Table of Contents
Heya everyone, welcome to the OPTCG Ranked Meta Report! In this article, we'll review the top-performing decks on OPBounty's ranked ladder over the past week (Week 1 of OP08). We'll analyze the top-performing decks, their effectiveness against various matchups, and the key cards players are utilizing.
The decklists I’ll share from the SIM have high play and win rates, but they aren't necessarily the ones you should play. Your choice should depend on your preference, locals, and the shifting meta. I’ll highlight the different cards that players on the ladder are using. I'll also share matchup data, but please keep in mind that I can't filter through 'rank,' so these data might not be accurate. Take it with a pinch of salt.
This meta report is possible thanks to the stats provided by OPBounty, if you want to support them and get access to all the data, subscribe to their Patreon.
Top-Played Decks
Black Rob Lucci
Black Rob Lucci reclaims its throne as the most-played deck in the meta. With the new OP08-084-jack and OP08-091-whoswho cards, the archetype only improves in OP08 meta. The Rob Lucci deck has 8283 games played and a 55.6% win rate.
Black Rob Lucci is the strongest deck at controlling the opponent's side of the board, the main objective is to KO threats before they get the chance to attack. The deck uses OP05-093-rob-lucci to KO two targets and replays OP05-093-rob-lucci from the trash with cards like EB01-043-spandine and OP06-086-gecko-moria. It has cost-reduction cards to put targets in range for your removal cards to deal with.
OP08-084-jack and OP08-091-whoswho are the newest additions to Rob Lucci's control strategy. OP08-084-jack will usually be the play for his KO effect once every turn, removing the opponent's threats and forcing them to deal with OP08-084-jack if they want to continue building up a field.
Rob Lucci has a great matchup table, capable of beating most of the meta decks he goes up against. Other than Black Yellow Luffy and Nami, there aren't decks that pose much of a threat to Lucci players. Even against Black Luffy, Lucci seems to be slightly favored.
Good Against: Green Bonney, Blue Doffy, Purple Luffy, Blue Purple Reiju, Yellow Kalgara, Pudding.
Bad Against: Black Yellow Luffy and Nami.
Tech Cards
- OP02-096-kuzan is best played on Don 4, offering a card draw and remaining as a cost-reduction resource if the opponent doesn't remove him.
- Although many lists have dropped OP07-118-sabo, it's still a powerful card that some players are making use of in their lists. KOing two targets can shift the game in your favor, but unlike OP07-085-stussy, you need to back up OP07-118-sabo with cost reducers.
- OP07-085-stussy is a powerful answer for high-cost threats, KOing a Character regardless of cost or power.
Black Luffy
Black Luffy skyrocketed in popularity in OP08 meta, becoming the second most-played deck with 8240 games played, 140 games short from overtaking Rob Lucci, and a 55.8% win rate. This deck saw success in OP07.5 tournaments, despite only 19 players bringing the deck to the Liverpool finals, which had a total of 969, five Black Luffy players managed to make it to the top 32.
Black Luffy is a control deck that KO's opponent's characters using EB01-046-brook, ST14-003-sanji, and the new OP08-084-jack. With Leader Luffy's effect and ST14-017-thousand-sunny increasing the cost of your characters, it makes it more challenging for some decks to control your side of the field. Characters like Rob Lucci, Gedatsu, OP08-106-nami, and OP07-109-monkeydluffy will have a harder time finding value with their KO effects. However. many of the lists I'm seeing are opting to cut out ST14-017-thousand-sunny entirely.
Although Black Luffy is slightly unfavored against Rob Lucci on stats, the matchup is still winnable, and on the positive side, Black Luffy is beating the Black Yellow Luffy matchup, a deck Lucci struggles against. Overall Black Luffy has a great matchup table, and will likely be a popular choice in tournaments.
Good Against: Green Bonney, Red Zoro, Black Yellow Luffy, Blue Doffy.
Bad Against: Black Rob Lucci, Blue Nami.
Tech Cards
- ST14-017-thousand-sunny gives +1 cost to all Characters on the field, activating the effect of a couple of your cards and making it difficult for some decks (Rob Lucci, BY Luffy, etc) to control your field.
- OP07-118-sabo is a late-game control card to KO two characters at the same time. He's a solid inclusion in a meta where decks can develop multiple Characters a turn.
- Only 1 list is running 1 copy of the new OP08-079-kaido card. It can trash one of the opponent's Characters, so it works against decks with Sabo's KO immunity.
Black Yellow Luffy
Although Black Yellow Luffy has been crushing the tournament scene, its win rate on the ranked ladder has always been on the low side. This proves that the BY Luffy deck has a high skill ceiling. In OP08 meta, Black Yellow Luffy is the third most-played deck with 6718 games played and a 47.4% win rate.
Most lists on the SIM have moved away from running Ace, and it has proven to boost the deck's performance in OP07.5 meta. However, in OP08 meta things can be different, it'll mostly come down to whether you value interacting with the opponent's side of the field to KO threats before they attack or Ace's Rush aggression fairs betters for your game plan.
This deck wants to drop to 0 Life cards and start activating Leader effect to cheat out the Adult brothers on the field. Gecko Moria is a crucial part of Black Yellow Luffy's game plan, as you'll often need to cheat out the kid brothers from the Trash and develop multiple Characters per turn to threaten more aggression.
Here is the standard list with Ace, but many of the lists favor control tools and the winner of the Liverpool event was heavy on KO cards with no Ace cards in their list.
With Black Rob Lucci's popularity, Black Yellow Luffy is a great choice to bring to tournaments. By continuously playing OP04-083-sabo and shutting down Rob Lucci's KO effects, you'll force them into awkward plays where they'll rely on tech cards to have a chance at winning.
However, with the rise of Black Luffy and Red Roronoa Zoro, Black Yellow Luffy players have new tough matchups to deal with, especially the Zoro deck, which can overwhelm them with its aggression.
Good Against: Black Rob Lucci, Black Gecko Moria, Blue Purple Reiju, Yellow Kalgara.
Bad Against: Green Bonney, Yellow Enel, Blue Doffy, Blue Nami, Black Luffy, Red Zoro
Tech Cards
- OP03-078-issho is becoming a more popular addition to Black Yellow Luffy. Players aren't scared of getting aggroed down, and would rather add cards that better their matchup against slow-paced decks. Trashing two of the opponent's cards in hand can ruin their strategy, especially if we snipe key cards they're planning to play.
- ST13-008-sabo is a control card capable of KOing a 5-cost or less Character and self damages your Leader, getting you a step closer to your combo play.
Green Bonney
Green Bonney falls to the fourth most-played deck, having 5764 games and a 52.3% win rate. The rise in Rob Lucci's popularity along with Black Luffy has definitely had a negative impact on Bonney.
The Green Bonney deck excels at stalling the game using the Leader's rest effect, slowing down opponent aggression, and buying time to set up your late game. Players have moved away from the fortress game plan that involves OP01-051-eustasscaptainkid-701 with blockers protecting him and are now relying on the new OP08-023-carrot for a stronger mid-game and OP08-036-electrical-luna to shut down opponents' aggression.
OP06-035-hody-jones is the main aggressor, joining the field, resting two of the opponent's Characters, and creating an aggressive 8,000-power attack. OP06-118-roronoa-zoro is another win condition, where the triple attack can destroy the opponent in one turn. Some decks don't have reliable tools to deal with him on the spot, so he shines in those matchups.
Similar to Black Yellow Luffy, Green Bonney's matchup table is looking worse, both Red Roronoa Zoro and Black Luffy are crushing this matchup, making it a challenge for Bonney players to keep up with the top performers.
Good Against: Black Yellow Luffy, Yellow Kalgara, Blue Purple Pudding, Blue Purple Reiju.
Bad Against: Red Zoro, Black Rob Lucci, Black Luffy, Blue Doffy, Yellow Katakuri.
Yellow Purple Pudding
Charlotte Pudding is the 5th most-played deck with 5207 games played and a 48.3% win rate. The Leader having two colors gives players room for more innovation and the lists I'm seeing have different tech cards, players are experimenting with. The list I shared here has the highest play rate with a 50.2% win rate.
Yellow Purple Pudding is a Ramp Leader, capable of accelerating your game plan to drop high-cost Characters as early as possible. Since your Leader effect is tied to the two top Life cards being face-down, cards like EB01-052-viola and OP08-063-charlotte-katakuri can turn your Life cards face-down, allowing you to reactivate Puddings Ramp effect on turn 3.
The list is packed with high-cost threats to carry the game, OP08-069-charlotte-linlin, OP07-119-portgasdace, and OP03-114-charlotte-linlin. Each one of them gives you an extra Life card, adding to your defensive game plan and resource value.
Good Against: Blue Nami, Blue Doffy, Black Yellow Luffy.
Bad Against: Black Rob Lucci, Black Luffy, Red Zoro, Green Bonney, Yellow Kalgara.
Tech Cards
- OP08-077-conquest-of-the-sea is a control event, KOing two 6-cost or less Characters. It's a great inclusion against decks capable of presenting multiple threats on the field like Vinsmoke Reiju and Blue Doffy.
- ST07-010-charlotte-linlin is a big body that forces opponents to make a tough decision on whether to trash one of their Life cards or give the opponent a Life card.
- ST13-004-edwardnewgate synergizes with your game plan, letting you set up the two face-down cards at the top of your Life area on turn 3 for Leader Pudding to ramp a second time. Many lists are including 2 to 4 copies of ST13-004-edwardnewgate.
- OP04-112-yamato is a big body that can potentially KO one of the opponent's Characters and gives you an extra Life card.
Red Zoro
Massive changes to the Red Roronoa Zoro deck as we know it! The deck went the animal route, adding multiple Tony Tony Chopper cards to its list along with the new OP08-010-hiking-bear. Red Roronoa Zoro has 4790 games played and a 57.5% win rate on the ranked ladder, the highest win rate among the top performers.
This is an aggressive deck that goes wide on the field and threatens multiple attacks on the opponent. Using OP04-010-tony-tonychopper and OP08-007-tony-tonychopper, you can go for the wide game plan, and with Leader Zoro giving a +1,000 Power boost, you're now adding to that aggression that forces Counter cards from the opponent.
The list also has rush attackers OP01-025-roronoa-zoro, EB01-003-kid-killer, and OP07-015-monkeyddragon to keep the aggression going.
Although Red Zoro is losing to the two most-played decks (Black Rob Lucci and Black Luffy), it's crushing every other matchup, raising its overall win rate. If you're good at dodging Rob Lucci and Black Luffy, then Roronoa Zoro is one of the best choices to aggro down opponents and rush your way to the top cut.
Good Against: Yellow Katakuri, Green Bonney, Black Yellow Luffy, Blue Nami, Reiju, Blue Doffy.
Bad Against: Black Rob Lucci and Black Luffy.
Tech Cards
- OP05-010-nico-robin is a tech card against low-power blockers like Rebecca or Ramp card Bon Clay.
- ST01-012-monkeydluffy-938 shines when the opponent is down to 0 Life cards. If they have a blocker protecting them, ST01-012-monkeydluffy-938 can ignore that blocker and go straight to attacking the opponent's Leader.
Blue Purple Vinsmoke Reiju
OP06-042-vinsmoke-reiju has lost a lot of its popularity, falling to the 7th place in terms of play rate. This past week, the deck had 4125 games played and a 47.9% win rate.
This deck relies on low-cost Vinsmoke Characters to cheat out their higher-cost versions. This enables a powerful field development but you'll have to return Don, slowing down your upcoming turns. Returning Don activates your Leader effect to draw a card, basically having a draw engine to keep the pressure going.
OP07-072-porche has given the archetype the ability to adopt a more aggressive game plan, especially if you're able to cheat out OP06-061-vinsmoke-ichiji early into the game. Returning 2 Don can keep you equal or below the R/P Law's total Don, giving you a fighting chance against the difficult matchup.
OP06-062-vinsmoke-judge is the strongest play in this deck, developing multiple Characters on the field, and setting the stage for one powerful turn to close out the game.
Not all lists have added OP08-074-black-maria to their arsenal as a +2,000 Counter and a Ramp card. She could come in handy if you're returning too many Don throughout the game and need a Ramp option to set up the OP06-062-vinsmoke-judge play on the upcoming turn.
Good Against: Blue Nami, Blue Doffy, Green Purple Yellow Pudding.
Bad Against: Green Bonney, Black Yellow Luffy, Purple Luffy, Red Zoro.
Yellow Kalgara
The Yellow Kalgara made 8th place, with 3132 games played and barely holding a 50% win rate. This deck offers a fresh take on the Yellow color, prioritizing an aggressive game plan over the typical strategy of stretching games and playing big bodies.
Kalgara's effect along with OP05-101-ohm allows you to develop multiple Characters a turn, enabling that aggressive strategy. Kalgara self-damages himself every time his effect is activated, so it's important not to fall too low and risk losing the game to an all-out attack by the opponent. Cheating out a {Shandian Warrior} type Character like OP06-114-wyper or OP08-099-kalgara will force players to take a defensive approach, putting their resources into controlling your side of the field.
Yellow Kalgara is struggling against the top performers, only crushing less popular matchups.
Good Against: Blue Nami, Blue Purple Reiju, Purple Yellow Pudding.
Bad Against: Black Yellow Luffy, Red Zoro, Black Lucci, Green Bonney.
Tech Cards
- OP06-113-raki is a low-cost blocker to protect your rested Characters and continue your aggressive game plan.
Blue Nami
If you like playing One Piece with different rules, Blue Nami is the deck for you. You're not looking to control the field or attack the opponent's Leader, instead, the main goal is to survive and mill yourself. Nami changes the game's rules, turning the mill game plan into a win condition. If you fall to 0 cards in your deck, you automatically win the game. This forces the opponent to approach the matchup aggressively, trying to close out the game before you drop to 0 cards in the deck.
The Blue Nami deck tanked in popularity, falling from 5th to 9th most-played deck, having 3188 games played and a 49.3% win rate. The thing with Blue Nami is that it's capable of crushing certain matchups, but has an awful experience against some decks. Who you go up against extremely matters for the Blue Nami players and will dictate your tournament experience.
Performing with Nami will heavily depend on which decks you go up against. The Blue deck can crush certain matchups, with almost nothing opponents can do to shut down your plan. However, decks that can play multiple Characters in one turn create an aggressive game plan that puts Nami in an awkward spot. Nami is beating the top 3 most-played decks, so it can be a great tournament performer if it matches against those decks and avoids its counter decks. Red Zoro gaining popularity isn't great for Nami players, since Zoro literally crushing Nami with how aggressive it gets.
Good Against: Yellow Enel, BY Luffy, Black Luffy, Black Rob Lucci.
Bad Against: Blue Doflamingo, Blue Purple Reiju, Purple Luffy, Red Zoro.
Yellow Katakuri
OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri saw a huge drop in popularity, now barely holding its spot in the 10th place in terms of play rate. With 2756 games played, the Yellow deck is still maintaining a high win rate of 54.6%.
The Yellow Leader, OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri, pushes heavy attacks with his +1,000 effect and manipulates the Life area, increasing the odds of finding your Trigger cards on the right turns. The heavy attacks can be difficult for opponents to counter and will force more resources from them.
7-cost ST07-010-charlotte-linlin and 10-cost OP03-114-charlotte-linlin are the main win conditions for this deck, creating high power threats on the field and offering value through their Life card effects.
OP08-106-nami is the newest addition to the list, offering a control tool to KO a 5-cost or less Character and she remains on the field as a 5,000 Power attacker.
The Yellow Katakuri deck has a close matchup against Black Rob Lucci and Black Luffy, so it can go either way for each player. It's slightly unfavored against Black Yellow Luffy, so for the most part, Yellow Katakuri seems to be a "safe" choice against top-performing decks and capable of beating the less popular ones.
Good Against: Green Bonney, Blue Doffy, Blue Purple Reiju, Purple Yellow Pudding, Yellow Enel.
Bad Against: BY Luffy, Red Roronoa Zoro.
Tech Cards
- OP04-104-sanji is a popular option in Yellow Katakuri because you can cheat him on the field through their Trigger effects. His blocker keyword allows you to protect your Leader, helping you prolong the game when necessary.
- OP05-115-two-hundred-million-volts-amaru is an offensive event, allowing you to rest a blocker and boost your attacker's Power by 3,000, allowing you to attack the opponent's Leader and potentially win the game. It also has a powerful trigger effect, trashing 2 cards from hand and giving you a Life card.
Other Decks
Blue Doflamingo
Blue Doffy is sitting at a 47.4% win rate across 2140 games.
Blue Doffy is struggling against Black Rob Lucci and Black Luffy but beats Green Bonney and Black Yellow Luffy.
Good Against: Green Bonney, Black Yellow Luffy, Blue Nami.
Bad Against: Black Rob Lucci, Black Luffy, Blue Purple Reiju, Red Zoro.
Yellow Enel
Yellow Enel is barely holding a 50% win rate with 1941 games played.
Good Against: Blue Doffy, Black Yellow Luffy, Green Bonney, Red Zoro.
Bad Against: Black Luffy, Black Rob Lucci, Blue Nami, Purple Yellow Pudding.
Closing Word
The ranked stats aren't always definitive metrics to use for the tournament competitive scene, but they give you a general idea of which decks are most popular and the cards people are experimenting with. It's an extra method to help you prepare for regional tournaments.
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