The 10 Cards Everybody Wants from Extra Booster -Anime 25th Collection- (EB02)

It's incredibly difficult to write a good sequel. 

We've all been there. Our favorite franchise announces a much-anticipated follow-up to the product that hooked you in the first place, and it lands like a lukewarm parody of the original. Nothing works quite as well the second time around, right?

Well, hopefully not. Last year, we saw the release of One Piece Card Game's Extra Booster -Memorial Collection- (EB01) as the first ancillary product designed to both bolster existing decks and provide much-needed reprints to an ever-growing player base. It was a smash hit — with product becoming challenging to find globally. Format defining cards such as Mr.2.Bon.Kurei (Bentham) (EB01-061) and Tony Tony.Chopper (EB01-006) stole headlines as the best decks in the game began to shape themselves around them. 

Unsurprisingly, this level of success has left the broader player base fiending for a second installment in the Extra Booster product line — which finally arrives this week! Extra Booster -Anime 25th Collection- (EB02) has some tremendously big shoes to fill, but I feel like Bandai have made some clever decisions to make sure it's similarly well received. 

The Cards Everybody Wants from One Piece Card Game's Extra Booster -Anime 25th Collection- (EB02)

By waiting for a celebration, EB02 can become themed around a topic its predecessor wasn't while utilizing what was found from its success. The set is designed to commemorate 25 years of the One Piece anime series (which is not okay, by the way. I feel incredibly old) and get to capitalize on the vast wealth of iconic artwork and memorable moments that the anime can provide. At the same time, it's still flush with reprints and exciting new cards that threaten to turn the competitive metagame on its head. If anything, it feels like Extra Booster -Anime 25th Collection- has the potential to be better than the original! 

Shall we take a cheeky peek at some of the most coveted cards you'll be able to find inside? 

#10 Premium Rarity Leaders

I'm starting the list by cheating a little. I'm sure you won't mind, as there are too many things to like about the set. 

The Special Rare slot of EB02 is devoted to appreciating history. All 26 leaders from EB01 through to OP08 will see an alternative textured gold foiling treatment that accentuates the background elements of the card and helps bring their stunning artwork to the forefront. 

Perhaps most importantly, these cards all sport their original artwork from their first release — not their alternative arts — allowing players to purchase a blinged-out version of whichever they prefer. I expect Jewelry Bonney (OP07-019), Enel (OP05-098) and Rob Lucci (OP07-079) to command some of the higher price tags from amongst the group, but these iconic leaders should be considered an absurd pull. 

#9 Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-010) 

Speaking of leaders, there's a brand new one in EB02. Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-010) may look like just another reskin of our central protagonist at a glance, but I am not exaggerating when I call this leader a monster. 

Luffy has been dominating tournaments in the east since he was released. The deck is aggressive, making good use of current {Straw Hat Crew} synergies, and threatens brutally explosive turns by using ramp characters to mitigate his drawback. This leader has been everywhere across the tournament tables and shows no signs of slowing down as he makes his way to the west. As a result, I expect the eye-catching alternative artwork to be in high demand with players and collectors. 

#8 Enel (EB02-052)

Enel (OP05-098) has been a mainstay of the competitive metagame since he released, but the deck has gained little in the way of new toys for quite some time, leading to a decrease in popularity compared to Eustass"Captain"Kid (OP10-099) amongst Yellow players. Enel (EB02-052) looks to remedy that issue with a backbreaking finisher that relies on the {Sky Island} leader type to function, keeping it away from other leaders. 

A 12000 power rush character is monstrous. Between Enel (EB02-052) and Portgas.D.Ace (OP07-119), the Enel leader can now consistently smite whatever problem may stand in their way while filling their board with gigantic hard-to-remove characters. That sounds like a great plan to me! 

#7 Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-061) 

Outside of his leader counterpart, Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-061) stands to be one of the more impactful cards in the set. With the small cost of requiring a multicolored leader, Luffy can rush into any board and clear away two problematic characters or put the pain on an opponent. 

Two DON!!! is a small cost to pay for so much power and flexibility, leading to Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-061) seeing play in a menagerie of dual-color purple leaders since he released in the east, including the dominant Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-010). As a Secret Rare, this card will carry a hefty price tag, but it stands to be a mainstay in several leaders for quite some time. I'd consider grabbing some early if you're not lucky enough to open them on release day.

#6 Nami (EB02-017)

If it feels like you've seen this card before, it's because you have — Nami (OP01-016)  has been one of the most prevalent consistency tools in the history of One Piece and Nami (EB02-017) is the exact same card.... except it's green. Truthfully, this is kind of a big deal. The aforementioned Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-010) couldn't access the previous version of Nami but now rocks the same level of turn-one searchability as his Straw Hat counterparts. Heck, Monkey.D.Luffy (OP01-003) gets twice the bonus. What's not to like? 

Nami is going to be a formative part of any Straw Hat deck until she rotates, and her alternative artwork is such an aesthetically pleasing anime-infused moment that I wouldn't be shocked by a price tag to rival Nami (OP01-016) Parallel either.

#5 Sanji & Pudding (EB02-035)

...and now I'm crying again. 

My love for Sanji & Pudding (EB02-035) aside, I've been very impressed by the flexibility and potential of this card. Naturally, it slots into Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-010), but the ability to draw cards is never unappreciated by other purple leaders. 

While I imagine Eustass"Captain"Kid (OP05-074) will still rule this slot in most cases, it's clear that you cannot underappreciate the {Straw Hat Crew} character type. It's always relevant. 

#4 Sanji (EB02-054)

As it turns out, every color gets a Queen (ST04-005) now. 

Sanji (EB02-054) ticks every box that this set is trying to achieve — a very playable card with a nostalgic twang. The card is searchable with Charlotte Pudding (OP03-112), offers additional draw/blockers for a deck like Vegapunk (OP07-097) and fits cleanly into the overall gameplan of Enel (OP05-098). I expect to see a healthy amount of Sanji, which is great. I appreciate seeing artwork from before the time skip.

#3 Roronoa Zoro (EB02-019)

Say it with me again folks: it's another card for Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-010)!

I had a few must-haves for the leader floating around on this list at various points, but Roronoa Zoro feels like the most flexible of the bunch between Nico Robin (EB02-036) and Merry Go (EB02-041). Every Luffy player is going to want all these cards — but other leaders may want Roronoa Zoro (EB02-019) as well. 

To be blunt, pseudo-Rush is still incredibly powerful across the board, and leaders like Roronoa Zoro and Sanji (ST12-001) can reuse the On Play ability to continuously eliminate their targets. Zoro is just a flexible tool that should be a consideration for every green {Straw Hat Crew} leader. That's the type of card I want to play. 

#2 Anime Sketch Event Cards

Alright. These are hands down my favorite thing about this set. Despite their style, they're still easily identifiable as their respective colors while paying homage to the most iconic music tracks from across twenty-five years on anime. The words I want to use to describe how excited I am about these aren't suitable for an article! 

Even better — all of them are good! While these event cards will never carry the same premium as one-cost searcher characters, card filtration without restrictions will always be at a premium in One Piece. Every color has access to this effect now, and the game will be better for it. 

#1 Monkey.D.Luffy (EB02-061) Manga Rare

I mean, come on. Just look at it. 

This is the most iconic pose in One Piece. Gear 5 may have broken the internet, but going into the fight against Blueno we didn't know what a gear was. This panel is (in part) responsible for how big One Piece is today. You just can't describe the shock of a shonen power-up coming out of nowhere after 400 chapters. 

I'm glad this artwork was given to a card that feels incredibly playable — and I have no doubt it will remain a holy grail in the One Piece Card Game for many years to come.