Murderous tendencies aside, pirates can be quite the motley crew.

From all walks of life, they're drawn to the sea for thrill and treasure. Everyone from pauper to prince can envision adventurous days aboard a ship, sailing into the unknown. A few unfortunately folks might walk a plank or two along the way, but the call remains enticing. Fortunately for us, today's captain is happy to fill his crew with the likes of pilfered pirates, so even if a few souls pay a tragic visit to Davy Jones' locker, it'll only be our opponents who suffer the loss.

Unlike some of his vampire-brethren, Don Andres, the Renegade doesn't ask for undead subservience. The toothy likes of Olivia Voldaren, Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet, or Drana, the Last Bloodchief require new recruits to partake of sanguine wine, but Don Andres doesn't care whether you're vampire, dinosaur, or even lowly human. You're all pirates to him. Of course, before you can sign up, a bit of support is necessary. Don Andres rewards his crew, but he can't convince them to sign up on his own. We'll need to hold a recruitment drive (Hostage Taker, Hurl through Hell, Captivating Crew) first. Once aboard, Don Andres is happy to reward his shipmates with Treasure, but only if their plundering ways empty enemy coffers (Siphon Insight, Stolen Goods, Robber of the Rich). Who needs their own cards when we've three perfectly good opponents to steal from?

In true Grixis fashion, the salt will flow in equal measure to the card advantage. As discussed in our Commander Psychology article, few strategies generate as much rage as having one's own cards used against them. With spells ripped off the top of your deck, the feel-bads come from the lost potential. That Rhystic Study would've really come in handy, except you never got the chance to cast it. But your opponent did (Ex. Nightveil Spectre, Thief of Sanity, Fevered Suspicion). Even worse is when a card is stolen after you've cast it. The most bitter of all 2-for-ones, as your nemesis not only removed your champion, but got one of their own (Ex. New Blood, Treachery, Control Magic).

Nefarious activities like these will earn no small sum of ire from opponents, so by careful what you steal and when. Don Andres, the Renegade can help, bulking up stolen soldiers for defense and fueling future spells with treasure. This is very much a "the best defense is a good offense"-scenario, and gaining control of everyone else's stuff is pretty damn offensive. Tempting as it may be to attack with newly-Menaced shipmates, their Deathtouch is what'll keep us alive long enough to win. Cunning Rhetoric will only deter enemies for so long. Grixis also excels at disruption, so we'll pack plenty of removal as further insurance.

All this talk of nautical larceny would lead one to believe Don Andres was always a member of Admiral Becket Brass's Brazen Coalition. In fact, he's only recently taken up the Jolly-Roger after a series of plane-changing events. With all the warfare, you really can't blame the guy for an extended seafaring-vacation.

At the conclusion of Rivals of Ixalan, Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle and Vona, Butcher of Magan failed to claim the The Immortal Sun, but found lost saint Elenda, the Dusk Rose and returned to their home continent of Torrezon. In their nation, vampirism is a holy honor bestowed upon central figures in the church. When the Phyrexians invaded, Mavren led a vampiric defense force, gaining a monstrous ally in the process (Ghalta and Mavren). For his heroism and faithfulness to Elenda, Mavren's second venture home to Torrezon saw him rewarded with promotion to Pontifex of the Church of Dusk, its highest rank. Though Mavren did pretty well for himself in the face of global-catastrophe, its consequences would make life a whole lot more complicated in the following months.

At the start of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, much of the plane is still rebuilding from March of the Machine. This includes Torrezon, which despite never having a card depict it, suffered heavy damage. Though the war ended in victory, casualties were high. Food supply is dwindling, and with its decline, so too does the blood supply available for the revered vampire paladins. For Ixalan's variety of vampire, refraining from blood for too long brings about a range of psychological effects. Many vampires bring it upon themselves to experience visions, in an act they call a blood fast (Arguel's Blood Fast). Notice the reference to Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead? Well, Arguel isn't the only vampire to be influenced by the bat god. While in Torrezon, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose found himself starved of sanguine-wine, and unwillingly entered a blood-fast. In the course of his madness, Aclazotz whispered promises of power into Vito's mind, directing him toward Ixalan's newly-discovered core. Vito and Vona, bitter at Elenda's directing the church into a peaceful direction, split from the church and formed new order. One unfazed by sacrifice (Fanatical Offering) and zealously driven toward the worship of Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal, who promised an Age of Everflowing Blood (Vito's Inquisitor).

Two vampire factions: one struggling to rebuild, the other seeking demonic power.

Don Andres, the Renegade by Daarken

And then there's Don Andres, the Renegade, who took a good look at all that conflict and said "Screw that. I'll be my own boss". Don Andres swore off allegiance to the Order of Dusk. He couldn't care less about bat gods. His only loyalties are to himself and his crew, which is rapidly expanding. Primarily via recruited members of other enemy factions. Why bother with politics and occult rituals when you can live on the open sea, pillaging to your heart's content?

Translating this lore from character to cardboard, Don Andres is very much a Commander looking to build a crew. His career as pirate captain is still in its infancy, so Don Andres doesn't have an innate way to 'recruit' shipmates. No worry, as his first mates, we're more than up for the task.

Let's open the rum barrel and dive on in!

Don Andres' Pirate Recruitment Office | Commander | Matthew Lotti

• Commander (1)
• 1 Don Andres, the Renegade

• Creatures (19)
• 1 Agent of Treachery
• 1 Captivating Crew
• 1 Dauthi Voidwalker
• 1 Decadent Dragon
• 1 Dire Fleet Daredevil
• 1 Etali, Primal Storm
• 1 Fallen Shinobi
• 1 Grenzo, Havoc Raiser
• 1 Grima, Saruman's Footman
• 1 Hostage Taker
• 1 Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
• 1 Nightveil Specter
• 1 Opposition Agent
• 1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
• 1 Ramirez DePietro, Pillager
• 1 Robber of the Rich
• 1 Sepulchral Primordial
• 1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
• 1 Thief of Sanity

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Geyadrone Dihada
• 1 Tasha, the Witch Queen

• Instants (11)
• 1 Bedevil
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 1 Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit
• 1 Hurl Through Hell
• 1 Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs
• 1 Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire
• 1 Memory Plunder
• 1 Terminate
• 1 Thrilling Encore
• 1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
• 1 You Find Some Prisoners

• Sorceries (13)
• 1 Blasphemous Act
• 1 Breach the Multiverse
• 1 Bribery
• 1 Fevered Suspicion
• 1 Insurrection
• 1 Praetor's Grasp
• 1 Rise of the Dark Realms
• 1 Seize the Spotlight
• 1 Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass
• 1 Siphon Insight
• 1 Song-Mad Treachery // Song-Mad Ruins
• 1 Stolen Goods
• 1 Toxic Deluge

• Enchantments (9)
• 1 Animate Dead
• 1 Control Magic
• 1 Court of Locthwain
• 1 Cunning Rhetoric
• 1 Mind's Dilation
• 1 Mystic Remora
• 1 New Blood
• 1 Treachery
• 1 Virtue of Persistence

• Artifacts (12)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Chaos Wand
• 1 Coldsteel Heart
• 1 Cursed Mirror
• 1 Dimir Signet
• 1 Fellwar Stone
• 1 Izzet Signet
• 1 Rakdos Signet
• 1 River Song's Diary
• 1 Talisman of Creativity
• 1 Talisman of Dominance
• 1 Talisman of Indulgence

• Lands (33)
• 4 Island
• 4 Mountain
• 5 Swamp
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Cascade Bluffs
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 1 Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Graven Cairns
• 1 Haunted Ridge
• 1 Phyrexian Tower
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Shivan Reef
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Sulfurous Springs
• 1 Sunken Ruins
• 1 Watery Grave
• 1 Xander's Lounge

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A Pirate's Life for Me: Though most of our crew sign-up after turning traitor on their original owners, a few good shipmates already dwell in the 99. Hostage Taker, Agent of Treachery, and Captivating Crew directly 'recruit' enemy creatures into our ranks. Though most of the gain-control effects in our deck are permanent, Captivating Crew and a few others (Seize the Spotlight, Song-Mad Treachery // Song-Mad Ruins, Geyadrone Dihada) will return the cards to their owners at the end of turn, so we pack sacrifice outlets (Phyrexian Tower, Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs) to nix this. But creatures need-not be pilfered from the battlefield alone. Creatures played from our opponent's decks off of attacks from Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Nightveil Spectre, Thief of Sanity, Robber of the Rich, Grenzo, Havoc Raiser, Decadent Dragon, and Ramirez DePietro, Pillager will receive Don Andres's blessing of +2/+2, Menace + Deathtouch, and a new type-line for their resume. The treasure tokens provided by Don Andres off non-creature spells also go a long way toward activating off-color activated abilities from any stolen creatures. Kenrith, the Returned King, anyone?

Among our creatures, only Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer breaks the $20-budget barrier. Look to more wallet-friendly options like Evelyn, the Covetous, Gonti, Lord of Luxury, Dazzling Sphinx, The Beast, Deathless Prince as alternatives. If you're willing to stretch mana values further, cards like Gyruda, Doom of Depths, Xanathar, Guild Kingpin, Brainstealer Dragon, and Diluvian Primordial offer even greater illicit rewards.

Returning enemy creatures from the dead also counts as controlling them, so cards like Sepulchral Primordial, Rise of the Dark Realms, Thrilling Encore, Virtue of Persistence, and Breach the Multiverse are a great way to call fallen threats to our command. You'll notice that many of these cards have very high mana values. Don't worry, we have a plan for that.

Not-so-buried Treasure: Don Andres, the Renegade does far more than reward us for stealing enemy armies. Once we begin casting enemy noncreature spells, he increases our mana production. This can quickly ramp into some of the mass-resurrection spells noted above, in addition to a host of other haymakers like Fevered Suspicion, Agent of Treachery, Insurrection, an Overloaded-Cyclonic Rift, and Mind's Dilation. While our pirate army hits hard with evasion, it'll be these big spells that swing the game.

Don Andres, the Renegade also only cares that cards we don't own getting cast. He couldn't care less about whether or not we actually pay mana for them. This makes cards that allow us to play enemy spells while bypassing their cost especially appealing. Stolen Goods, Etali, Primal Storm, Fallen Shinobi, Dauthi Voidwalker, Grima, Saruman's Footman, Chaos Wand, Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge, Memory Plunder, Court of Locthwain, Tasha, the Witch Queen, and River Song's Diary all have an element of variance, but will often yield cards of higher value than initial investment. And all the while, Don Andres will provide treasure for casting these 'free' spells, further accelerating us towards our own expensive cards after plundering those of our opponents. Among these, the best are those that allow us to cast multiple opposing spells (Ex. Fevered Suspicion), as we'll get two treasures for each opponent.

Among support spells, we include staple-Wraths Toxic Deluge and Blasphemous Act if enemy pressure gets too high. With ample means to mass-reanimate creatures in the graveyard, there's little worry about hitting our own team with the blastwave. New Blood, Treachery, and Control Magic aren't targeted removal in the traditional sense. They're often much better, especially if we steal an enemy commander, as it won't return to their command zone after capture. Other spot removal includes Rakdos classics like Bedevil and Terminate, though modal options like Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit and Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass are excellent ways to include more removal without taking up lands slots. The tapped-nature of the model lands makes them slower, but having a way to protect our general (Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire), recycle into a better hand (Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge), or synergize with our gameplan (Song-Mad Treachery // Song-Mad Ruins) for such a low opportunity cost is too good to pass up.

Alas, many of our most powerful effects (Rise of the Dark Realms, Cyclonic Rift, Treachery) break budget, so here are some alternatives if you're looking for replacements under $20. Insurrection has two little cousins that, while even more swingy, serve a similar function at lower mana values: Mob Rule and Call for Aid. The Akroan War will steal a creature, then sweep the board later on. If you'd rather enhance your card advantage, try spell-swiping effects like The Ruinous Powers, Stolen Strategy, or Deluxe Dragster.

Fallen Shinobi by Tomasz Jedruszek

Pirates or Ninjas?

Why not both?

Don Andres, the Renegade goes to show: No matter where you come from, the call to adventure welcomes all. Granted, it helps if you've a fearless crew at your side. If said crew are made up of folks who were just recently trying to kill you, that's even better. You've turned enemies into allies. Just be mindful, me hearties. For whilst our charismatic vampire captain can win over once-malicious creatures, their original owners are sure to have some salty words to say about it.

Thanks for reading, and may you ever be the captain of your ship.

-Matt-

@Intrepid_Tautog