One Piece TCG - Deck Guide: Captain Buggy and the Cross Guild

Ever since One Piece TCG was released, the entire community has been waiting for Buggy, the clown, as a leader. Well, the wait is over! OP-09, or "Emperors in the New World", focuses on the four current Yonkou, and also finally brought us Buggy as a blue leader who centers around his fleet, the Cross Guild.

In today's article, we'll explore the most anticipated leader in the entire game and discuss his synergy with the Cross Guild as we go through this list, which, in turn, is quite fun to pilot and simple to build.

Buggy OP09-042 is a monoblue leader with 5000 power and 5 life, as well as the Slash attribute and the types "Four Emperors" and "Cross Guild". You can activate his ability as many times as you want in your turn if you can pay for it, and it is the following: if you tap 5 DON!! and discard one card from your hand, you can put a "Cross Guild" character in play directly from your hand, no matter how much it costs.

In other card games, being able to put in play high-cost cards using just a few resources has always been one of the most powerful abilities around, and should always be balanced carefully. So, if you take a closer look, you'll notice that high-cost Cross Guild characters are a bit more limited because they shouldn't be too oppressive or create unhealthy game states. That's what makes this leader relatively fair.

Furthermore, Buggy stands out as an accessible, budget-friendly leader for anyone who wants to build a deck without spending a small fortune. His synergies let us use the most accessible Cross Guild cards, and, as such, you can build a solid deck with this theme without necessarily investing heavily in these cards. This means it is an excellent option for beginners, first-time players, or anyone who is looking for a second or third deck, but doesn't want to go over their budget.

The basis of the deck we'll see today was used by an Italian player, Aley97, to get to a tournament's Top 4, but we changed it slightly based on what a few Japanese lists are playing. Buggy OP09-042 is a very fun leader that can give you incredibly satisfying games. It also doesn't cost much to build, and could make you laugh a lot as you play.

With the cards we can play in this deck today, you'll probably not win any big tournaments with it, like a regional or world tournament, but you'll still get great results in smaller or more casual tournaments!

This is our list for today:

It's important to bring lists that are centered around the western format because Japanese players use different game and deckbuilding philosophies for their decks.

The Big Three in the Cross Guild

In the story, the Cross Guild is an alliance formed by Crocodile OP09-046, Dracule Mihawk OP09-048, and Buggy OP09-051, which leads the alliance. Crocodile and Mihawk, who are ex-Shichibukai, are super rare cards, and Buggy is a rare card. Nonetheless, neither Crocodile nor Mihawk are expensive, which isn't unusual for super rare cards.

When Crocodile OP09-046 enters play, he also lets you put in play a Cross Guild character or a "Baroque Works" character that costs 5 or less. "Baroque Works" characters are a bit more generic, considering some of them are "Former Baroque Works" and are still considered "Baroque Works" even though they left this group in the story. One example is Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) OP09-055, which is also in this list.

Crocodile OP09-046's ability is one of the things that makes this a swarm deck, that is, an aggressive deck that focuses on playing multiple characters in a row and readying them for just a few DON!!!. If you play Crocodile for 5 DON!!! with your leader's ability, you'll put him, who usually costs 7 DON!!!, in play, as well as another second character that costs 5 or less. This would usually cost you 12 DON!!!, but you'll only use 5.

Dracule Mihawk OP09-048, another ex-Shichibukai, is a bit simpler. He has the Blocker ability, so you can redirect attacks to him. Furthermore, when he enters play, you'll draw 2 cards and discard 1 from your hand. These two effects will let you defend yourself against future attacks and somewhat filter your hand.

Finally, Buggy OP09-051 is actually quite complicated. He does have 12000 power and cost 10 DON!!!, but you can put him in play for 5 DON!!! with your leader's ability. The bad news is, though this would be great in any other situation, he has a very specific restriction.

When Buggy OP09-051 enters the battlefield, he lets you put an enemy character of any cost back in the bottom of the opponent's deck. This ability is incredible, as it gets rid of extremely problematic cards, like Eustass"Captain"Kid OP01-051. However, right after that, Buggy OP09-051 will look at your side of the board. If, including him, you don't have 5 characters that cost 5 or more in play, that is, a full board, he will return to the bottom of your deck. This way, you won't be able to take advantage of its 12000 power in the next turns.

Nonetheless, this effect can be incredible even if he doesn't stay on your board. It is a sort of Gum-Gum Red Roc OP04-056 for 1 DON!!! less.

The Rest of the Cross Guild

Mr.3(Galdino) OP09-056 is the Cross Guild searcher. His effect is quite simple: he lets you look at the top 4 cards in your deck and get a Cross Guild or "Baroque Works" card. Then, you'll place the other cards at the bottom of your deck in any order. He is critical for this deck because your leader is heavily centered around that certain type of character.

Mohji OP09-053 and Cabaji OP09-045 are one of Buggy's most iconic minions, and are 8 out of the 10 +2000 counters this deck includes. When Mohji OP09-056 enters the battlefield, you'll be able to get a "Richie" card from the top 5 cards in your deck and add it to your hand. Unlike cards like Ohm OP05-101, however, Mohji doesn't let you put the Richie you tutored in play right afterward.

Furthermore, the only Richie character in the game so far is Richie OP09-054, who doesn't do much. He is only a low-cost blocker, and Dracule Mihawk OP09-048 is arguably a lot better for that role.

Cabaji OP09-045 is quite interesting, as he can't be knocked out in combat when you have any Buggy or Mohji characters in play. Speaking of being knocked out, this list also plays Alvida OP09-043: her effect triggers on K.O. and lets you play a Cross Guild character that costs 5 or less from your hand to the board. She effectively replaces herself.

Finally, Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) OP09-055 is a vanilla 5-cost with 7000 power. It is one of your main beaters, and is perfect to put in play with Alvida OP09-043 and Crocodile OP09-046.

Other Cards

This deck uses well-established blue cards in its solid base. It includes Sanji’s Pilaf OP03-056 and Gravity Blade Raging Tiger OP06-058, which remove enemy threats and draw cards.

Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) EB01-027 isn't exactly a Cross Guild character, but it is a Baroque Works character, so it's perfect to put it in play with Crocodile OP09-046. This way, you'll be able to use its effect, which lets you draw 2 cards and discard 1, to add the answers you need to your hand.

Jozu OP08-047 is a very welcome removal that recycles resources, whereas Marguerite OP07-054 is a very efficient blocker. She also draws you a card when she enters the battlefield.

Besides everything we covered above, there are 3 other Cross Guild promos that haven't been released in the west yet. バギー P-084, the most important of them, lets you put a Cross Guild character that costs 6 or less in play when he enters the battlefield. This covers way more cards than the other characters with this type of effect, and will even let us put Dracule Mihawk OP09-048 in play.

Its main effect prevents characters that cost 3 or 4 from attacking, so you'll be protected against smaller attackers - like the ones in Roronoa Zoro OP01-001's decks, which are often more aggressive than you. Unfortunately, this character can't attack, but it is still a 5-cost body for Buggy OP09-051's effect.

In Japan, this card is essential for this deck, as it protects you in longer matches and lets you play more aggressively at the same time.

Playing with Buggy OP09-042 is a unique, but extremely fun experience. The fact it lets you put powerful characters in play unexpectedly makes it very explosive, and the Cross Guild synergy makes it quite thematic, which is what many players want from this TCG.

Furthermore, because it is accessible, many players can enjoy the best Buggy can offer without going bankrupt. If you're looking for a deck full of personality (like Buggy himself) with a unique play style that will definitely catch all your opponent's off-guard, this is definitely a great choice.

What did you think of this list? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!