IntroductionIn today's article, we'll discuss one of the main decks from OP16 - The Time of Battle. Sengoku OP16-060 was introduced to us at the OPTCG World Championship finals and left a good impression straight away.It is one of the few combos in OPTCG It uses specific pieces that you can play from your hand for very little and get quite ahead in tempo. We're talking about Sengoku and the Three Admirals.Sengoku, the LeaderSengoku OP16-060 is a purple Wisdom Navy leader with 5000 power and 5 life. Its effect activates in the main phase and lets you return 8 active DON!! to your DON!! deck to play up to 3 Admiral characters from your hand, as long as they all have different names. Please note that this effect explicitly states active DON!!, not just any DON!!.It's actually pretty simple to understand, but not that easy to use, and it does get in your way from time to time. Considering what we can use in OPTCG nowadays, the best option is to play Kuzan, a Sakazuki, and a Borsalino, or at least two of those, to get the most out of this effect. We'll go over them in more detail later on.The DeckThis is a purple Navy list that wants to activate Sengoku as consistently as possible. To do that, it plays searchers, loot effects, and DON!! acceleration. This way, you won't have to rely on luck to get what you want. This is not a generic midrange purple list. Instead, you'll use Navy tools to put all 3 Admirals in play as consistently as possible.The version below was built by a player called NH, who managed to get 1st place at a tournament. They beat 32 other players.Early GameKoby OP16-064 is the most straightforward searcher in this list. It lets you look at the top 5 cards in your deck and get a Navy card from there (except for Koby itself). Considering this deck needs specific cards to work, Koby is perfect. Because of this card, you'll most likely have the right Admirals when it's time to use your leader's effect. Buddha Sengoku OP16-077 is a searcher as well, but it gets 2 cards for you.Tsuru OP16-067 does something similar, but then it trashes a card from your hand. This won't be a problem for this list because oftentimes you'll have extra copies of events, other tools, and even cards that you won't use in that particular turn. Furthermore, Tsuru also has Counter +2000, which makes it quite useful while it is in your hand.Marineford OP16-078 also lets you look at the top 5 cards in your deck and get a Navy card. Afterward, you can use it in the main phase to draw a card and trash a card from your hand for -1 DON!!. It's a way to turn new cards into more draws, fix your hand, and set up the game for your leader's effect.Ramping DON!!Donquixote Rosinante OP16-070 is a cheap blocker that also gives you extra DON!! if you pay for its alternative cost when you put it in play. Sengoku OP16-066 has a pretty important On Play effect. It gives you up to two tapped DON!! from your deck, as well as draw 2 cards and trash two others from your hand. This effect does everything this deck wants, all at the same time. It gives you extra DON!!, filters your hand, and helps you find the Admirals you'll put in play later on with your leader.Monkey D. Garp OP16-075 also ramps DON!!. It will give you one tapped DON!! and one active if you're playing a Navy leader. This will be quite helpful when you need to get to 8 or 10 DON!! but still keep a few resources for your main game plan. It's a simple card, but it plays its role well. Because of it, you won't have to rely so heavily on your natural curve.The Three AdmiralsKuzan OP16-063, Sakazuki OP16-065, and Borsalino OP16-073 are the reason why you should play Sengoku. They all cost 7, have 8000 power, and are Navy Admirals, so they're exactly what your leader puts into play. Ideally, of course, you should activate your leader and play all three to build an outstanding board, and for no extra cost.Kuzan OP16-063 gives you up to two tapped DON!! when it enters play, so you'll be able to get back part of what you've spent with your leader. Its second effect is also relevant. In your main phase, you can spend 1 DON!! to prevent your opponent from activating a Blocker that turn. It's a great way to start your attacks, particularly on the turn after you play your combo.Sakazuki OP16-065 is the best card out of these three. When it enters play, you can spend 1 DON!! to give an enemy character -6000 power until the end of their next end phase. The fact it carries over to the next turn is actually pretty important because it will disrupt attacks, make trades easier, and leave a character behind that will be too small to be a problem. Furthermore, its other effect lets you tap a DON!! to get up to 2 active DON!!, so you'll be able to get some resources back after you activate your leader.Borsalino OP16-073 also gives you DON!! when it enters play, namely one active and one tapped. At the end of the turn, you can spend 2 DON!! to keep it active and give it Blocker until the opponent's next end phase. This makes it the most defensive Admiral in this trio, as it has a big body, gives you DON!!, protects you, and doesn't get vulnerable after it attacks.Events and InteractionThe Three Admirals!! OP16-076 interacts directly with the leader's main effect. In the main phase, you can tap 3 DON!! to give +2000 power to up to three Admirals that turn. As a Counter, if you have any Admirals in play, you can give +4000 power to your leader or a character during combat. Like so, this card is a great way to put pressure if you already have a great board and protect your Sengoku when your Admirals are already in play.Lightning Dragon OP15-077 and Mamaragan OP15-078 are purple events that will help you keep up the pace as you play. Lightning Dragon draws a card and prevents the opponent from setting an enemy character with 6000 power or less as active in the following turn. This will buy you some time until you can activate your leader's effect. Mamaragan draws a card, taps a character with 5000 power or less, and can also protect you because of its Counter, particularly when you have less than 6 DON!! in play.Gum-Gum Lightning OP09-077 is an efficient way to remove characters that have 6000 power or less for -2 DON!!. It doesn't interact with the Navy theme, but with it, you won't have to rely solely on your Admirals to interact with the enemy board. Considering this deck needs time to set up a specific board, playing simple answers to average threats is critical.Divine Departure OP13-076 complements this kit as a flex slot. In the main phase, it can nerf an enemy character considerably if you have any DON!! attached, and, as a Counter, it turns a card in your hand into +3000 defense. It's not a Navy card, but it stalls games when your opponent is putting pressure before you can use Sengoku's ability.How to Play ItEarly on, you need to set up your hand. Koby OP16-064, Tsuru OP16-067, Buddha Sengoku OP16-077, and Marineford OP16-078 will help you find the right Admirals, and you shouldn't treat them as generic searchers. The goal is to set up your hand with different Admirals, enough protective effects and control tools, and a way to get more DON!!.In the mid-game, you'll start relying on Sengoku OP16-066, Monkey D. Garp OP16-075, and Donquixote Rosinante OP16-070 to get to 8 DON!! faster. You must not return DON!! to your deck carelessly if you're planning to use your leader in the following turn. Keep in mind Sengoku needs 8 active DON!! in particular.When the right turn finally comes, the best strategy is activating Sengoku OP16-060 and making sure you have at least 2 different Admirals in your hand. Three is ideal. Still, you won't have the perfect hand every match. In some matches, putting only Sakazuki OP16-065 and Borsalino OP16-073 in play is already enough to put the board under your control and buy some time. Meanwhile, in others, Kuzan OP16-063 is the most important piece, as it stops blockers and makes the late game easier.After you put your Admirals in play, this deck turns into a midrange strategy with big bodies, great board effects, and excellent defensive events. The opponent will have to deal with characters that have 8000 power, you can use Borsalino as a blocker, Sakazuki will control the board, and Kuzin will prevent the opponent from blocking. From then on, the game will be all about preserving the board and seeing if you need to use your leader's effect again.Final WordsSengoku OP16-060 was pretty scary when it was first announced, but then we saw that it often struggles to set up its dream board, and so he couldn't perform all that well in competitive settings. Still, setting up this crazy Exodia with your Admirals is a pretty fun task. It's also cheap to build, particularly when you remove cards like Mamaragan OP15-078, a great, generic purple SR but also the most expensive card in this list.What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
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