Pirate Ship
Creature — Human Pirate
This creature can't attack unless defending player controls an Island.
: This creature deals 1 damage to any target.
When you control no Islands, sacrifice this creature.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Limited Edition Alpha
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #20836
Pirate Ship is a five-mana 4/3 that deals 1 damage to target creature or player — and requires you to control an Island just to attack, making it one of the most maintenance-heavy beatsticks in the game. Outside of a Pirate-tribal shell where Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator turns every hit into mana, there is almost no Commander context where this card earns its slot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Pirate Ship is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but legality and playability are different things. In Commander it finds its narrowest defensible home in Pirate-tribal decks, where the creature type does real work. Legacy, Modern, and Vintage have no interest — the rate is embarrassing next to what those formats offer at five mana. Oathbreaker is the one fringe case where a dedicated Island-heavy blue build might squeeze some flavor out of it, but even there it's a concession to theme over function.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed NavigatorPirate ShipFreed from the Real
Infinite damage
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Pirate ShipThornbite Staff
Destroy all creatures opponents control; Destroy each creature that enters the battlefield under an opponent's control; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't currently available for Pirate Ship, which tracks — it moves rarely enough that market snapshots are sparse. Check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for a live number; as a low-demand novelty card it typically sits in bulk-rare or near-bulk territory.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.