Note from Nov 3, 2026: since the Oct 27 patch, Thornmelon loses 45% of its ATK per blast (it was 60%) and, from level 8 on, its ATK can't drop below 2/4/8.
Full context
Note from Nov 3, 2026: since the Oct 27 patch, Thornmelon loses 45% of its ATK per blast (it was 60%) and, from level 8 on, its ATK can't drop below 2/4/8. The Thornmelon part below already uses those numbers; the rest of the guide is unchanged.
Of all the Badges on the wiki, Pirate Captain is the only one that takes HP straight from the enemy Captain, without relying on your units. The damage per round is small, but it never misses, can't be blocked and adds up over the whole match. Here is the round-by-round math, how to get the Badge, the combos that use it and what changes against Thornmelon.
WHAT IT DOES
- Badge: Battle Start, deals 6 damage directly to the enemy Captain (official text, Badges page).
- Charm II: starts at 7 and goes up by 1 each round, up to 12 (official Sept 29 patch notice).
- Since that patch the effect fires at Battle Start. Before, it fired on Ready.
- How to get it: with Gold Emblem Tokens, while it's available as a Season Captain.
IF YOU'RE JUST STARTING
Each deck takes 1 Badge and 2 Charms, and you can't use the Badge and a Charm from the same Captain at the same time (official in-game tutorial). Pirate Captain's Charms unlock when the Badge reaches level 3 and get stronger at level 5, so collecting duplicate Badges pays off.
Details and source
Pirate Captain helps decks that want to close the match early, the rush decks: every round your opponent starts the fight with less HP. If your deck still loses in the first waves, it won't fix that. An economy Badge such as Fortune Cat (+2 Suncoins at match start) usually helps more while you're learning, because it lets you merge sooner. The Sun economy guide shows why.
HOW IT ADDS UP
- Badge: 30 damage by round 5 and 60 by round 10.
- Charm II: 45 by round 5 and 105 by round 10, reading "up to 12" as a cap of 12 per round (wiki deduction from the text).
- Badge (6 per round)
- Charm II (7, +1 per round)
Pirate Captain damage only, not counting units. Charm II read as a cap of 12 damage per round. In the games I measured, the Commander had 115 to 120 HP.
See the numbers as a table
| Badge (6 per round) | Charm II (7, +1 per round) | |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | 6 | 7 |
| R2 | 12 | 15 |
| R3 | 18 | 24 |
| R4 | 24 | 34 |
| R5 | 30 | 45 |
| R6 | 36 | 57 |
| R7 | 42 | 69 |
| R8 | 48 | 81 |
| R9 | 54 | 93 |
| R10 | 60 | 105 |
Details and source
In the matches the wiki measured, the Captain had 115 to 120 HP. HP goes up with Ranked Trophies, so at higher ranks the same math matters less. With 120 HP, the Badge alone takes half the opponent's health in 10 rounds, and Charm II takes 87%.
FOR TOP PLAYERS
- Tumbleroller. Its units gain +8% Move SPD for every 5% HP the enemy Captain is missing (Level 8: +10% and +1 damage; Level 9: +12% and +2 damage). With 120 HP, each 6 damage from Pirate Captain is exactly 5%: the Badge alone gives Tumbleroller's units +8% speed every round, reaching +40% by round 5 before any of your units have landed a hit.
- In the simulator, Tumbleroller is worth little at level 10 (−4.7 points) and a lot at level 12 (+28.3), one of the biggest jumps on the tier list. It's already in the prebuilt low-HP deck in the deck builder, which scores 76 with a 105 HP Captain. The simulator doesn't count Badges in the score yet, so Pirate Captain's boost to Tumbleroller isn't in those numbers.
- Rush in general. Damage that lands before your units shortens the race. Against a 105 HP Captain, Charm II's 45 by round 5 is already 43% of their health.
Details and source
Pirate Captain's value is in what the fixed damage unlocks in other cards.
WATCH OUT FOR THE ENEMY'S THORNMELON
Details and source
Thornmelon blasts every enemy whenever its Captain takes damage in battle. Your Pirate Captain deals damage at Battle Start, so it sets off the opponent's Thornmelon every round. Thornmelon loses 45% of its ATK on each blast, permanently (from level 8 on, never below 2/4/8), so this can even work in your favor: if the blast goes off before your units enter, it hits nothing and Thornmelon gets weaker for free. That's a wiki deduction from the text. We still need a screenshot showing exactly when the blast fires. The Thornmelon guide has the damage math.
WHEN TO PICK ANOTHER BADGE
- Decks that need Sun early (Dragon Hoarder, Eggydjinn): Coco Coinhog or Fortune Cat Badges pay off more.
- Decks that depend on a cost-8 card in the Shop: the Candlemancer Badge makes the first refresh free and always shows one cost-8 Minion.
- Slow decks that only win late: 60 damage over 10 rounds means little if the match goes to round 12.
SOURCES
Badge text: Badges page (version 2.0.1021). Charm II and the move to Battle Start: official patch notice, Sept 29, 2026. Badge and Charm rules: official in-game tutorial. 115 to 120 HP: matches I measured. Math, combos and the Thornmelon interaction: my analysis. Scores: simulator and tier list, Oct 21, 2026.