Table of Contents
Heya everyone! The OP08 release for the West is fast approaching, and new leaders and cards are coming to the game! This also means that the Sealed Pre-release event is something to look forward to!
The pre-release events will take place between September 6 - 12, 2024. The format is the organizer's choice. It can be the traditional constructed format a sealed format. The latter is what matters to us for this article.
The Rules
- Players open a set number of booster packs from specified sets and build their decks using only the cards they open.
- Unlike the standard play, you can ignore the normal deck-building color restrictions based on your leader and can include cards of any color in your deck. There are additional special rules for deck building.
- 6 Packs is the suggested number of packs. Each participant should use the same number of packs.
- You may bring your leader (including those from previous sets) to use in the event.
- Bring 10x DON!! cards.
Deck Construction Rules
After opening 6 packs, players build a 40-card deck, and a 10 DON!! card deck. There are no banned or restricted cards, and players can include as many copies of cards with the same card number as they like. (There is no 4-card limit and 5 or more copies of a card with the same card number can be included in decks.) Any cards left over from deck construction are treated as sideboard cards.
Suggested Match Format
Use a Swiss draw format to match players with the closest win rates.
Sideboard
Cards not used in decks are treated as sideboard cards. In between games, players can exchange cards in their deck with cards in their sideboard. Players can exchange as many cards between deck and sideboard as they like, so long as they have a legal number of cards in their deck.
Special Game Rules
In sealed format games, players can ignore deck color requirements based on their leader. For example: If you are playing with the Red starter deck as your leader, you would be restricted to only having red cards in your deck. However, in sealed you can use cards of any color in your deck, even though your leader is only Red.
All other card restrictions still apply as normal, including effects listed on leaders that specify names or colors.
Example 1: With your leader as OP01-060-donquixote-doflamingo, you may search for [The Seven Warlords of the Sea] type of Character cards when triggering his ability.
Example 2: When using the ability of OP01-067-crocodile "Blue Event cards in your hand cost 1 less to play" would only apply to Blue Event cards - This would not apply to Event cards of other colors.
Prizes
Participation
P-071 Marco
OP-08 Pre-Release Pack
- *2 cards per pack
- *75 types in total
- *Pre-Release Gold Stamped cards are from TWO LEGENDS [OP-08] Common and Uncommon cards.
Winner
P-071 Marco (Silver Foil + Gold Stamp)
Players Application Period
August 23, 2024, onwards Apply here!
Leaders
When choosing a Leader, we want to pick one that isn't restrained to specific deck building or type of cards. Our Leader has to have skills that we can find use of regardless of how our deck shapes up. Since players can bring their own Leader with them to the event, we're not tied to the randomness of the packs and OP08 Leaders.
OP06-022-yamato is one of the best choices for the Double Attack. You can set up aggressive attacks regardless of your deck, basically, your Leader will be solo carrying here. Blockers could hinder your game plan, shutting down those Double Attacks if you don't have a removal card. It can be tough beating 5 health Leaders though, as many players will be favoring those Leaders.
OP06-022-yamato also gives 2 Rested Don to one of your characters, maximizing the aggressiveness of the Leader. They're probably the best choice to take to this format, and will likely see a lot of players on it.
A defensive Leader to slow down opponent's aggression who found success in OP07's pre-release. OP07-019-jewelry-bonney is great for stalling out the game by resting one of the opponent's attackers. This does require you to bank 1 Don for the defensive turn, and unlike OP07, OP07-019-jewelry-bonney doesn't have the support cards she had, so she'll probably be worse.
On his own, OP07-001-monkeyddragon has a solid effect, letting you move attached Don to another Character, maximizing your aggression.
Another strong Leader in this format is ST02-001-eustasscaptainkid, capable of attacking more than once. We do have to use 3 Don to activate his effect, so it's more tailored for the late game, allowing us to pick off rested characters, force counter cards, or adopt an aggressive plan and attack opponent's Leader.
OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri's +1000 Power when you attach a Don on him is crazy good for powerful attacks that could force 2 Counter cards from opponent. Getting to look at the top Life Card gives you crucial information. Usually, we're more used to looking at our own Life Cards to find a Trigger card. However, we might not have access to many Trigger cards in this format, so we might opt to look at the opponent's Life Cards and put it at the bottom if it's of any use to them in their upcoming turn.
The wider the board the more pressure OP01-001-roronoa-zoro imposes. 1 Don on OP01-001-roronoa-zoro will give all Characters +1,000 regardless of their color, threatening aggressive turns.
ST03-001-crocodile is a popular choice in this format since he's able to slow down opponent's pace by returning a 5-cost or less to their hand. To activate his effect, we'll have to -4 Don, so we have to be wary when to activate it. This also means we have to be on the lookout for any cards that benefit from having less Don than opponent.
Rainbow Luffy can be a powerful Leader in this format, especially with multiple Characters like OP02-013-portgasdace-919 and OP08-022-inuarashi that can activate their effects even though they're tied to a specific Leader type.
OP08 Leaders
OP08-002-marco might be a popular choice among players thanks to his powerful effect, letting you filter your hand and giving one of the opponent's Characters a -2,000 Power reduction, making it easier for you to control the field. In the OP08 release, multiple cards require you to have a {Whitebeard Pirates} type Leader to activate their effects.
OP08-021-carrot is another Leader we might see played in this event. She can rest opponent's Characters with a cost of 5 or less, making it easier for you to attack and KO them. However, for her effect to activate, you need to have a {Mink} type Character in play. So if you're playing OP08-021-carrot, be on the lookout for {Mink} Characters.
Vanillas
Vanilla cards are great for this format, they're not reliant on specific synergies and have high power for their cost, capable of presenting a threat. All of these cards are common, so you'll easily find a bunch of them to add to the list. When adding Vanillas, keep the deck curve in mind, we want to have something to play on Don 4+.
1-cost and 2-cost Vanillas aren't the best to include because they need Don support to present a threat. However, if you're playing OP01-001-roronoa-zoro, then you have a better argument to add them thanks to the +1,000 Power boost from Leader.
3-cost is where things are worth it, OP08-009-maria-onion-bear is the only 3-cost 5,000 Power Character, but he's worth including if you're planning to play him on Don 3. 4-costs are the best to include and we have multiple Characters to include. 6,000 Power on Don 4 can be annoying to deal with early into the game.
We also have 6-cost and 7-cost Vanillas with high Power that will likely remain on the field, extremely annoying for opponents when they attack. Remember that all of these Vanilla Characters have a +1,000 Power Counter so they won't end up dead cards in your hand.
Blockers
Blockers are extremely good in this format for protecting your Leader or key rested Characters. Unlike the normal format we played, most decks won't have consistent methods to KO your blockers through effects, so they'll be forced to wait until you decide to sacrifice it. However, OP08 has multiple Characters that can KO 3-cost Characters, so keep that in mind if you're relying on blockers to protect you.
It's difficult to find ST04-005-queen-173 in your packs, but if you do, he's an automatic inclusion. ST04-005-queen-173 is one of the strongest blockers in the game, acting as a defensive wall with his 6,000 Power and offering draw value.
OP08-030-pedro is another blocker to be on the lookout for. His On KO effect lets you rest one of the opponent's Don or KO one of their Characters with a cost of 6 or less. Obviously, the KO a 6-cost effect is what makes OP08-030-pedro strong, making opponents think twice before they KO him.
KO/Return Effects
We have many cards in OP08 that play a role in controlling the opponent's side of the field. These cards can either KO or return a Character, removing it from the field and weakening the opponent's upcoming turn.
OP08-042-edward-weevil, OP08-084-jack, OP08-061-charlotte-oven, and OP08-091-whoswho can remove a 3-cost or less from the field. However, most of the threats are at 4-Don or more, so you won't gain too much from them unless they're KOing a pesky blocker. Luckily OP08 has a couple of cost-reducers we can keep on our radar in case we include these Characters. I'll talk about the cost-reducers later in this article.
OP08-106-nami, OP08-102-charlotte-opera, and OP08-047-jozu are more reliable removal tools for the mid-game, but each has a requirement to activate their effects. OP08-106-nami for instance requires you to trash a Trigger card to KO a 5-cost or less. OP08-102-charlotte-opera needs to trash 1 card to KO a Character with a cost equal to or less than your number of Life cards.
OP08-047-jozu can be tougher to set up since you'll need to return your own Character to return 1 of the opponent's Characters with a cost of 6 or less to their hand. So when returning one of our Characters, we usually aim to return a low-cost Character that can be easily replayed, a Character we benefit from replaying with its effect, or a Character we can use as a Counter.
I'm not the biggest fan of OP08-085-jinbe since he needs to see an 8-cost Character on your side of the field and a Don attached to him to activate his effect, which can be challenging to set up.
Carry Control Cards
These are late-game cards with the effect of removing an opponent's Character from the field. OP08-118-silvers-rayleigh is one of the best cards in OP08 and it's an auto-inclusion if you find it. He's reducing the Power of two of the opponent's Characters until the end of their turn and KO's a 3,000 Power Character. So you're KOing a 6,000 Power Character after the Power reduction.
OP08-069-charlotte-linlin is another great card to find, placing a 6-cost or less Character in the opponent's Life card and giving you an additional Life card. This is making it easier for you to survive the opponent's upcoming attack turn.
OP08-079-kaido is a strong addition to your deck as well, KOing a 7-cost or less Character and forcing the opponent to trash a card, cutting down on the resources.
There are no removal cards to deal with OP08-119-kaido-linlin, so after slamming them on the field, your main objective is to survive the upcoming turn. Attacking with OP08-119-kaido-linlin can solely win you the game. You're removing the opponent's field and gaining a Life card, making it almost impossible for them to win on the upcoming turn.
OP08-043-edwardnewgate is tied to {Whitebeard Pirates} type Leaders, so OP08-002-marco and Rainbow Luffy are two Leaders that can make him work.
Cost-Reduction
These cost-reduction cards are to include if you're going for control cards like OP08-042-edward-weevil, OP08-084-jack, and OP08-061-charlotte-oven, allowing you to remove 4-cost and 5-cost Characters from the field.
Other than OP08-083-sheepshead, the cost-reducers can be included in your deck even if you don't have many cards that synergize with them. For example, OP08-082-sasaki and ST06-006-tashigi-732 are +2,000 Counter cards, so they aren't dead cards in your hand. As for OP08-087-scratchmen-apoo, he's a powerful blocker you want in your deck even if you don't find a use for the cost-reduction.
Resting Mechanics
These cards interact with the opponent's field, slowing down their aggression and buying you more time for the late game.
OP08-023-carrot is one of the strongest cards here, capable of shutting down a rested Character from becoming active on the upcoming turn. OP08-024-concelot is a weaker version of OP08-023-carrot, only targeting 4-costs or less and doesn't have the "On Play" effect. OP08-022-inuarashi can keep two characters rested, but your Leader needs to be {Mink} type for his effect to activate.
OP08-025-shishilian is way weaker compared to the other cards. In most cases, you don't want to keep a 3-cost Character rested, but it can be an inclusion if you're playing Leader OP08-021-carrot.
OP08-112-s-snake operates differently, halting a 6-cost or less Character other than Monkey D. Luffy from attacking even if it's in the Active state. We don't have to worry about bumping into Monkey D. Luffy in this format.
Power Reducers
OP08-014-wapol's effect is insanely strong, giving a -2,000 power reduction to one of the opponent's Characters and gaining a +2,000 Power Character on himself, becoming an 8,000 Power that sticks on your defensive turn. This makes it easier for us to attack and KO a rested Character while also forcing more resources from the opponent to KO OP08-014-wapol.
As for OP02-013-portgasdace-919, he really shines with a {Whitebeard Pirates} Leader, so OP08-002-marco or Rainbow Luffy. The Rush and giving two of the opponent's Characters -3,000 Power can shift the field presence in your favor if the opponent has rested Characters.
Card Value
Cards that give you a resource advantage over your opponent are always great for this format. We already talked about ST04-005-queen-173, a card you want to always add to your list.
OP08-105-jewelry-bonney generates value when the opponent takes damage, drawing you two cards and trashing one. So whenever she's on the field, we want to maximize our attack pressure for that extra draw.
OP08-045-thatch is another great card to add to your list, drawing you a card when the opponent removes him from play or KO's him.
+2,000 Counters
We want to run as many +2000 Counter as we can, ideally, 6 to 8 cards to protect Leader or key characters. It doesn't matter too much which cards we add since they're serving as Counters only.
However, certain +2000 Counters can find use outside of just counters.
Events
We don't have to include Events for our deck to perform well, but running two or three events could still come in handy.
OP08-036-electrical-luna is a huge defensive Event, especially if the opponent has multiple rested Characters on the field, preventing them from becoming Active on the opponent's upcoming turn. Its trigger card can also rest one of the opponent's attackers, lowering the aggressive pressure on you.
P08-017-id-never-shoot-you and OP08-019-munch-munch-mutation are Counter events to protect your Leader or Characters. OP08-019-munch-munch-mutation can be used during your train, making it easier for you to KO Characters
If you're playing Rainbow Luffy, then OP08-077-conquest-of-the-sea is a consideration to add to the list, allowing you to KO two of the opponent's 6-cost Characters.
Other Considerations
OP08-008-dalton, OP08-013-robson, OP08-028-nekomamushi, and OP08-060-king can become Rush attackers, presenting a threat on the turn they're played. They're valuable cards to add to the deck if you want to create more aggressive gameplay.
If the opponent is down to 0 Life cards, but has a blocker protecting them, OP08-111-s-shark can set up a lethal attack, preventing the opponent from using them defensively and striking down their Leader for the finishing play.
OP08-068-charlotte-perospero is a neat inclusion to the list, a 3-cost 5,000 Power attacker can't be easily ignored by the opponent. Additionally, if he's KO'd, you'll ramp 1 Don, allowing you to play your higher-cost carry cards a turn earlier than expected. The downside is that if it's not played on Don 3, it's pretty much useless since it has no Counter and you'll have to use it as a trash target.
How to build the deck
We want to ensure we have a curve going for us. So after we've added our blockers, Vanillas, +2000 Counters, and late-game win conditions, we need to take a look at the deck and make sure we can develop on the board every turn after turn 2. We don't want to end up with a bunch of unplayable cards in hand and be forced into an awkward turn that puts us behind.
Depending on your deck, you'll decide whether you'd rather go first or second. For example, if we have a lot of Vanilla cards (especially 4-costs and 6-costs) then we want to go second to play them immediately. However, if we have many 5-cost Characters and 7-cost Vanilla cards, then going first would make more sense. In most cases, we'll favor second, since your opponent will likely benefit from going second with the 4-cost and 6-cost Vanillas being popular pulls.
Keep cards with no Counter to a minimum. If we run too many of them, we might end up struggling to Counter certain attacks and quickly drop low on Life cards.
Practice
You can use a pack-opening simulator here.
Closing Words
Pre-release sealed event is a fun way to play One Piece and the prizes usually have good value behind them! Make sure to learn the cards before going to the event, it'll help you build your deck and play optimally!
This is it from me, I wish the best for your event, good luck! If you want to keep up with my content, consider following me on Twitter.
