Table of Contents
Heya everyone! Today, I'm covering one of the hardest decks to play in OP09 meta, Black OP09-081-marshalldteach. This deck heavily relies on understanding how your deck works and more importantly, how your opponent's deck works. Your Leader effect burns your resources, but it can completely shut down the opponent's strategy and weaken their upcoming turns, buying you enough time to win the field and start going for aggressive attacks.
Also, because OP09-081-marshalldteach changes the rules by shutting you off from activating the On Play effect, we have to build OP09-081-marshalldteach differently than we usually do with Black decks.
Gameplan
OP09-081-marshalldteach prevents you from activating "On Play" effects, so this list relies on Characters with "Activate: Main" effects and Events to help you control the field and keep the opponent from overtaking the game.
On top of that, OP09-081-marshalldteach has a powerful effect that prevents opponent from activating their own On Play effect, ruining their plays on the upcoming turn. Our deck is built to play without the need for "On Play" effects, but most of the decks you'll face aren't. This can slow opponents down, prevent them from removing key Characters on your side of the field, and even shut them down from protecting their Leader.
However, to activate OP09-081-marshalldteach's effect and shut off opponent's On Play effects, you have to trash a card from your hand. This burns your resources and can be costly when overused. This is where matchup knowledge is crucial to piloting OP09-081-marshalldteach, knowing exactly which turns your opponent wants that On Play effect the most and shutting it down instead of activating it too early in the game.
To control the field, we have removal options like OP09-090-doc-q,EB01-051-finger-pistol, and OP09-098-black-hole. They're all tied to the cost of the opponent's Characters, so in some cases, you'll have to reduce the cost of the opponent's Character to put within range of your removal card. Here is where EB01-048-laboon and OP09-083-van-augur back you up, allowing you to reduce a Character's cost through their Activate: Main effects.
Early Turns
OP09-095-laffitte and OP09-096-my-erabegins are searcher cards, helping you find {Blackbeard Pirates} cards that you'll want for the upcoming turns. You have to rest OP09-095-laffitte and one of your Don to activate his effect, which will force opponents to attack and KO it so you don't continue to gain value from it.
OP09-099-fullalead is a great Stage to filter your hand for better cards, allowing you to trash a card and look at the top 3 cards of your deck and add a {Blackbeard Pirates} card. This helps you find the cards you need for future turns and add more cards to your trash. Having cards in your trash will benefit the OP09-086-jesus-burgess win condition, which I'll talk more about later in this guide.
Control Cards
OP09-090-doc-q is a 2-cost Character that when rested, can KO a 1-cost or less Character. So you aren't really KOing much with OP09-090-doc-q on his own, which means you'll rely on cost-reduction cards like EB01-048-laboon to put Character in range to KO.
We can play OP09-090-doc-q on the early turns only when we're confident the opponent doesn't have the means to remove it from play. We'll leave it in play until we can use one of the cost-reduction cards. If we know the opponent's deck has the tools to remove OP09-090-doc-q, we'll hold off on playing him until we can find value from him in the mid/late-game.
OP08-084-jack's effect lets you rest him to draw and trash a card, filtering your hand, and KO a 3-cost or less Character. So through his Activate: Main effect, you can KO a Character on the turn he's played. So you can combo him with EB01-048-laboon or OP09-083-van-augur to KO higher-cost Characters.
Keep in mind that OP08-084-jack needs to rest for his effect to activate, so although you can activate his effect on the turn he's played and KO a Character. However, this can put him at risk of getting KO'd if the opponent has a high-power Character ready to attack him. Also, for our upcoming turn, we'll need to decide whether we prefer to reactivate his KO effect and rest him or make use of the 8,000 Power and attack an opponent's rested Character or their Leader.
Additionally, OP08-084-jack gaining +4 cost when he's in play makes him a nuisance for specific decks/cards to remove him. For example, Rob Lucci and Black Yellow Luffy decks won't be able to remove him through their cost-reliant KO cards.
EB01-051-finger-pistol and OP09-098-black-hole are your stronger KO options, each finds use in different situations. EB01-051-finger-pistol is great for higher-cost Characters, capable of KOing a 5-cost or less Character. It'll also trash the 2 cards at the top of your deck, adding more to your trash.
EB01-051-finger-pistol also has an insanely strong Trigger effect, allowing you to activate its effect and KO a 5-cost Character. You're KOing one of the opponent's Characters without having to use any of your Don and if that Character hasn't attacked yet, you're slowing down their aggression and saving up Counter cards.
As for OP09-098-black-hole, it negates the effect of a Character, and then if it's a 4-cost or less Character it KO's it. This is perfect for Characters with a KO immunity that OP09-090-doc-q or EB01-051-finger-pistol cannot deal with. It also can shut down "On KO" effects from activating, which can be a blow to the opponent's game plan.
Cost-Reduction
EB01-048-laboon is your strongest cost-reduction Character, giving your opponent's Character a -4 cost-reduction. You have to rest EB01-048-laboon to activate his effect, so it puts it in a vulnerable spot on the upcoming turn.
As for OP09-083-van-augur, he works similarly to EB01-048-laboon but only gives a -3 cost reduction. A 5-cost Character with a weaker effect than EB01-048-laboon seems like a downside, but OP09-083-van-augur has an On OK effect, drawing you a card. This adds to our resources, especially since we're trashing cards with our Leader's effect, it'll benefit us in the long run.
EB01-048-laboon is perfect to combine with OP09-090-doc-q to KO a 5-cost Character or a 4-cost Character when combined with OP09-083-van-augur.
You can play EB01-048-laboon or OP09-083-van-augur on the field and leave them until the upcoming turn to use their cost-reduction for EB01-051-finger-pistol, OP09-098-black-hole, or OP08-084-jack. Your opponent will likely try to remove EB01-048-laboon or OP09-083-van-augur before you get value out of them.
OP07-096-tempest-kick is a 1-cost event to reduce the cost of one of the opponent's Characters by -3. At the same time, you get to draw a card, so you're not losing on resources when playing it. To activate OP07-096-tempest-kick, you need to have 10 cards in your trash, which shouldn't be too difficult to achieve. Technically, you need to have 9 cards in the trash, and when you play OP07-096-tempest-kick, it'll go to the trash becoming 10 cards.
Finally, OP09-089-stronger is a 1-cost Character to use if you need the -2 cost-reduction. It will force you to trash OP09-089-stronger and a card from your hand to activate its effect, but you'll get to draw a card in return.
You have to plan your turns to combo EB01-048-laboon or OP09-083-van-augur with your higher-cost removal cards EB01-051-finger-pistol, OP09-098-black-hole, and OP08-084-jack. Whereas OP07-096-tempest-kick and OP09-089-stronger are generally easier to set up with OP08-084-jack for less Don commitment.
Win Condition
OP09-086-jesus-burgess is a low-cost Character to play whenever possible and use as a late-game win condition. The 4-cost Character gains a +1,000 Power boost for every 4 cards in your trash. So as you trash cards throughout the game, OP09-086-jesus-burgess will gain more Power, eventually becoming too strong for opponents to KO through their attackers.
They also can't use KO effects to remove OP09-086-jesus-burgess, becoming extremely annoying, going for heavy attacks, and getting you closer to winning the game.
It's important we don't allow opponents to KO OP09-086-jesus-burgess through their attacks, so using up Counter resources to protect him is usually worth it. Remember, when using a Counter card, that card will go in the trash, so you could hit an extra 4 cards in your trash for the +1,000 Power boost through OP09-086-jesus-burgess's effect.
Late-Game Carry
OP09-093-marshalldteach is your strongest late-game playing, acting as a 12,000 Power Blocker, to protect you on the upcoming turn from one of the opponent's attacks. OP09-093-marshalldteach's Activate:Main effect can only be used on the turn he's played, so make sure to activate it to negate the effect of the opponent's Leader during this turn. Then, negate the effect of 1 of your opponent's Characters and that Character cannot attack until the end of your opponent's next turn.
Negating the effect of the opponent's Leader during your turn can be great against Leaders like OP09-001-shanks and OP07-019-jewelry-bonney, which could force them to use Counter cards.
Halting one of the opponent's Characters from attacking + OP09-093-marshalldteach's blocker keyword + Leader OP09-081-marshalldteach shutting down opponent's On Play effects will weaken their offensive pressure on the upcoming turn, buying you time to create an opportunity to win the game.
Techs and Options
OP02-117-ice-age is probably the strongest cost-reduction card you can add to the list to KO a high-cost Character. For only 1 Don, you can reduce a Character's cost by -5, perfect in a meta where high-cost win conditions are popular.
OP08-079-kaido is a late-game carry, trashing a card from your hand to trash a 7-cost or less Character and a card from the opponent's hand. So although you're losing a card from your hand to activate his effect, you're still removing 2 cards from the opponent's side, a Character on the field, and a card in their hand are trashed. This effect can only be activated on the turn OP08-079-kaido was played.
OP09-084-catarina-devon's effect lets you gain one of three keywords: Double Attack, Banish, or Blocker. Each keyword can be of use in different scenarios and depending on the state of the game.
General Tips
- Rested Characters like EB01-048-laboon and OP09-083-van-augur can keep generating value with their cost-reduction, so opponents will try to KO them. When possible, protect them if you value their cost-reduction or attacks. OP09-086-jesus-burgess is the number 1 Character to protect from attackers, his offensive pressure is extremely valuable in the long run.
- Understand the top meta decks and what your opponents' strategies are. Your Leader OP09-081-marshalldteach wants to shut down the opponent's On Play effects, so knowing when each deck has a strong On Play effect to play is crucial to saving up resources.
- Since we're playing a 5-health Leader, we're not too worried about getting aggroed early in games. We don't want to end up starved, having Life cards in our hand benefits us in the long run.
Mulligan Tips
- OP09-099-fullalead or one of your searcher cards are great to have in the early game to help plan your next turns.
- OP09-086-jesus-burgess is a win condition, especially when opponents don't have the means to remove him, so having him in hand early on is great.
- You can't search and draw EB01-048-laboon. So you don't mind having it in your starting hand against matchups where the -4 cost reduction is important to control the field.
Important Matchups
Blue Doflamingo
- OP01-060-donquixote-doflamingo plays aggressively, cheating out Characters through Leader effect and OP07-045-jinbe to develop multiple Characters in one turn.
- The Doffy player can activate On Play effects as early as turn 2, and since we don't want to get overwhelmed in the mid-game, we'll be activating Leader OP09-081-marshalldteach's effect immediately when the Doffy player can play a 4-cost Character. This means if the opponent goes first, we're forced to activate OP09-081-marshalldteach's effect on turn 1.
- We're mainly worried about ST17-002-trafalgar-law and OP07-045-jinbe. OP07-045-jinbe allows opponent to go wide on the field, whereas ST17-002-trafalgar-law can weaken our side of the field, returning the likes of OP09-086-jesus-burgess and EB01-048-laboon to our hand.
- We're also shutting down value cards like EB01-023-edward-weevil and ST03-004-gecko-moria from activating their On Play effects.
- OP06-058-gravity-blade-raging-tiger is the only card that can put us behind on the field.
- If we manage to stabilize the game, OP09-093-marshalldteach should carry if they don't have OP04-056-gum-gum-red-roc to remove him.
Purple Monkey D. Luffy
- We're against a Ramp deck that wants to accelerate its game plan by gaining more Don and sacrificing Life cards. They'll be forced to play more defensively when it comes to their Life cards.
- Don 7+ is where opponent has their strong On Play effects, relying on Characters like ST18-005-luffy-tarou, OP09-065-sanji, OP08-069-charlotte-linlin to help shift the field presence in their favor. If opponent is at Don 6 (they can ramp to 7 with OP05-060-monkeydluffy) in the upcoming turn, it's important we start activating Leader Teach's effect to shut them from activating those On Play effects and weakening opponent's turns.
- OP09-086-jesus-burgess is the carry in this matchup since opponent doesn't have an answer to him. OP08-069-charlotte-linlin is their only reliable way of removing him from play, which we'll keep shutting opponent from activating her On Play effect.
- Preventing OP08-069-charlotte-linlin's On Play effect means they won't be able to gain an extra Life card, putting them at high risk of losing to your attacks.
Green Bonney
- You're up against a deck that shines at stalling out games using OP07-019-jewelry-bonney, OP08-023-carrot, and the fortress strategy.
- Attack with your high-power Characters first so it doesn't get rested by OP07-019-jewelry-bonney. Remember, OP07-019-jewelry-bonney can also rest EB01-048-laboon or OP09-083-van-augur, which prevents you from activating their effects. Make sure to activate the cost-reduction effect before you start attacking.
- Our biggest concerns are ST16-004-shanks and OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo, so we have to activate Leader Teach's effect to prevent their On Play effects.
- The Fortress strategy is where things get difficult. Since opponent doesn't have tools to remove OP09-086-jesus-burgess, we can use him as an attacker to target OP01-051-eustasscaptainkid-701 and force opponent to play Counter cards or use a blocker. We can't use our KO effects on OP01-051-eustasscaptainkid-701 due to OP05-030-donquixote-rosinante. Our best bet is to slowly run them out of resources or rely on OP08-079-kaido.
- We can play around OP01-051-eustasscaptainkid-701 by negating his effect through OP09-098-black-hole or OP09-093-marshalldteach. This allows us to target opponent's Leader or a rested Character, perfect for when we're confident we can win the game on a specific turn or force opponent to burn their Counter resources. OP09-093-marshalldteach is also great for shutting down OP07-019-jewelry-bonney's resting effect for the turn, allowing more attacks to go through.
Black Yellow Monkey D.Luffy
- Your opponent wants to take early hits, fall to 0 Life cards, and start activating Leader effect to put their adult brothers in their Life Area, cheat them out through kid brothers, and gain a +2,000 Power boost for each Adult brother they cheat out.
- It's important we KO ST13-015-monkeydluffy as early as possible to prevent opponent from self damaging and gaining extra card.
- They do not have an answer for OP09-086-jesus-burgess. So the longer the game takes, the stronger OP09-086-jesus-burgess will become, eventually too difficult to counter, and will be forced to use their OP04-083-sabo. OP09-086-jesus-burgess is perfect to target the opponent's Leader when they've boosted his Power by +4,000.
- Opponent wants to be at 0 Life cards to activate OP06-086-gecko-moria when they're at Don 10. You can shut them down from playing OP06-086-gecko-moria through your Leader OP09-081-marshalldteach's effect. This would be an insane blow to their combo play, giving you an opportunity to win the game. It also prevents OP04-083-sabo from activating his KO immunity effect, making it easier for you to control the field.
Red Shanks
- Red OP09-001-shanks is an extremely close matchup, and it'll come down to who can aggro the opponent down faster in the late game.
- The only way for them to remove OP09-086-jesus-burgess is through OP09-009-bennbeckman's trash effect. However, since it's an On Play effect, we'll shut it down from activating through our Leader effect. Having multiple OP09-086-jesus-burgess on the field will play into our late-game aggression, going for aggressive attacks to close out the game quickly.
- They will need to use Rush attackers to try and KO OP09-086-jesus-burgess. OP07-015-monkeyddragon and OP09-004-shanks are Rushers to worry about. We'll need to have OP09-091-vasco-shot to block a high-power attack, especially if OP09-004-shanks is attacking.
- They also have OP09-008-building-snake to reduce the Power of OP09-086-jesus-burgess or OP09-093-marshalldteach and make them an easier to target to KO with their attacks.
- The Shanks player might get to a point where they ignore your Characters and focus solely on attacking your Leader, trying to end the game before you do.
- OP09-093-marshalldteach does a wonderful job at slowing down the opponent's aggression and shutting down Leader and a Characters effect.
- Since they can't use On Play effect, the opponent will rely on ST15-002-edwardnewgate's Activate: Main to control the field. We can't allow it to remain for too long since they can continue to activate it every turn.
Closing Words
Black OP09-081-marshalldteach is a tough deck to play, and there is lots more to learn by practicing and understanding different matchups. Knowing when to use Leader and your cards' negate effects can turn games in your favor. It took the East players a while to get the hang of OP09-081-marshalldteach, and it slowly became the best deck in OP09, rivaling Blue Doflamingo.
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