How to Upgrade the One Piece TCG Starter Deck EX: Gear 5 (ST21)

It's safe to say that One Piece has entered a new era — and I'm not just talking about Emperors in the New World.

At the tail end of 2024, we saw the release of six brand new Starter Decks. As polished as this product line has always been, this selection was on an entirely different level. ST17 and ST18 have proven to be much-needed reinforcements for Monkey.D.Luffy (OP05-060) and Donquixote Doflamingo (OP01-060) while the other three options provide strong infrastructure for any new player looking to take the next step alongside their favorite leader or color. 

It's that all-important onboarding factor that Bandai is continuing with their next offering in the series — Starter Deck EX: Gear 5, a nifty little product that releases today in all eastern territories!

Starter Deck EX: Gear 5 (or ST21 for short) is a very literal passing of the torch. Way back in 2022, Starter Deck 1: Straw Hat Crew introduced the One Piece card game to the masses with Monkey.D.Luffy (ST01-001). Since then, we've seen six other iterations of the famous protagonist at the helm of a Starter Deck, but none have embodied the same rush-based, low to the ground, hit-first-think-later playstyle of the original. 

As the game enters its third year on the market, we're seeing another influx of fresh faces who want to get involved. As far as I'm concerned, those players deserve a modern take on the simplistic experience that got us all hooked in the first place — and that's exactly what Starter Deck EX: Gear 5 is going to provide. 

Monkey.D.Luffy (ST21-001) has an extra pinch of sun god compared to his predecessor, which explains the side grade on his leader ability. Instead of having the freedom to attach a rested DON!!! wherever you'd like, you'll need to attach a DON!!! to Luffy himself to attach two DON!!! somewhere else. You also get to be a little bit more tanky for the trouble. That's like double the bang for your buck!

It's a playstyle I expect most players to enjoy — but where are you supposed to turn if you want to take your new leader beyond the power level in the box? Let's take a look at my first pass of a fully powered deck based around Monkey.D.Luffy (ST21-001)

HowlingMines's Monkey.D.Luffy (ST21-001)

• Monkey.D.Luffy (ST21-001)
• 4 Jewelry Bonney (ST21-004)
• 4 Nami (ST01-007)
• 4 Nami (OP01-016)
• 4 Sanji (ST21-003)
• 4 Nami (ST21-009)
• 4 Sanji (OP10-005)
• 4 Roronoa Zoro (OP01-025)
• 4 Tony Tony.Chopper (EB01-006)
• 4 Roronoa Zoro (ST21-015)
• 4 Tony Tony.Chopper (OP10-011)
• 4 Monkey D.Luffy (ST21-014)
• 1 Monkey.D.Luffy (ST01-012)
• 2 Edward.Newgate (ST15-002)
• 3 Bad Manners Kick Course (OP04-016)

(Disclaimer: This decklist features cards from the upcoming booster set OP10 - Royal Blood, which releases on March 21st 2025. While the product isn't immediately available upon release of ST21, Royal Blood is clearly designed to support the starter deck and provides clear, powerful upgrade paths for you to explore.)

Well, you're certainly not going to be short on our beloved Straw Hats... which is a good thing, I promise! It also means you'll get to play Nami (OP01-016) for a big bump in consistency.

Your goal with Monkey.D.Luffy (ST21-001) is to get the game over quickly. You'll be double-dipping and manipulating your rested DON!!! to create huge, aggressive attacks or activate powerful bonus abilities. Jewelry Bonney (ST21-004) is the best of both worlds, allowing you to successfully pressure most 5000 power leaders early and often but also regain some card advantage when the opponent finally takes her out. That's perfect for an aggressive deck — you're always running out of steam and the opponent can't afford to ignore your characters.

You'll also want a few ways to painlessly place the initial DON!!! onto Luffy as to better use all your resources. Nami (ST01-007), Nami (ST21-009), Monkey.D.Luffy (ST21-014) and Edward.Newgate (ST15-002) all tick this box with ease and provide a selection of characters with solid stats to slap your newfound bonus DON!!! onto. It's almost like these cards were designed with your leader in mind or something...

In an ideal world, you're doing something a little more unfair with that bonus DON!!!. Characters like Tony Tony. Chopper (EB01-006) and Roronoa Zoro (ST21-015) very deliberately ask for two DON!!! to be utilized to full effect; something no other leader can easily achieve. As a result, these cards are balanced on how difficult it would normally be to meet their activation requirements and you'll get to sidestep those expectations to turn them into above-rate powerhouses.

The final major consideration is punching through blockers. As an aggressive deck, most opponents will attempt to hold back your assault by deploying characters with Blocker to soak up hits for their leader, slowing you down to a crawl. That's a surefire way to fall behind, so you'll need to pack some cards to invalidate those blockers in the dying turns. Personally, I've chosen Sanji (ST21-003) and Monkey.D.Luffy (ST01-012) to fill this role — they're both Straw Hats to search up with Nami (OP01-016) and allow one of your big bad characters to put an end to the fight uncontested. Sounds like the perfect fit to me!

All-in-all, I adore how this leader is designed. At a surface level, Monkey.D.Luffy (ST21-001) is simple to understand and easy to play, which is exactly what I want for a new player product. However, the leader has depth and rewards careful understanding of sequencing and threat assessment — two of the biggest skills new players should be looking to improve. It just ticks all the important boxes while paying homage to the leader that started it all — and that's awesome. That's exactly what I want a starter product to be. 

Cards Needed for Full Power Upgrades:

Like what you see above? Beautiful. If you've already grabbed yourself a single copy of Starter Deck EX: Gear 5 to play with, you can find all of my suggested upgrades in one tidy box below. Remember, a single deck doesn't contain four copies of all the new cards inside, so I'll have outstanding copies listed below too — just remove them if you chose to buy two copies of the deck instead! 

• 4 Nami (ST01-007)
• 4 Nami (OP01-016)
• 2 Sanji (ST21-003)
• 4 Sanji (OP10-005)
• 4 Roronoa Zoro (OP01-025)
• 4 Tony Tony.Chopper (EB01-006)
• 2 Roronoa Zoro (ST21-015)
• 4 Tony Tony. Chopper (OP10-011)
• 2 Monkey.D.Luffy (ST21-014)
• 1 Monkey.D.Luffy (OP01-012)
• 2 Edward.Newgate (ST15-002)
• 3 Bad Manners Kick Course (OP04-016)

Need anything else? Give me a nudge over at @HowlingMines on X (formerly Twitter) or @howlingmines.com over on Bluesky! Alternatively, give my other work here on TCGplayer a peek if you'd like another slice of everything nice about your favorite game.

But until next time. 
I've been HowlingMines, you've been amazing!

Stay safe out there — and happy gaming!