One Piece TCG: Deck Tech - Monkey D. Luffy (Yellow) from OP15

Another set is coming, and, with it, another Luffy. In today's article, we'll see how Monkey.D.Luffy OP15-098 performs with the new set, OP 15 - Adventure on Kami's Island. This leader promotes a "yellow Sky Island" game plan that uses life points as a resource, mostly to protect its main characters and the board for as long as possible.

It's quite different than the yellow strategies we're used to seeing because it uses life points a little bit differently and puts a good board above healing as much as possible.

Monkey.D.Luffy OP15-098 is a yellow Sky Island/Straw Hat Crew Strike leader with 5 life and 5000 power. His only ability is a passive ability. When it is enabled, if one of your Sky Island characters with 6000 power or more is removed from the board by the opponent (including in combat), you can remove the top card in your life pile and put it in your hand instead.

This makes a huge difference in practice. Because of this effect, Roronoa Zoro OP15-113, Kalgara OP12-099, Wyper OP15-114, and Monkey.D.Luffy OP15-119 will be more than just bodies with 6000 or 7000 power. They'll be great threats with decent stats, and Luffy's ability will force the opponent to go over an extra protective layer to remove them that can give you more cards in the end. Yes, you'll be cutting your own life short, but yellow can deal with this sort of thing really well.

This list was built by a player called Korekiyo, and it's pretty well-rounded. It plays a heavy searcher kit, many "average" characters that progress the main game plan, some removals that usually see play with certain characters, and some pretty solid expensive cards that can end the game quite easily.

The main game plan is not exactly to be as fast as possible all the way through, but this is not a passive strategy either. It plays out like a yellow midrange list that protects itself in this weird way, gaining life one minute and losing it the next. After all, it will use life points as a resource to keep its important characters in play.

This list needs to play certain types of characters with a certain amount of power, so it's not exactly a generic yellow "good stuff" list. It does play some cards that don't fit the main standard, like Borsalino EB04-058, but the core includes Sky Island characters that can stay in play and force the opponent to spend more than they would like to when they try to remove them.

Here it is:

Searchers

Nami OP15-108 is one of the best cards for this list. It lets you look at the top 3 cards in your deck and get a Sky Island card from there. Because it only costs 1 and has Counter +2000, it does exactly what you want early on. It fixes your hand and doesn't become useless later on.

Shura OP05-106 is similar. It lets you look at the top 5 cards in your deck and get a Sky Island card that isn't this one. The difference is that Shura also enters play automatically if you reveal it through Trigger. This list plays 2 copies of Upper Yard OP05-117, and this seems right to me. It also lets you look at the top 5 cards in your deck and get a Sky Island card, but, as it doesn't have Counter, playing too many copies of it can be heavy.

Controlling the Board

Zeus OP11-106 is one of the few "non-Sky Island" cards in this deck, but it is incredible in yellow strategies. When it enters play, it lets you get a card from the top or the bottom of your deck and knock out a character that costs 5 or less. As you'll be using your life points as a resource, Zeus is an efficient, valuable removal on many occasions and also has Counter +2000. Belo Betty EB03-056 has Counter +2000 as well and removes characters that cost 3 or less if you turn the top card in your life pile face-up.

Gan.Fall OP15-102 gets cheaper if you have a Sky Island character with 7000 power or more in play. When it enters play, it lets you tap an enemy character that costs the same or less than how many cards the opponent has in their life pile. It's decent in some situations, but its On Play effect gets progressively worse throughout the game.

Wyper OP15-114 nerfs all enemy characters by giving them -2000 power and knocks out those that have 0 power or less. It also lets you move a rested DON!! to your leader or a Sky Island character. It is a board wipe for very small characters, so it's perfect against Enel OP15-058.

Borsalino EB04-058 is not a Sky Island character, so your leader can't protect it, but it is a very efficient blocker. When it enters play, if you have 2 life or less, it lets you move the top card in your deck to your life pile, so it's an easy way to buy some time in the last turns of the game. You'll put a blocker in play and make your strategy more resilient. Finally, it protects your characters a bit more as well.

Sky Island

Roronoa Zoro OP15-113 is probably the best character for this leader. It costs 4, has 6000 power, and, when it enters play, it lets you discard a card in your hand to put the top card in your deck in your life pile. It essentially refills the resource your leader spends. As for Kalgara OP12-099, it is quite interesting because it draws a card on your turn when a card leaves your life pile or the opponent's life pile. The only downside is that you can't draw more cards that turn after that. This is incredible in this strategy and gives you a lot in return for managing your life pile. You'll have more resources and draw more cards for doing what this deck already wants you to do.

Nico Robin OP15-109 is one of the strongest cards in this list in the mid and late game. It lets you get a card in your life pile and put it in your hand, put a card from your deck in your life pile if your leader is a Straw Hat Crew card, and then play a Sky Island character that costs 5 or less from your hand. This means it enters play and gives you another card, refills your life pile, and develops your board. You can use it to put Zoro in play, or Kalgara, Wyper, or even Monkey.D.Luffy OP15-119.

The Expensive Cards

Monkey.D.Luffy OP15-119 is the aggressive "payoff" card in this deck. It costs 5, has 7000 power, gains Rush if you have 6 DON!! in play or more, and punishes the opponent for playing events and blockers. If they do, you may reveal the top card in your life pile and get power according to what it costs. Considering this deck can put cards in the life pile and essentially rearrange it, this effect is a lot more threatening than it seems. This card was also probably designed to counter Enel OP15-058.

This list only plays 2 copies of Enel EB02-052, but it's a great finisher. It costs 10, has 11000 power, gains Rush if your leader is a Sky Island character, and, when it attacks, you may discard a card to put the top card in your deck in your life pile if you also have 1 life or less. This will also give it +1000 power. This card is meant to end games and estabilize your life pile, and it's critical.

The Event

Gum-Gum Golden Rifle OP15-116 is the only event in this list, and it plays two roles. In the main turn, it lets you move the top card in your life pile, put the top card in your deck in it, and then discard a card from your hand, as long as you're playing a Straw Hat Crew leader. This may seem weird, but in this case, you'll use this card to manage your life pile, enable Kalgara's ability, and get your Monkey.D.Luffy OP15-119 another face-down card to reveal.

Its Counter effect is a bit more straightforward. It gives your leader +4000 power during battle. Considering this deck uses life points as a resource, you'll need a cheap event that protects your leader. Like so, you won't lose even if you put yourself in very dangerous situations.

In the early game, your priority is finding the right pieces. Nami OP15-108, Shura OP05-106, and Upper Yard OP05-117 will fix your hand while you decide whether you need removals like Zeus and Belo Betty or ways to develop the board, like Zoro and Kalgara. Usually, you don't want to spend your life points too fast or too soon because this deck needs them to protect its most important characters.

In the mid game, your board will get quite resilient. Zoro refills life points, Kalgara turns interaction into card draw, Wyper nerfs the enemy board, and Luffy will start protecting your characters (those that have 6000 power or more). This is when your opponent will realize that an effect or strong attack won't always remove one of your characters, not really. Instead, you might just come out of that round with another card in your hand.

In the late game, Nico Robin OP15-109, Monkey.D.Luffy OP15-119, Borsalino EB04-058, and Enel EB02-052 will close the deal with lots of healing. Robin will set up turns that give you lots of value, Luffy will make events and blockers really terrible, Borsalino will rebuild your defenses, and Enel will save your life in emergencies, all while keeping a very competent attacker on the board.

This is a yellow deck that has a slightly better board and doesn't rely as much on the enemy making a mistake. It was designed to beat Enel OP15-058 directly. We know that purple Enel has simply started dominating the meta, but, still, this Luffy is pretty cool right now and always performs well when it shows up in tournaments.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!