It’s that time of year again—Bandai’s Ban/Restriction announcement for the upcoming season of the One Piece Card Game! As one of the most popular TCGs, the game has seen some fascinating metas over the past year, with Blue Doflamingo reigning supreme from OP08.5 through EB02. Many new cards have already shown themselves to be incredibly powerful, but will Bandai target them, or will they focus on older cards that have dominated the meta for too long? Will Bandai consider unbanning older cards? Let’s dive in and discuss it all!
The Ban/Restriction list will be announced at the end of Day 2 of the World Tour Finals in Japan, which will take place on the 16th of March, 2025.
Current Banned Cards
Currently, there are seven banned cards in the One Piece Trading Card Game. Among them, Black Blue Sakazuki and Red Purple Trafalgar Law were removed from play due to their overwhelming synergy with supporting cards, making them too dominant in the meta.
Reject was a powerful removal option in Yellow decks like Katakuri and Enel. Its ban significantly weakened Katakuri, leading to a sharp decline in tournament play. Enel, however, is still hanging on, and with the release of EB02 Enel, it has a chance to remain among the top decks.
The Black cards, Enies Lobby and Great Eruption, provided excessive consistency with their cost-reduction effects. To curb the power of Black Leaders, Bandai opted to ban them. Has this worked? For the most part, yes—but Black Rob Lucci remains a top-tier deck, largely thanks to Gecko Moria, which helps it dominate the late game.
2024-2025 Meta Predictions
Black Decks
Gecko Moria
The consensus among players is that Gecko Moria is one of the strongest characters in the game, especially when paired with Rebecca. The 8,000 Power Character’s ability two Characters from the trash creates an explosive power turn that most decks struggle to keep up with.
The call to ban Gecko Moria has been ongoing for quite some time. Even during the 2023-2024 ban list discussions, players wanted him restricted. Now, after a full year of dominance by Black Rob Lucci and Black Yellow Monkey D. Luffy, Bandai may finally take action. Another suggestion is to limit the number of Gecko Moria cards you can add to your deck, making it harder for players to find it through their deck, and lowering its overall impact on games, while keeping it as a strong play if found.
Another card frustrating players is Rebecca, but instead of banning her outright, the community has suggested restricting her effect to only {Dressrosa} type Characters, keeping her playable but limiting the decks she can work with.
Tempest Kick and Ice Age are 1-cost events that help Black decks maintain control by reducing costs without using too many Don!! cards. Their efficiency is similar to that of the now-banned Great Eruption, so it remains to be seen if Bandai will take action against them.
Blue Doflamingo’s Dominance
Blue Donquixote Doflamingo has been a part of the game since the first set, but with OP08.5, he has been dominating the meta like never before. His deck has evolved into an aggressive powerhouse, flooding the board with Characters and closing out games quickly.
The release of Starter Deck 17 has only made matters worse, leading many players to demand a ban on Doffy. Personally, I don’t think Bandai will ban him—after all, he was only pushed into the meta by a few key new cards. However, his ability to generate value is a concern for the future. Any new card that synergizes too well with him could push him over the edge again.
Do we really want to keep worrying about whether a new card will break Doflamingo all over again?
The Role of 2-Cost Marshal D. Teach
A major factor behind Doflamingo’s rise is 2-cost Marshal D. Teach. His effect, which allows you to place a card from your hand on top of your deck, improves consistency when setting up Jinbe via Leader effect. On top of that, he provides 2 rested Don!!, which is what truly makes him a game-breaking card in Blue Doflamingo decks. The 2 Don cards can be used to activate Doffy’s effect, making it easier for you to play Characters from your hand while still getting access to Leader effect.
Jinbe & Trafalgar Law Under Watch
Jinbe plays a massive role in Blue Doflamingo’s aggression, allowing players to cheat out a 4-cost or lower {The Seven Warlords of the Sea} Character. While he primarily benefits Doffy decks, other Blue decks—such as Boa Hancock—have also started including him due to his early-game pressure.
Finally, we have 4-cost Trafalgar Law, another key card from Starter Deck 17. His ability to bounce an opponent’s 4-cost Character while simultaneously deploying a 5,000 Power Character makes him an invaluable piece of Doffy’s aggressive game plan. Many decks simply cannot keep up with this level of tempo advantage.
Purple Gum-Gum Giant
Gum-Gum Giant has been a popular Event in almost any Purple deck you can find, and recently, it’s been doing wonders with EB02 Monkey D.Luffy.
The +4,000 Power on your Leader or a Character + drawing 2 cards and trashing 1, gives Purple deck a massive defensive Event, making it easier for them to commit to an aggressive strategy while still being able to Counter an attack to buy themselves an extra turn.
Final Thoughts
With Black decks still powerful despite bans and Blue Doflamingo running rampant, the next ban list will be crucial for the game’s balance. Will Gecko Moria finally get hit? Will Doflamingo dodge the Nerf hammer? All eyes are on Bandai to see how they handle the 2024-2025 meta.
