The One Piece TCG Hokkaido, Japan Championship Series marks our first major 1v1 tournament in the OP12 meta, offering a glimpse into how the landscape has shifted with the addition of the new Leaders and cards. Green Roronoa Zoro made a dominant showing early in the expansion and continued to impress in this CS tournament. But the classic Red Roronoa Zoro isn’t ready to be left behind just yet, setting the stage for an epic showdown in the finals.
Top 8: 4 Blue Purple Luffy, 3 Green Roronoa Zoro, and 1 Red Roronoa Zoro.
1st Place Red Roronoa Zoro
Red Roronoa Zoro has been tagging along in OP11 meta, countering the popular Blue Purple Luffy and capable of beating Green Purple Luffy. It was, though, outshined by the Red Yellow Belo Betty, so players didn’t expect Red Zoro to take it all in the OP12 Championship Series.
Red Roronoa Zoro won first place! Beating Blue Purple Luffy in the top 4 before going head-on against the new Green Purple Luffy, outperforming it in the finals to win it all. The aggressive Red deck didn’t receive any new tools in OP12, but it seems the deck is still a strong choice in the current meta and shouldn’t be underestimated.
Red Roronoa Zoro can boost the Power of all your Characters by +1,000, adding more aggression to your attacks and forcing Counter plays. The wider the field, the more pressure you’re imposing with your Leader’s effect, so cards like OP08 Tony Tony Chopper, OP04 Chopper, and Just Shut Up and Come with Us play a core role in developing multiple Characters on the field.
3-cost Zoro and 4-cost Kid & Killer are your Rush attackers, ensuring you keep the aggression going through immediate attacks and can line up a winning turn.
2nd Place Green Roronoa Zoro
Green Roronoa Zoro is the strongest Leader in the OP12 expansion so far, combining board control and aggression in one powerful package. His effect lets you attack a rested Character, then re-stand and attack again—either the opponent’s Leader or a Character with a cost of 8 or more. This puts pressure on your opponent to decide whether to protect their board or their Life cards.
To activate Green Zoro’s effect, you need to attach 3 Don to him. That’s why Don re-stand cards like Cavendish and Mihawk are essential. They let you activate his effect without sacrificing your field development. Tashigi is an ideal support card, resting an opponent’s Character and attaching 3 Don to your Leader, allowing you to activate his effect after attacking the rested target.
Luffy Is the Man Who Will Become the King of Pirates!!! serves as a key win condition, re-standing your Leader to add to your aggression. With multiple Don attached and multiple attacks per turn, you can close out games quickly.
Top 4 Blue Purple Luffy
Blue Purple Luffy was the best deck in the format in OP11 meta, and players are still unsure if it’ll remain the top performer in OP12. So far, the deck continues to perform well, and it’s mainly in a heated battle against Green Roronoa Zoro.
This deck wants to start the turn with 8 Don as early as possible, enabling it to activate the Leader effect and search for its {Straw Hat Crew} type cards. You can then order the rest of the cards however you like at the top of your deck, meaning we can combo this effect with the 9-cost Sanji to cheat out a high-cost Character. We’re playing two big bodies in one turn to overwhelm the opposing player, putting them behind on the field, and they can be tough targets for most decks to remove.
The list has multiple ramp cards to speed up its game plan, trying to get the combo play as early as possible before the opposing player rushes you down. You’re a 3 Life card Leader, so going against an aggressive deck can be tough to handle.
8-cost Charlotte Katakuri and 9-cost Charlotte Linlin are perfect to slow down your opponent’s pace and protect your Leader, buying you enough time until you shift the game in your favor.
Top 4 Blue Purple Luffy
This Blue Purple Luffy list cuts out the 9-cost Luffy entirely, opting to add more defensive cards like 2-cost Chopper and Thunder Bagua to combat aggressive decks.
Top 8 Green Roronoa Zoro
