EB03 Heroines Edition introduces a new Leader version of the princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, Nefertari Vivi. Vivi protects her base cost of 4 or more Characters, keeping them in play for a longer time. She also thrives in controlling the board, using her power reduction to weaken opponents’ Characters and make them easier targets to remove.
EB03 has multiple support cards for the Red Blue Vivi deck, but we also have tons of older cards that synergize with what Vivi is trying to do, so players are still experimenting with different builds. In this guide, I’ll go over a list that won first place in a 3on3 Championship Series, but I’ll also cover other cards you can add to the list.
Leader
Red Blue Vivi is a 4 Life card Leader with two effects. Her first effect protects your Characters with a base cost of 4 or more. Once per turn, if one of your Characters with a base cost of 4 or more would be KO’d, you can trash a card from your hand to keep them in play. This is usually worth going for to protect cards like Cavendish or Nami, keeping an attacker in play that can draw you a card when he goes for the attack.
As for Vivi’s second effect, you may rest Vivi to give one of the opponent’s Characters a -2,000 Power reduction, and you can give the Rush keyword to a Character that doesn’t have the When Attacking effect.
So, although we’re losing Leader Vivi’s attack by resting her, we are weakening an opponent’s Character, making it easier for us to attack and KO it or use a removal effect. At the same time, we’re still gaining an attacker with the Rush keyword we’re giving.
Decklist
How to Play
Early Searcher
1-cost Nefeltari Vivi lets you look at the top 4 cards of your deck to add 1 {Alabasta} or {Straw Hat Crew} type card with a cost of 2 or more, and add it to your hand. So we can search for cards like Sanji, Vivi, or Nami, making sure we have a strong mid-game as we transition to the late game.
Early Attackers
The 3-cost Sanji is an early play, having 3,000 Power only, but gains a +3,000 Power boost during your turn. This means we get to use him as a strong attacker, either to threaten a Life card or KO an opponent’s rested Character. During your defensive turn, Sanji can be tough to protect through Counter cards, so we usually won’t be committing resources to keep him in play. If Sanji does get KO’d, you’re still drawing a card off of him, so you won’t be losing on resources.
The 4-cost Cavendish is a 6,000 Power Character, perfect for putting early pressure, and can be tough to remove. We want to make use of his When Attacking effect, getting access to a card draw to add more resources to our hand. Using Leader Vivi’s effect, we can make it exceptionally hard for the opponent to remove Cavendish, keeping a 6,000 Power threat on the field to keep winning the board presence.
Keep in mind that since Cavendish has a When Attacking effect, we can’t give him the Rush keyword through Vivi.
Pudding can be a nightmare for certain decks, specifically those that hold a lot of cards in their hand early in the game. If they have 7 or more cards, Pudding is a premium play to force them to shuffle those cards back in the deck and draw 5 in their place.
5-cost Namis
The 5-cost Nami is a 6,000 Power Blocker, perfect for protecting us from an opponent’s attack, but can still become an aggressor when need be. When played, Nami lets you draw 3 cards and place 2 cards from your hand at the top or bottom of your deck in any order. You’re adding an additional card to your hand while also filtering your hand for better cards, removing those that you need the least.
As for the new Nami, On Play, you can give your Active Leader a -5,000 Power reduction to draw a card. Nami‘s Active Main effect lets you give an opponent’s Character a -1,000 Power reduction once per turn, adding to your control strategy to weaken Characters and attempt to remove them.
When we’re going for Nami‘s draw effect, we can’t attack with our Leader Vivi. Instead, we’ll wait until we play Nami, then rest our Leader for the -2,000 Power reduction and the Rush keyword.
Going Wide
Although 5-cost Nefeltari Vivi is only a 4,000 Power Character, the fact that she’s a blocker and can cheat out 1 {Alabasta} or {Straw Hat Crew} type Character card with a cost of 5 or less from your hand makes up for her low power. We’re essentially developing a Blocker to protect us from an attack, while also cheating out one of our 5-cost Namis. Keep in mind that you can’t play any other Character after you’ve gone for the 5-cost Vivi play.
Control Cards
Benn.Beckman has been a strong control card for multiple metas now, and we’ve seen him as a staple card in various decks. He works perfectly in this deck thanks to your Leader Vivi’s ability to reduce the power of an opponent’s Character. Benn.Beckman can trash one of the opponent’s 6,000 Power or less Characters, and with Leader Vivi’s help, you can target up to 8,000 Power Characters and trash them.
And that’s not even counting Nami, which provides additional Power reduction, letting you trash Characters with up to 9,000 Power.
Shanks is a late-game removal play, capable of KOing a 10,000 Power Character, and with your Power reduction cards, you can even target higher win conditions. Shanks is a 12,000 Power Character, so after he gets a KO on an opponent’s Character, he remains in play as a heavy hitter, threatening an opponent’s Life card, and almost always getting the hit unless they have a blocker in play.
With Leader Vivi’s ability to give the Rush keyword, Shanks can put his 12,000 Power to use on the turn he’s played, going for his heavy swing to pressure the opposing player.
Kaido Value
Kaido is a massive late-game play that focuses on replenishing our hand, drawing us 3 cards if the opponent has 3 Life cards or less. Although Kaido adds more resources to our hand, he usually doesn’t affect the state of the board, and you have to wait until the upcoming turn to use him offensively. Luckily, the Rush keyword from Vivi makes Kaido much better, letting you attack with him on the turn he’s played.
+2,000 Counters
Ace & Sabo & Luffy is a +2,000 Counter card that can be played for its Power reduction effect, giving one of the opponent’s Character -3,000 to make it easier for your attackers to remove or a removal play.
The 2-cost Sanji can be played on one of your {Straw Hat Crew} type Characters with 6000 power or more, so they can bypass blockers, perfect for setting up a winning turn when you’re going for the Leader hit.
Tony Tony Chopper is another Straw Hat Crew type character with a +2,000 Counter. He can be played as a Blocker, gaining +2,000 Power during the opponent’s turn to become a 6,000 Power Blocker. Leader Vivi can protect Chopper from getting KO’d once, keeping your blocker in play.
Events
But If We Ever See Each Other Again... Will You Call Me Your Shipmate?!! is a 1-cost Counter Event to give your Leader or a Character a +4,000 Power boost, shutting down one of the opponent’s attacks.
If I Bowed Down to Power can be played during your turn so your Leader can bypass blockers, perfect if you’re trying to set up the winning turn. If I Bowed Down to Power can also be used defensively to protect your Leader from an attack with the +3,000 Power boost.
Mulligan Tips
Going First: 1-cost Vivi, 3-cost Sanji, 5-cost Vivi, 5-cost Nami, 7-cost Benn.Beckman.
Going Second: 1-cost Vivi, 4-cost Cavendish, 5-cost Vivi, and 5-cost Nami.
General Tips
- Identify when you need your Leader Vivi’s effect. Activating your Leader’s effect means you’ll lose her attack, but the power reduction + Rush keyword can be a game swinger.
- Protect 4-cost Characters and trash dead cards. Protect cards like Cavendish or Tony Tony Chopper through your Leader effect to keep them in play for longer and force the opposing player to commit more of their resources to remove them. We can also trash dead cards in hand that we don’t expect to play in future turns. Cards with no Counter can be trashed if we can’t play them on future turns.
Other Cards to Include
- 3-cost Vivi is a value play, drawing you two cards when played.
- Jozu is a consideration as a control card, returning one of the opponent’s 6-cost or less Characters to their hand.
- Silvers Rayleigh can KO a 6,000 Power Character or less, which works perfectly in this deck alongside Leader Vivi’s power reduction.
Turn-Based Gameplay
Going First
- Turn 1 (1 Don): 1-cost searcher.
- Turn 2 (3 Don): 3-cost Sanji.
- Turn 3 (5 Don): 5-cost Vivi + Nami.
- Turn 4 (7 Don): Benn.Beckman or 5-cost Vivi + Nami.
- Turn 5 (9 Don): Benn.Beckman.
- Turn 6 (10 Don): 10-cost Shanks.
Going Second
- Turn 1 (2 Don): 1-cost searcher.
- Turn 2 (4 Don): 4-cost Cavendish.
- Turn 3 (6 Don): 5-cost Vivi + Nami.
- Turn 4 (8 Don): Benn.Beckman.
- Turn 5 (10 Don): 10-cost Shanks.
Closing Words
The EB03 Red Blue Vivi is a fun Leader to pick up, and we’re already seeing her perform in tournaments. She’s a control Leader who wants to weaken the opponent’s side of the field, making it easier for you to remove their Characters and put them behind in the game. There are various ways to build the deck, and players continue to experiment with the Leader.
