Table of Contents
Black OP06-080-gecko-moria lost much of its popularity in the OP07 meta, but the deck continues to show up in tournaments and even performing in them! There are different versions being played, but I'll share the most recent list that won a regional while also highlighting the other cards players have been including.
This is a control deck that wants to KO opponent's Characters and weaken their attacks, stretching out the game until you create an opportunity to strike down their Leader and win the game. I'll explain the deck's game plan, share different cards you could include, give general tips, and go through important matchups.
Gameplan
Moria is a 5-health Leader with the ability to play a "Thriller Bark Pirate" type Character that costs 4 or less from your Trash. This does require you to put 1 Don on Moria and rest 2 other Dons to play a 4-cost. Technically, you're spending 2 Don!!! to get a 4-cost Character on the field. This offers an early development and less of a Don commitment.
OP06-093-perona, OP06-090-dr-hogback, OP06-081-absalom are the three "Thriller Bark Pirate" Characters you'll want to play through Moria's ability. Each of the "Thriller Bark Pirate" Characters has a unique effect which I'll talk more about later in the article.
The Black Gecko Moria deck wants to win the field presence by using removal cards like EB01-046-brook and OP06-081-absalom, which you'll combine with your cost reduction cards to put opponents' characters in range. The list can outvalue opponents thanks to OP06-090-dr-hogback, OP06-093-perona, and OP03-078-issho providing that card advantage.
This deck heavily relies on OP06-086-gecko-moria for the late game, playing two Characters from the trash, which builds a wider board without expending cards in your hand.
Early Starter
He is best played on turn 2 if you're going second, capable of finding a Navy card to help you set up for future turns. OP03-089-brannew will also trash the two other cards he reveals, so if they're "Thriller Bark Pirate" type Characters, you'll get to replay them on the field with OP06-080-gecko-moria's effect.
Thriller Bark Pirates
These are crucial parts of your OP06-080-gecko-moria game plan. The {Thriller Bark Pirates} Characters have unique effects that you'll want to take advantage of.
OP06-093-perona can either trash 1 card from the opponent's hand or reduce the cost of your opponent's Character. In most cases, you'll opt for trashing a card over the -3 cost reduction. However, in some scenarios, you might need Perona's -3 cost reduction to set up a removal play with Absalom or Brook. OP06-093-perona is best played on the early turns when the opponent has 5 or more cards in their hand, forcing them to trash a card, slowly bleeding them out of resources.
As for OP06-090-dr-hogback, he's a value card, letting you return a "Thriller Bark Pirates" type Character from your trash to your hand. The card you'll choose will depend on the situation of the game. OP06-081-absalom makes sense if you're looking for a removal card, OP06-086-gecko-moria for the late-game value, and OP06-093-perona or OP06-091-victoria-cindry if you need the +2,000 Counter card.
OP06-081-absalom can KO a 2-cost or less Character, and with the many cost reduction cards this list includes, you can put threats in range for OP06-081-absalom. He remains on the field as an attacker, which opponents will need to deal with. We're not stressing much if he ends up KO'd, in fact, this could play into our game plan since we can replay him from the Trash through the effects of Leader OP06-080-gecko-moria or 8-cost OP06-086-gecko-moria.
EB01-046-brook is an alternative removal that requires extra steps. He needs the target to be at 0-cost to KO it, and with his built-in 1-cost reduction effect, you'll technically need to drop a Character to 1-cost for EB01-046-brook to finish off the job. The neat thing about EB01-046-brook is that he remains a threat on the field in later turns. When EB01-046-brook attacks, he can reactivate his cost reduction and KO effects, potentially KOing another Character.
Cost Reduction Characters
Your cost reduction cards are crucial to KOing higher cost targets.
Tsuru is usually used for her +2,000 Power Counter, but there are scenarios where you'll find yourself in need of playing her for the -2 cost-reduction effect. Helmeppo is another cost reducer, giving a target -3 cost. Both Tsuru and Helmeppo can played through OP06-086-gecko-moria (we're usually picking Helmeppo over Tsuru) helping you KO a Character with Absolam.
ST06-008-hina is the strongest Character with a cost-reduction effect. The -4 cost reduction can put targets in range for EB01-046-brook or OP06-081-absalom to KO.
Cost reduction Events play a critical role in helping you keep the board under control. The -5 cost reduction puts 7-cost targets in range for OP06-081-absalom to KO, so with any other cost reducer, we're able to KO a 9-cost or higher Characters. Since OP02-117-ice-age costs only one Don, we can easily play it along with our removal card or with OP06-086-gecko-moria as part of the combo play.
Blockers
Defensive blockers make it more challenging when opponents are trying to damage your Leader or KO a rested Character. However, OP05-091-rebecca and OP04-083-sabo offer more value when played.
OP05-091-rebecca is a value card, capable of drawing a black card with a cost of 3 to 7 from the trash. She can also play a 3-cost or less from hand for free. This means she can play cards like ST06-008-hina or EB01-046-brook. The card we choose will depend on the situation of the game. Do we need a cost reduction, a removal card, or a value card?
If you have multiple Characters on the board, OP04-083-sabo can give them an extra layer of protection by shutting down KO effects from working, forcing opponents to figure out other means to deal with your Characters. Additionally, OP04-083-sabo can filter your hand with trash 2 draw 2 effect, potentially fixing your hand with better cards.
Late Game Value
OP03-078-issho takes the out-value game plan to another level, perfect to play on Don 8 when the opponent has 6 cards or more. Trashing two random cards from their hand plays into the bleeding of their resources strategy, and we could snipe out key cards that the opponent relies on for the late-game plan.
Ideally, you want to have OP06-086-gecko-moria on the field as soon as possible, to set up multiple Characters and create an immediate threat.
The fact that we can play two cards from the trash with a cost of 4 or less and 2 or less means we can play OP06-081-absalom from trash for another removal play along with Helmeppo or Tsuru for the cost reduction.
We aren't tied to those 3 Characters when playing OP06-086-gecko-moria. If we aren't trying to KO a Character on the field, we can pick any of the other 4-cost {Thriller Bark Pirates} Characters. For instance, if we want more value in our hand, we can play OP06-090-dr-hogback to put a card from the trash in our hand. If we want to bleed the opponent's resources, OP06-093-perona is the go-to card. As for 2-costs, we can play OP03-089-brannew for the additional card draw.
OP06-086-gecko-moria can also play OP05-091-rebecca for blocker protection, which can bring EB01-046-brook from trash to KO a Character.
Techs and Options
A blocker that can be tough to go through, especially with its immunity to KO effects.
OP02-096-kuzan is a value card, drawing you a card on play. Additionally, it forces players to find a way to remove it as fast as possible to prevent the -4 cost reduction when OP02-096-kuzan goes for the attack.
A Powerful removal card that can KO a 5-cost or less Character. It has to trash a card from hand to activate its effect, but it can dish out damage with its 7,000 Power.
Most lists in OP07 are cutting out OP05-093-rob-lucci, but it's still a consideration to add since it synergizes with your game plan and can be played through OP06-086-gecko-moria.
General Tips
- Countering with cards will put them in the Trash. We can use this to our advantage by getting back those cards with OP06-080-gecko-moria, OP06-090-dr-hogback, or OP06-086-gecko-moria.
- Don't return "Thriller Bark Pirates" cards to the deck with OP06-081-absalom or OP06-090-dr-hogback's abilities since you might need to find them in the Trash and play them later on. Prioritize returning Events since you won't get any value from them while in the Trash.
- Keep track of cards in the trash. You don't want to end up wasting Don on Moria or playing an early OP06-090-dr-hogback if the cards you need aren't in the Trash. Moria also only plays cards from Trash, so it's important to know what our options are.
- Make sure to play your cost reduction Event like OP02-117-ice-age[/card before you drop the [card]OP06-086-gecko-moria into OP06-081-absalom play. You can't play your Events once you drop OP06-086-gecko-moria.
Mulligan
- An early OP03-089-brannew if you're going second to draw a card and put the two other cards in the trash. We usually want to go first to play a 4-cost early into the game, so OP06-093-perona is great to have in the starting hand.
- OP06-081-absalom is also a card you want either in hand or trash so you can ensure your control strategy is online.
Important Matchups
Black Rob Lucci
- This will end up being a value game, with both players capable of controlling the field and stalling out the game.
- OP06-086-gecko-moria is extremely important in this matchup to shift the field presence in your favor.
- Forcing them to trash cards with OP06-093-perona and OP03-078-issho cuts down on their resources.
- Try to have less than 6 cards in the late game to avoid an OP03-078-issho trashing two of your cards.
- Keep an eye on their trash. We want to know if they have cards like Rob Lucci or Helmeppo in there. Seeing OP06-086-gecko-moria and OP03-078-issho in their trash is great since they are carry cards that are now difficult for them to get in their hand.
Green Jewelry Bonney
- We want to KO characters that give them Don. So OP07-021-urouge and EB01-012-cavendish are a must to remove quickly to make it difficult for opponent to activate Leader effect.
- We can't KO OP07-029-basil-hawkins through our effects, so it's best to ignore him or set up a high-power attack to deal with him.
- OP01-051-eustasscaptainkid-701 can shut us down from reaching their Leader, so we'll need to either attack him with Gecko Moria or Issho and force them to use Counter cards or blockers. We can use our KO effects, but OP05-030-donquixote-rosinante can shut down our plans. Instead of wasting our cost-reduction resources on OP01-051-eustasscaptainkid-701, we should first KO OP05-030-donquixote-rosinante with OP06-081-absalom.
- OP06-118-roronoa-zoro is a massive threat that can't be allowed to remain on the field as the triple attack can be devastating.
Red Purple Law
- It's important for us to KO one of their Characters and weaken their attacks. We're up against an aggressive deck that can develop two characters a turn.
- Ramp Characters like OP05-067-zoro-juurou and OP05-074-eustasscaptainkid give them active Don to continue their aggressive plan. We need to KO those characters as fast as possible.
- Leader Law will return OP06-081-absalom to our deck, so we won't be able to play him from trash.
- Try to stay at 6 cards or less in hand so ST10-010-trafalgar-law doesn't trash two of your cards.
- It can be difficult to play Issho in this matchup, we'll rely more on Gecko Moria to go wider on the field and potentially KO a character with OP06-081-absalom.
- Rebecca might not find use as a blocker since she can be easily removed by Leader Law's effect. If they commit an attack, immediately block with Rebecca before they remove her.
Black Yellow Luffy
- This is an extremely tough matchup due to OP04-083-sabos shutting down your KO effects.
- Avoid attacking their Leader and take things to the late game, relying on your high-cost Characters as win conditions. We want high-power attackers to go through the Power boost Leader Luffy will gain in the late game.
- Blockers can protect your Leader as the opponent will mostly focus on attacking your Leader in the late-game, ignoring your low-power characters since they don't pose a threat.
Purple Blue Reiju
- The Perona trashing a card isn't too effective in this matchup. They get to replay the trashed card.
- They have a lot of card value to keep up with your late-game and counter your attacks.
- This will end up grindy matchup and will come down to their OP06-062-vinsmoke-judge and Gecko Moria.
- They don't have removal tools to deal with your board and will resort to swinging and clearing them with their attackers.
Enel
- Make sure they don't win the board presence. We're not playing aggressively, but more so trying to keep their field in check while building a wide field of attackers.
- Build up a board presence with the help of Gecko Moria before you go for the lethal attack. Leave them at 2 Life Cards and then start building up the field. We don't want them to gain value through OP04-112-yamato or OP07-119-portgasdace.
- If you're at 4 health OP05-102-gedatsu can KO your 4-cost Characters.
Green/Yellow Yamato
- They'll be extremely aggressive and try to force your Counter cards. You can't ignore OP06-104-kikunojo and will have to try and KO her even if it's giving your opponent an extra Life card.
- Try to counter out the Leader Yamato + OP06-101-o-nami banish play. You'd rather not take 2 damage and not get any cards out of them.
- Rebecca and Sabo are nice to block Leader Yamato's attack. However, your opponent can rest your blockers with Hody Jones.
- Ice Age + Absalomi can deal with OP06-035-hody-jones on the spot.
Green/Black Perona
- They can match your board and have access to removal cards to deal with rested characters. Their Leader can also rest your 4-cost Character, making it vulnerable to their attackers.
- OP06-092-brook on 6 Don!!! can deal with cards like Borsalino and Rob Lucci.
- Some lists are including either OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo or OP06-118-roronoa-zoro. OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo keeps your Leader and two other Characters rested, shutting down your attack turn and stopping your Leader Moria's effect.
As for OP06-118-roronoa-zoro, the multiple attacks become problematic and almost impossible to deal with if you don't KO OP06-118-roronoa-zoro on the spot.
Yellow Katakuri
- Just like the Enel matchup, they have Trigger cards that can create threatening attackers if activated. With Leader Katakuri's effect, they'll get to increase the odds of finding those triggers on top of their Life Area.
- The 10c OP03-114-charlotte-linlin is their biggest threat, trashing one of your life cards out and adding one to theirs. This play does shut them down for the turn, but they'll have a 12,000-power attacker ready to attack your leader on the upcoming turn.
- If you're at 4 health OP05-102-gedatsu can KO your 4-cost Characters.
- OP05-115-two-hundred-million-volts-amaru can rest your Rebecca and set up an aggressive turn for your opponent.
Closing Words
The Black Gecko Moria deck can be difficult to get the hang of at first, but it's a skill-rewarding deck once you learn how to adapt to different matchups. It takes advantage of Trashed cards, making it more of a value deck that wants to prolong the game until the Gecko Morias take over.
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