One Piece TCG - Deck Guide: Blue & Yellow Nami

One Piece TCG is soaring through 2025 at 120 miles per hour! The new sets came and went, and now we have our hands on OP11, as well as the new Starter Decks. Would you like to learn more about a leader who, despite being a bit unpopular, is actually quite underrated?

Today, we'll explore our dear Nami ナミ OP11-041, the leader who, during spoiler season, made all of us eager to see Blue and Yellow back at the top of the meta again.

The Leader

Our leader is Blue and Yellow, has 4 life, 5000 power, the Special attribute, and is part of the Straw Hat Crew. What makes her unique are her two abilities, which are incredible, both offensively and defensively. The first one, in particular, will create card advantage for you.

Let's focus on this ability first: during your turn, whenever a card leaves your or your opponent's life pile, you may draw a card if you also have 7 cards or less in hand. As you must have realized, you can use this in several ways to create card advantage. When you deal damage to your opponent, you could draw a card, which is, on its own, already quite interesting. It is, essentially, a way to get ahead in the game through attacks. However, the trick is that you can also draw cards with effects that Trash your opponent's life cards or that make you draw a card from your own life pile. Like so, you'll be able to create an advantage even in seemingly unfavorable situations.

This strategy will put you ahead of your opponent in terms of resources.

Now, believe it or not, that's not all! We still have to go through Nami's second ability: when you attack during your opponent's turn, for one DON!!, you may Trash a card from your hand to grant Nami +2000 power until the end of the turn.

That's right, you may Trash "any card" in your hand (including "bricks", that is, cards without counter) to buff Nami "until the end of the turn". This means your opponent will already be behind the next time they attack, as your leader will have at least 7000 power. The future is here, and it is bright (maybe a bit aggro, blue, and yellow, too...)

Nami benefits from successful attacks and can protect herself really well, without any strings attached. I know your mind is already spiraling with new ideas to destroy your opponents, so let's see one of the ways you can play her.

The List

You won't find many cards specifically tied to Nami ナミ OP11-041 in the game yet, apart from a few exceptions. This means we're free to build a blue/yellow deck with the "best cards available", that is, a "good stuff" list. We'll use powerful cards that match our leader's abilities and that are overall strong in the current meta.

Game Plan: Resources are Key

If you take a closer look at the list above, you'll notice it does several things really well: it adds lots of resources to your hand, builds a strong board, and attacks your opponent's resources, either in their hand or on their board. That's how it will create value play after play. You'll always come out on top, even if just slightly, and your opponent will end up behind bit by bit. That's how you'll eventually win the game.

Game Phases

Early Game

Let's start with our 2-costs. Kouzuki Hiyori OP06-106 lets you draw a life card and put another one back in the pile, so you can use it to put a specific trigger there for future turns. As a bonus, you can also use this card with your leader's ability to draw an extra card (if you have 7 cards or less in your hand). She is also a +2000 counter, so you can also use her to protect your leader and your characters.

The formidable Marshall.D.Teach ST17-005 lets you give two DON!! (including rested DON!!) to a character or a leader if you put a card from your hand on the top of your deck. You'll draw so many cards overall that putting one back into your deck will still be an advantage in many situations. You can also use this card to make sure you have 7 cards in your hand or less and so you can use your leader's ability. Furthermore, in emergencies, you'll have to attach DON!! to your leader to use her ability and protect her from enemy attacks - that's how you'll protect your life pile or many other cards in your hand.

Let's move on to our beloved little cloud, Zeus OP11-106. On Play, this character lets you draw a card from the top of your deck or the bottom of your life and KO a character that costs 5 or less. Currently, there are many important characters in the meta that cost 5 or less, from key blockers to essential attackers. Therefore, Zeus OP11-106 is a great card in this list. Keep in mind that, when a card leaves your or your opponent's life pile, and if you have 7 cards or less in your hand, you may draw a card, so Zeus OP11-106 will be incredible with your leader. And don't forget: this little fella also is a +2000 counter.

This list also plays Trafalgar Law ST03-008 as a 1-cost blocker for emergencies. You'll mostly use him to save your characters from enemy attacks, particularly the ones that can't block all that well, or to protect your own life pile from a serious attack. You can also put him in play, innocuously at first, with any leftover DON!! you have, and start attacking your opponent bit by bit until you corner them.

Finally, this list plays Nojiko OP03-048, which also costs 2, but is the only card whose effect you can only activate if your leader is Nami. This effect, namely, lets you return an enemy character that costs 5 or less to their hand and delay their attacks to essentially make them waste a turn. After you use it, they'll be behind in tempo and in terms of resources.

Mid Game

This is when this deck gets interesting. In this phase, you'll be able to play very powerful cards with great offensive attacks. Let's start with Cavendish OP10-045, which draws two cards and makes you discard one when you attack with him. This card essentially adds more cards to your hand every turn and lets you refine it for future turns, as it lets you discard cards that aren't useful to you. He also has 6000 power, so he's a great attacker. Unfortunately, he isn't a counter, but that won't be an issue with this leader because you can use her active ability to turn him into a +2000 counter for her for the rest of the opponent's turn.

Another 4-cost option is Kikunojo OP06-104. This character can enter play directly from your life pile because of her trigger, and also has 6000 power, so she's a great attacker. If your opponent decides they want to KO her directly and you have three life cards remaining or less, she'll also heal you.

This list's last 4-cost character is quite evil, indeed: we can't really discuss blue as a color without going over Charlotte Pudding (OP06-047). You'll need 4 copies of her because current decks often work with hands that have 5 cards or more, and her On Play effect will force them to shuffle these "big hands" back into their deck and then only draw 5 cards afterward. This is a tempo play that punishes greedy decks by limiting their options and even "ruining" a hand your opponent carefully refined with searchers. Ask your opponent, "how many cards do you have?" and watch their smile disappear as you play Charlotte.

As for 6-cost characters, this list plays great 6-cost value engines. They're crucial, as you must use them to disrupt your opponent and put more pressure on them.

Jozu OP08-047 is the tank you want to add to all your decks. He lets you return one of your characters to your hand, and, next, return an enemy character that costs 6 or less to their hand. You'll often want to return a clunky 2-cost character on your board to your hand, either to play it again or to use it as a counter, and Jozu OP08-047 is a way to do this. He is also a fierce character as well. On your next turn, you can start attacking with him and force your opponents to either block or die.

Then, this list also plays Charlotte Linlin ST20-005, a yellow card that also costs 6. You can play her in any list - with any leader or type of card. With her, if you discard a card from your hand, you may force your opponent to Trash either a card from their life pile or two cards from their hand. She is essentially a way to attack your opponent's resources and also force them to make tough decisions. If your opponent decides to Trash a life card, you can then take advantage of this to draw another card with your leader's ability.

Ending the Game

To end the game, you'll need even bigger pieces that can check-mate your opponent. Monkey.D.Luffy OP11-118 fits that definition perfectly because he has Rush and, when he attacks, you may return a character that costs 4 or less to their controller's hand (yeah, you can use him to recall one of your own characters!). Monkey.D.Luffy OP11-118 also lets you give 1 DON!! to your characters or your leader so you can set up other attacks or set up your defenses with your leader's ability if you're still not ready to end the game.

Another very destructive way to end the game is Eustass"Captain"Kid OP10-112, which, by the way, is great with all yellow leaders. You can tap this character when he enters play to Trash one of your opponent's life cards, which, as you recall, will then let you draw another card with your leader. To sum it up, this card is essentially a way to attack your opponent's resources without attacking them. Furthermore, at the end of your turn, it improves your hand. On top of it all, he is also a great attacker because he has 9000 power.

We still have to discuss two cards in this list: Capone"Gang"Bege OP04-100, which is a +2000 counter and quite great when you get him through his trigger, particularly against inexperienced players. On the other side, Gum-Gum Red Roc OP04-056 is an answer to the big threats in the meta, particularly the ones that cost 8, 9, or 10. It will disrupt your opponent completely, and also has a great trigger effect, so why not?

Pros

This list plays the best characters in yellow and blue, that is, those you can play in any list. It also has no trouble blocking multiple small attackers, and will constantly force your opponent to play on your terms.

Some of its greatest strengths are that it draws cards constantly with your leader, and, the best of all, it has a lot of space for upgrades. As soon as more sets come out, you can start refining it and exploring new interactions with this leader's ability.

Cons

It doesn't play searchers, so you won't be able to get the cards you need from your deck as you play and fix "bad hands". Another issue is that it is a bit difficult for beginners because managing your "life" and using it as a resource is an advanced skill.

Your characters are also not as well-protected as your leader, so your opponents can play around them to destroy your board. This essentially means you might not get to put as much pressure on them as you want, which could lead you into bad situations.

Finally, a few decks in the meta right now put two characters in play per turn, and most of this list's removals only remove one threat at a time.

Please note that this list of cons doesn't necessarily mean this deck is bad, You'll just have to be aware of these issues when you play it if you want to get the most out of it.

Mulligan

This list is better if you're second to play, so you should look for strategies that cost 2 DON!!, 4 DON!!, and 6 DON!!. You must also look for Zeus OP11-106 and Nojiko OP03-048 if you think your opponent will put a lot of pressure on you early on. In slower matchups, you should look for Hiyori to begin playing your curve, and a Cavendish OP10-045 to start drawing cards. You should also look for a 6-cost character to disrupt your opponent.

Favorable

マーシャル・Ｄ・ティーチ OP09-081 will negate your On Play effects, but you'll usually have enough card advantage to win without much trouble. You'll force your opponent to spend their resources to prevent you from attacking and using your On Play effects. Eventually, they'll run out of cards and you'll be able to win. Gum-Gum Red Roc OP04-056 will be great in this matchup.

Monkey.D.Luffy EB02-010 lists lean on a few key characters, and they all cost 5 or less, which you can easily deal with. They also draw lots of cards, but you can play around this with Charlotte Pudding. Attack your opponent's resources and go for a long-term plan.

Yamato OP06-022 shouldn't be an issue, considering you can block their attacks really well and prevent them from developing their board with just a few cards. These small advantages will eventually turn into a big snowball. Blockers and +2000 counters are essential in this matchup.

Unfavorable

Monkey.D.Luffy OP09-061 and Monkey.D.Luffy OP11-040 both perform really well with +7000 power attacks, and will often put you at a disadvantage by developing big characters. In some situations, these characters will come into play and immediately either attack you or your resources. These matchups are dangerous, and you should be more aggressive to win them.

Buggy OP09-042 often puts two characters in play at once, and they're often very powerful as well. This leader can also protect them from removals rather easily. You'll need a lot of practice and luck to win this matchup.

Shanks OP09-001 typically goes 1 for 1 early on, but their late game characters are unstoppable. To win, you will also need to be aggressive, but wise.

You can play multiple great cards with this leader. Unfortunately, none of them are available in the west, like Kouzuki Oden ST22-005. This card matches this strategy perfectly, as it attacks twice per turn. Soon, you'll be able to play it.

You can also add Gravity Blade Raging Tiger OP06-058 if you want to trade 2 cards for 1.

ナミ OP11-054 is an alternative blocker, and Charlotte Linlin ST07-010 and the new Kouzuki Momonosuke ST28-004, which lets you manipulate DON!!, are also great. Keep all of these options in mind and go test them. You'll quickly notice you can use many different strategies with this leader.

You'll need some wits and lots of practice to dominate this deck, but, once you do, you'll be a far better player. However, you'll also need a lot of patience and a clear game plan to not lose after a single mistake. This Nami could certainly become a big issue in the meta. Learn how to play her before everyone else, and have fun at your tables.

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!