Table of Contents
Green Carrot is a new stall leader in the OP08 meta, capable of controlling the field better by resting an opponent's character. This deck focuses on keeping the opponent's side of the field in check, halting their Characters from attacking, and slowly chipping away at the opponent's Leader until they're out of resources to stay in the game.
In this guide, I'll explain Green Carrot's strategy, give general tips to watch out for, and show you how to approach different matchups.
Gameplan
OP08-021-carrot's effect lets you rest one of the opponent's 5-cost or less Characters during your turn. Not needing to spend Don to activate OP08-021-carrot's effect means we have strong control over the field without losing any development. However, you need to have a {Minks} type Character in play to activate OP08-021-carrot's effect, so we have to build the deck with that in mind. Most of the cards in the list are {Minks}, so in most cases, we don't struggle to rest one of the opponent's Characters.
The ability to rest an opponent's Character allows us to attack and threaten to KO it, forcing opponents to play their Counter cards to protect it. This bleeds them out of resources and if they choose to let the Character get KO'd, it weakens their upcoming attack turn. Cards like OP08-023-carrot, OP07-026-jewelry-bonney, and OP08-022-inuarashi want to see rested Characters in play to activate their effects, so they synergize with your Leader, ensuring opponent's upcoming turn is less aggressive.
As we move to the later stages of the game, we have cards like OP06-118-roronoa-zoro, OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo, and OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante to pose a threat and can be more challenging for opponents to remove.
Early Turns
OP08-034-wanda and OP05-034-baby-5 are early game searchers to start shaping up your upcoming turns. OP08-034-wanda can draw a {Minks} type Characters from the top 5 cards in your deck, but she's also useful on the field since she's {Minks} type Character, allowing you to activate the Leader effect and rest one of the opponent's Characters.
As for OP05-034-baby-5, you can rest her and use 1 Don to draw a {Donquixote Pirates} type card, so it ensures we have a late game if we find OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo or OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante or Counter cards if we find OP04-021-viola or OP04-032-baby-5.
Since we can reactivate OP05-034-baby-5's effect on our upcoming turn, opponents will be forced to commit one of their attacks at OP05-034-baby-5 to prevent us from generating more resources.
OP08-030-pedro is an early blocker to protect our Leader or key rested Characters. His KO effect is what makes him a strong {Mink} blocker, allowing us to KO one of the opponent's 6-cost or less rested Characters. This means we'll force the opponent to play differently to KO OP08-030-pedro before they have a 6-cost or less rested Character in play. With the Blocker keyword, we have control over when we want to sacrifice OP08-030-pedro to activate his effect and KO a rested Character.
Mid-game Stall.
OP08-023-carrot and OP07-026-jewelry-bonney operate similarly, preventing one of the opponent's rested Characters from becoming active on their upcoming turn. This weakens opponents' aggression, forcing fewer Counter cards from us to protect our Leader or rested Characters. Since we can only target a rested Character, we need to wait for the opponent to attack with a Character we wish to keep rested or use Leader OP08-021-carrot's effect to rest one of their Character and then play OP08-023-carrot or OP07-026-jewelry-bonney to keep them rested on the opponent's upcoming turn.
There are differences between OP08-023-carrot and OP07-026-jewelry-bonney's effects. OP08-023-carrot is limited to targeting 7-cost or less Characters only, whereas OP07-026-jewelry-bonney can target any rested Character regardless of its cost. However, OP08-023-carrot can reactive her effect when she attacks, whereas OP07-026-jewelry-bonney cannot.
So for the early game, we'll favor playing OP08-023-carrot over OP07-026-jewelry-bonney since we want to reactivate her effect when she attacks, keeping an opponent's Character rested. OP07-026-jewelry-bonney feels better in the later stages of the game when we want to shut down an 8-cost or more Character from attacking.
Additionally, OP07-026-jewelry-bonney can rest one of the opponent's Active Don. The situations where you'll need it are low, but against Blue Nami for example, it can be annoying to their strategy if you rest a Don.
OP08-022-inuarashi is another stall option, allowing you to keep two 5-cost or less Characters rested on the opponent's upcoming turn. He works best against aggressive decks that can develop more than one Character a turn and set the stage for multiple attacks.
Aggression
OP06-035-hody-jones is an aggressive play, resting two of the opponent's Characters and making them vulnerable to our attacks. OP06-035-hody-jones will damage our Leader for 1 Life card, but we won't mind it too much since OP08-021-carrot is a 5 health Leader.
OP06-035-hody-jones can be used aggressively, shutting down two of the opponent's blockers and paving the way for our attacks to strike down their Leader. However, OP06-035-hody-jones can be used for field control, we can focus our attacks on the rested Characters, threatening to KO them and forcing Counter cards from the opponent.
We talked about 5-cost Characters in this deck, and the reason we run so many is to combo them with OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante. When we play OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante, you can rest him to play a 5-cost Green Character. So we can play OP08-023-carrot, OP07-026-jewelry-bonney, or OP08-022-inuarashi and keep opponent's rested Characters from attacking.
A rested OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante will protect your Active 5-cost Characters from KO effects, forcing opponents to focus down OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante. Since he's an 8,000 Power attack, we should protect him from attacks with Counter cards if possible.
OP06-118-roronoa-zoro is the strongest win condition in this deck if he sticks on the field. We want him in play as early as possible and force opponents to find an answer immediately. If he remains in play, you get to attack up to three times with OP06-118-roronoa-zoro, which will be devastating for the opponent, either winning you the game on the spot or setting the stage to win on the upcoming turn.
Late Game Stall
In the late game, we can use OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo to continue stalling out the game, shutting down three targets from attacking us. We can keep their rested Leader and Characters from becoming Active on their upcoming turn, shutting down most of their aggression and even preventing them from activating their "When Attacking "Leader effect, like Gecko Moria.
OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo remains on the field as a 10,000 Power attacker, difficult for the opponent to remove him from play. From there we'll have to decide whether we focus our attacks on their Leader or continue stalling out the game and KO their Characters to weaken their upcoming attacks and run them out of resources.
Events
The list has multiple cards with no Counter effect so OP05-037-because-the-side-of-justice-will-be-whichever-side-wins is an important addition to gain a +3,000 Power boost by trashing a card we don't expect to play.
OP08-036-electrical-luna can shut the opponent's aggression entirely in the late stages of the game, preventing rested 7-cost or less Characters from becoming Active on their turn. So it's best when comboed with OP06-035-hody-jones on Don 10, allowing you to rest two Characters + Leader effect and keep those three Characters rested while focusing your attacks on the opponent's Leader.
Techs and Options
A 5-cost Green {Minks} Character that can gain Rush and create a threat on the turn he's played. We can also cheat him out on the field through OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante.
OP02-032-shishilian lets you create an aggressive turn, attacking twice with one of your 5-cost Minks. It also synergizes with OP08-023-carrot, letting you keep two of the opponent's Characters rested.
A stage to set 1 Don as Active and it can restand one of your rested Mink Characters, preventing the opponent from attacking it.
ST16-004-shanks is a new late-game card from the Starter 16 deck, allowing you to KO one of the opponent's rested Characters. He remains on the field as a heavy hitter with his 11,000 Power.
General Tips
- We have to identify if we want to play aggressively or defensively. Since the list is packed with stall options, we can halt the opponent's attacks and focus on hitting the opponent's Leader, trying to win the game quickly. However, you can opt for a defensive game plan, focusing on KOing the opponent's rested Characters and bleeding the opponent out of resources to win the late game.
- We need to have a {Minks} type Character in play to activate the Leader effect before playing OP08-023-carrot or OP07-026-jewelry-bonney. So having OP08-034-wanda or OP08-030-pedro early on, will make life easier.
- Keeping a Character rested through cards like OP08-023-carrot and OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo means we can still attack them on our upcoming attack turn to control the field.
- You might find yourself in situations where playing a +2,000 Mink Character like OP08-032-milky on early turns is a must to ensure you can activate Leader effect.
Mulligan Tips
- Searcher cards OP08-034-wanda or OP05-034-baby-5 to shape up your upcoming turns.
- OP08-023-carrot or OP07-026-jewelry-bonney for the turn 3 development.
- OP06-118-roronoa-zoro for matchups that struggle to deal with him. We can't search and draw OP06-118-roronoa-zoro with OP08-034-wanda or OP05-034-baby-5, so it's great to have him in hand for slow-paced games.
Important Matchups
Black Rob Lucci
- This is a tough matchup since Black Rob Lucci can KO our Characters before we attack with them.
- Leader Carrot can rest blockers like OP05-091-rebecca or OP04-083-sabo to attack other Characters or their Leader.
- EB01-046-brook is a priority to KO so the opponent doesn't reactivate its effect.
- OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante can shut down the opponent from KOing your 5-cost Characters, instead, they'll shift their focus on KOing him first. If they decide to attack and KO him, Counter out of the attack and force them to use a KO effect to deal with him.
- High-power Characters like OP06-086-gecko-moria are extremely difficult to KO and we might opt to ignore them and focus our attacks on their Leader to aggro them down.
- We can keep OP08-084-jack rested through OP07-026-jewelry-bonney or OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo, preventing the opponent from reactivating his KO effect.
Black Yellow Luffy
- We want to avoid attacking the opponent's Leader recklessly. They're more than happy to take early hits and get closer to activating Leader effect. If they want to go for the Gecko Moria play, we want to force them into damaging their own Leader through one of their cards.
- We'll focus on KOing their Characters and weakening their field presence. Leader Carrot can rest the adult brothers, allowing you to attack them. This will force opponents to use Counter cards to protect them whenever possible.
- If they have a Kuzan in play we have to rest him with Leader effect and KO him or keep him rested with OP08-023-carrot or OP07-026-jewelry-bonney.
- They'll struggle to set up the winning play if you keep their Characters in check and will eventually lose the resource game plan. They struggle to remove high-power Characters like OP04-031-donquixote-doflamingo.
- Roronoa Zoro can solo win this game if he isn't KO'd. Your opponent will need an Ice Age + OP07-109-monkeydluffy to KO him.
- We can rest OP04-083-sabo through the Leader effect to pave the way for our attacking to strike their Leader and win the game.
Red Roronoa Zoro
- Since our Leader has 5 health, we can play slowly and control the field, using Carrot's rest effect to attack low-power Characters.
- High-power Characters like OP08-118-silvers-rayleigh or OP07-015-monkeyddragon can be difficult for us to attack and KO, so instead of wasting resources attacking them, we can keep them resting with OP07-026-jewelry-bonney.
- Watch out for Rush attackers, the opponent wants to drop you to two health and start playing EB01-003-kid-killer for those 7,000 Power attacks. EB01-003-kid-killer is a priority to KO when rested.
- OP08-030-pedro is a valuable blocker to protect your Leader and can weaken your opponent's presence. Do not solely rely on it to protect your Leader if you're at 0 Life cards, your opponent can use ST01-016-diable-jambe or Monkey.D. Luffy to attack your Leader directly.
Green Bonney
- We can't allow [cardOP07-021-urouge[/card] and EB01-012-cavendish to remain in play for too long. The Don they give to the opponent enables their strategy without affecting their field development. We can rest them with the Leader effect and start attacking them to KO them.
- Attack with your high-power Character first so OP07-019-jewelry-bonney doesn't rest it.
- OP06-118-roronoa-zoro is a key card in this matchup to put the triple threat attack on the opponent. We can play Hody Jones, rest two blockers, and pave the way for OP06-118-roronoa-zoro to start swinging.
Closing Words
If you're a Minks fan, Green Carrot is the perfect deck to pick up, using her effect to maintain mid-game control as you build up for your late game. Different lists go for a more aggressive mid-game rather than focusing on late-game strategies. However, the version you choose will depend on the current meta you're playing and which strategy will perform better against the top meta decks.
