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Our new Yellow Leader in OP07 OP07-097-vegapunk! This Leader has a unique playstyle that heavily relies on {Egghead} type Characters. He's a fun Leader to pick in the new meta, bringing a different One Piece TCG experience where it takes using your Life area as part of your game plan to another level.
This guide will help you understand how OP07-097-vegapunk works, the deck's game plan, and how to approach different matchups. Let's dive in!
Gameplan
OP07-097-vegapunk is a 2 Life Leader, which might seem daunting at first, but that plays into his game plan, as multiple cards in Yellow benefit from having a Leader at low health. Additionally, for 1 Don, OP07-097-vegapunk can place one {Egghead} Character either on the field or at the top of the Life cards. This lets you cheat out Characters on the board or give you an additional protection layer for your Leader.
The only downside is that OP07-097-vegapunk can't attack, which can be frustrating when trying to clear out a rested Character. However, this deck's ability to develop multiple characters a turn can mitigate the Leader's inability to attack.
The majority of the cards in this deck are {Egghead} type with Trigger effect. This means when we put them at the top of our Life area, they'll offer value when our Leader is damaged. Cards like OP07-105-pythagoras, OP07-111-lilith, OP07-098-atlas are playable through their trigger effects. This builds up our board while keeping us out of the threat of losing the game.
With the multiple Characters, this deck can develop a turn, we can unleash a barrage of attacks that force Counter resources, and eventually, attacks set up the lethal turn.
Early Turns
We're usually aiming to activate Leader OP07-097-vegapunk's effect as early as turn 1, placing an {Egghead} either on the field or in the Life area. If we're going first, I usually prefer playing the Character on the field to present an attacking threat for the upcoming turn. If we're going second, we can place an {Egghead} in the Life area. Prioritize putting an {Egghead} that can be played through their Trigger effect since the opponent will likely attack your Leader on the upcoming turn. We want to take the hit and activate the Trigger effect.
Later on in the game, we'll be able put an {Egghead} Character in the Life Area and develop another on the field, basically playing two Characters a turn. This creates more pressure for the opponent to deal with, unleashing more attacks and forcing answers out of them.
Playable Triggers
These {Eggheads} are the best choices since they can be played on the field through their Trigger effect. So for 1 Don, you're gaining a Life card and a Character development to start applying pressure on the field.
OP07-111-lilith is the weakest in terms of board pressure since she has less power than the other Eggheads, but she offers a card draw, ensuring we don't run out of options in the later stages of the game.
OP07-098-atlas is just too annoying since she can't be KO'd in battle as long as you have less Life cards than the opponent, forcing them to find other ways to deal with her.
As for OP07-105-pythagoras, he's a value card when KO'd, letting us play a 4-cost {Egghead} from the Trash. Usually, I prefer bringing back OP07-111-lilith, which in turn, draws an {Egghead} Character, adding to that value plan. Keep in mind that to activate his effect, we need to have 2 Life cards or less, so we might opt to avoid adding a 3rd Life card if he's rested.
OP07-101-shaka is the strongest {Egghead} as he acts as a blocker, protecting our Leader or rested Characters.
Value Eggheads
Since we'll likely start playing two Characters a turn in the mid-game, we want value cards to keep the engine from running out of gas. This is where OP07-111-lilith , OP07-104-nico-robin, and OP07-100-edison's draw value come to use.
We already talked about OP07-111-lilith, but she's our best value card, putting a body on the field that the opponent simply can't ignore while still drawing us a card.
We're usually placing OP07-104-nico-robin in our Life area later on in the game to activate her Trigger effect. If the opponent damages our Leader, OP07-104-nico-robin will draw us two cards, adding valuable resources to help us in the later turns.
Lastly, OP07-100-edison is a +2,000 Counter card but can be played through its trigger effect, which then activates his play effect to draw 2 cards and trash 2, filtering our hand. If we don't have any playable Characters through Trigger effect, we'll have to rely on OP07-100-edison.
Egghead Stage
So since most of the cards in our deck have a Trigger effect, we're more than happy with opponents attacking our Leader and activating those Triggers. However, if we have a rested Character on the field, they'll likely deviate their focus to that Character and try to KO it. This is where OP07-117-egghead comes to use, setting up one 5-cost or less {Egghead} Character as Active, preventing the opponent from attacking it.
It's also great to use with OP07-101-shaka, allowing him to attack offensively while maintaining him as a valuable blocker to protect our Leader or key cards.
Removal Cards
OP07-109-monkeydluffy is an {Egghead} with a Trigger effect to KO a 4-cost or less Character. He can still find use on the field as an attacker, but getting to remove one of the opponent's threats and draw a card puts us ahead in resource value.
EB01-059-kingdom-come is the strongest removal card in this deck, letting us KO a Character regardless of its cost. We're usually playing this when there's a high-cost threat we have to remove. Since it trashes Life cards until we're at 1 Life card, we'll activate Leader effect after we play EB01-059-kingdom-come.
Heavy Hitters
OP04-112-yamato is our strongest play in the late game if we're down to 1 Life card. It can be difficult in most cases to KO a 4-cost Character with OP04-112-yamato, but we can help them through Leader effect. If we're down to 0 Life cards, we can activate OP07-097-vegapunk's effect, adding a Life card and powering up OP04-112-yamato's KO effect.
However, if we're at 1 Life card, we want to play OP04-112-yamato first and then activate OP07-097-vegapunk's effect to put us at 3 Life cards.
As for OP03-123-charlotte-katakuri, he's a heavy hitter that synergizes with our game plan. Depending on the state of the field, we'll have to decide whether we need to remove a threat on the board or add one of our Characters in the Life Area. Although removing an opponent's Character and placing it in the opponent's Life Area gives them a Life card, it does weaken their field and puts us ahead of the opponent.
If we're placing our Character in the Life Area, we'll choose an {Egghead} with a powerful Trigger effect. OP07-111-lilith is the premium card to put in the Life Area so we can replay her again once Leader takes a hit and trigger her on Play draw effect.
OP07-119-portgasdace is another option if we need an immediate attacker to close out the game or attack a Rested Character. He's a 10,000 Power Rush attacker that gives us a Life card on play. Since OP07-119-portgasdace costs10 Don, we won't be able to activate Leader effect on the turn he's played, so we'll be relying on OP07-119-portgasdace's Rush and Life card he gives us to survive the upcoming turn.
Events
For 1 Don, you can give one of your Characters on Leader +3,000 Power during defensive turns. You do have to be at 2 Life Cards or less for this card to be playable. This shouldn't be difficult to achieve, but establish on which turn you want to play the Event so you can bank the 1 Don.
Gameplay Video
Techs and Options
A removal card early into the game to shift the board presence in our favor. We'll be forced to keep opponent's Life cards at a certain number to find value from OP05-102-gedatsu.
A defensive trigger to turn one of our Characters into a Blocker and can still use OP07-103-tony-tonychopper as a Counter card or put him back in the Life area for another trigger.
A 7-cost big body that puts opponent on the spot, forcing to make a difficult decision on whether to give you a Life card or they trash a Life card.
General Tips
- Don't stack up Life cards. This deck wants to be at 2 Life Cards most of the time, so when we're at 3 Life cards, we want to take damage to activate a Trigger and have our effects correlated to our Life Area find use like OP07-105-pythagoras.
- Prioritize putting {Eggheads} with the trigger to be played on the board in your Life Area. You want to develop a board and start putting aggressive pressure on the opponent.
Mulligan Tips
{Eggheads} like OP07-105-pythagoras, OP07-111-lilith, OP07-098-atlas, OP07-101-shaka are great to have early in the game.
Important Matchups
Black Rob Lucci
- We want to put as much pressure on the field as possible. Opponent has the tools to KO our Characters, so it can be hard to win the field.
- Use EB01-059-kingdom-come to deal with their carry cards like OP03-078-issho or OP06-086-gecko-moria.
- OP03-123-charlotte-katakuri is an options to remove OP03-078-issho off the field. We don't want the opponent to gain any value from the cost-reduction OP03-078-issho offers.
- This is a tough matchup since our Leader can't attack, and we're reliant on our Characters to do the heavy lifting. If opponent manages to clear out our attackers, we'll fall behind on aggression.
Red Purple Law
- We're more focused on controlling the board in this matchup. Prioritize attacking their rested Characters and weakening their upcoming attacks.
- We want to add a Life card through Leader effect every turn. We're up against a deck that can play aggressively and we need that extra protection.
- OP07-101-shaka is good for this matchup and forces the opponent to remove it through their Leader effect.
- Since we're more focused on keeping the board in check rather the mindlessly attacking their Leader, Yamato could find use by KOing one of their 4-costs and giving us a Life Card.
Black Yellow Luffy
- We want to take things to the late game and use our heavy hitters to win the game. The opponent doesn't have reliable tools to deal with our big bodies, so they'll opt to ignore them and try to close out the game.
- Sabos are a problem for us since they'll shut us down from using our Heavy hitters to close out the game.
- We can use OP03-123-charlotte-katakuri to disrupt the opponent's game plan. If we play OP03-123-charlotte-katakuri and place one of their cards in the Life Area, we can shut down opponent from activating their Leader effect, forcing them to play a self-damage card.
Now, Gecko Moria is an option to put in the opponent's Life Area. If they self-damage, they won't be able to play Gecko Moria on that specific turn, but you'll need to close out the game on your next attack or you'll be giving them an opportunity to gain value from that Gecko Moria.
Closing Words
Although not the top Leader among the OP07 expansion, OP07-097-vegapunk still offers a unique playstyle that can be fun to pick up and try out! The deck relies on playing around your Life Area, getting value whenever the opponent attacks your Leader.
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