General description:
And now we know. We know now definitely the stats of the Black Pearl....one of them anyway. Here is the celebrated and "best" Black Pearl of the new PotC set. And honestly, I am glad for it. Because this one at least looks like a good ship beauty and statistically. This could be a ship I could use in my fleets!
Uses:
Fighter! Fighter all the way. Forget treasure running, get a crew and take on all comers.
Let me go through its stats as to why this is a good fighting ship:
-S+L speed: very good, especially when most ships are getting only an L for base movement
-2s and 3s for guns: Its cannons go from decent, to great, and then back to decent.
-13 points: Not too much to be expensive, but enough that you can afford to put some decent crew on it.
It could be a decent treasure runner, but at 13 points why would you? There are cheaper ships with 4 cargo to use, some are faster too! It is linked to Jack Sparrow, but honestly, if you put witty Jack on the Pearl, the whole thing will cost 18 points for a treasure runner! That's way too much. I can put a helmsman and explorer on the Joya del Sol for cheaper.
Strategies and game play:
Again pick a fight with this ship. With it you have the cannons, speed, and enough cargo to make it work.
Use it to either go on the offensive and attack the enemy, or use for escort duty. It can keep up with your treasure runners without the benefit of an extra action.
Combos with other miniatures:
The Pirates faction has so many great crew it would be hard to name them all. So I will outline some of the different crew types that will work.
-Captain: nuff said
-Helmsman: Let's make it faster. Now no treasure runner will escape you!
-Reroll Captain: Captain and reroll? Sign me up!
-World hater (i.e. Bruce Gray): why settle for 2s and 3s when you can get 1s and 2s!
-Extra action/double action: It the ship is 13 points so you can afford to get one of these guys/gals on. Especially with a reroll Captain!
-Captain Jack Hawkins (SM Version): For 1 point more than a captain, you get a captain and the ability to eliminate a crew once you ram a ship. A bargain!
One thing I don't recommend is any sort of SAC crew. The Pearl's ability to not have crew be eliminated unless it sinks means no sacrificing.
Ways to counteract it:
You can either get the jump on it with a same size or larger ship, or engage it with a ship that can't be shot at by ships within S, since it has only S range cannons. But since most of those ships have only 1 or 2 masts, make sure it doesn't get rammed first.
Strengths/Pros:
2s and 3s for guns
S+L base movement
Crew can't be eliminated unless it sinks
4 cargo
13 points
Weaknesses/Cons:
No L range cannons
Artwork and aesthetics:
Black on a ship always looks nice and this one does not fail. But I can't give a full estimation unless I am holding the ship before me.
Overall rating:
9 out of 10. It is a wonderful ship, it just needs some L range cannons.
Miniature Trading
