Table of Contents
Heya everyone! The OP09 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 December 6 - 27, 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-043 Monkey.D.Luffy
OP-09 Pre-Release Pack
- 2 cards per pack
- 75 types in total
- All cards have the 2nd Anniversary gold stamp.
2nd Anniversary DON!! Card
Winner
Card Set:
ST13-001 Sabo
ST13-002 Portgas.D.Ace
ST13-003 Monkey.D.Luffy
*Each has the 2nd Anniversary gold stamp & Winner gold stamp.
Players Application Period
November 22, 2024 onwards Apply here!
Leaders
When choosing a leader, we want to pick one that isn't restricted to specific deck building or types 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 OP09 Leaders.
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.
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.
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.
OP09-075-eustasscaptainkid, OP09-064-killer, OP09-017-wire are considerations to play with ST02-001-eustasscaptainkid.
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 OP09-015-luckyroux, OP09-084-catarina-devon, OP09-086-jesus-burgess, OP09-098-black-hole, OP09-078-gum-gum-giant, OP09-025-crocodile, and OP09-043-alvida that can activate their effects even though they're tied to a specific Leader type.
OP09 Leaders
OP09-001-shanks is great for the prerelease Event since his defensive effect isn't tied to specific cards. Once per turn, you can give one of the opponent's Characters -1,000 Power when they attack. This is basically a free +1,000 Counter every turn, helping you protect your Leader or rested Characters. Keeping a rested Character in play goes a long way in these events, so OP09-001-shanks's defensive effect is a consideration to bring.
OP09-001-shanks has many cards in OP09 that synergize with him like OP09-019-nobody-hurts-a-friend-of-mine, OP09-021-red-force, OP09-015-luckyroux
PRB01-001-sanji's effect only works on 8-cost or less Characters with no On Play effect, allowing you to give them the Rush keyword on the turn they're played. This lets you find immediate value from your Characters, putting pressure on the opponents, and forcing them to use up Counter cards. Since Vanilla Characters are extremely good in the prerelease Event and we'll usually add as many as we can in the deck, PRB01-001-sanji's effect will find value with those cards, making sure your Vanilla Characters are a force to be reckoned with.
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+.
There are no 1-cost, 2-cost, or 6-cost Vanilla Characters this time around. OP09-094-peachbeard is the only 4-cost Vanilla Character with 5,000 Power, 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 consider. 6,000 Power on Don 4 can be annoying to deal with early into the game.
Two 5-cost Vanilla Characters with 7,000 Power and one 7-cost Vanilla Character with 9,000 Power. OP09-067-jinbe is a heavy hitter, difficult for opponents to Counter out of the 9,000 Power attacks.
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.
Value Blockers
OP09-072-franky is a value card, letting you return 2 Don to activate his effect, trashing 1 card and drawing 2 cards. The -2 Don can put you behind if played in the mid-game, so it's best to wait until the late-game when you're running out of resources to go for the OP09-072-franky play.
OP09-005-silvers-rayleigh is another value card that draws 2 cards and trashes 1, but there is a condition to activate this effect, requiring your opponent to have two 5,000 Power or more Characters in play. So it's a bit situational and if you're keeping control of the field, you'll struggle to activate this effect.
OP09-048-dracule-mihawk''s On Play effect lets you draw 2 cards and trash 1, helping you find the resources you need for the late game. Since OP09-048-dracule-mihawk doesn't have a Counter effect, we want to play him over our other Characters or he can be a trash target if we're not planning to play him.
Offensive Blockers
OP09-032-donquixote-rosinante's effect lets you use him aggressively. When the opponent attacks, you can set OP09-032-donquixote-rosinante as Active, which means you can attack with him during your attack turn and still make use of him on defensive turns as a blocker.
One of the best choices for offensive blockers is OP09-031-donquixote-doflamingo. He's a 5-cost 6,000 Power blocker that can set himself as Active if you have another rested Character alongside him.
Another blocker you can use offensively is OP09-068-tony-tonychopper. At the end of your turn, you can return a Don to set OP09-068-tony-tonychopper as Active and gain the Blocker keyword. Having 6,000 Power means you can block one attack from your Leader and use up fewer Counter cards to shut down the attack.
Control Characters
These cards can either KO or return a Character, removing it from the field and weakening the opponent's upcoming turn. Gaining control of the field is important in these events, so any Character that can remove one of the opponent's Characters, especially Active ones, can shift the game in your favor.
OP09-101-kuzan won't always find use, but if opponent has a blocker or a 3-cost Vanilla you want out of the way, then OP09-101-kuzan can place him at the top or bottom of the opponent's Life card. You are giving your opponent an extra Life card, but winning the field is way more important, and at the same time, OP09-101-kuzan forces the opponent to trash a card from their hand.
As for OP09-026-sakazuki, he can KO a 5-cost or less Character on the opponent's side of the field, but you have to have 2 rested Characters in play to activate his effect. Having 2 rested Characters on Don 6 will be a tough one, so you might find yourself struggling to fulfill that condition.
OP09-009-bennbeckman is an auto-inclusion if you find him. He's a 7-cost 7,000 Power Character that can trash 1 of your opponent's Characters with 6000 power or less. He's a Super Rare card, so will be extremely tough to find him.
OP09-065-sanji doesn't remove a Character through his effect, instead he can rest a 6-cost or less Character and gain Rush, allowing you to attack that Character and potentially KO it. Another Super Rare card.
Power Reducers
Power reduction cards are strong in this format because they make it easier on you to KO a high Power rested Character or at least for more Counter cards from the opponent.
OP09-008-building-snake is a 1-cost Character that gives one of the opponent's Characters -3,000 Power, perfect to ensure you can KO a Character with your attacks.
OP09-003-shachi-penguin and OP09-013-yasopp are premium cards because they can reduce the power of one of the opponent's Characters when they go for the attack. So you can reactive their effect one per turn, forcing opponents to shift their focus onto removing them as early as possible to prevent the Power reduction.
Similarly, OP09-073-brook activates his effect when attacking, reducing the Power of 2 of the opponent's Characters by -2,000. This is way stronger than OP09-003-shachi-penguin and OP09-013-yasopp, especially when opponent has 2 rested Characters in play. However, to activate OP09-073-brook's effect, you need to return 1 Don, so you might have to hold off activating it until you're at Don 9+ so you don't slow down your game plan.
Card Value
Cards that give you a resource advantage over your opponent are always great for this format. If you have multiple {ODYSSEY} type Characters, then OP09-037-lim is a great addition. OP09-027-sabo's effect can be difficult to activate, but since he's an {ODYSSEY} type Character you can add him to your deck with OP09-037-lim.
Carry Characters
These Characters are extremely difficult to find, but if you're lucky enough to get them in your packs then you want to add them to your deck!
All three Characters OP09-119-monkeydluffy, OP09-118-goldroger, and OP09-004-shanks have the Rush keyword, allowing you to make use of their high Power on the turn they're played.
OP09-004-shanks is the strongest out of the three, giving all your opponent's Characters -1,000 Power for as long as he's in play. This makes it easier for you to attack and KO rested Characters and you'll need fewer Counter cards when opponent attacks.
As for OP09-119-monkeydluffy, he's drawing us a card, which is extra value we might need later in the game.
Lastly, OP09-118-goldroger is extremely situational, but it can shut down opponent from using any of their blockers when one of you is at 0 Life cards. So if you've managed to drop opponent to 0 Life cards and they have a blocker in play, then OP09-118-goldroger can act as a finish to close out the game.
+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.
OP09-035-portgasdace has one of the strongest effects among the +2,000 Counter Characters. If you have 2 rested Characters in play, OP09-035-portgasdace lets you rest one of the opponent's Characters with a cost of 5 or less. This enables you to attack that Character and potentially KO it, or if there's a pesky blocker on the field, we can shut it down that turn.
When attacking, OP09-088-shiryu lets you trash 2 cards to draw 2, filtering your hand to find better cards.
OP09-014-limejuice can prevent opponent from activating a 4,000 Power or less blocker, allowing your Characters to attack the opponent's Leader or a rested Character we want to remove from play.
OP09-053-mohji can be played for his search effect, looking at the top 5 cards in your deck to draw a OP09-054-richie and you can cheat out OP09-054-richie on the field without having to spend Don. So if you're running OP09-054-richie in your deck, then playing OP09-053-mohji is worth it for the low-cost blocker.
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.
Removal Events
Removal events help you maintain control of the field and lower opponent's aggression. OP09-058-special-muggy-ball is the strongest Event in the mid-game, allowing you to return one of the opponent's 6-cost or less Characters to their hand. Although they're not losing on resources, removing a Character from the field for only 2 Don can help shift the game in your favor since they'll have to spend Don to play that Character.
OP09-077-gum-gum-lightning KO's the 6-cost Character instead of returning it to the opponent's hand. Although it seems the stronger option, to activate its effect, you need to return 2 Don. So you'll be forced to hold off playing it until you're at Don 10 so you don't slow down your pace.
Counter Events
Counter events to give your Leader or a rested Character a Power boost to block an attack and keep them in play. Managing to win the field and have multiple attackers lined up to pressure the opponent is how we win these events since opponents might not have a way to deal with your Characters outside of strictly attacking into them.
Other Considerations
Key Characters
OP09-076-roronoa-zoro deramps and then ramps up 1 Active Don. That Active Don can be used to boost your Leader's Power before you attack.
Since most Leaders you'll encounter will have 5 Life cards, OP09-107-nico-robin works great here to trash the opponent's top life card if they have 3 or more Life cards.
Late-game Cards
Double Attack is a strong keyword in this format, and with OP09-047-kouzuki-oden's 10,000 Power, it's almost impossible for opponents to Counter it. If KO'd, OP09-047-kouzuki-oden draws 2 cards and lets you choose one to trash.
OP09-023-adio's first effect works with OP09-022-lim or Rainbow Luffy, giving you 3 Active Don when he's played. During your opponent's turn, you can rest a Don to give your Leader or one of your Characters +2,000 Power, acting as a defensive effect. The second effect on its own is worth it, so you can play him in other Leaders.
Other Considerations
OP09-010-bonk-punch can cheat out OP09-012-monster from your hand, developing two Characters in one turn. So if you have both of them, it's worth adding to your list. Attaching 1 Don to OP09-010-bonk-punch gives him a +2,000 Power boost, so you'll be attacking for 8,000 Power.
If you need more {ODYSSEY} type Characters, then OP09-036-monkeydluffy is a consideration to add to the list. If you have 2 rested Characters, OP09-036-monkeydluffy can rest one of the opponent's Characters with a cost of 6 or less, allowing you to attack it.
Special Cards
These are all special cards from past sets that you could find in your packs.
If you have a Trigger card in your hand to trash, then OP08-106-nami-233 can be a game changer, letting you KO a 5-cost or less Characters on the opponent's side of the field. If you're down to 3 cards or less, OP08-106-nami-233 will draw you a card.
OP07-051-boa-hancock-475 slows down the opponent's aggression by preventing one of their Characters from attacking. As for OP04-119-donquixote-rosinante-177, he can cheat out a 5-cost Green Character, so the 5-cost {ODYSSEY} type Characters can synergize well with him.
OP07-015-monkeyddragon-546 is a Rush attacker and we love those! He also gives 2 rested Don cards to your Leader or one of your Characters for extra aggression.
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 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 or BlueSky.
