How to Upgrade the New One Piece Starter Decks (ST31-36)

As we wrap up the third year of the One Piece Card Game, we have one last big product drop before OP-17 releases at the end of August: the third series of revamped starter decks.

These are some of my favorite products for the game. Not only are they good products to help newer players get into One Piece, but they're also a way to print strong support cards for veterans of the game.

Like previous waves, there are six different starter decks which each focus on one of the game's six colors (with a small exception of Sabo's deck this time around, which is both red and black).

In this article, we're going to show off six different decklists which can be made using one of the new starter decks with a couple of outside support cards. Additionally, if you aren't sure what's inside these boxes, you can check out the full starter deck decklists!

ST-31 Red Monkey.D.Luffy

ST-21 was a solid product when it was released, and came with a lot of strong cards for red. Unfortunately, the Leader itself was generally considered undertuned on release. Now, however, with a second wave of support from ST31, ST21-001 Monkey.D.Luffy now has a whole new level of aggression and board flooding.

Upgrades

Part of the original release of this Leader, this Luffy is one of the best rush cards in the game. Using its attacking ability, it can attach the DON!! to itself to attack for a strong 7000 power. Or, it is able to give the DON!! to your Leader to be able to activate its ability. Mandatory four-of in any build of this Leader.

One of the best 3-cost cards in the game. Not only is it able to attack as a 6000-power Character (8000-power with Leader ability), but its On K.O. is really relevant to keep your hand size and options healthy. Also, contrary to what the card art might suggest, this card is named Sanji, so it's able to be searched by OP01-016 Nami ( and the new ST31-005 Thousand Sunny). Another mandatory four-of in any build of this Leader.

There are a couple of different builds for this Leader, and which one you go with boils down to whether or not you use this Monkey.D.Luffy card. The full combo you can do with this card is:

1. Use OP12-015 Monkey.D.Luffy to play out the new ST31-001 Sanji.
2. Use ST31-001 Sanji to play OP 12-015 Monkey.D.Luffy.
3. Repeat as many times as you can.

Playing 40 DON!! worth of cards on turn two has been unheard of in this game before now. It does require you to play a lot of extra Event cards to facilitate the effect, but to many, it is a small deck building restriction where the benefits outweigh the cost.

Example Decklist

(All deck images via Egman Events)

Again, the builds for this Leader pivot depend on whether you want to do the above combo with OP12-015 Monkey.D.Luffy (which I currently believe to be the stronger build). We're running 14 Event cards in the deck to help facilitate the combo, as well as OP03-008 Buggy to help find them. This is not the only way to build the deck however, and it is definitely worth testing without the combo. 

ST-32 Green Roronoa Zoro Dracule Mihawk

Alright, to start off, yes, I know the Leader that comes with this starter deck is OP12-020 Roronoa Zoro. However, due to the nature of the cards in the starter deck, the majority of the community have decided that Dracule Mihawk makes better use of the new cards in almost every way. You can definitely still use Zoro as your Leader, just be prepared to face a lot of 6000-power Mihawk as you do.

Upgrades

One of the original support cards for Drawcule Mihawk on the release of OP-14. Previous builds of Mihawk were more focused on the {Supernova} type, which made it difficult to use Perona. However, with the new ST32-003 Dracule Mihawk, most builds have walked away from the supernova package and moved more to the Land of Wano and Slash package. Being able to be played off of ST32-003 Dracule Mihawk is enough for a quick four-of for the deck.

This is the Secret Rare that was released along with Dracula Mihawk in OP-14. In the past, the card has sometimes been a little expensive for its benefit, but with the new amount of card draw, consistency, and cycle afforded to the deck, it's safe to run a couple copies.

Law & Bepo was released with the last wave of six starter decks for Jewelry Bonney. With it having the Slash attribute and synergy with Mihawk's Leader effect, this has been the default 10-cost Character for the deck. Additionally, a lot of decks crumble to two copies of Law & Bepo back to back. I highly recommend running three to four copies in your build.

Example Decklist

Again, you can still use Zoro as your Leader instead of Mihawk with similar construction, (with the mandatory inclusion of OP12-031 Tashigi for Zoro). However, Mihawk is incredibly open-ended when it comes to deck building, and there are a lot of additional tech options to include in the deck.

With a lot of the new cards from ST-32 having the {Land of Wano} type, you'll see a lot of builds run OP07-022 Otama and OP01-055 You Can Be My Samurai!! for draw power and consistency. I recommend trying this build and personalizing it as you get familiar with the deck.

ST-33 Blue Kuzan

Personally, this is my favorite Leader and support package from this wave of starter decks. Kuzan offers an unrivaled amount of card cycle and card advantage. Additionally, with the introduction of the new cards, it has a lot of new consistency pieces as well as a new way to flood to board with large units.

Upgrades

Surprising no one, Mr.3 is a fantastic add to this deck (as well as any blue deck in the game right now). Being able to use the new ST33-005 Monkey.D.Garp and this card on the same turn has caused me to prefer Mr.3 over EB04-028 Ice Time. You can definitely use Ice Time instead of (or in conjunction with) Mr.3, but he's still the preferred card in my opinion.

The traditional playmaker for this deck, this Garp has been a little less prioritized in modern builds of Kuzan. However, he is still good at playing out another body from your hand for free while also being an 8-cost Character (which gets around a lot of cost targeting effects in this meta). Not a four-of in the deck anymore, I would play two to three copies.

A playset of Aramaki has been sitting in my collection, unused, since OP-06 released 2+ years ago in March of 2024. But finally, he has two big reasons to be played in the current meta.

First, being able to establish an 8-cost, 8000-power blocker on six DON!! thanks to ST33-005 Monkey.D.Garp is a fantastic tempo swing in the current meta. Additionally, in the current format, there are a LOT of relevant 2-cost or less units, which cause his ability to be incredibly relevant. I sit at three copies in my current build, and I've been very happy with how it's performed.

Example Decklist

Kuzan is the deck that I have personally played the most with in the new starter deck meta, and if I had an event tomorrow, I would feel pretty comfortable bringing this build. Kuzan does have the "good issue" of having too many good cards he can run right now, so cards and ratios can be flexible and personalized as well. Additionally, as mentioned above, I currently don't run EB04-028 Ice Time, but it can be substituted for OP16-056 Mr.3(Galdino) depending on choice and availability.

ST-34 Purple Charlotte Katakuri

Katakuri has a reputation of being a mediocre Leader with a strong archetype behind it. So strong that, generally, it has been better to use his cards in other Leaders. However, his new support in ST-34 has accelerated his gameplay and allowed him to use his Leader effect more consistently—and given him a formidable 10-cost bomb.

Upgrades

For a time, this Katakuri was one of the strongest, and most obnoxious, purple cards in the game. Being able to recover from losing Don!!, being an 8000-power Blocker, AND being able to restand itself at the end of the turn caused this Katakuri to be played in purple decks outside of its archetype. Now, due to ST34-001 Charlotte Katakuri (and the next card in this list), he's more usable than ever. Mandatory four-of in any build of OP11-062 Charlotte Katakuri.

This Pudding card is from the previous wave of support printed for Charlotte Katakuri. Being able to play out OP11-067 Charlotte Katakuri (on 7 DON!! instead of 8) as well as getting a draw 2 for your trouble has made this card incredibly valuable for the deck. It's likely going to be the most expensive "mandatory" card in the deck, but you can play the deck without a full playset. Play four copies if you can, but don't feel like you can't try the deck without them.

ST34-004 Charlotte Linlin has quickly become the premier heal and removal card for the deck. However, it can be a little expensive and overkill in a couple of situations. That's where ol' reliable can come in handy. Not a mandatory four-of like metas past, but I think two or three can come in handy.

Example Decklist

With the cost of PRB02-010 Charlotte Pudding and OP15-078 Mamaragan, this deck can be a bit expensive. I want to say that you can get away with NOT playing Mamargan as well, but its interaction with ST34-004 Charlotte Linlin to essentially remove any card in the game cannot be overvalued. If you're interested in the deck, I think you can definitely start with a budget version of this build and work toward Mamaragan if you feel like it's the deck you want to commit to.

ST-35 Red Black Sabo

Of the six Leaders in the new starter decks (i.e. not including Mihawk), OP13-004 Sabo has been one of the more relevant Leaders in the last year of the One Piece Card Game. However, his ST-35 support has changed the Leader's playstyle from control-leaning to aggressive leaning. I do think the Leader can be strong and successful with the new cards, but it is a little bit of a departure from the playstyle that modern Sabo players are used to.

Upgrades

The main support card for the traditional builds of Sabo. It's a strong blocker, and difficult to interact with. I do think there are some builds of Sabo that can justify not running this, but it's a safe card to pick up if you plan to play this Leader.

A bit of a tech choice, but one I think is easy to find room for in the build. It's +2000 counter, can help you trade into your opponent's Characters, and can be played off of the new ST35-005 Bartholomew Kuma for some immediate board pressure. It can definitely be one of the more important +2000-counter cards in the {Revolutionary Army} type.

Any red deck in the game can likely justify playing one copy of Gol.D.Roger. It's one of the best finishers in the One Piece Card Game. If you ever think you'll play a red deck in this game, it's probably one of the safest cards you can pick up.

Example Decklist

Sabo has gotten quite a makeover from the builds and playstyles he has been known for. As of writing, there have also been builds appearing that take advantage of the new cards from ST-31 (specifically ST31-001 Sanji and its interaction with OP15-088 Pirates Docking Six). This is new territory for the Leader, so expect this build to be a good way to start using the new support, but also realize it's probably the most volatile Leader to build for currently.

ST-36 Yellow Eustass"Captain"Kid

Eustass Kid has traditionally been a lackluster Leader—especially compared to OP11-041 Nami, the yellow deck that has been terrorizing the game for the majority of this year. However, with the release of ST-36, Kid got some exclusive new cards that help set it apart from more traditional yellow Leaders.

Upgrades

This was, and still is, the main top-end card of the deck. It deals damage, can be turned into a 9000-power Blocker with your Leader effect, and offers a draw-one-discard-one. With its additional interaction with ST36-005 Eustass"Captain"Kid as well, it's still a mandatory four-of in the deck.

Both these cards fill a similar niche in the deck: 8-cost, 10000-power Characters with strong On Play effects and relevant trigger abilities (which also allow them to be searched by OP13-113 Lilith). I've been personally liking OP16-119 Marshall.D.Teach more, as you'll see in the example deck, but I think it comes down to a personal choice. Run four of one of them, or a two-two split.

It's good in every other yellow deck, and it's good here too.

Example Decklist

Conclusion

In general, like starter deck waves before it, these new starter decks allow for a lot of new relevant decks for the game while offering a good starting point for anything just getting into the One Piece Card Game. Also, unlike some previous starter deck waves, I feel like all six starter decks offer meta-relevant cards to help many Leaders in the game (whether it's the Leader included with the box or not).

I hope this has helped you decide which starter decks and Leaders to focus on, and I'm looking forward to seeing what additional builds players come up with in the next couple weeks!