Black Crocodile is the new Black control deck in OP14 that relies on cost reduction to execute its game plan. Unlike normal Black decks, Black Crocodile cannot KO Characters, not because there aren’t cards to include in the list, but because your Leader changes the game to prevent you from doing so. This keeps the Leader from becoming overpowered, and instead, we’ll rely on other types of effects that benefit from the cost reduction.
This deck wants to stall out the game, prevent the opposing player from getting all their attacks, and buy itself more time until the winning turn. Crocodile mainly runs Baroque Works Pirates in the list, and OP14, and has tons of support cards that synergize with his strategy.
Leader
Black Crocodile is a 5 Life card Leader that changes the rules of the game, preventing your opponent’s Characters from getting removed from play by your effects. This means any control cards with a removal effect like Finger Pistol will not work in this deck.
Once per turn, Crocodile’s Activate Main effect lets you KO one of your units to give an opponent’s Character a -10 cost reduction, and you can then choose to trash the top 2 cards of your deck. You want to trash cards in the early game to get more cards in your trash, letting you activate certain effects when you have a specific number of cards in your trash. For example, Ground Death needs 10 cards in the trash to activate its Counter effect.
This deck has multiple On KO effect cards like Mr 2 Bon Clay, so even though you’re losing a unit for the -10 cost, you’re still getting an effect off which will be worth going for the value. A couple of your Characters’ effects can play Characters from trash, so you won’t be losing presence on the field.
Decklist
How to Play
Searchers
Miss.Valentine(Mikita) and Disappointed? let you search for “Baroque Works” cards from the top of your deck, and will trash the rest of your cards. Trashing cards plays into your strategy, benefiting a couple of your effects on later turns. Almost all cards in your deck are “Baroque Works”, so depending on your hand and the matchup, you’ll draw the card you need the most to keep a consistent strategy. You can go for a mid-game or a late-game development, or grab a Counter card to protect yourself.
Miss.Valentine(Mikita) can later become a KO target for Leader Crocodile, sacrificing her to get access to the -10 cost effect.
Early On KO Cards
Mr.2.Bon.Kurei is a 5,000 Power Character, with an On KO effect that lets you play a 5-cost or less “Baroque Works” Character. You could KO him on the turn he’s played through your Leader effect to get a stronger Character in play like Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) and Mr.5(Gem), which benefit from the cost reduction to activate their effects.
As for Mr.4(Babe), although he has an On KO effect, we usually don’t want to KO him through Leader effect, but have him block an attack for us to save counter resources. When KO’d Mr.4(Babe) lets you add 1 “Baroque Works” Character card with a cost of 8 or less from your trash to your hand. The 8-cost Crocodile is a perfect choice for a strong late-game, especially in slow matchups. However, your current hand and the game state will play a role in your decision, as you may need a Counter, such as Ms. Wednesday, to protect yourself from an attack.
5-cost Plays
Miss Doublefinger(Zala) benefits from you adding cards to your trash, gaining a +1,000 Power boost when you hit 7 or more cards in your trash to become a 7,000 Power Character. The Power boost sticks on your defensive turn, making her an even harder target for the opponent to deal with.
Additionally, while you have 7 or more cards in your trash, Miss Doublefinger(Zala) gives all “Baroque Works” +2 cost, which can prevent the opposing player from playing certain effects that would affect your Characters. Against specific matchups, the +2 cost gain can keep your board presence stronger and put you at an advantage against the opposing player.
Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) can be an aggressor when there’s a 0 or 8-cost Character on the opponent’s side. Ideally, we want to use Leader effect first to kill one of our Characters, reduce the cost of an opponent’s Character by 10, and then play Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) to rest it. Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) can then attack it immediately, threatening to KO it. We aren’t trying to target a high-power unit with Mr.1(Daz.Bonez), but usually a mid-game or a pesky blocker in play.
Mr.5(Gem) is another blocker in this deck, having 6,000 Power that can be used to defend us from an attack or to switch to an aggressive playstyle and start going for swings with him. Mr.5(Gem) needs to see a 0 or 8-cost Character on the opponent’s side when he’s played, activating his On Play effect to draw 2 cards and trash 1 from hand. So you’re developing a Blocker and gaining resources at the same time.
Going Wide
Ms. All Sunday is how we go wider on the field, we usually want to play her as early as possible, so at 7 or 8 Don we’ll go for her to put three Characters in play. When played, Ms. All Sunday can cheat out two “Baroque Works” Characters from the trash with a cost of 4 or less and 1. This means we get to play 4-cost Characters Mr 2 Bon Clay or Mr.4(Babe) and a 1-cost Character, usually, searcher Miss.Valentine(Mikita) to add more resources to our hand.
Mr.4(Babe) is usually the better option since you’re developing a Blocker to protect you and lets you add a Character from your trash to your hand. As for Bon Clay, he can be played if you want to KO with your Leader effect and get a 5-cost Character in his place.
Late-Game Stall
8-cost Crocodile is our strongest play and a key stalling tool, as he prevents the opponent from attacking with one of their Characters. He has both On Play and On KO effects that work perfectly together. When played, Crocodile lets you choose an opponent’s Character with a cost of 9 or less and stop it from attacking on the next turn, immediately reducing their offensive pressure. On top of that, if your opponent has a Character with a cost of 0 or 8 or more, you also get to draw a card.
If your opponent doesn’t already have an 8-cost or higher Character, the straightforward line would be to activate your Leader effect first, then play Crocodile to trigger the card draw. However, sequencing it this way wastes Crocodile’s On KO effect. When Crocodile is KO’d, you can trash a card from your hand to replay him from the trash.
Instead, the optimal line to get more stall power is to play Crocodile first, then KO him with your Leader effect to bring him back. This guarantees at least one card draw (two if your opponent has an 8 cost or more) and prevents two of your opponent’s Characters from attacking on their upcoming turn. Overall, this sequence heavily slows down the opponent’s next turn, buying us valuable time to set up a winning play.
Events
Haute Couture Patch★Work is great to slow down the opponent’s aggression, preventing one of their 0-cost Characters from becoming Active on the upcoming turn. This works with your Leader effect, as you can target high-cost Characters with it, removing them from the equation on the upcoming turn.
As for Ground Death, it has two effects we can take advantage of. You can play it during your turn by resting 2 extra Don and negating the effect of one of the opponent’s Characters. In most cases, it can be used to shut down a blocker, but it can also come in handy against a Character with a special effect that affects your strategy.
During your opponent’s turn, you can use it for its Counter effect to protect yourself from a heavy attack, giving your Leader or one of your Characters a +4,000 Power boost. Keep in mind, you need to have at least 10 cards in your trash, which shouldn’t be a hard task for your deck to achieve.
+2,000 Counters
KOing Ms. Wednesday with your Leader effect lets you reduce the Power of an opponent’s Character by 3,000. We usually want to go for this play if there’s a rested Character we can’t afford to leave in play. The -3,000 Power reduction makes that Character vulnerable to our attacks and will force more Counter resources from the opponent if they wish to protect it.
If we need a target to KO, Miss.Goldenweek(Marianne) can fill that part and, at the same time, draws 2 cards and trashes 2 from hand. This filters our hand for better cards and adds cards to our trash.
Miss.MerryChristmas(Drophy)’s On KO effects let you draw a card and KO a 1-cost Stage.
Mulligan Tips
Going First: Miss.Valentine(Mikita) or Disappointed?, Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) or Miss Doublefinger(Zala), Ms. All Sunday.
Going Second: Miss.Valentine(Mikita), Mr.2.Bon.Kurei(Bentham), Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) or Miss Doublefinger(Zala), Ms. All Sunday or Crocodile.
General Tips
- Sequencing is important. You want to use your Leader effect to KO a character and give -10 cost before you play certain cards to benefit from their On Play effects.
- Don’t keep trashing cards with your Leader. Once you have enough cards in your trash, you don’t need to keep trashing cards, as you might lose valuable cards in the process, and you might end up milling yourself if the game stretches out too long.
- You don’t need to control the field. In the late-game, we don’t have to attack the opponent’s rested Characters to control their side of the field; instead, we’re more focused on rushing them down and having 8-cost Crocodile them from attacking us.
Turn-Based Gameplay
Going First
- Turn 1 (1 Don): Miss.Valentine(Mikita) or Disappointed?
- Turn 2 (3 Don): Miss.Valentine(Mikita) or Disappointed?
- Turn 3 (5 Don): Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) or Miss Doublefinger(Zala)
- Turn 4 (7 Don): Ms. All Sunday
- Turn 5 (9 Don): 8-cost Crocodile
- Turn 6 (10 Don): 8-cost Crocodile
Going Second
- Turn 1 (2 Don): Miss.Valentine(Mikita) or Disappointed?
- Turn 2 (4 Don): Mr.2.Bon.Kurei(Bentham)
- Turn 3 (6 Don): Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) or Miss Doublefinger(Zala)
- Turn 4 (8 Don): Ms. All Sunday or 8-cost Crocodile
- Turn 5 (10 Don): 8-cost Crocodile
Closing Words
Black Crocodile brings a unique gameplay to One Piece, having to sacrifice your own Characters to gain more value and activate their effects. This is a core strategy for this deck, and the cost reduction is an important condition for a couple of your cards. The late-game revolves around 8-cost Crocodile and his stall tactics, disrupting the opponent’s offensive turn and making it harder for them to set up a winning play.
