Ixalan Initial Decks: Grixis Pirates


The card spoilers for Ixalan are here and the full list will be completed in the coming weeks. We are now speculating the possible deck archetypes with the coming Standard rotation as we bid goodbye to the four expansions from Battle for Zendikar to Eldritch Moon. Ixalan is somewhat introducing a few tribal themes and one of which are the Pirates. Based from the current revealed cards, Pirate creatures are printed in Blue, Black and Red which we can shortcut to the name Grixis. Here listed below is what’s revealed so far:

Blue
Daring Saboteur
Dreamcaller Siren
Prosperous Pirates

Black
Deadeye Tormentor
Deadeye Tracker
Dire Fleet Ravager
Fathom Fleet Captain
Ruin Raider

Red
Angrath’s Marauders
Captain Lannery Storm
Rowdy Crew

Multicolor
Admiral Beckett Brass
Dire Fleet Captain
Deadeye Plunderers
Hostage Taker
Marauding Looter

With the printing of Admiral Beckett Brass, it is clearly shown that Grixis is the best route for the deck. We won’t worry with the mana fixing as they have also printed the card Unclaimed Territory along with the reprint of Drowned Catacomb and Dragonskull Summit. That said, here is the initial decklist of the Grixis Pirates deck:

3 Admiral Beckett Brass
2 Captain Lannery Storm
3 Deadeye Tracker
4 Dire Fleet Captain
4 Fathom Fleet Captain
2 Hostage Taker
4 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
2 Ruin Raider
3 Scrapheap Scrounger

3 Abrade
3 Unlicensed Disintegration
2 Vraska’s Contempt
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship

4 Unclaimed Territory
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Dragonskull Summit
1 Fetid Pools
3 Canyon Slough
4 Spirebluff Canal
2 Mountain
2 Swamp