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Greetings, One Piece Card Game enthusiasts! Today, we turn our attention to the resilient and strategic color of Yellow. Renowned for its unique life manipulation mechanics, including both healing and the strategic use of life as a resource, Yellow also boasts strong removal options and impactful Trigger effects that can swing the tide of battle.
In case you missed our other deep dives into the upcoming card rotation, you can find quick links to each color's analysis below:
- Block 1 Rotation Guide For Red
- Block 1 Rotation Guide For Blue
- Block 1 Rotation Guide For Green
- Block 1 Rotation Guide For Purple
- Block 1 Rotation Guide For Yellow
- Block 1 Rotation Guide For Black
Interestingly, unlike some other colors, Yellow didn't have a significant presence in the initial Block 1 card pool. Many of its most impactful and defining cards emerged in later sets, shaping its current identity. Let's explore which early Yellow cards will be rotating out and how that might affect its overall strategy.
Rotation-Proof Cards
Unfortunately, as of now, there aren't any announced rotation-proof cards within Yellow's Block 1 card pool. It's only very recently that Yellow received its first Manga Rare card, OP10-119-trafalgar-law-857, which appeared in the Tenth set. Therefore, all Yellow cards from Block 1 are currently subject to the upcoming rotation.
Block 1 Notable Yellow Leaders
Yellow's list of competitively relevant leaders is the shortest, with only OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri-284 making the cut. When Yellow was first introduced, OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri-284 stood out as the premier leader, leveraging Yellow's powerful (and sometimes frustrating) Trigger cards alongside some of the game's most formidable boss units. While many Yellow support cards from the Big Mom Pirates archetype will be rotating out of Standard, the future for this archetype appears bright, as it continues to receive consistent support even in the latest Bandai releases.
Here are some off-meta, yet semi-competitive leaders that I've also discussed in previous articles for other colors. These leaders might be fan favorites due to their interesting card effects. OP03-022-arlong-418 has seen some off-meta resurgence in OP11, thanks to new support cards for the Fishman archetype with the recent release of OP11-021-jinbe-150. While the deck still faces consistency issues, its aggression and surprise element can allow it to secure wins against even the top meta decks.
OP04-040-queen-454 is a rogue fan-favorite leader with a uniquely cool effect that blends Yellow's healing flavor with Blue's card draw quite nicely. It's a leader that demands skillful piloting to be effective but hasn't achieved significant competitive success, likely because other Yellow or Blue leaders have "easier" to activate leader effects.
Finally, we have OP04-058-crocodile-287, the game's only Baroque Works leader. While Baroque Works is an interesting archetype with decent supporting characters, it's held back by OP04-058-crocodile-287's somewhat mediocre leader effect. I explored this archetype more extensively in my article for Purple, as the majority of its support cards reside in that color.
Block 1 Yellow Staples and Tech Cards
Now, let's get to some staple cards in Yellow! This section will primarily focus on powerful boss units and impactful Trigger cards that have defined Yellow's strategic identity and continue to see play.
Staple Boss Units
Yellow's Block 1 card pool boasts some of the game's most iconic boss cards. Remarkably, these cards continue to see play in modern Yellow decks. OP04-112-yamato-722 stands out as one of the earliest generic boss healer cards in Yellow. Its additional removal effect has made it a staple in various meta decks. Notably, it's a key boss unit in OP05-098-enel-426 decks, significantly contributing to the archetype's "starve" game plan. By limiting the opponent's hand, OP05-098-enel-426 maximizes the impact of OP04-112-yamato-722's life-based removal.
OP03-123-charlotte-katakuri-641 is another iconic Yellow boss unit. It served as one of the most potent removal options in the early stages of the One Piece Card Game. Its ability to remove any unit costing 8 or less from the field has made it a staple in many Yellow decks. It cleanly answers impactful boss units like OP06-086-gecko-moria-parallel and OP01-051-eustasscaptainkid-770. Alongside OP03-123-charlotte-katakuri-641, ST07-010-charlotte-linlin is another generic boss unit for Yellow. It sees play in modern life-based Yellow leaders such as OP10-099-eustasscaptainkid-691, OP07-097-vegapunk-968, and OP09-062-nico-robin-119.
It appears Bandai is already preparing for the rotation of these key Yellow boss units. They have recently introduced new powerful options like OP10-112-eustasscaptainkid-359 and EB02-052-enel-901, suggesting a shift in the high-cost threats available to Yellow decks.
Staple Trigger Cards
Yellow is renowned for its game-changing Trigger cards, and OP04-100-caponegangbege-925 certainly leads the way! OP04-100-caponegangbege-925's Trigger effect is one of the most impactful in the game, capable of stopping an attack from any Character or Leader. This can be particularly devastating in the late game, where often a single successful attack would have secured victory.
OP03-116-shirahoshi-267 is another Trigger unit. While not as game-altering as OP04-100-caponegangbege-925, it can often improve hands for Yellow decks with its filtering effect. This was especially valuable in the early days of One Piece, when hand-filtering effects weren't as common. In more recent decks, OP03-116-shirahoshi-267 sees less play, as most colors have gained access to better options for filtering cards, such as the EB02-054-sanji and OP10-109-basil-hawkins.
OP04-104-sanji-446 has a Summon Trigger effect when drawn from life. However, it can also be played normally from hand as a generic blocker with decent stats. While generally there are now better options for cards with similar Trigger effects, OP04-104-sanji-446 has seen play in the past in Big Mom Pirate decks because it can be searched by OP03-112-charlotte-pudding-183.
Utility Characters and Events
Now, let's look at some versatile utility cards for Yellow! OP03-102-sanji-977 is a solid tech choice for any Yellow leader seeking both draw power and life manipulation. Additionally, its 2k counter value makes it a generally safe inclusion in many deck builds.
OP03-121-thunder-bolt stands as one of Yellow's earliest removal event cards. It's capable of KO'ing any Character with a cost of 5 or less at the expense of trashing a life card. This saw play in several meta Yellow decks as a cost-effective removal option. However, it has largely been overshadowed by the more recently introduced and powerful Yellow removal card, OP11-106-zeus-731.
OP04-101-carmel might seem like an unusual inclusion here, but it does provide a generic draw effect. This card has gained recent prominence as a staple in most OP10-022-trafalgar-law-265 builds. OP04-101-carmel truly shines in decks that can bounce it back to hand, allowing for repeated use of its effect, and OP10-022-trafalgar-law-265's leader ability perfectly facilitates this strategy!
ST07-017-queen-mama-chanter might also appear to be an odd addition to this list. However, this Stage card actually saw play in some competitive OP05-098-enel-426 builds, particularly just before the ban announcement of EB01-059-kingdom-come. Its primary utility lies in its ability to reduce your life cards to a low enough count to activate the healing effects of cards like OP04-112-yamato-722, OP07-119-portgasdace-342, and EB02-052-enel-901. It could also sometimes be used to strategically place a OP04-100-caponegangbege-925 as the top life card to ensure its Trigger effect for defense.
Block 1 Archetype-Specific Yellow Cards
As you might have noticed, most of Yellow's notable Block 1 cards belong to the Big Mom Pirates archetype. Considering Yellow's introduction in OP03, it's understandable that there aren't many other significant Yellow archetypes or support cards from this early block. Let's take a closer look at the Big Mom Pirates staples:
Big Mom Pirates Staples
OP03-112-charlotte-pudding-183 serves as the archetype's key searcher upon play. It also has a flavorful secondary effect, allowing you to search for any "Sanji" cards as well. OP03-113-charlotte-perospero-503 also provides a search effect, but it triggers upon being KO'd. This means opponents can strategically choose to leave it on the board to prevent you from searching your deck for Big Mom Pirates cards. And of course, the most impactful of the three is OP03-114-charlotte-linlin-918! This is the primary boss unit for Big Mom Pirates leaders, boasting one of the most powerful On Play effects in the game: healing your life while simultaneously damaging your opponent's.
Losing these three pivotal cards to rotation will be a significant blow to Yellow Big Mom Pirates leader strategies. We will have to wait and see what new support Bandai has planned to compensate for their absence.
Big Mom Pirates Tech Options
Next up are some Big Mom Pirates support cards that, while not always top-tier, can sometimes serve as valuable tech options for certain Yellow decks. ST07-007-charlotte-brulee is Yellow's lowest-cost blocker with a Trigger Play effect. This can occasionally function similarly to OP04-100-caponegangbege-925 by stopping a crucial attack in the late game. It has seen play in trigger-heavy decks like OP04-040-queen-454 and OP11-041-nami-480, providing extra defensive triggers.
OP03-108-charlotte-cracker-204 can be utilized by decks aiming for additional aggression and offensive pressure. Its Trigger Play effect allows it to be included in some ST13-001-sabo builds. By continuously placing it back on top of the life cards, players can repeatedly trigger its effect.
ST07-003-charlotte-katakuri is worth highlighting due to its unique combination of being a cheap Rush unit with respectable stats for Yellow. Despite this seemingly strong effect, it hasn't seen much competitive play. It doesn't quite align with the general game plan of most Yellow leaders, and its Rush effect has a situational cost to activate, making it somewhat inconsistent.
ST07-009-charlotte-mont-dor can be a tech option in metas where removing low-cost units becomes important. This card saw play during the height of ST10-001-trafalgar-law, where it was used to remove the deck's key 3-cost unit, OP08-074-black-maria-461. ST07-015-soul-pocus is sometimes included in decks that focus on burning through the opponent's life cards, such as OP10-099-eustasscaptainkid-691, OP03-099-charlotte-katakuri-722, or OP11-041-nami-480.
OP04-105-charlotte-amande and OP03-115-streusen were the primary 2k counter options used by Big Mom Pirates leaders, despite having somewhat underwhelming card effects. While these two cards will be rotating out of Standard, it likely won't be a significant issue, as Bandai has already released better 2k counter Big Mom Pirates cards in the form of OP11-106-zeus-731 and ST20-003-charlotte-brulee.
Block 1 Off Meta Yellow Leaders
Here are a few Yellow leaders that didn't quite break into the competitive meta but still deserve a shoutout for the players who enjoyed them: ST07-001-charlotte-linlin, ST09-001-yamato, and OP03-077-charlotte-linlin-876. These leaders, while not top-tier contenders, likely offered unique playstyles that some duelists found engaging. It's always great to see players exploring different strategies and finding success with less conventional choices!
The Future of Yellow Post-Rotation
Despite the significant number of Yellow Big Mom Pirates support cards that will be rotating out of Standard next year, the future for Yellow appears promising! Current trends in the meta suggest a shift towards new and evolving archetypes.
We're seeing the rise of Yellow Supernovas, exemplified by the success of OP10-022-trafalgar-law-265 and OP10-099-eustasscaptainkid-691 decks. Furthermore, the Egghead archetype is receiving substantial support with each new release, making it highly probable that we will see more new Egghead leaders alongside the existing OP07-097-vegapunk-968. Interestingly, Yellow Revolutionaries are also gaining traction, with OP05-002-belo-betty-673 and ST13-001-sabo experiencing a competitive resurgence in the current OP11 format! This diversification of viable archetypes indicates a healthy and adaptable future for Yellow, suggesting it will remain a strong and strategically diverse color even after the rotation.
Conclusion
The upcoming Block 1 rotation will certainly mark a shift for Yellow, as several key Big Mom Pirates support cards will be leaving the Standard format. However, the future of Yellow looks promising. The rise of new archetypes like Yellow Supernovas and Egghead, along with the renewed strength of Yellow Revolutionaries, showcases the color's ability to adapt and remain competitive.
Even with the rotation of some familiar cards, Yellow's fundamental strengths – life manipulation, impactful triggers, and powerful boss units – will continue to define its strategic role in the evolving metagame. Players can anticipate exciting new strategies and developments as Yellow navigates this next phase of the One Piece Card Game.
