough room by setting up your flags/spells in such a way that they will proc on the Mars turn.
Common Matchups (based on how I feel):
Thestae Forest (30:70; forest favored): They scale with Thestae like crazy with pain-in-the-ass to clear boards, they heal like crazy with Sathanid, and they ward like crazy with S&M and Moelle. Shit sucks ass to play against unless you run a deck with Sharp-Eared Operatives and focus on aggro-based lethals before they start scaling and drawing. Lethal with Barbaros is rare, and typically requires prepared 1-cost Severed Ties and coins to get past wards. I've seen another Beyond pirate sword player tech in their deck x1 Detective Lens to deal with the wards and I don't blame 'em lmao. Also, be cognizant in leaving empty boards near lethal time when appropriate, as Sathanid can lifesteal their HP back to full. Sorry to say I don't have much else insight on this matchup, I usually lose this one.
Key Cards: Severed Ties, Mars, Zeta & Bea (Z&B), L'Age d'Or, flag generation
Pirate Sword Mirror (50:50): Zeta & Bea (Z&B) or Roughwater First Mate should be prioritized cards to keep. Z&B is usually always translates to free damage since pirate sword doesn't have wide board pressure. Y'all wanna kill each other, so Roughwater First Mate should almost always be SEVO'd mostly because the ward spell you get is invaluable in persisting an extra turn. Always keep track of how many 0-cost spells they have to determine if they are able to lethal with Barbaros + 2 spells—doing so will help you determine when to focus on healing, or whether to ward now or later. Turns 4-6, you generally do not want to leave an empty board, as an uncontested Mordred + evo provides a huge tempo swing in their favor.
Key Cards: Barbaros, Roughwater First Mate, Z&B, Mordred, flag generation
Sephie Rune (60:40; sword favored): They will always be able to clear any of your early pressure with their Obsessed Test Subject (OTS) spam, so instead focus on flag generation and occasionally hitting face with an evolved Mordred or Quickblader before turn 7/8. Stick to this gameplan especially if you are playing second—if the stars align and you deal enough face damage by turn 6, extra pp + Barbaros is a lethal they cannot ward or outheal against. However, it becomes a mega uphill battle after turn 7... be prepared to deal with 5/5 spam, as L'Age d'Or and Golden Knight 4 damage aoe will not clear boards cleanly—this is where your excess coins, Yidmetra swords, and 1-cost Severed Ties can come in. Watch your HP for their usual lethal of T&L and OTS + evo, dealing 12 damage minimum (can go up to 13 if they saved a 6/5 OTS from earlier).
Key Cards: Barbaros, Roughwater First Mate, Quickblader, Splendor, flag generation
Ramp Dragon (45:55, dragon favored): If at the start of the match you see them redraw ≤1 card, press alt + F4 on your keyboard /s. If you're playing first, assume that Dragonsign > Dragonewt Promoter > Dragonsign + Sloth of the Crestpetal > Normagdala will happen. If you're playing second, assume that Dragonsign > Zooey > Normagdala will happen. In the mulligan, you typically want to keep any ≤4-cost followers and maintain board pressure, but here's the key: don't go TOO hard with board pressure as you want to maintain a streamlined supply of followers. After they are able to play 7pp with Normagdala, my golden rule is to maintain 2 followers on your board at all times. Otherwise, if you only have 1 follower or an empty board, they get to heal 6 with Lyria + Normagdala + evo while leaving an annoyingly tall ward. If this happens, 9 times out of 10 the game is lost. For example, on the 7pp Normagdala turn, Z&B + SEVO on the Z&B with bane is a good idea. Also, try to proc any flags asap before they reach 9pp else Bahamut banishes them all, though this isn't a huge risk based on dragon decklists nowadays.
Key Cards: Mordred, Z&B, Quickblader, Whirlpool Gunner, Open-Sea Scout, Orchestrated Silence
Midrange Abyss (60:40; sword favored): With the advent of pirate sword buffs, this matchup is a lot easier now! Being able to value trade with Whirlpool Gunner and Open-Sea Scout during early game is huge for matching tempo and threatening significant face damage. Just be cognizant in preparing for their turn 5 Highwire Feline (Unkei goated) or turn 6/7 Adahime + SEVO. If they place a crystallized Void Colonel timed to proc on the SEVO turn, it is almost guaranteed they will play Adahime on the same turn. Try not to leave followers on board when you're about to lethal as Adahime can spawn a Lilith to sac into a bat lifestealing 3 HP. Make sure to keep your HP above 11 at minimum or ward to avoid G&Z lethal. Most importantly, don't waste precious 0-cost spells to clear if you can help it; ideally, you want to lethal fast, and you can always rely on AoE with Golden Knight or L'Age d'Or to clean up any scraps the following turn.
Key Cards: Barbaros, Whirlpool Gunner, Unkei, L'Age d'Or, Splendor
Amulet Haven (20:80; haven favored): Against a cracked amulet haven player, this might be a -10:110 matchup personally due to the mental damage incurred from losing after 13 excruciating turns, but I digress. Generally speaking, pirate sword is a very easy deck to control against due to its lack of follower pressure on the board, so this matchup is a cake walk for amulet haven with its surplus healing, consistent draw, and un-fuck-withable boards. During the mulligan, prioritize low-cost cards for early board pressure, as there is a small chance they brick their starting hand; in such a rare case, you can proceed to walk them down the plank and win by turn 7. By their turn 4, you'll know if they can maintain defense against your board pressure if they play Dark Dimensions or proc Scriptures of Salvation with Sublime Eld Tome. If they do, it's likely lost after that point, but there are still a few openings to consider. On your turn 7, if they don't have any followers on field, simply hit face with Barbaros +/- evo, as this may be the last time in the match you ever inflict meaningful storm damage—even if you expect 6-8 healing from Initia afterward, at least you did more damage. Save Z&B for Initia as well since you can't clear her otherwise as Initia will have 10 HP and aura. Severed Ties can be useful if you are lucky with flag generation and can actually lethal through the Lyanthoth turn (always prepare expecting there to be a Prostrating Coward as well). You can also look into a pirate OTK lethal (check my other post) to get around the healing, but this is a tall order against haven wards. Also, if you manage to draw Beltezore, your gameplan should now begin revolving around Beltezore lethal, so set up flags and spells accordingly.
Key Cards: Beltezore, flag generation, Z&B
Highlander Portal (45:55, portal favored): This is such a fun matchup. The variance in skill expression with highlander portal players is all over the place, but I firmly believe a resourceful portal player wins more often than not vs. pirate sword with well-timed big boards and huge tempo swings. They generally build fairly wide, medium-height boards, so enhanced L'Age d'Or and Golden Knight will be your best friends (though you should still mulligan them at the start). The biggest swing in your favor can occur on turn 8: Early game, prioritize preparing a 1-cost Severed Ties with Roughwater First Mate—used together they clear Camiscilla and Aizeden, and set you up nicely for lethal in 1 or 2 turns. Fun fact, at one point in my ladder climb I was encountering nothing but highlander portal, and so I switched to x3 copies of Severed Ties. Their lethal threshold is 10 HP—one of their most common lethals occurs turn 9, that being Soulforge + Sandy for 10 guaranteed face damage regardless of board state, so keep track of # of evolutions after Sandy is invoked. Additionally, keep track of the number of artifacts they've summoned to determine whether they they can play Myuu or Scarlet. There's usually no point in warding due to 1pp Cutty w/ bane, A&L, and Steelforged Right Hand; as such, you can simply treat the loot necklace as a spell with the sole purpose of proccing/timing flags.
Key Cards: Severed Ties, Roughwater First Mate, L'Age d'Or, Golden Knight, Splendor, Unkei
Oh, and my biggest tip is to NEVER GIVE UP!! My most memorable wins have all been top-decks and it happens more often than you think.
If you have any questions about the deck lmk and I'd be happy to answer.
