Summary
Since its debut in 2022, theOne Piece TCGhas exploded in popularity with sales matching the likes ofMTG,Pokemon, andYu-Gi-Oh, and has remained one of the most successful TCGs ever since. This is likely due, in part, to the massivesuccess of the original anime and manga, which already have an incredible fanbase, but it’s also proof that the game itself is well-designed and fun. It’s easy for people to learn, but it holds a lot of complexity for hardcore fans.
Similar toMagic: The Gathering, theOne Piece TCGoperates with a color system, but it also features the key element of a Leader card. Leaders are cards that remain on the field at all times and act as the player’s proxy, determining the amount of life a player has and the main function of their deck. There are many Leader cards to choose from, but as new booster sets release, some are bound to stand out more than others, producing a growing and evolving meta.
10Blue Buggy
The Ultimate Imposter
Like in many card games, balancing the cost of each card is an important part of deck building, but for people who enjoy using powerful cards early, Buggy is the perfect choice. Blue Buggy can use 5 DON!! to play any Cross Guild card from the hand without paying the full cost. In combination with other cards, it can be easy to set up a full board of high-cost characters early in the game with great abilities.
While not the most powerful Leader card, Buggy gained many strong cards in the recent starter deck release, making his strategy much more consistent and effective.He can catch players by surpriseby overwhelming them with strong cards, but he’s still pretty vulnerable to being rushed down and removal effects. People familiar with this playing style will be able to counter accordingly.
9Green-Yellow Trafalgar D. Law
Meticulous But Powerful
As in the anime, Green-Yellow Law likes to take control of the game and manipulate the cards on the field. When there are characters on the field whose combined cost is 5 or higher, he can look at his top Life card and play it if it’s a Supernova character. While this is risky, it allows him to play stronger cards for only 1 DON!!, and combined with other card effects, the player can gain a huge advantage.
Unfortunately, this version of Law is incredibly difficult to master. The margin for error is small while playing this deck, and the player must carefully consider each choice they make and the effect it will have on the rest of the game.Law is a potent Leader, but he requires an experienced player to bring out his full potential. Beginners should consider other leaders first and work their way up.
8Green Jewelry Bonney
Slowing Down The Game
Jewelry Bonney is an interesting Leader because, unlike most decks, her strategy is focused on defense rather than attack. During the opponent’s turn, she can pay the cost to rest one of their characters, effectively stopping their attack before it happens. It may not seem strong, but combined with cards that prevent the opponent from fully refreshing their field and a multitude of blockers, Bonney can be hard to defeat.
Compared to some Leaders, Bonney is relatively easy to play, and her strategy is simple but effective. Inexperienced players may have trouble winning against Bonney since she dramatically changes the pace of the game.Bonney can easily take controlif the opponent doesn’t adapt to her playing style fast enough or if they make mistakes while trying to do so.
7Red-Green Smoker
A Balanced Navy Vice-Admiral
The Red-Green variant of Smoker is a versatile Leader that promotes a conventional playing style that balances offense and defense. He has a passive ability that gives all characters with the Punk Hazard or Navy traits an extra +1000 power during the opponent’s turn, and his active skill resets two Don!! cards if there’s a character with at least 7000 power on his field. He’s able to put out consistent attacks without risking his safety.
Smoker favors cards with high power and cards with power increases to activate his ability and expand his options. Extra Don!! means he can play more characters or further boost his existing teammates. Booster set 11 has made this deck much more reliable, which helps solidify the early game, where he’s weakest. The inherently aggressive nature of Smoker’s deck gives him a good match-up with top-tier meta decks.
6Red Roronoa Zoro
The Best Defense Is Offense
Despite being a card from the first booster set, Red Roronoa Zoro still puts up a good fight against many of the strongest decks in the game. His effect is simple, giving all characters on his field an extra 1000 power by attaching one DON!! to him. This allows him to pressure his opponent with many high-power attacks every turn, eventually reducing their life to zero.
Zoro’s strategyis pretty straightforward, making him easy to play for beginners, and his aggressive approach gives him a good match-up against some of the stronger decks in the meta. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have many answers to control or removal effects, and the low-cost nature of the cards in his deck makes him vulnerable to some specific strategies.
5Purple-Black Monkey D. Luffy
The Ultimate Resource Recycler
Just like in the anime, Purple-BlackLuffy is a strong Leader who can make the mostof his resources to make strategic plays. His passive ability increases the cost of all characters on his field by one if he has a DON!! attached to him, making his teammates harder to get rid of in certain games. His second skill refunds his resources after using them, allowing him to make more moves in a single turn.
This deck combines DON!! manipulation and control tactics to constantly keep the opponent off guard. Using Luffy’s ability, powerful cards can be used more often and with less risk, maintaining his momentum throughout the game. This version of Luffy can be difficult to play given its volatile nature, but it’s very powerful if the player can manage their DON!! correctly.
4Red-Yellow Belo Betty
The Revolutionary Army’s Surprising Power
In the anime, the Revolutionary Army is one of the strongest forces in the world, and that power is reflected in the TCG through Belo Betty. Betty’s ability allows her to power up her teammates by a whopping 3000, making each of them huge threats. Only three can be chosen, but that’s more than enough to pressure the opponent. Combined with cards that can play characters for no cost, Betty can end games very quickly.
However, there is a price for all that power. Belo Betty is the definition of a glass cannon in this card game since she focuses purely on attacking and has no defensive options. If the opponent can prevent Betty from calling her friends, she isn’t much of a threat. She wants to win as fast as possible, but if she can’t, she becomes incredibly vulnerable.
3Black Marshall D. Teach
The Wrench In Everyone’s Plans
Similar to Green Bonney,Blackbeard is a unique Leaderwho changes up the game. His passive ability disables the On Play abilities of his own characters, but he can do the same to the opponent by sacrificing a card from the hand. It’s a simple effect, but incredibly potent because it forces both players to adjust the way they play the game. With On Play effects negated, some decks completely fall apart.
Combined with some strategic removal cards and other negating effects, Blackbeard can essentially shut down any opponent’s strategy, giving him an easy win. However, like other decks with specific gimmicks, his value diminishes if players are familiar with his playing style and can adapt accordingly. However, he is still a powerful Leader that would be worthwhile trying out.
2Green-Purple Luffy
Hitting Fast And Hitting Hard
Before booster set 11 was released, Green-Purple Luffy reigned supreme as the strongest Leader card in the game, and while it may not have that title anymore, it’s still very powerful. Once per turn, Luffy can return two DON!! to reset two DON!! and give himself an extra 1000 power, which remains until his next turn. While it doesn’t seem like much, it provides defensive utility and resource recycling in a single skill.
This deck thrives on sacrificing DON!! to activate powerful effects and control the opponent’s field. Using other cards to add DON!! back onto the field allowsLuffy to play more aggressivelyin a short amount of time. However, this deck does require good resource management to maintain pressure and not run out of steam too early.
With the release of booster 11,A FIST OF DIVINE SPEED,a new Luffy enters the game with amazing potential. Blue-Purple Luffy can look at the top five cards of the deck, add one of his crewmates to his hand, and then put the remaining cards back in any order on top or bottom. This is amazing deck manipulation that helps with searching for specific cards and making the most out of otherwise random effects.
With a base power of 6000, Luffy is naturally harder to attack than most other Leaders, which makes countering attacks much easier. With cards that add DON!! to the field, Luffy can begin stacking the deck very early and setting up his field early on. Although there are no obvious power-ups in this version of Luffy, the ability to search for specific cards is incredibly powerful and can lead to an overwhelming card advantage.
