Admiral Brass, Unsinkable costs {2}{U}{B}{R} and is a 3/3. When it enters you mill four cards, and at the beginning of combat on your turn you may return a Pirate creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter. It has base power and toughness 4/4 and gains haste. Milling feeds the graveyard, and the graveyard feeds the Pirates.
The precon already has the Pirate core, including Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator, Coercive Recruiter, Port Razer, Skeleton Crew, Corsair Captain and Hostage Taker. Each swap below pairs a cut with an add, and every card is scored with the same numbers the Oracle uses to build decks: synergy and inclusion from the Admiral Brass decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Admiral Brass decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Ahoy Mateys precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Missing Pirate engines
Breeches, Eager Pillager, Forerunner of the Coalition and Mary Read and Anne Bonny make Treasure, drain and loot whenever Pirates attack or enter. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Better cheap Pirates
Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel, Kitesail Larcenist and Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider are Pirates that fly, loot or grow, and cost two or three mana.
Rocks and a Saga
Commander's Sphere and Wayfarer's Bauble are rocks in a deck with Sol Ring and Arcane Signet, and King Narfi's Betrayal is played in about one Admiral Brass deck in five.
The 6 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Commander's Sphere is a three-mana rock that sacrifices itself to draw a card. It is played in about one Admiral Brass deck in three, in a deck with Sol Ring and Arcane Signet.
Breeches, Eager Pillager is a 3/3 first strike Goblin Pirate for {2}{R}. Whenever a Pirate you control attacks, you choose one that has not been chosen this turn: create a Treasure, make a creature unable to block, or exile the top card of your library to play. It is the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
King Narfi's Betrayal is a three-mana Saga that mills each player four and lets you cast spells from the exile. It is played in about one Admiral Brass deck in five.
Forerunner of the Coalition is a 2/2 Human Pirate for {2}{B}. When it enters you may search your library for a Pirate and put it on top, and whenever another Pirate you control enters, each opponent loses 1 life. A Pirate that finds the next Pirate.
Wayfarer's Bauble is a one-mana artifact that fetches a basic land for {2} more. It is played in about one Admiral Brass deck in four.
Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel is a 2/1 flying Siren Pirate for {1}{U} with flash. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player it gets a chorus counter, and you draw a card, then discard a card, and with four counters you may cast the discarded card for free. A two-drop flier that loots, and a discard for Admiral Brass.
Azure Fleet Admiral is a 3/3 Human Pirate for {3}{U} that makes you the monarch. It is played in about one Admiral Brass deck in four.
Kitesail Larcenist is a 2/3 flying Human Pirate for {2}{U} with ward {1}. When it enters, for each player you choose up to one other artifact or creature, and as long as it stays on the battlefield those permanents become Treasure artifacts that lose all other abilities. A Pirate that turns a blocker into a Treasure.
Departed Deckhand is a 2/2 Spirit Pirate for {1}{U} that is sacrificed when targeted and can only be blocked by Spirits. It is played in about one Admiral Brass deck in four.
Mary Read and Anne Bonny is a 3/3 haste Human Assassin Pirate for {1}{U}{R}. For a tap you draw a card, then discard a card, and whenever you discard an Island, Pirate or Vehicle card you create a tapped Treasure. Discarded Pirates are Admiral Brass's reanimation targets.
Don Andres, the Renegade is a 4/3 Vampire Pirate for {1}{U}{B}{R} that rewards creatures and spells you do not own. It is played in about one Admiral Brass deck in three, but few cards in the deck are not yours.
Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider is a 2/2 Human Pirate for {U}{R}. Whenever an artifact you control enters, you put a +1/+1 counter on target Pirate you control. Every Treasure the deck makes is a counter.
The full swap list
Cut
- Commander's Sphere
- King Narfi's Betrayal
- Wayfarer's Bauble
- Azure Fleet Admiral
- Departed Deckhand
- Don Andres, the Renegade
Add
- Breeches, Eager Pillager
- Forerunner of the Coalition
- Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel
- Kitesail Larcenist
- Mary Read and Anne Bonny
- Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator$0.27
Played in 93% of Admiral Brass decks. Makes a Treasure for each opponent dealt damage by your Pirates. - Coercive Recruiter$0.31
Steals a creature for the turn whenever it or another Pirate enters. - Port Razer$1.95
Untaps your creatures and gives an extra combat when it connects. - Skeleton Crew$0.26
Gives other Pirates and Skeletons +1/+1 and makes 2/2 Skeleton Pirates when creature cards leave your graveyard. - Corsair Captain$0.21
Makes a Treasure when it enters and gives other Pirates +1/+1.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Kindred Discovery$5.16
Draws a card whenever a Pirate you control enters or attacks. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Pirated Copy$7.76
Copies a creature as a Pirate that draws a card when it deals combat damage. - Dire Fleet Neckbreaker$0.31
Gives attacking Pirates +2/+0.
Ahoy Mateys is a Pirate deck that most Admiral Brass lists barely change, so six swaps are enough. They trade two rocks, a Saga and three weaker Pirates for Pirates that find Pirates, loot and make Treasure. These six swaps cost about $4 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Admiral Brass, Unsinkable from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Ahoy Mateys precon?
Using data from 7,862 Admiral Brass decks, the highest-scoring additions are Breeches, Eager Pillager (for Commander's Sphere), Forerunner of the Coalition (for King Narfi's Betrayal) and Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel (for Wayfarer's Bauble). The full list has 6 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Ahoy Mateys?
All 6 swaps cost about $3.95 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-27). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Kindred Discovery ($5.16), Pirated Copy ($7.76) and Dire Fleet Neckbreaker ($0.31).
What should I cut from Ahoy Mateys?
The weakest cards for this commander are Commander's Sphere, King Narfi's Betrayal and Wayfarer's Bauble. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Ahoy Mateys?
Keep Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator, Coercive Recruiter, Port Razer, Skeleton Crew and Corsair Captain. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Admiral Brass do?
Admiral Brass, Unsinkable costs {2}{U}{B}{R} and is a 3/3. When it enters you mill four cards, and at the beginning of combat on your turn you may return a Pirate creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter. It has base power and toughness 4/4 and gains haste. Milling feeds the graveyard, and the graveyard feeds the Pirates.
More Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Admiral Brass, Unsinkable decks (7,862 of them when this was written, 2026-10-27) that play the card. Synergy is how much more often they play it than other decks in the same colours. Oracle score is synergy × 0.6 plus inclusion × 0.4, the same blend The Oracle uses to rank cards for a deck. Lift compares how often the card appears in these decks with how often it could, capped at 8× here; it is shown for context and does not change the score.
Two cautions. Players who run the precon unmodified count as Admiral Brass decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is moderate for most of these cards because they are played in many Pirate decks, so use lift to compare cards, not to judge one in isolation. Prices are the cheapest non-foil paper printing on TCGplayer (via Scryfall), in USD, and move daily.