{"ops":[{"insert":{"image":"https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cardsrealm.com%2Fimages%2Fcartas%2Flcc-lost-caverns-of-ixalan-commander%2FEN%2Fcrop-med%2Ffrancisco-fowl-marauder-49.jpeg%3F2325&f=1&ipt=c0722b9e8883edb8982b59daa44c24ad106256bc1f9f0b861e48cbfe0e4b3522"}},{"insert":"\n\nIntroduction"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"I have not written in a few days. I have been afflicted with some strange chill which conspires to fog my brain. I cannot seem to keep warm no matter what I do."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"[The ink has run from some lines here, and they are illegible.]"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"While most of what they hauled up was junk, they eventually came up with a large wooden casket. A hush came over the crew at such a tantalizing discovery. I remember the next moments with excruciating clarity."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"He pried it open easily. The buckling boards cracked and groaned with relief as they splintered apart. Crimson cloth spilled out onto the deck."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"The crashing waves rose to fill my ears. I hear them still. He stared down into the open casket, then turned to me. In his eyes I saw the void."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"[The page has been torn off here.]"},{"insert":"\n\nWhy Play Francisco + Malcolm?"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nFrancisco, Fowl Marauder and Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator combine evasive Pirate aggression with graveyard-based value and explosive Treasure ramp.\n\nThe deck is built around a deterministic early curve:\nTurn 1 evasive Pirate"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Turn 2 Francisco"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Turn 3 Malcolm"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nOnce online, the deck snowballs quickly through:\nTreasure generation"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Combat-based card draw"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Explore triggers"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Efficient reanimation"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThe deck operates as a proactive tempo engine that converts early combat damage into overwhelming resource advantage. Small Pirates generate mana and cards while quietly stocking the graveyard. From there, reanimation effects bring massive threats onto the battlefield far ahead of curve. The result is a deck that develops quickly, recovers well from disruption, and scales naturally into powerful late-game board states.\n\nStrengths"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Explosive early development, consistent commander curve, and strong card advantage engines. Treasure-based ramp in Dimir, graveyard functions as a second hand, and highly resilient to board wipes. Flexible win conditions through combat, value, or reanimation\n\nWeaknesses"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Reliant on early Pirate density, and graveyard hate can slow the deck significantly. This list has limited access to true board wipes and can struggle against very fast combo without interaction. Tricky mulligan strategy.\n\nGame Plan"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nTurn 1 – Deploy a 1-Drop Pirate"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Prioritize landing an evasive pirate early to ensure reliable combat damage on the following turns. Many of the deck’s pirates are difficult to block, which helps guarantee the first explore trigger from [[Francisco, Fowl Marauder]].\nIf multiple pirates are available, lead with the one that is hardest to block or least important to protect, saving more valuable utility pirates for later turns.\n\nTurn 2 – Cast Francisco"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Cast [[Francisco, Fowl Marauder]] and attack with the pirate from turn 1.\nIdeally the pirate connects, triggering explore. Missing a land is the preferred outcome here, as it places a +1/+1 counter on Francisco and helps enable stronger pressure on the following turn alongside Malcolm.\nIf explore reveals a land, it smooths the turn 3–4 mana curve. While this slightly slows the deck’s momentum by reducing early explore value, it can ensure Malcolm arrives on schedule.\nWhen attacking, opponents are often reluctant to trade early creatures such as mana dorks, making it possible to push damage through boards that appear blocked at first glance.\n\nTurn 3 – Land Malcolm"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Cast [[Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator]] and begin converting pirate combat damage into Treasures.\nThis is where the deck’s engine begins to stabilize. Even if earlier land drops were missed, Malcolm’s Treasure production quickly compensates by providing additional mana sources.\nMultiple pirates connecting in the same combat step can generate a significant mana advantage, allowing the deck to accelerate into larger threats, draw engines, or reanimation spells ahead of curve.\n\nTurn 4+ – Snowball Advantage"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"From this point the deck transitions into value generation.\nDeploy draw engines such as [[Bident of Thassa]], [[Coastal Piracy]], [[Reconnaissance Mission]], or [[Curiosity]]-style auras. These turn pirate combat damage into a steady stream of cards.\nExplore triggers, looting spells, and draw effects will naturally begin stocking the graveyard. At that point, the deck can shift toward reanimation lines, bringing powerful creatures back onto the battlefield to take control of the game.\n\nGameplay Notes"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nExplore Strategy"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"In most cases, nonland cards revealed with explore should be placed into the graveyard. This fuels the deck’s reanimation package and helps sculpt future draws.\n\nExceptions:\nKeeping a reanimation spell if none are currently available"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Keeping a key payoff creature when future land drops are secured"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Holding creatures that can later be discarded (e.g. [[Tortured Existence]])"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nCombat Pressure"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Early attacks are primarily about triggering explore and Malcolm, not maximizing damage. Even small pirates become valuable once they start producing Treasures and card advantage. Maintaining evasive creatures is often more important than trading them away.\n\nFilling the Bin"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The deck naturally fills its graveyard through explore triggers, looting, and draw spells. The graveyard functions as an extension of the hand.\nReanimation spells convert those cards into immediate battlefield impact, often allowing large threats to appear far earlier than expected.\n\nReanimation Package"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nTop Reanimators"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"[[Reanimate]], [[Animate Dead]], and [[Dance of the Dead]] — the most efficient options, allowing large creatures like [[Vilis, Broker of Blood]], [[Toxrill, the Corrosive]], or [[Valgavoth, Terror Eater]] to enter play far ahead of curve.\n[[Persist]] and [[Stitch Together]] — efficient midgame recursion once the graveyard is stocked.\n[[Victimize]] and [[Dread Return]] — convert expendable pirates into larger threats and recover from board swings.\n[[Corpse Dance]] and [[Tortured Existence]] — repeated access to the graveyard and long-game recursion.\n\nReanimation Targets"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nTop Reanimation Targets"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"[[Toxrill, the Corrosive]] — Stabilizes creature-heavy boards while generating Slugs and long-term card advantage. Strong synergy with [[Sludge Monster]].\n[[Sheoldred, Whispering One]] — Recursion engine that pressures opponents through sacrifice.\n[[Valgavoth, Terror Eater]] — Difficult to remove and quickly generates overwhelming advantage.\n[[Vilis, Broker of Blood]] — Turns life loss into massive card draw.\n[[Nezahal, Primal Tide]] — Resilient draw engine and discard outlet.\n[[Hullbreaker Horror]] — Board control, tempo, and endgame lock potential.\n\nInteraction"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nInteraction Suite"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The interaction suite is intentionally lean and highly efficient. The deck is proactive and develops early pressure, so interaction focuses on preserving tempo and preventing opposing wins.\nFree interaction is especially valuable since the deck frequently taps out during early development.\n\n[[Deadly Rollick]] is one of the cleanest exile removal spells available and is often free with two commanders. [[Slaughter Pact]] similarly provides zero-mana removal with delayed payment.\n[[Mindbreak Trap]] is particularly strong against combo strategies, giving access to free stack interaction.\n[[Mental Misstep]] protects early tempo and can counter key one-mana spells such as removal or fast mana. Don't hesitate to counter a [[Sol Ring]].\n[[Flare of Denial]] synergizes well with expendable pirates, turning small creatures into meaningful interaction.\n[[Swan Song]] provides efficient, flexible stack interaction.\n[[Divert]] can generate large tempo swings by redirecting targeted removal.\n\nSome interaction is also built into pirates:\n[[Siren Stormtamer]] protects key creatures while contributing to pirate density.\n[[Deadeye Tracker]] provides incidental graveyard hate.\n[[Kitesail Larcenist]] functions as flexible disruption.\n\nMath & Probability"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Because the deck relies heavily on early sequencing, probability plays a major role in construction and mulligan decisions.\nWith 10 one-drop pirates, the odds of seeing one improve with mulligans:\n0 mull — 54.2%"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"1 mull — 79.0%"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"2 mulls — 90.4%"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"3 mulls — 95.6%"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nWith 36 lands and 4 MDFCs:\n~36.7% chance to reveal land on explore"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"~63.3% chance to reveal non-land"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nT3 [[Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator]] occurs ~82–85% of games.\n\nIdeal curve:\nT1 Pirate (~.94)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"T2 Francisco (~.63 explore success)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"T3 Malcolm (~.82–.85)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nOverall ideal curve: ~48–52%\n\nTL;DR"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Mulligan aggressively for 1-drop pirates"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"36 lands + 4 MDFCs is optimal"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"T3 Malcolm ~82–85%"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Ideal curve ~50%"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nUpgrades"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nPremium duals:\n[[Underground Sea]]"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"[[Morphic Pool]]"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nSituational upgrades:\n[[Gemstone Caverns]]"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"[[Otawara, Soaring City]]"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"[[Takenuma, Abandoned Mire]]"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nMulligan Guide"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nIdeal opening hand:\n1-drop pirate"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"2–3 lands"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Reanimation spell or draw engine"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Hands missing a pirate are usually mulligans."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"}]}