One Piece TCG: Extra Grand Battle Deck Tech - Buggy and the Cross Guild

Buggy is the first serious antagonist that Luffy and his crew face in One Piece, as well as the first villain I saw when I watched the show on TV for the first time. His entire story is about how a mediocre person gets power bit by bit, and it's incredible because it takes this simple idea into a pretty fascinating place.

In today's article, we'll go over the updated Buggy, Buggy OP09-042, one of those leaders that seem simple enough to understand but that actually need a lot to work and to play well.

Buggy OP09-042 is a blue Slash, The Four Emperors/Cross Guild leader with 5000 power and 5 life. You can activate his effect in the main phase by tapping 5 DON!! and discarding a card from your hand. If so, you may play from your hand a Cross Guild character regardless of what it costs.

In practice, this means that this deck can make average turns pretty great. Characters that cost 6, 7, 8, or even 10 can enter play if you just tap 5 DON!! and discard a card from your hand. Does that really matter in terms of cost? Sure, but this list plays a lot of card draw and card selection precisely so that you won't struggle with this as much.

The most important detail is that Buggy is not just a leader that cheats out cards into play. He needs big characters, certain tools to keep going, and a board with characters that cost 5 or more because some of the best cards in this list only work when these types of cards are in play.

The list we'll see today won an Extra Grand Battle tournament in the hands of a player called Banh, but it doesn't play any card that isn't available in Standard. This detail is pretty relevant because that means this deck didn't get better because it can play cards that are only available in the Extra Grand Battle format, as it tends to happen.

This list could show up in Standard and perform really well, and yet it performed well in an Extra Grand Battle tournament.

Here it is:

The Initial Setup

As usual, we'll start with our searchers. Mr.3(Galdino) OP09-056 is the most important of them. It lets you look at the top 4 cards in your deck and get a Cross Guild or Baroque Works card from among them as long as you don't get another copy of it. Considering everything in this list interacts with these card types, it's exactly what it needs. With it, you'll find the right pieces and also leave a small body on the board.

Cross Guild OP09-057 is similar, but it's an event. It lets you look at the top 4 cards in your deck and get a Cross Guild card from among them. Its trigger effect is also pretty relevant because it's another way to go through your deck. This deck really needs certain characters, so this card is pretty critical. It will keep the main engine going.

Alvida ST25-001 is really great. It costs 4 but gains +1 cost if you have 2 characters that cost 5 or more in play, which won't be a problem for this list. When it enters play, if Buggy is your leader, it draws 3 cards and discards 2, so you can use it to fix your hand and discard whatever isn't relevant to you right then. Considering you'll have to spend the cards in your hand to activate your leader, this sort of effect is pretty great.

Main Support Cards

Cabaji ST25-002 and Mohji ST25-005 are great examples of how the Starter Deck made Buggy a lot more cohesive. Both cost 4 but gain +1 cost when you have 2 characters that cost 5 or more in play. This is pretty relevant because this way you'll have big characters for Buggy OP09-051, even if they were cheaper on paper.

Cabaji is particularly good when you're defending yourself, as it gains Blocker and, in the opponent's turn, gets +5000 power. It's much harder to remove in combat than it seems. Mohji also gains Blocker and refills your hand when it is knocked out as long as you have 3 cards or less. It's a great reset button when you spend way too many resources at once.

Sanji OP15-047 is another defensive tempo tool. It is a cheap blocker, and when it comes in, it gives Unblockable to one of your characters that turn. As a character, it doesn't really fit this list's main theme, but it's pretty helpful when your opponent tries to hide behind blockers and you need to finish with one of your beaters.

Above the Curve

Buggy ST25-004 is similar to your leader. You can sacrifice it and discard a card to play a Cross Guild character that costs 6 or less from your hand. Like so, you'll still be able to cheat out cards into play even when you've already used your leader's effect or when you need something a little different.

バギー P-084 is pretty weird when you read it for the first time. If you're playing Buggy, all your 3 and 4 cost characters can't attack, and, when it enters play, it lets you play a Cross Guild character from your hand that costs 6 or less. As this list plays several 4-cost characters that gain +1 cost by themselves, this restriction will disrupt the opponent more than you. Furthermore, it lets you put Dracule Mihawk OP09-048 or Buggy OP12-049 in play without spending more DON!!.

Dracule Mihawk OP09-048 is one of the best cards to cheat into play in this entire list. It costs 6, has 7000 power, Blocker, and draws 2 cards if you discard one when you put it in play. This means that Mihawk protects you, attacks when necessary, and also keeps your hand going. Considering this deck discards cards to put bigger cards in play, every card you draw and filter is worth a lot.

The Big Threats

Crocodile & Mihawk ST25-003 is one of the most important cards in this current version. It costs 8, draws two cards, and discards one when it enters play, then lets you play a Cross Guild character that costs 4 or less from your hand. Like so, you can use it to play Alvida ST25-001, Cabaji ST25-002, Mohji ST25-005, or Buggy ST25-004. It's not big for its cost, but the overall value it creates is pretty great.

Its second effect is also relevant. Once per turn, if one of your Cross Guild characters is removed from the board through an enemy effect, you may discard a card instead. This type of protection is excellent in decks that need to keep expensive cards in play to enable other cards, like Buggy OP09-051. The opponent simply won't be able to play a simple removal and undo everything that you did without going through this effect.

Buggy OP12-049 is simple but works really well. It costs 6 and has 7000 power plus Counter +2000, so it's exactly the type of card that allows this deck to breathe a bit better and makes it more consistent. While it is in your hand, you can use it defensively. While in play, it's another expensive body that enables other pieces and is a competent beater. Not every card needs loads of text to work.

Finally, Buggy OP09-051 is the big "payoff" card in this list. It costs 10, has 12000 power, and, when it enters play, puts an enemy character at the bottom of their deck. Afterward, if you don't have 5 characters that cost 5 or more in play, it also returns to the bottom of your deck. We're not exaggerating when we say that this entire list is built around this effect. Alvida, Cabaji, and Mohji, from ST25, will enable it as well as the other 6, 7, and 8 cost cards in this deck.

Early on, you want Mr.3(Galdino) OP09-056, Cross Guild OP09-057, and some looting piece, like Alvida ST25-001. You shouldn't fill your board with whatever you have. Instead, you must make sure you have a relevant target for your leader by the time you get to 5 DON!!. The worst thing you can do with this deck is not have anything great to put in play when Buggy is ready.

In the mid-game, you'll start using your leader's ability and cheat out cards into play. Buggy ST25-004 and Buggy P-084 make this plan more consistent, while Dracule Mihawk OP09-048 and Crocodile & Mihawk ST25-003 will give you some of your investment back. This is when your deck will start to become stronger, no matter how many DON!! it has.

In the late game, Buggy OP09-051 is your main star. If you can keep 5 characters that cost 5 or more in play, this card is a strong removal as well as a big body (with 12000 power). When you get to this point, the opponent will have to answer a board that was already big and also deal with a threat that removes their cards but doesn't trash them.

I didn't care a lot for Buggy when it came out in OP09 and when its support Starter Deck came out simply because I had Shanks OP09-001, my favorite character, to play. Still, it has always been a pretty great tempo deck and as fun as Buggy is in the show.

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!