Admiral Beckett Brass – Top 10 MTG Cards of 2017 #10

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

It feels like not that long ago that we reviewed Admiral Beckett Brass as part of our Ixalan coverage. And, to be fair, it wasn’t, but she brings a degree of interest for casual play that I think justifies reviewing her again today. You have always been able to use Pirate-typed cards in casual settings; some are slightly powerful, like Rishadan Footpad, while others are very flavorful, like Cloud Pirates. But they weren’t really a “tribe” in any mechanical sense, and if you wanted to make a Pirate-themed Commander deck, there weren’t really any on-theme options for the leader apart from Ramirez DePietro. Beckett Brass, though, gives you both a tribal boost and a powerful build-around-me effect; in the context of competitive constructed, the former lacks support and the latter is too slow, but she presents a danger in Commander settings, where a player who pays too much attention to a different threat risks being on the wrong end of a sneak attack and a major swing in the table state. Come to think of it, that’s a very pirate-ish way to play.

Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 2/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5

King Of
Hearts

This card was unranked in my Top 10 list.

Not much time has passed since the last time we reviewed Admiral Becket Brass, so I recommend to check out her previous COTD. Pirates were designed to be two colored in Limited. Its going to be hard to make that dream pirate deck in sealed but it is easier in draft if you get her in the first booster. In casual play she’s lots of fun but she shines in commander. Treasure makes her easier to cast and a crew of 3/3 menacing pirates will help you trigger her ability. In a fishbowl you can activate her ability the turn you play her. The only minor problem is that currently the pool of pirates is limited. Of course this will be solved when we get our hands on “Rivals” but this isn’t the 2018 list so too bad.

Constructed: 2
Limited: 2
Casual: 4
Multiplayer: 3
Commander (EDH): 5

This card was unranked in my Top 10 list.

The Pirate lord of Ixalan, while not particularly strong in constructed formats as a result of her awkward mana cost and her fragility, is still a powerful piece in Pirate decks and in Limited, as the major enabler of Pirates to go wide. Being able to steal things through combat damage is also nice, and it makes Admiral Beckett Brass able to have an impact the turn she drops (beyond just the static boost). Unfortunately, three toughness is a hard sell in a format with Abrade and Lightning Strike (as far as Standard goes), and I don’t see her impact beyond kitchen table and Commander play being profound.

Constructed: 3
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander: 4.25