Table of Contents
Introduction
The newly released EB03 Heroine Leader, EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi, serves as a direct upgrade to OP04 OP04-001-nefeltari-vivi. Both leaders grant Rush to your units, but they operate differently, so building around EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi requires a new approach. If you’re looking for a modern leader with a strong, universally useful effect that can compete with OP13 staples like OP13-079-imu and OP13-002-portgasdace, this new Vivi is definitely worth trying.
Welcome to your comprehensive deckbuilding guide for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi, a newly released Red/Blue leader in the EB03 format with powerful effects. This guide covers the core strategies, key card choices, and flexible tech options that shape this tempo-driven deck, capable of applying an absurd amount of pressure.
- Deck Core: Cards that are absolute must-includes or found in nearly every winning list.
- Tech Cards: Flexible options adjusting the deck for specific matchups or personal playstyle.
- Sample Decklists: Practical examples of how the cards are integrated, showcasing various builds optimized for different meta considerations and playstyles.
EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi excels at maintaining board presence thanks to its powerful [Once Per Turn] effect, which lets you protect one of your characters with a cost of 4 or more from being K.O.’d by trashing 1 card from your hand. This makes your key units or blockers far more resilient and easier to keep on the field.
Additionally, EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi provides strong offensive pressure through its [Activate: Main] effect. By resting your leader, you can give one of your opponent’s characters -2000 power for the turn, making their [Blocker] or key units much easier to remove. This effect also grants [Rush] for a turn to one of your characters without a [When Attacking] keyword, making EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi a reliable support on both offense and defense across a variety of builds and an ever-changing meta.
Even though a standard build for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi has yet to be established, this leader has already proven its strength and secured a place among OP13’s top contenders. If you want to experiment with EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi, this guide is for you. We’ll cover the core cards, likely staples, and strong tech options that help define this top-tier contender deck.
Core Cards
Every strong EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi deck starts with a reliable core, even though a true standard list has yet to be established. Based on the most successful results since the release of the EB03 set, these cards have proven themselves essential—they keep your board stable, enable constant pressure, and let Vivi fully capitalize on her powerful tempo-focused effects.
Flexible Value Engines
An excellent aggressive draw-engine tech for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi is OP10-045-cavendish. At 4 cost with 6000 power, he fits perfectly into Vivi’s mid-game curve and provides a strong hand-filter effect: once per turn on [When Attacking], you may draw 2 cards and trash 1. Even though Vivi’s [Activate: Main] doesn’t work on Cavendish, her [Once Per Turn] effect helps keep him on the field longer, letting him generate value for multiple turns—often using the very cards he draws to protect himself.
At 6000 power, Cavendish is difficult to remove without commitment, and if left alone, his consistent draw quickly snowballs your resource advantage. In many games he also acts like a pseudo-[Blocker], forcing opponents to attack him instead of your leader or your larger finishers. This buys you time to stabilize, extend your board, and set up your late-game threats.
By combining reliable draw with real board presence, Cavendish adds a proactive layer to Vivi’s game plan, rewarding aggressive sequencing while giving the deck more flexibility from mid to late game.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
Another standout EB03 release is EB03-006-nami, a 5-cost, 7000-power character that stands out as one of the strongest support pieces for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi. At first glance, her [On Play] effect may seem underwhelming—drawing 1 card at the cost of reducing your Leader’s power by -5000 effectively leaves your Leader at 0 power for the turn. But this “drawback” is largely negligible. Since EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi must rest herself anyway to grant [Rush], you weren’t attacking with your Leader that turn regardless.
The real value of EB03-006-nami comes from her [Activate: Main] [Once Per Turn] effect, which reduces an opponent’s character by -1000 power for the turn. Combined with EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi's built-in debuff, this creates a -3000 power swing on a single target. This interaction massively boosts the consistency and efficiency of your board-control cards—such as OP09-009-bennbeckman and OP06-007-shanks—making it far easier to remove key units.
Her 7000-power body also makes her an ideal target for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi’s [Activate: Main], turning Nami into a genuine [Rush] threat that forces opponents to either commit extra resources to defend or take a direct hit. With EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi’s K.O. protection, she also serves as a durable pseudo-[Blocker], and her recurring effect can significantly influence the deck’s tempo.
What pushes EB03-006-nami even further is her synergy with the 5-cost EB03-024-nefeltari-vivi. The 5c Vivi’s [On Play] effect lets you cheat Nami into play for free, enabling explosive turns that both refill your hand and immediately pressure the board.
This interaction between 5c EB03-024-nefeltari-vivi and EB03-006-nami is yet another reason why Nami stands as a core piece of the deck. Once you factor in her debuff engine, efficient stat line, card draw and natural synergy with EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi’s overall game plan, what first looks like a simple support card quickly proves to be one of the deck’s most important engine pieces.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
Solid Staple Blockers
One of the key gimmicks of EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi, aside from preserving your core engine pieces, is her ability to maximize the value of every [Blocker] on the board. Thanks to her [Once Per Turn] effect, even low-power Blockers can survive multiple hits and block repeatedly, giving EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi decks a naturally durable playstyle capable of outlasting virtually any opponent with a flexible, dynamic game plan. With that in mind, let’s move on to the staple Blockers in the deck.
OP10-011-tony-tonychopper is a 4-cost, 4000-power [Blocker] with a strong [Opponent's Turn] effect that gives him +2000 power, effectively making him a 6000-power [Blocker]. This is exactly what EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi decks need, since Vivi’s powerful [Once Per Turn] effect allows a single [Blocker] to stop two attacks—an advantage that becomes crucial in late-game scenarios when resources are limited. Even though OP10-011-tony-tonychopper is a solid defensive tool, his true value lies in being a reliable 2000 counter in hand, giving the deck flexible and consistent protection during key defensive turns.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
The next core defensive piece of the deck is OP11-054-nami, a 5-cost, 6000-power [Blocker] with an excellent hand-filtering [On Play] effect. When played, she lets you draw 3 cards and place 2 cards from your hand on the top or bottom of your deck in any order, as long as your Leader is multicolored—perfect synergy with EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi.
Her 6000 power and [Blocker] keyword pair extremely well with Vivi’s [Activate: Main] and [Once Per Turn] effects, making her a durable, multipurpose unit that strengthens your defense while also letting you fix your hand or set up future draws for safer, more consistent turns. This reliability easily secures OP11-054-nami as a core card of the deck.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
One of the standout new EB03 cards is EB03-024-nefeltari-vivi, a 5-cost, 4000-power [Blocker] that directly supports EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi. Her powerful [On Play] effect lets you play up to 1 {Alabasta} or 1 {Straw Hat Crew} type character with a cost of 5 or less from your hand, then prevents you from playing any other Character cards for the rest of the turn. This gives you the option to go wide with strong {Straw Hat Crew} units in the Red/Blue card pool—but her real value comes from cheating out the deck’s two key 5-cost Nami cards.
The first is the Red 5c EB03-006-nami, a 7000-power unit with a recurring debuff effect that gives an opponent’s character -2000 power each turn. She becomes even more threatening when used as a [Rush] attacker through EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi's Leader [Activate: Main] effect.
The second is the Blue 5c OP11-054-nami, a 6000-power [Blocker] that filters your hand and greatly improves your defense—and thanks to EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi’s Leader [Once Per Turn] effect, she can even block twice in a single turn. With this flexibility, power, and defensive presence, EB03-024-nefeltari-vivi is undeniably a core card in the deck and a must-include in every Vivi list.
Run 4 copies as recommended.
Reliable Board Controls
One of the deck’s reliable board-control options, OP09-009-bennbeckman is a 6-cost character that provides high-impact removal through an [On Play] effect that lets you trash 1 of your opponent’s characters with 6000-power or less. This makes him a reliable answer to key threats, especially those immune to K.O. effects or situations where you need to bypass traps that would trigger [On K.O.] effects like PRB02-008-marco against OP13-002-portgasdace decks, giving him genuine board-control value.
His 7000-power body also makes him an excellent target for Nefeltari Vivi’s [Activate: Main] effect, granting him [Rush] so he can immediately pressure the Leader or remove a key opposing unit. However, in situations where the -1000 power reduction from EB03-006-nami isn’t enough, you can preemptively use EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi’s [Activate: Main] to further weaken your target by an additional -2000 to -3000 power. This guarantees the removal of problematic units, but comes with the trade-off of not being able to give OP09-009-bennbeckman [Rush] that turn. Even so, with his efficient removal options and high-power threat, Beckman firmly secures his role as a core card in the deck.
Run 2-4 copies as recommended.
The deck’s strongest late-game board-control tool, OP06-007-shanks, is a 10-cost, 12000-power character with an incredibly impactful effect in the current meta. His [On Play] ability lets you K.O. up to one of your opponent’s characters with 10000 power or less, giving you a clean answer to major boss units like OP06-118-roronoa-zoro in green decks or OP13-042-edwardnewgate in OP13-002-portgasdace lists—especially when paired with the power reduction tools from EB03-006-nami and your Leader, EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi.
But even in games where there are no high-power threats to remove, OP06-007-shanks remains an exceptional target for both of Vivi’s effects. Her [Once Per Turn] ability turns him into a nearly unbreakable late-game threat, as his 12000 power becomes incredibly difficult for opponents to attack into—often discouraging them from swinging at him at all, even when he’s rested. On top of that, Vivi’s [Activate: Main] effect can grant him [Rush], enabling Shanks to immediately push for lethal or remove a second major unit the same turn he hits the field.
With this kind of raw impact, flexibility, and synergy with the Leader’s kit, including OP06-007-shanks as a core card in every EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi deck is an easy and obvious decision.
Run 2-4 copies as recommended.
Tech Cards
With the core of the EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi deck firmly established, it’s time to dive into Tech Cards. Thanks to the deck’s natural flexibility and access to powerful Red/Blue tools, there are plenty of options to explore—allowing you to fine-tune your game plan and adapt to whatever threats the current meta presents.
Most Popular
A powerful value tech option that also serves as a late-game finisher, OP05-118-kaido is a 10-cost, 12000-power character with an extremely strong [On Play] effect: Draw 4 cards if your opponent has 3 or less Life cards. This condition is easy to meet in Vivi decks thanks to consistent pressure from attackers like EB03-006-nami and OP10-045-cavendish. It also naturally shines against leaders that start at 3 Life such as OP13-002-portgasdace, or those that want to maintain 3 Life to function optimally like OP13-004-sabo.
Kaido also synergizes perfectly with EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi’s K.O. protection and [Rush] activation. With Vivi enabling immediate aggression, Kaido becomes a 12000-power threat the moment he hits the board—capable of swinging for massive damage or securing board control. Her protection effect further ensures Kaido survives key turns, allowing him to close out games consistently.
With explosive draw power and lethal late-game presence, OP05-118-kaido is a highly effective tech choice for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi decks.
Run 0-3 copies depending on personal preference.
Alabasta Tech Cards
If you want stronger early plays and added consistency, consider including OP13-012-nefeltari-vivi as a solid tech option. This 1-cost character provides a simple but effective search [On Play] effect, letting you look at 4 cards from the top of your deck, reveal up to 1 {Alabasta} or {Straw Hat Crew} type card with a cost of 2 or more, and add it to your hand. Because the deck naturally runs many cards from both types, this search is reliable and unlikely to whiff, making it a safe and efficient early-game tool.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
OP04-002-igaram serves as a powerful draw-engine tech option, providing recurring value through his [Activate: Main] effect on a low 2-cost body. By resting him and giving your Leader -5000 power, you can look at the top 5 cards of your deck, reveal up to one {Alabasta} type card, and add it to your hand—perfectly supporting the overall game plan of EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi decks.
Thanks to his repeatable advantage generation, OP04-002-igaram also functions as a pseudo-[Blocker]. Leaving him on the board essentially lets you snowball value every turn, forcing opponents to deal with him or risk falling behind in the mid to late game resources.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
A primary 2000-counter tech card, OP04-006-koza is a 3-cost, 3000-power character with a [When Attacking] effect that gives him +2000 power, making him a 5000-power unit until the start of your next turn. That’s solid value for a 3-cost, but his real strength comes from being a searchable 2000 hand counter through OP13-012-nefeltari-vivi, making him a flexible and reliable defensive option for the deck.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
One of the most commonly used Vivi cards across past and current metas, EB02-026-nefeltari-vivi is a 3-cost character with an extremely useful [On Play] effect that lets you draw 2 cards if your Leader is multicolored and you have 5 or less cards in hand. Both conditions are easy to meet thanks to EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi being multicolored and the deck’s dynamic playstyle, which often lets you play multiple cards and then refill your hand when needed. If you want extra draw power and consistent hand refill, EB02-026-nefeltari-vivi is a reliable inclusion.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
OP13-011-nefeltari-cobra is a 5-cost, Vanilla 6000-power character that works well with EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi’s K.O. protection and [Rush] keyword activation. However, his main value in the deck comes from being a reliable 2000 hand counter that you can rely on during crucial defensive turns.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
Hand Counters
A great 2000-counter tech choice, OP01-006-otama is a 1-cost character with a useful [On Play] effect that gives 1 of your opponent’s characters -2000 power for the turn. This pairs well with EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi and EB03-006-nami power reduction, stacking to a total of -5000 power on key opposing units. With this combined reduction, your removal tools like OP09-009-bennbeckman and OP06-007-shanks become significantly more efficient and reliable.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
Another widely used 2000 hand counter tech option for red decks, OP01-013-sanji is a 2-cost, 3000-power character known for his versatility. His risky but powerful [Activate: Main][Once Per Turn] effect lets you add 1 card from your Life area to your hand, then gives himself +2000 power for the turn, effectively making him a 5000-power attacker. This allows him to function as both an efficient attacker and a reliable draw engine, especially against opponents who avoid hitting your Leader early to limit your resources. Thanks to this flexibility, OP01-013-sanji has earned a strong reputation as a valuable tech option.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
A powerful 1-cost direct support card for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi decks, EB03-011-but-if-we-ever-see-each-other-again-will-you-call-me-your-shipmate is an event card with a strong [Counter] effect that gives your leader or character +4000 power during a battle, as long as your leader is {Nefeltari Vivi}. It also has a useful [Trigger] effect that improves the deck’s durability by giving -2000 power to 1 of your opponent’s characters for a turn. If you want to further enhance your defensive capability, this card is a solid tech option.
Run 0-2 copies depending on personal preference.
A flexible and low-cost tech option, OP13-058-phoenix-pyreapple is a 1-cost event card with a solid [Main] effect that lets you place 1 of your opponent’s characters with 3000-power or less on the bottom of their deck, as long as you have at least 1 active DON!!. This removal becomes especially strong when combined with EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi, EB03-006-nami and other power-reduction tools. It also serves as a 3000 hand counter, giving you an easy way to stop attacks and improve your defensive consistency
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
“One of the most commonly used event tech cards for Red decks in past metas, OP04-016-bad-manners-kick-course is a reliable hand counter that requires you to trash 1 card from your hand to give +3000-power to your Leader or 1 of your characters during a battle. While this alone already makes it a solid tech option, its [Trigger] effect firmly secures its value—reducing 1 of your opponent’s characters or Leader by 3000 power for a turn. This is especially powerful against aggressive decks, particularly those that attack multiple times like OP12-020-roronoa-zoro.
Run 0-2 copies depending on personal preference.
Utility Tech Options
If you want to add a low-cost [Blocker], the 1-cost ST01-006-tony-tonychopper is a solid tech option that slightly improves the survivability of your EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi deck.
Run 0-1 copies depending on personal preference.
If you need more early-game plays and consistent attackers, OP10-005-sanji is the perfect tech choice. As a 3-cost 3000-power unit, he’s extremely self-sufficient—his [Your Turn] effect gives him +3000-power, turning him into a 6000-power attacker that’s tough to deal with. His [On K.O.] effect also lets you draw 1 card, making sure you don’t lose value in the trades he takes.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
If you need another removal option, consider PRB02-001-koby—a 4-cost, 5000-power character that brings both tempo and value. His [When Attacking] effect lets you K.O. up to 1 of your opponent’s characters with 3000 base power or less, and if you have 6 or fewer cards in hand, you also draw 1. This makes Koby a strong tech choice for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi builds looking to improve their card cycling and maintain pressure throughout the mid-game.
On top of that, Koby also benefits from your Leader’s K.O. protection, making him even more appealing as a reliable removal tool that can stay on the board longer than expected.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
If you want stronger late-game finishers, consider OP08-118-silvers-rayleigh. He’s an 8000-power character with a powerful board-shaping [On Play] effect: you select up to 2 of your opponent’s characters, giving one −3000 power and the other −2000 power until the end of your opponent’s next turn, then K.O. up to 1 character with 3000 power or less. This removal becomes even stronger when combined with the power-reduction effects of EB03-006-nami and your Leader EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi, allowing Rayleigh to remove key units like EB02-006-yamato and EB01-012-cavendish, which are valuable engine to their respective decks.
On top of that, Rayleigh is an excellent target for EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi K.O. protection and [Rush] activation, making him not only a removal tool but also an immediate offensive threat the moment he enters the field. Altogether, these synergies make him a strong late-game tec option for the deck.
Run 0-4 copies depending on personal preference.
OP09-118-goldroger is an ideal tech choice if you want a true game-ending card. As a 10-cost powerhouse with 13000 power and the [Rush] keyword, he can immediately threaten lethal or remove a crucial opposing unit the moment he enters the field.
What truly elevates this card is its game-bending [Aura] effect: if either player has 0 life cards and your opponent activates a [Blocker], you instantly win the game. This turns every late-game attack from Roger into an unavoidable threat, forcing opponents to rely solely on hand counters or risk immediate defeat.
He’s even stronger in this deck thanks to your Leader EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi’s K.O. protection effect, which keeps Roger alive after he swings. With protection, he becomes almost impossible to remove on the opponent’s turn, letting you safely set up his win-condition pressure for the following turns.
In grindy matches—especially against decks that rely heavily on blockers—you can even allow your own life to drop to 0 at the right time to activate his threat window. Your opponent is then stuck in a lose-lose situation: block and instantly lose, or avoid blocking and take a massive attack from a 13000-power finisher.
This ability completely shuts down blocker-reliant decks like OP13-079-imu or OP07-019-jewelry-bonney, turning their strongest defensive tools into a fatal liability.
Run 0-2 copies depending on personal preference.
Sample Deck Lists
Decklist Placement: FS(5-0); Placement: 1st Place - Kyo | Host: Obashi
This list incorporates many Alabasta cards that are searchable with the new OP13-012-nefeltari-vivi, making it far more consistent at finding key pieces. It also runs OP05-118-kaido as an additional late-game finisher that provides both board presence and hand advantage. On top of that, the inclusion of OP13-058-phoenix-pyreapple adds an extra removal option defensive stability to round out the deck’s overall survivability.
Decklist Placement: BCF(8-2); Placement: T8 - Jeremy | Host: ThailandBCF
This build uses [cardOP09-118-goldroger[/card] as a finisher, and focuses on balancing offense and defense by running OP01-006-otama, OP01-013-sanji, and OP04-016-bad-manners-kick-course, giving the deck enough tools to survive high-power swings from opponents. On the offensive side, adding PRB02-001-koby and OP08-118-silvers-rayleigh significantly boosts your ability to contest the board efficiently. And of course, OP05-118-kaido serves as a reliable late-game closer to finish matches with overwhelming pressure and value.
Decklist Placement: ShopEvent; Placement: 1st Place - Kasapo | Host: Heroines Cup
This decklist is built to control the early to midgame without giving up late-game finishing power. Tech choices like OP10-005-sanji add an extra attacker to complement core pressure pieces such as EB03-006-nami and OP10-045-cavendish. For board control, the list also runs OP08-118-silvers-rayleigh alongside staples like OP09-009-bennbeckman and OP06-007-shanks, creating a consistent and flexible gameplan centered around sustained board control.
Conclusion
To wrap up, EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi may be the only leader introduced in the newly released EB13 mini set, but she has already proven she can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with top-tier forces like OP13-079-imu, OP13-002-portgasdace, and OP12-020-roronoa-zoro. Her unique blend of K.O. protection, precision power reduction, and the ability to transform heavy hitters into sudden [Rush] threats gives her one of the most adaptable and deceptive tempo gameplans in the current meta.
With value engines like the new EB03-006-nami, resilient blockers such as OP11-054-nami, and devastating board-control tools like OP09-009-bennbeckman and OP06-007-shanks, EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi flows effortlessly from stabilizing the board to applying relentless pressure. And when paired with 5c EB03-024-nefeltari-vivi, she can go wide with key 5-cost power pieces, overwhelming the board with power plays.
In the end, EB03-001-nefeltari-vivi rises as a leader worthy of her royal name—a refined tempo Leader who blends elegance with lethal efficiency. She rewards precise sequencing, calculated trades, and unwavering tempo control, making her a true contender—and one of the brightest standouts—of the EB03 format.
