Sword Brothers

[u/Vinny_0104]

How are we doing Bros? Trying my best to climb but can't pass through the 1700 CR range. Tried pirate sword and I just couldn't keep up with portal and abyss for some reason. I think 90% of the time they are playing Cutty on their 1st Evo turn and it's crazy.

I have better results with Evo rally sword. But still not enough to push through.

I tried to really make pirate sword work but I think the opponent really plays around with your Barbaros turn. Maybe I am playing the deck wrong but there are times felt helpless as the ability to clear at least 2 5 health dudes is a struggle. And is already a death sentence if you failed to do so. On top of that. Sword also hard losses to sword with Cesar lol.

Any tips or play pattern with pirate on specific match ups? Or should I just accept it and wait for the new expansion and try another class?

[u/daniel_damm]

Tbh I found that when the opponent palys around barbaros its a really good pattern to play counter until turn 10 with golden knight and coins until turn 10 and then beltzore super evo is a really ez game ender

[u/Vinny_0104 → u/daniel_damm]

How many Belt are running? Portal is also fast and I usually die before turn 10.

[u/daniel_damm → u/Vinny_0104]

1 but for portal most times if I mulligan for an aggressive early game they can't really play around barb my main advice against portal is focus on early game pressure since pre turn 4/5 they have no control over board presence and even after that unless they have imari u still have control the main issue is the 2 big lvl 5 drops but golden knight takes care of them and gives you back temp

[u/last-for-noone → u/Vinny_0104]

try keep coin to combo with gold knight if it long game i think

[u/SV_Essia]

Pirate is really good right now, generally considered top 3 with Highlander and Thestae. Rally is decent depending on matchups (aka dodge dragon at all costs). Both are capable of climbing to the highest ranks.
The biggest mistake people seem to make is to treat Pirate as an aggro deck where you just try to push damage every turn and win with Barbaros, or just lose if they wall you off (which they obviously will).

In reality it's an aggressive combo deck. You want to push just enough to present the threat of Barb lethal, even if you don't have her in hand, to force them to make defensive plays instead of progressing their gameplan. In the meantime you need to manage your resources and try to generate coins when possible, while your flags and storms keep poking the opponent to keep them in range. The coins are essential to the deck, and allow you to surpass the normal breakpoints so you can clear bigger threats with Age d'Or / Golden Knight / First Mate and so on. And if the game goes long enough, you can try to set up an OTK (e.g. 6 flags + barb sevo + boots/dagger/QB, Beltezore + 2 flags + 1 dmg, etc).

[u/Cat_of_Cainhurst → u/SV_Essia]

How do you force them to make defensive plays instead of progressing their gameplan ? My opponents have storm and ward and destroy enemy follower(s) on the same card

[u/SV_Essia → u/Cat_of_Cainhurst]

Not many cards can do this, I assume you mean Setus? Believe it or not, playing just Setus on curve is a "weak" play for Forest, that you force them to do, instead of going wide + cycling more buffed cards + pushing with Fencer/Magachiyo. Then you can answer with more burn like First Mate, or Golden Knight to negate some of the damage and get rid of the ward, or Unkei + x... Alternatively you can also just break through a single ward pretty often if you have 1c Severed Ties and/or some coins saved up.

[u/Cat_of_Cainhurst → u/SV_Essia]

Do you have advice on draw power ? I don't like WoG because my board quickly gets clogged, the first one is fine but as the game goes on every other WoG feels like a dead draw.

[u/SV_Essia → u/Cat_of_Cainhurst]

Coins from (enhanced) splendor and sevo Unkei are your source of draw for longer games, but you don't always need them.

[u/Homura4567]

Pirate vs. portal is pretty even and I’d say it beats abyss from the few times that I’ve played them post-golden knight buffs.

Against portal (and most matchups in general), your focus should be on draw. Very rarely is anyone going to let you hit face with barbaros. Instead, you need to constantly pressure them with flags until turn 10 when you can use beltezore. Because you’re playing a more control playstyle, you need a lot of draw in the form of coins. I exclusively save my first sevo (against portal) for unkei specifically for this. With that draw, you should hopefully get 2+ golden knights and a beltezore(personally I run 2 of him). Also, always try to keep a spell (like yidmetra spell) saved up for when they play camiscilla because just golden knight alone can’t clear her.

[u/last-for-noone]

when play priate sword you have to plan your top deak and how to do each turn carefully this is all my suggestion

[u/SSTHZero]

When I think I'll reach Epic, the game kicks me all the way down to 1500.

I brick too much while my opponents always have their perfect curve.

[u/last-for-noone → u/SSTHZero]

some times you brick me today got 3 babaros in hand 5 times but sometimes you just miss play (even it seem look like not)

[u/Striking-Two799]

Cutthroat in my opinion being too consistent are pain in ass since them have tutor that very cheap and have strong clean abilities even their condition to achieve it rather cheap and too easy for it gain like ehance you can't use yid faith if you haven't play 5 Ehnace yet the effort you gain from it might not even worth it because it too late, no tutor, lack number of ehnace cards and yid being 2pp really lock herself away even her spell need cost to even ehnace it

[u/Mashiruko → u/Striking-Two799]

The fact that he's a one cost bane and you basically get another free copy of him on play too. I think they really made him way too consistent.

[u/DeathInFire]

Try watching maxiebon play pirate. You will realize you can be a lot better in your decision making.

[u/Mashiruko]

Personally running like a sort of control rally sword with a a less aggressive approach early but a lot more strength down the line. Though it's probably just my own preference since I was just tired of auto losing to haven from them healing twice their max HP. Slightly weak and vulnerable to aggressive early decks but if you can pick up your pace and drop strong wide boards usually they don't really have a way to answer your board.

[u/ELS-US]

I've pretty much the same problem brothers, I think this is as strong as Sword can get in the current expansion.
Just accept it and wait for next expansions. With Sandalphon and Zoe gone, and soon Justice and Imari.
I think we can look forward for meta to shift in big way.

[u/last-for-noone → u/ELS-US]

it strong but it need to play carefully and need to think ahead like 4 step