One of my favorite weapons, Pirate Captains Cutlass enjoyed a long reign as the HT-standard during perhaps the most competitive era of 2-Player battling. In 2004, Pirate Captains Cutlass replaced the infamous Ghostkersword in the Hidden Tower. Up until the release of the family of Anagram Swords in 2011, Pirate Captain Cutlass was to go-to weapon of mass destruction on a Hidden Tower budget.

With a price of 16 million Neopoints, Pirate Captains Cutlass stocked for 3 million Neopoints more than Ghostkersword. Although weaker than the Ghostkersword, the rapid inflation of the old sword meant that Pirate Captains Cutlass was the new favorite. Possessing a similar icon distribution as the Sword of Skardsen, Pirate Captains Cutlass featured primarily Air icons, useful for beating Ghostkershield, the shield of choice at the time. With the introduction of the Dark-blocking Ring of the Lost in 2005, Sword of Skardsen became even more persecuted, and Pirate Captains Cutlass became the clear favorite.

Kelpbeards Trident later joined Pirate Captains Cutlass and Sword of Skardsen in the Hidden Tower, and it helped popularize Faerie Tabard in 2-Player battles. This metagame shift in turn helped Pirate Captain Cutlass, which was slightly better at penetrating a Faerie Tabard than a Ghostkershield.

The mass Air icons of dual Pirate Captains Cutlasses were overwhelming against almost all defensive measures. Only Triple Turbo Dryer proved to be a particularly frightening countermeasure. The Air/Light combo of the cutlasses also ensured that neither Burrow nor Sink would offer full protection. The Pteri was the species of choice, with its 40% Air resistance. The most competitive era of 2-Player battling ever witnessed was dominated by the birds thanks to Pirate Captain Cutlass and Ghostkersword.

Eventually, Pirate Captain Cutlass's time in the spotlight would end. The release of the Anagram swords, particularly Sword of Reif, Sword of Ari, and Sword of Thare, meant that Pirate Captains Cutlass was now inferior. Anagram swords provided a mono-icon punch that Pirate Captains Cutlass simply could not provide. Furthermore, Hubrid Nox Memorial Shield spelled doom to Pirate Captains Cutlass. As the new top shield in the Hidden Tower, Hubrid Nox Memorial Shield placed emphasis on mono-icon swords like Sword of Skardsen and Sword of Reif.

Like the other Hidden Tower swords, Pirate Captains Cutlass has deflated greatly in the new Battledome. Without much a niche in the new Battledome, Pirate Captains Cutlass sits as more of a relic in galleries. It is certainly not a bad weapon, especially when it can be obtained for cheaper than its Hidden Tower counterparts. In the present, Pirate Captains Cutlass best serves as a 1P weapon, where mono-icons are less important.

Rated on March 23, 2015

Pop For Your 'Points (3/3): Bought secondhand, Pirate Captains Cutlass is not too much higher than the Anagram swords. For the higher price you get a weapon less susceptible to reflection.

In Battle (3/5): Because Pirate Captains Cutlass has the power of Sword of Skardsen (and its clones) and Kelpbeards Trident, every bit of its worth comes down to icon types.

The main rival of Pirate Captains Cutlass happens to be Sword of Ari, a weapon that deals 15 air icons and a handful of physical icons.

Even when Pirate Captains Cutlass hits 24 icons, it is less susceptible to air reflection than Ari. Triple Turbo Dryer is the biggest air reflection threat in the game, reflecting 75% of the air icons. So if PCC hits 24 icons, 10.5 icons of air return to the person using it. When Sword of Ari runs into Triple Turbo Dryer, by contrast, 11.25 icons are reflected. You essentially need Ari to hit max every turn to do what PCC does every single turn - come out ahead against TTD. Score 1 for PCC.

Hubrid Nox Memorial Shield and Ghostkershield flip the situation. Ari punches through Hubrid Nox Memorial Shield and Ghostkershield much more effectively than Pirate Captains Cutlass. Of potential importance, though, PCC can help fill up the physical defense on HNMS and G-Shield better than Ari. Probably moot in 99% of cases, however. Ari ties it up 1-1.

Still relatively new, Shield of Faerieland is sometimes seen in competitive play. It shuts down Sword of Ari, and leaves Pirate Captains Cutlass gasping for air. Still, the 5 light punch through SoF. Pirate Captains Cutlass takes the win over Sword of Ari, 2-1! The crowd goes wild!!

I will just use this space to discuss things that do happen to exist to counter PCC/Ari, even if rarely seen.

Jhudoras Wand leaves just physical on Ari, greatly diminishing its utility. When it comes to PCC, J-Wand will do 11.75 icons because of the light reflection. In return, PCC will do 11.25 icons past J-Wand.

If someone is so rich they pack silly toys, you might run into Alien Aisha Scrambler. At this point it's a game of physical icons, which in general favors the consistency of 5 physical for PCC over the 3.34 average of Sword of Ari.

I say Pirate Captains Cutlass is a viable option for battling, but you need to accept it being heavily blocked by most sets. When facing PCC, the simplest thing to do is outdamage it. With the three constant icon types, the Cutlass seems to slip at least a little past most defenses.

Other (1/2): Right now, species do not have built-in resistances. While this breathes new life into Pirate Captains Cutlass, species resistances could return at any time. If they do, stay away from Pteri.

Rated on August 11, 2013