Black Smoker is a control deck that runs the {Navy} package, aiming to control the board while dropping strong characters that can be tough for the opposing player to remove.
Smoker’s cost reduction effect makes it easier for you to put targets in range for your KO removal, shifting the field presence in your favor and eventually making it harder for the opponent to Counter your attacks.
The list has changed a lot as the meta developed, especially with the ban of Gecko Moria. Today, I’ll cover an OP12 list that performed in a recent local tournament.
Leader
Attaching 1 Don to Smoker allows you to activate his effect, reducing the cost of one of the opponent’s Characters by -1. This will enable you to consistently KO Characters more easily with your removal cards. If the cost of an opponent’s Character falls to 0, then Leader Smoker will gain +1000 Power for the turn, letting you go for a stronger attack to force more counter plays.
Black Smoker Decklist
How to Play
The Black Smoker deck’s game plan revolves around KOing opponents’ Characters before they get the chance to attack. Controlling the field with Brook, Tashigi, and Kuzan will lower the opposing player’s aggression, helping you prolong the game until you can line up the winning turn.
Early Searchers
Sengoku‘s play effect lets you trash two of your {Navy} type cards from your hand to draw 3 cards. So you’ll remove cards you don’t expect to play or need the least to find better cards from the next three draws.
As for Brannew, he looks at the top 3 cards of your deck and adds 1 {Navy} type card. This helps plan for future turns or find a +2,000 Counter play to protect your Leader or Characters.
Similar to Brannew, I’m Gonna Be a Navy Officer!!! looks at the top 3 cards of your deck to add 1 {Navy} type card.
4-cost Plays
On Don 4, you’ll be planning Kuzan for the value he offers. Kuzan is usually the go-to play early into the game, giving you a card draw and remaining on the field as a cost-reduction option. If Kuzan remains in play, you can attack with him to activate his -4 cost reduction, setting the stage for one of your Characters to KO a Character.
4-cost Hina adds pressure in the early to mid-game. She’s a 6,000 Power Character who attaches 1 rested Don to your Leader or one of your Characters once per turn, allowing you to continue going for stronger attacks and forcing more resources from the opposing player. If you have 1 Don attached to Hina, she gains +4 cost during the opponent’s turn, which can make it tough for certain decks to remove her.
Control Characters
3-cost Koby lets you trash a card from your hand to KO a 3-cost or less Character. Alongside your Leader, you get to KO a 4-cost Character.
5-cost Tashigi is the strongest play on Don 5/6 as she can trash one of the opponent’s Characters all on her own. When played, Tashigi gives one of the opponent’s Characters a -4-cost reduction, and then you can activate her effect to Trash a 0-cost Character. So with her effect alone, you can trash a 4-cost Character, combined with Leader’s -1-cost reduction, you can trash a 5-cost Character without expending more resources.
Smoker Aggression
5-cost Smoker can’t be KO’d by effects, meaning your opponent can’t easily remove him, and you’ll have higher odds of finding aggressive value from him. When given 1 Don, and there’s a 0-cost Character in play, Smoker gains Double Attack, becoming problematic when targeting the opponent’s Leader. So, before KOing a cost-reduced Character, attack with Smoker first to make use of the Double Attack.
Going Wide
Sengoku is a 7,000 Power Blocker with an On Play effect that lets you play a 4-cost or less {Navy} type Character from your trash. This means alongside Sengoku, we can play the likes of Kuzan and Hina to go wider on the field and overwhelm the opposing player.
We can use Sengoku‘s Blocker keyword defensively to protect our Leader or one of our rested Characters. However, since he’s a 7,000 Power Character, we can turn him into an aggressor to try and close out the game or put the opponent in a tougher situation.
Late Game Kuzan
10-cost Kuzan joins the battle and reduces the cost of all of the opponent’s Characters by 5 as long as he’s in play. His On Play effect lets you KO a 0-cost Character, which means you can KO a 5-cost or less Character through Kuzan. If he sticks on the field, he’ll make it extremely easier for us to control the opponent’s side on the upcoming turns thanks to the -5 cost reduction he’s providing.
Counter Event
Shockwave gives your Leader or one of your Characters a +4,000 Power boost to Counter an attack and then KO’s a 3-cost or less Character. It can remove a pesky blocker from the field, but if you have a 10-cost Kuzan giving -5-cost reduction, you get to KO an 8-cost or less Character.
Shockwave has a strong trigger that KO’s a 4-cost or less Character, which can shut down the opponent’s aggressive turn.
Turn-Based Gameplay
Going First
- Turn 1 (1 Don): Sengoku.
- Turn 2 (3 Don): Sengoku or Brannew.
- Turn 3 (5 Don): 5-cost Tashigi, 5-cost Smoker, 4-cost Kuzan, or Hina.
- Turn 4 (7 Don): 7-cost Sengoku.
- Turn 5 (9 Don): 7-cost Sengoku.
- Turn 6 (10 Don): 10-cost Kuzan.
Going Second (Preferred)
- Turn 1 (2 Don): Sengoku or Brannew.
- Turn 2 (4 Don): Kuzan or Hina.
- Turn 3 (6 Don): 5-cost Tashigi + Leader cost-reduction or 5-cost Smoker.
- Turn 4 (8 Don): 7-cost Sengoku.
- Turn 5 (10 Don): 10-cost Kuzan.
Other Cards to Include
- Brook, when played or attacking, can reduce the cost of an opponent’s character by -1 and KO a 0-cost character. Your opponents will scramble to take him out to stop his effect from activating repeatedly. Brook relies on cost-reduction cards to help KO targets, but since he can reactivate his effect, we can bet that the opponent will use up their resources on him. If possible, you should try to protect him with Counter cards or a blocker, but don’t go overboard in keeping him on the field.
- Borsalino is a 6,000 Power blocker during the opponent’s turn, protecting you from an incoming attack and saving you Counter resources. His KO immunity can be great against specific matchups, sticking in play for longer as the opponent finds other means to deal with him. In most cases, you’ll avoid attacking with Borsalino to keep using his Blocker keyword, but you might find yourself in a situation where trying to KO a specific Character or going for an aggressive approach on their Leader yields more value toward your game plan.
- Jack is a 7-cost Character that can KO a 3-cost or less Character every turn through his main effect. Additionally, Jack draws one card and trashes one card from hand, so it filters your hand for better cards. Combined with the Leader effect, you can KO a 4-cost Character with Jack without needing any of your cost-reduction cards. The only downside of activating Jack‘s effect is that you have to rest him, so you won’t be able to use him offensively if you activate it later on in the game. It also allows the opponent to attack Jack when he rests himself on the turn he’s played, but an 8K Power Character isn’t easy to remove.
- Navy HQ Stage offers another cost-reduction tool that you can activate once every turn, helping you drop targets in range without relying only on your cards or the Leader effect.
