One Piece TCG: Deck Tech - Rebecca (OP15)

Today, we'll keep exploring OP15, in particular a list that stood out to me because it is a bit unusual for a blue strategy. Rebecca OP15-039 is extremely "technical" and takes advantage of small characters really well. She also lets you reuse "enter the battlefield" effects and set up great turns.

So, let's see how you should build your Rebecca lists, the most important cards to play with her, and how you can play around the fact you can't attack with her.

Rebecca OP15-039 is a blue Dressrosa/Wisdom leader with 5 HP and 5000 power. She is also quite peculiar because she can't attack. This, by itself, already forces us to think of different ways to play her, similar to what we do with Nefeltari Vivi OP03-001 and even Rebecca OP04-039.

Her main ability states that, once per turn, you can tap her and return a Dressrosa character to your hand to play a Dressrosa character that costs exactly 3 - and we mean exactly. Like so, with Rebecca, you must focus on reusing On Play effects, keep your hand going, and play lots of "average-sized" bodies on the board. Other leaders win because they alone impact the board considerably. Rebecca forces you to use the rest of your deck to win.

This detail, by itself, already pushes this deck into a specific game plan. It's not a pure aggro list because you can't attack with Rebecca and put pressure on the opponent with her. It's not a traditional control list either because it will develop the board and attack quite often. It is more of a midrange tempo strategy. It will win the game by making the opponent's options worse bit by bit and reusing the same efficient, cheap strategies.

Returning a character to your hand, at first, might seem like a drawback. Nonetheless, you'll be able to use this mechanic to reuse search effects, take advantage of a certain body in the following turns, or set up other play lines, so it won't be that bad. It will be quite helpful in this list and will actually set it apart from the others.

The winning list we'll see today was built by a player called Aserty, who brought it to a tournament in Europe and won 5 rounds straight with it. It's quite clean. The core is all about making the most out of Rebecca, and this means it uses many cheap Dressrosa characters, in particular searchers, cards that attack constantly, and some cards that improve your hand, as well as all sorts of filters.

What I really like about it is that it doesn't try to do too much: it understands what this leader wants and does it. First, it makes her more consistent, then it allows you to put pressure on the board with small bodies again and again. Finally, this deck plays a few generic blue cards that allow you to surpass your opponent in tempo while your attackers create more value.

Here it is:

The Initial Setup

In the early game, this deck is all about setting up your hand and your board. So, your priority is often Viola OP15-040, Rebecca OP15-053, and some follow-up card that makes your leader's ability useful early on. As Rebecca can't attack, you can't waste your first turns. You can't simply pass your turn and do nothing.

This is where your searchers come in. Viola OP15-040 and Rebecca OP15-053 are critical because they turn your "average" openers into playable hands. In a deck like this, which forces you to follow up constantly with other cards, they're essential. You need more than characters in your hand: you need to use a searcher first and play a character that can attack soon. Then, you'll return that searcher to your hand so that you can reuse it later.

Leo OP15-052 is the final piece you need in the early game. You'll use it to protect your characters from enemy removals, as they're quite fragile. Leo is quite valuable by itself and forces the opponent to make inefficient plays, which is why it made it into this list.

So, Rebecca's early game is not exactly about aggression. Instead, you'll build a board that will keep creating value for you in the following turns. You must not focus on speed, but rather on being more consistent. If you do this, your strategy will improve as you start recycling your On Play effects with your cheap cards.

Kyros and His Friends

The most important card you should target with your leader's ability is Kyros OP15-042. It enters play early, can attack on the same turn you play him as he gains Rush when you discard a card from your hand, and also returns to your hand when it is knocked out. This character is aggressive when we need him to be and forces the opponent to waste their resources, considering you'll easily be able to put him back into play if the opponent removes him with your leader's ability. So, instead of relying on a single, incredibly strong threat, you'll play an average-sized, consistent threat that returns to play turn after turn.

Monkey.D.Luffy OP15-051 is also a very honest early game unit. He is not the flashiest card in the world, but he has decent stats, and he is great when you put him in play through your leader's ability. Furthermore, he buffs himself in the opponent's turn and gets to 7000 power, so he's hard to remove.

Sanji OP15-047 really fits this idea. It works as a blocker, but the best thing about it is that it gives Unblockable to one of your characters. Considering this deck doesn't usually end games with a gigantic finisher, clearing the board so that you can attack with your "average" characters is critical. Oftentimes, this is what will turn a small advantage into real damage.

You don't need to rush it. This Rebecca list rewards patience instead of speed. The best turn is often not the most aggressive, but rather the one that results in the best board, hand, and next turns compared to the opponent.

Consistency Pieces

The cards that don't interact with Rebecca directly but still see play in this list include Cavendish OP10-045, which is actually one of the best cards in this strategy and in the game right now. He draws two cards and forces you to discard one when he attacks, which will really improve your hand. In a deck like this, this ability will often give you searchers when you need to stabilize and Kyros when you need to put pressure on the opponent. It might even simply sculpt your hand, helping you get rid of dead cards.

Sabo OP10-049 also plays an important role. It's like Leo OP15-052, but a bit bigger. This Rebecca list plays lots of small and average-sized characters, so any card that forces the opponent to spend their removals is already quite helpful. Sabo doesn't need to be in play throughout the entire match. He'll be great attacking and putting pressure on the opponent, and if he makes one or two enemy interactions less efficient, he'll have done his job.

With these cards, Rebecca will most likely always have action in the mid-game. Even if you can't play your cards perfectly, this deck will still filter your hand, protect your important characters, and keep you ahead of your opponent.

Ending Games

Rebecca usually doesn't end games with a single, gigantic finisher, as we mentioned. What she does is get to the mid-game more stable and consistent than it seems fair for a leader that doesn't attack.

Jozu OP08-047 and Jinbe OP14-049 will help you set up relevant tempo plays. You'll return enemy characters to the opponent's hand and open space so that your small characters can deal damage. We don't need to discuss each of these cards that much because, in the end, they're similar. They'll create an advantage on the board and open space so that you can deal damage.

This deck's late game is less about powerful stats (like 12000 power) and more about exhausting the opponent, strangling them. They'll soon realize that their blockers can't block everything and that removing certain characters is not that great of an idea. Each of your turns will seem to give you more than they should. When Rebecca gets to this point, she usually wins in any way you can think of.

Leaders that don't attack usually get 1 extra HP. So I thought Rebecca OP15-039 was quite weird at first because she doesn't. She has 5 HP like everyone else. Still, not being able to attack is always an interesting drawback in One Piece TCG. It always results in very fun decks.

The last thing that makes Rebecca stand out is that she shares a blue core with Lucy OP15-002, so she's quite easy to build if you already have this list. Most of her cards are also pretty cheap, so she's a great budget option.

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!