Table of Contents
Introduction
If you’re looking for a leader that overwhelms opponents with relentless waves of threats and cheats out powerful characters to secure board control, OP13-079-imu is the standout choice in OP13. Released alongside other strong leaders like OP13-002-portgasdace and OP13-003-goldroger, Imu stands apart with unique restrictions and potent effects that let you flood the board turn after turn while still maintaining card advantage.
Welcome to your complete deckbuilding guide for OP13-079-imu, a brand-new and truly unique Black leader in the OP13 format. In this guide, we’ll break down the core strategies, key card choices, and flexible tech options that fuel this board-centric deck. By fully leveraging OP13-079-imu’s restrictions and powerful effects, you’ll learn how to unlock its full potential. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Core Cards: The key staples that serve as the backbone of every OP13-079-imu deck.
- Tech Cards: Flexible options to fine-tune your build, adapt to your playstyle, and answer specific matchups.
- Sample Decklists: Tested decklists that showcase different tech cards to maximize this OP13-079-imu’s strengths.
OP13-079-imu may be one of the easiest leaders to pick up in OP13, but it’s also among the hardest to truly master. Success with Imu hinges on careful resource management and precise sequencing, as the deck thrives on recovery and board control. While its restriction of not being able to include Events that cost 2 or more might seem limiting, it hardly matters since core options like OP13-098-never-existed-in-the-first-place, OP13-097-the-worlds-equilibrium-cannot-be-maintained-forever, and OP13-096-the-five-elders-are-at-your-service all sit at a base cost of 1.
OP13-079-imu also provides a massive head start by letting you begin the game with a Mary Geoise Stage directly from your deck, such as OP13-099-the-empty-throne or OP05-097-mary-geoise, both of which directly support its strategy.
On top of that, Imu’s once-per-turn ability to discard a Celestial Dragons Character or any card from your hand to draw 1 keeps plays consistent and resources flowing. Together, these effects provide built-in consistency, accelerate your setup from turn one, and allow Imu to maintain pressure and card advantage throughout the match, making it a strong contender not only against OP12 staples but also the new wave of OP13 leaders.
Sit upon the Empty Throne as we build this deck card by card and let your opponent witness OP13-079-imu’s ultimate power!
Core Cards
Every solid Imu deck starts with the same foundation. These must-have cards enable your game plan by tutoring key pieces, unleashing an unending wave of board presence, and draining your opponent’s resources until they’re overwhelmed.
Utility Cards: Low-Cost Staples
OP13-086-saint-shalria is a 1-cost searcher that looks at the top 3 cards of your deck, adds a Celestial Dragons card excluding another Saint Shalria to your hand, and trashes the rest along with 1 card from your hand. This makes your OP13-082-five-elders plays from 10 DON!! onward even stronger, as you can strategically trash all unique Five Elder-type Characters early to mid-game using Saint Shalria’s effect.
While her [On Play] effect helps you find key cards like OP13-082-five-elders and build up your trash, it can feel underwhelming since you’re left with a 0-power body and technically go down a card. However, she synergizes perfectly with OP13-079-imu. Thanks to Imu’s [Activate: Main] {Once Per Turn} effect, Shalria becomes reliable fodder to cycle through your deck and maintain a healthy hand, effectively turning what seems like a disadvantage into consistent card advantage.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
The next card is OP13-092-saint-mjosgard, it works primarily as a searchable 2000 counter. Even though it has an interesting [On Play] effect that lets you play 1 Mary Geoise-type Stage card with a cost of 1 from your trash, it's still a situational card as most meta decks don't run stage removals cards. Most of the time it's just better to use him as a 2k counter and ignore his on play effect.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
A cost-efficient searcher, OP13-096-the-five-elders-are-at-your-service is a 1-cost Event that lets you look at the top 3 cards of your deck, reveal up to 1 Celestial Dragons-type card (excluding another copy of this card) to add to your hand, and trash the remaining two, similar to OP13-086-saint-shalria’s effect, fueling your trash to make OP13-082-five-elders even stronger later in the game.
This card allows you to fetch key pieces depending on the situation: OP13-083-st-jaygarcia-saturn if you need another searcher, OP13-091-st-marcus-mars if you need removal, or OP13-082-five-elders if you don’t yet have a copy in hand. Additionally, its trigger effect when drawn from your Life adds extra consistency to every game.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
The next Event is OP13-097-the-worlds-equilibrium-cannot-be-maintained-forever, a versatile 1-cost 3000 counter with a [Main] effect that lets you K.O. up to 1 of your opponent’s Characters with a base cost of 6 or less, provided all your Characters are Celestial Dragons-type and you rest 5 of your active DON!!. This makes it an excellent tool for removing blockers or key threats, helping secure wins and proving its value on both offense and defense, making it a staple in the deck.
Run 2-4 copies as recommended.
OP13-098-never-existed-in-the-first-place is the final Event in the set, primarily serving as a 1-cost 4000 counter when your leader is Imu, making it harder for your opponent to attack your leader or Characters. Additionally, with its [Main] effect you can rest one of your DON!! cards to K.O. an opponent’s Stage with a cost of 7 if your leader is Imu, making it a direct counter to your opponent's OP13-099-the-empty-throne in mirror matches, as it is currently the only Stage with a cost of 7.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
The Holy Stages: Value Meets Tempo
OP05-097-mary-geoise is a 1-cost Stage with a [Your Turn] effect that reduces the cost of playing Celestial Dragons-type Characters with a cost of 2 or more from your hand by 1. This applies to all of the deck’s core Characters, making the deck more DON!! efficient and giving you 1 to 2 active DON!! to use for attacks or defense.
When deciding which Stage to play with OP13-079-imu’s start-of-game effect, the only matchup where OP05-097-mary-geoise takes priority over OP13-099-the-empty-throne is in the Black Imu mirror match. In most other cases, OP05-097-mary-geoise just serves as discard fodder for OP13-079-imu’s [Activate: Main] {Once Per Turn} effect, OP13-091-st-marcus-mars’s [On Play] effect, or OP13-082-five-elders’s [Activate: Main] effect.
Run 1 copy as recommended.
The primary engine of the deck, OP13-099-the-empty-throne, is a 7-cost Stage with a [Your Turn] effect that gives your leader +1000 power when you have 19 or more cards in the trash. However, the real reason this Stage elevates the deck is its insane [Activate: Main] effect, which lets you cheat out Five Elders-type Characters for just 3 DON!!, provided the Character’s cost is equal to or less than the number of DON!! cards on your field. This includes key pieces like OP13-083-st-jaygarcia-saturn, OP13-091-st-marcus-mars, OP13-084-st-shepherd-ju-peter, and OP13-082-five-elders. Thanks to this effect, The Empty Throne is often the preferred Stage to select with OP13-079-imu’s unique ability over OP05-097-mary-geoise, since playing a 7-cost Stage in later turns can be inefficient and even costly.
Let’s run a quick simulation: with 8 DON!! on your field, you can activate The Empty Throne to play OP13-091-st-marcus-mars and remove an opponent’s Character, then follow up with OP13-089-st-topman-warcury for its original cost of 4. This still leaves 1 active DON!! for attacking or defending, while keeping both Mars and Warcury on the board, setting you up to reach 10 DON!! next turn, where the deck truly shines. You could also cheat out OP13-082-five-elders for just 3 DON!!, leaving 7 active DON!! for additional plays.
In mirror matchups, it is recommended to choose OP05-097-mary-geoise with OP13-079-imu’s unique effect over OP13-099-the-empty-throne, even though the latter is powerful, since opponents can easily remove it with OP13-098-never-existed-in-the-first-place, disrupting your tempo and denying your card advantage.
Run 1 copy as recommended.
The Five Elders: Strategic Backbones
Just like in the series, the Five Elders are incredibly durable. In OPTCG, each Five Elders becomes immune to opponent removal effects once you have seven or more cards in your trash, making them a strong counter to heavy removal decks like OP09-081-marshalldteach and OP07-079-rob-lucci. Let’s see just how powerful this deck’s core can be:
The first of the Five Elders, OP13-089-st-topman-warcury, is a solid 4-cost Character that gains [Blocker] once you have 7 or more cards in your trash. This works perfectly with its [On K.O.] effect, which lets you draw 1 card, making it an ideal piece to support your game plan, outvalue your opponent, and survive even against removal-heavy decks. Combined with OP13-099-the-empty-throne, you effectively summon a blocker with a guaranteed draw for only 3 DON!!, giving you both board protection and hand advantage.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
Next up, OP13-083-st-jaygarcia-saturn is a 4-cost searcher with an [On Play] effect that lets you look at the top 5 cards of your deck and reveal up to 1 Five Elders-type card to add to your hand, including a copy of himself if you want to chain searches using OP13-099-the-empty-throne’s cost reduction. This greatly increases your chances of finding key pieces like OP13-084-st-shepherd-ju-peter or OP13-082-five-elders.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
The next Five Elder is OP13-091-st-marcus-mars, a 6-cost defensive anchor for the deck. His [On Play] effect lets you K.O. up to one of your opponent’s Characters with a base cost of 5 or less by trashing 1 card from your hand. Like the other Elders, he also gains a bonus effect once you have 7 or more cards in your trash, giving him additional utility as a [Blocker] alongside OP13-089-st-topman-warcury.
Mars is a key piece to stabilize your board in the mid-game. With OP13-099-the-empty-throne’s effect, you can remove your opponent’s high-priority Characters like EB01-012-cavendish or EB02-035-sanji-pudding while keeping a blocker on board, effectively securing your path to the late game for just 3 DON!!.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
OP13-080-st-ethanbaron-v-nusjuro is a 6-cost Character and the only [Rush] unit in the deck once you have seven or more cards in your trash. As the deck’s offensive core, it serves a dual role: a lethal threat that can catch opponents off guard, and a Character remover thanks to its [When Attacking] effect, which reduces an opponent’s Character’s power by 2000, leaving opposing units weakened and vulnerable.
Since V. Nusjuro is the most explosive Five Elder to summon from OP13-099-the-empty-throne, you can even sometimes play him twice in a single turn, effectively adding two extra attackers to remove opposing units, weaken blockers, or push for the win.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
The final, and by no means least, Five Elder in this deck is OP13-084-st-shepherd-ju-peter, a 7-cost Character and the only Five Elder with a 2000 counter instead of 1000, making it a top priority in searches for defending your leader or other key Characters.
However, what truly makes OP13-084-st-shepherd-ju-peter a core piece is its ability to set all Five Elder-type Characters on your field to 7000-power once you have 10 or more cards in your trash. This significantly increases the difficulty for your opponent to block your primary attackers and greatly strengthens your deck’s closing potential in the late game.
Using OP13-099-the-empty-throne's effect, you can effectively boost your whole board for just 3 DON!!. Keep in mind, though, that this sets power to 7000, meaning OP13-082-five-elders’s power will drop from 12000 to 7000. Planning around this interaction is key when sequencing your turns to maximize attacks and maintain pressure.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
The Win Condition: Zero to Full Board
OP13-082-five-elders is the primary win condition in every OP13-079-imu deck. This 10-cost, 12000-power Character has a phenomenal effect: if your leader is Imu, you can rest 1 of your DON!! cards, trash a card from your hand, and trash all of your Characters to play up to 5 Five Elder-type Characters with 5000-power and different names from your trash.
At 10 DON!! and beyond, cheating out OP13-082-five-elders through OP13-099-the-empty-throne becomes your main win condition. This sequence floods the board while leaving DON!! open for attacks or defense, giving you:
- OP13-084-st-shepherd-ju-peter (Aura Effect) – grants all Five Elders +1000 power, giving you a five 7000-power attackers, massively increasing offensive pressure.
- OP13-089-st-topman-warcury ([Blocker] + Guaranteed Draw) – serves as a blocker while also guaranteeing a card draw, keeping your hand healthy.
- OP13-091-st-marcus-mars ([Blocker] + Key Unit Removal) – another blocker that also removes key enemy units, weakening opponent's board.
- OP13-080-st-ethanbaron-v-nusjuro ([Rush] + Pseudo-Removal) – the deck’s offensive core, a [Rush] attacker that inflicts -2000 power on an enemy when attacking for pseudo-removal, or simply swings face to push lethal.
- OP13-083-st-jaygarcia-saturn (Searcher) – provides a search and card draw, ensuring card advantage and consistency in your plays.
With the deck’s built-in strong search and draw consistency, OP13-082-five-elders can be played turn after turn for just 4 DON!! through OP13-099-the-empty-throne, quickly overwhelming opponents and leaving them with no answers.
Strategically, delaying OP13-082-five-elders’ effect can be a high-value play if you’re confident the opponent lacks removal options on their turn. By holding back, you set up a 12000-power attacker for the following turn, which forces your opponent into an unfavorable position since few decks can reliably defend against that threshold.
However, this line comes with a risk as OP13-084-st-shepherd-ju-peter can reduce its power by 5000, weakening the setup. To mitigate this, the optimal sequence is to attack with all active Five Elders first (excluding OP13-082-five-elders). Then, use OP13-079-imu’s once-per-turn ability on OP13-084-st-shepherd-ju-peter. Once Ju Peter is removed, OP13-082-five-elders becomes a 12000-power attacker, giving you a high-value swing that few decks can contest. After attacking with the rest of your units, you can then activate OP13-082-five-elders’ effect to refresh your board and refill your hand. This sequencing not only maximizes efficiency but also sustains pressure while converting expendable Characters into long-term resource advantage.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
Tech Cards
With the core of the OP13-079-imu deck firmly in place, it’s time to dive into Tech Cards. These versatile options allow you to customize your strategy and respond effectively to whatever threats the meta throws at you.
Most Popular
One of the most effective tech cards for OP13-079-imu decks focused on defense is PRB02-014-sabo. This 6-cost, 6000-power [Blocker] with a 2000 counter becomes even more valuable once you have 15 or more cards in your trash, reducing its cost by 3 and allowing you to summon it for just 3 DON!! instead of 6. While reaching 15 cards in the trash might seem challenging, OP13-079-imu’s overall strategy makes it achievable from the mid to late game, making PRB02-014-sabo a highly impactful addition to the deck.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
Defensive Options
OP05-086-nefeltari-vivi is a 1-cost [Blocker] with a 1000 counter that becomes active once you have 10 or more cards in your trash. It serves as a reliable, low-cost utility card mainly for defending your units and can even help you survive an extra turn in the later stages of the game. Playing a [Blocker] for just 1 DON!! during crucial turns can be a game-changer, and with OP13-099-the-empty-throne enabling you to cheat out Characters efficiently, you can consistently maintain an extra DON!! each turn.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
The next tech option is OP13-087-saint-charlos, a 2-cost [Blocker] with an [On Play] effect that trashes the top card of your deck, helping to make your OP13-082-five-elders turns more consistent. It’s also the only tech card in this build that can be searched by your searchers, increasing its reliability. This is especially valuable for Five Elder-type Characters like OP13-084-st-shepherd-ju-peter, which require 10 or more cards in your trash instead of 7, as a larger trash pile boosts both the deck’s consistency and overall resiliency.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
The last defensive tech option is OP04-089-bartolomeo, a 3-cost [Blocker] with a 2,000 counter. With its straightforward design, it serves as a perfect substitute when you don’t have PRB02-014-sabo, as they share the same cost and counter value. The only downside is its low power, which makes it easier to remove and harder to attack with compared to PRB02-014-sabo.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
Board Control
If you want to include more removal, consider these two cards. They allow you to control the board by clearing key threats while playing high-power Characters, which helps secure your victory in the late game. However, these cards are highly situational and can feel clunky at times. If you don’t find the right moment to play them, they can still serve as fodder for trash-related effects.
The deck has limited removal options, mainly OP13-091-st-marcus-mars and OP13-097-the-worlds-equilibrium-cannot-be-maintained-forever, so having additional options is valuable, especially OP07-085-stussy that allow you remove powerful threats like OP06-118-roronoa-zoro, OP13-042-edwardnewgate or OP09-118-goldroger.
Run 0-2 copies depending on personal preference.
Sample Deck Lists
Decklist Placement: Bandai OPFest 3v3; 1st Place
This deck list focuses on defensive options, running OP05-086-nefeltari-vivi and OP13-087-saint-charlos as additional blockers. Their low cost and 1000 counter make the deck more resilient against aggressive decks like OP12-001-silvers-rayleigh, allowing this OP13-079-imu build to consistently survive early- to mid-game pressure.
Decklist Placement: Bandai OPFest 3v3; Placement: 1st Place
Although it’s still early to tell, this build could form the foundation of a standard list for OP13-079-imu decks. It combines defensive tech with PRB02-014-sabo and strong removal via OP07-085-stussy, which can target key threats like OP13-042-edwardnewgate or OP09-118-goldroger from OP13-002-portgasdace match up and popular Green decks featuring OP06-118-roronoa-zoro. This balance of offense and defense makes the deck effective across the current OP13 meta.
Decklist Placement: ShopEvent(8-1); Placement: 1st Place
This list shows that using tech cards with similar roles and stats can still perform remarkably well. For example, OP04-089-bartolomeo can serve as a substitute for PRB02-014-sabo, as the deck’s core cards are strong enough on their own and synergize effectively with the right tech choices.
Conclusion
To wrap up, OP13-079-imu is easy to pick up but challenging to master as a leader, offering a powerful and flexible playstyle focused on board control, resource management, and relentless pressure. By sequencing carefully, maximizing trash effects, and knowing when to deploy your win conditions, like OP13-082-five-elders or cheating out key Characters with OP13-099-the-empty-throne, you can dominate every match.
Whether you’re a new player or a seasoned veteran, this deck rewards thoughtful play and precise planning, making OP13-079-imu a formidable contender in the OP13 format.
Now, sit on the Empty Throne, unleash the Five Elders, and show the world that standing against Imu, the Supreme Ruler of the World Government, is a battle they cannot win!
