Table of Contents
Welcome once again, dear nakamas to onepiece.gg. We are undoubtedly very happy with the response to the first article we published on this website about decks to start in the competitive game and those previously published on our main page dotgg.gg
On this occasion, we will start with our weekly meta-report. Each week we will analyze the current state of the competitive environment in the world of One Piece using data from relevant tournaments or events that have taken place during the last week.
This will also serve to consequently update the tier list which we will separate into three tiers:
- Tier 1: The most dominant decks of the moment. This implies the percentage of victories, presence in the meta, and favorable games.
- Tier 2: These will be solid decks with a relevant presence in the meta. A good pilot will probably be able to play one of these archetypes and have a good result in a competitive event. They usually have at least one difficult match against the rest of the archetypes.
- Tier 3: In last place, we find decks with little presence, but enough to be considered. In addition to their low popularity, they are decks that present two or more complicated matchups against the meta. This prevents them until the release of additional support or a meta shift from standing out. However, players who dedicate themselves to mastering these archetypes usually have the opportunity to obtain good results.
This meta report will go over the top 64 of this very important tournament that brought together 1,978 players and, we will review at least one list of each archetype represented in this cut.
Meta Overview
One more week and The Red Dog (Akainu - 赤犬) continues to remain at the top. OP05-041-sakazuki-374 is without a doubt the best deck since the release of OP5. Certainly in the North American Finals, the winner was Enel, but the difference in terms of presence is still tremendously noticeable;
Top 64 Leaders
- 32 - OP05-041-sakazuki-374
- 9 - OP05-098-enel-426
- 7 - OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri-284
- 5 - OP05-060-monkeydluffy-174
- 3 - ST10-002-monkeydluffy
- 3 - OP02-001-edwardnewgate-851
- 2 - OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924
- 2 - OP03-040-nami-529
- 1 - OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269
Tier 1
This makes it clear to us that OP05-041-sakazuki-374 is a deck that you should always be prepared for during the OP05 meta. Even after the release of OP06 "Wings of the Captain" in March, you won't be able to forget Sakazuki. He has prevailed in Japan (we should remember that Japan is one set ahead compared to the West) only equaled by OP06-080-gecko-moria-parallel. The latter should go up to Tier 1 immediately after his release which will make the meta diversify in a certain way.
Tier 2
Is because of this that I choose to put OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 in Tier 2 accompanying OP05-098-enel-426, OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri-284, and OP05-060-monkeydluffy-174. OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 is a very aggressive archetype with many characters with Rush, which makes Sakazuki suffer (and Pluffy incidentally). He was certainly not as popular in North America, but in the European Finals played 1 week before the North American finals, Zoro was the 2nd most popular leader in the top 64 with 11 appearances.
Tier 3
In Tier 3 we have ST10-002-monkeydluffy, OP02-001-edwardnewgate-851, OP03-040-nami-529, and OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269. These four leaders spawn powerful archetypes that have dominated the meta in the past.
OP02-001-edwardnewgate-851, for example, was considered the best deck during OP03 without leaving any room for doubt. However, I think it has been difficult for it to recover after what happened with the banning of red cards (later unbanned) added to the existence of cards like ST10-010-trafalgar-law.
A similar situation happens with OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269, which since the beginning of the game has been part of the competitive environment and strongly refuses to die.
ST10-002-monkeydluffy will occasionally appear in the tops because he is a popular choice when a player is looking for an easy-to-play deck. Being a leader with a 6K power means attacking for 7K constantly, which simplifies resource management. The problem is that he has to survive until he has 7 Don!! and while he has many 2K counters and blockers, the problem is that hyper-aggressive decks like Zoro that seek to beat Sakazuki usually make life difficult for R/B Luffy.
OP03-040-nami-529 is in a similar situation to OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 and ST10-002-monkeydluffy. It has some very favorable pairings. However, unfavorable matchups make you suffer round after round wishing you didn't face them. As long as favorable matches are in the meta, Nami will appear and have the easy way out.
Tier List
| Tier | Leaders |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | • OP05-041-sakazuki-374 |
| Tier 2 | • OP05-098-enel-426 • OP05-060-monkeydluffy-174 • OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri-284 • OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 |
| Tier 3 | • ST10-002-monkeydluffy • OP02-001-edwardnewgate-851 • OP03-040-nami-529 • OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269 |
Tier 1
Sakazuki
Many may believe that Sakazuki is a control deck. The truth is that after analyzing the archetype in-depth, I think I share the perspective of some other high-level Sakazuki players who mention that the deck is a tempo deck.
The difference is that in any card game a control deck seeks to keep the opponent at bay so that later, since the opponent has no resources or way to exert pressure, some win-condition closes the game for the control player. In Sakazuki's case, The Red Dog wins by removing his enemy's board while developing his own.
This means that they will be hitting you with their board while yours is non-existent or you don't have enough ways to answer his threats.
It may seem like a boring strategy, but the reality is that the deck is one of the most complex to play optimally. Like any good tempo deck, one wrong step and the game will probably get complicated.
This list is from Jackson Hoang, a player who placed second in the North American Finals. Standard numbers on the list.
Tier 2
Enel
The winning deck. Enel can certainly have tough matches against OP05-041-sakazuki-374 or OP05-060-monkeydluffy-174, however, this doesn't mean they are bad matches per se.
Enel is the king when it comes to attrition games. Thanks to his ability, opponents would have to attack Enel three times and achieve the hit to defeat him. If for some reason they fail, OP03-123-charlotte-katakuri and OP04-112-yamato will allow us to heal ourselves for one life, making all the opponent's efforts in vain.
This means that less aggressive decks like Sakazuki or PLuffy have to spend time and a lot of resources trying to do damage or control our board which gives us always a chance. Also, matches against decks that swarm the board and are very aggressive like OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 or OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269 are amazing. Not having bad matches against the most popular and powerful decks in the meta gives Enel his place.
It's a deck of medium to moderate difficulty to pilot, and it has a fairly high skill ceiling, making players who dedicate themselves to mastering it able to get enormous benefits from it even in the most complicated matches. It can be built with the Big Mom or Sky Island core. Yonas Abraham, winner of the North American finals, chose Sky Island.
What is striking about the build is that even opting for the Sky Island core, Enel usually plays ST07-010-charlotte-linlin, at least 1 or 2 copies. Yonas preferred to play the 4 copies of OP05-100-enel, which are very important for the match against Sakazuki, and the 4th OP03-123-charlotte-katakuri. In addition to this, some people think that running more than four blockers on Enel is not so necessary thanks to life manipulation. Yonas played six, three OP04-104-sanji, and three ST07-007-charlotte-brulee.
PLuffy
Not counting aggressive decks like OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 and OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269, Pluffy is the fastest deck of the so-called "Big Three". Thanks to how quickly it ramps to 10 Don!! The number of high-cost threats that arrive on your side of the board quickly tends to get out of control at high speed.
In addition to this, it's quite easy to play. Its cost is much cheaper compared to OP05-041-sakazuki-374 or the yellow decks, which makes people who want to quickly enter the competitive environment consider it as an option and consequently, it becomes their main deck.
The choice between ramping or not with PLuffy is based on the matchup, so if you decide to start playing this deck, be clear that using your leader's ability on turn two every game is not correct.
Pluffy has neutral games against Sakazuki and Enel. Additionally, it is usually advantageous against aggressive decks like Zoro or Law. The problem is the yellow decks that can go over our top-curve characters.
PLuffy's highest-ranked list in the North American finals was Chris Sok, who placed 25th.
Katakuri
Katakuri is, in my opinion, one of the most fun decks to play. Some consider it a kind of Casino due to the large number of Triggers it usually plays. However, in my opinion, it's the best Katakuri players who manage to reduce this kind of RNG to a minimum, ensuring that every time they lose a life the opponent ends up paying the price.
OP05 has given some tools to the deck. Robert Hudson, the highest-ranked Katakuri player in the finals, managed to place 12th, using 3 copies of OP05-105-satori, 1 of OP05-102-gedatsu, 1 of OP05-100-enel, and 2 OP05-115-two-hundred-million-volts-amaru. These additions from the last set certainly allow Katakuri to stay afloat in the meta since the weak point of this deck would be the midgame.
I like the OP03-102-sanji copy as it gives him an extra touch of control over the triggers plus OP03-112-charlotte-pudding can find this single.
I think it's clear that Katakuri is the best leader to fully exploit OP03-114-charlotte-linlin, one of the most powerful cards in the game. This seems to me to be reason enough for it to remain on the tier list for a long time.
Zoro
The true dark horse of the meta. A few weeks ago few people trusted Zoro as a real candidate. The resurgence of red decks after the banning and unbanning of important cards has not been easy. However, having such good matchups against OP05-041-sakazuki-374 and OP05-060-monkeydluffy-174 has made many players decide to give the most aggressive deck in the game a new chance, undoubtedly obtaining great results.
That's true enough that Richard Chen managed to take third place in the North American finals. While only a couple of Zoro players were in the top 64, one of them reaching third place is not a matter of luck. I fervently believe that it's a matter of time until players realize how favorable games against two of the Big Three are for Zoro and then his popularity in North America increases. As I mentioned before, a week ago, in the European finals there were eleven players in the top 64 playing Zoro, thus being the second-most-played leader in the top.
Zoro's big problem is how difficult the match against OP05-098-enel-426 is. It's certainly winnable, but it requires making high-roll plays and some luck. Perhaps slightly adapting the deck for this matchup is the key to Zoro remaining relevant in the meta. Time will tell us the answer.
Tier 3
R/B Luffy
Proof that Starter Deck 10, The Three Captains is the best starter deck of all to date is that two of its three leaders frequently sneak into the tops of large tournaments.
R/B Luffy is a very easy deck to learn to pilot. This is because he is the best leader with 6K power in the meta. This makes attacking for 7K quite easy and we still have enough resources to develop our board. Furthermore, R/B Luffy has a certainly favorable match against OP05-041-sakazuki-374 thanks to how you can play OP05-119-monkeydluffy and ST01-016-diable-jambe in the same deck. The match against OP05-098-enel-426 it's an even one, making his only unfavorable match against the big three being OP05-060-monkeydluffy-174.
Probably what makes him fall behind is that some other fast decks trying to beat Sakazuki and PLuffy like OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 or OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269 build the board faster and put pressure on quickly enough that poking 7K attacks with the leader is irrelevant.
Regardless of this, the deck is not a bad choice at all. Proof of this is Victor Pham, who managed to place fourth in the North American finals.
Victor's roster has a monster late game with four OP02-004-edwardnewgate-511 and triple OP05-119-monkeydluffy and a pretty strong jump from early to mid-game thanks to a good spread between characters with Rush and blockers which gives him pressure against OP05-041-sakazuki-374, and good defense against the aggression that OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 and OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269 can exert making these matches less complicated. Without a doubt the strongest list from this leader that I have seen.
White Beard
Will this be the moment when White Beard returns to his former glories?
As I have already mentioned in this article, red decks have suffered a lot after the banning of important cards for operation. Although this is favorable for them, going from glory to oblivion at the beginning of December last year undoubtedly caused many other archetypes to become stronger and gain a lot of popularity. This makes it difficult to look back at old decks like Edward Newgate or OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 and give them a new chance.
Zoro seems to be regaining strength, but it has taken White Beard a little longer. Will Kevin Phongsa's top 15 be enough to make Edward Newgate's old players trust him again?
In my opinion, it's further proof that the deck is back since little by little it is seen again in tournaments, and having a slightly favorable match against Sakazuki I doubt that its glory days are completely over.
Some believe that it was the best deck in the West from OP02 to OP04, others think that it was always overrated since in Japan it never went beyond being a Tier 2 deck. Which side are you on?
Nami
From my very humble perspective, Nami is a deck that seems to me to always be present, or at least for a long, long time.
Even after OP02-052-cabaji's ban, Nami is still going strong. The main problem is that it has excellent matches against certain slow and control decks, but quite difficult matches against fast and aggressive decks. Basically, its power lies in the fact that it is an excellent answer for metagames that have become very slow.
Nami is a deck with a list already quite established in terms of what is or is not core. However, the list of Chandler Allen, who obtained 37th place in the North American finals, presents the curiosity of not playing OP04-041-apis, a card that has little by little been earning its place in the deck since the release of OP4. Instead, he opts to take all the key cards to a full playset by adding two copies of the only OP05 card in the deck, OP05-050-hina, which makes the early game of this deck slightly less problematic.
R/G Law
We finished this meta journey from last weekend at the North American Finals with R/G Law.
A deck that refuses to die. Without a doubt one of the strong options from the beginning of the game until the moment of banning the red cards. Like OP01-001-roronoa-zoro-924 and OP02-001-edwardnewgate-851, little by little Law's old players decide to give him a new chance.
However, I consider that unlike the aforementioned, R/G Law has a huge problem, and although it can strongly stand up to many meta decks after unbans, Sakazuki, the deck to beat plays four OP05-093-rob-lucci, a new card from OP05 which technically destroy the plan of this archetype.
In any case, this deck in the company of Nammi can be considered the combo decks of the format, thanks to the multiple synergies and pirouettes it can achieve thanks to https://onepiece.gg/cards/OP01-047-trafalgar-law-753, OP02-010-dogura and the leader. It's undoubtedly a deck with a very very high skill ceiling and very difficult to play at the highest level. I think that learning how to play [card]OP01-002-trafalgar-law-269 can undoubtedly make you a better One Piece TCG player. Nechemia Goldman is proof that the archetype can play a good role in the right hands. 61st Place in an almost 2K players tournament is a big achievement!
If the archetype finds an answer for Lucci, I think he could have a new chance to shine.
Ending
It has been a pleasure to go through the archetypes that are part of this week's meta in the most important tournament on our continent.
Seeing the resurgence of some old acquaintances and the slow but clear diversification of the meta seems like a good sign to me. We will have to see what happens over the next couple of months until the release of OP06 where we all know that OP06-080-gecko-moria-parallel awaits us as the deck that will join OP05-041-sakazuki-374 in Tier 1.
We'll see what happens. If in the West OP02-001-edwardnewgate-851 was an undisputed Tier 1 and in Japan, it never went beyond being a Tier 2 deck, interesting things can happen. I will look forward to it.
Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts on this and any other One Piece TCG-related topics in the comment section of this article and on my Twitter. I would love to know if you want this to become a weekly segment, something more focused on learning the fundamentals of the game, or why not, a detailed guide to your favorite leader!
Don't forget we already have some One Piece TCG articles in our main DotGG site.
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Thanks for reading, dear nakamas, don’t forget to smile; I assure you that it makes a difference, see you at Egghead!
