Black Gecko Moria continues to show up in OP09 and OP10 tournaments, despite losing a lot of its initial popularity. This is a control Black deck that quickly took Black Sakazuki‘s spot as the best Black deck to play. However, as the meta evolved, two decks, Black Rob Lucci and Black Yellow Luffy made it difficult for the Black Gecko Moria to perform.
In OP09 and OP10 metas, those two decks drop in popularity and start seeing less play, giving the Gecko Moria deck more room to perform in the meta, especially since it can hold up well against the option popular decks.
This list works in both OP09 and OP10 meta and at the end of the guide, I’ll mention other cards you can include to tweak the list to your liking.
Black Gecko Moria Decklist
1xOP06-080
4xOP02-106
4xOP03-089
2xST06-010
4xEB01-046
4xST06-006
4xST06-008
4xOP05-091
3xOP02-096
4xOP06-081
3xOP06-090
4xOP06-093
2xOP04-083
4xOP06-086
4xOP02-117How to Play
Leader
Leader Gecko Moria requires 3 Don to activate his effect, so you can start going for it as early as turn 2. To activate Gecko Moria‘s effect, you need to attach 1 Don before attacking and then rest 2 Don. You can then trash a card from your hand, trash 2 cards from the top of your deck, and play 1 {Thriller Bark Pirates} type Character with a cost of 4 or less from your Trash.
So we must have a {Thriller Bark Pirates} type Character like Absalom, Perona, and Dr. Hogback in our trash to cheat out through the Leader effect. Since Leader Gecko Moria lets you trash a card of your choosing from your hand, you can trash the {Thriller Bark Pirates} type Character you want to cheat out on the field, giving you control over what you have in the Trash.
We also have other ways of getting cards in the trash, so we’re not only tied to the Leader effect to get cards in our trash. Each of the {Thriller Bark Pirates} type Characters has a unique effect, which we’ll choose which to play depending on the state of the game.
Early Plays
2-cost Brannew is perfect in the early game to search your deck for {Navy} type cards. You can look at the top 3 cards of your deck and add a {Navy} type card to your hand, the other 2 cards will go to the trash. Those cards going into the trash can play into your strategy as it allows you to bring them back to the game using Leader Gecko Moria, 4-cost Rebecca, or 8-cost Gecko Moria.
4-cost Kuzan is perfect on turn 2 if you went second. You’re setting up a 5,000 Power Character that draws you a card On Play and on your upcoming turn, you can use his cost-reduction to put one of the opponent’s Characters in range for your KO effects.
The opposing player will likely go above and beyond to remove Kuzan as quickly as possible before you get any value from his cost reduction. Kuzan can still work out in the later turns for the extra draw, but you’ll be shutting yourself off from making other plays.
4-cost Thriller Bark Characters
These Characters are the main reason why this deck works, allowing you to cheat them from the trash through Leader effect whenever you need them. Each Thriller Bark Pirate has a unique effect that you’ll make use of in different situations.
4-cost Absalom is your strongest Character in the deck, allowing you to control the opponent’s side of the field by KOing a 2-cost or less Character with him. You will have to combine Absalom with your cost-reduction cards like Ice Age, Helmeppo, and Hina to KO higher-cost Characters.
You can cheat Absalom through Leader effect, so you have a reliable answer to remove the opponent’s Characters as long as you have the cost-reduction cards to put the target in range. Absalom is also a 5,000 Power attacker, posing a threat when he attacks and forcing opponents to KO him.
You can choose one of Perona‘s On Play effects, the first forces the opponent to trash a card from their hand, and the second gives a -3 cost reduction to one of the opponent’s Characters. Your opponent has to have 5 cards or more in their hand for her effects to active.
Perona is a great play on turn 2, especially if you’re going first, forcing your opponent to trash a card from their hand and slowly bleed them out of resourced. You’ll usually use Perona for her trash effect, but she can also find value for her +2,000 Counter effect.
Dr. Hogback lets you add a {Thriller Bark Pirates} type card from your trash to your hand other than Dr. Hogback. So you can get back the likes of Perona, Absalom, or 8-cost Gecko Moria. Picking up Perona can be nice if you need a Counter card, whereas 8-cost Gecko Moria is a great pick-up if you need a late-game value play on the upcoming turn.
Absalom and Dr. Hogback will have you put 2 cards from your trash at the bottom of the deck to activate their effects, so you want to choose cards you don’t expect to need for upcoming turns. Events are a great choice to put back in the deck, or if you have multiple copies of a card that you know you won’t need all of them, they can go to the bottom of the deck.
Brook Rebecca Combo
3-cost Brook is on the list as another KO Character and synergizes with Rebecca and Gecko Moria. He can KO a 0-cost Character, but since he has a -1 cost-reduction built into his effect, you’ll need that target to be a 1-cost for Brook to KO.
Brook can reactivate his effect when he attacks, giving you the cost reduction and KO effects to control the field. This means opponents will try their best to remove Brook before you get too much value out of him.
Rebecca is a star player in this deck, serving as a blocker while also fetching black characters with a cost ranging from 3 to 7 from the Trash to your hand. Plus, she can play a black character with a cost of 3 or less, allowing you to cheat out Brook to KO an opponent’s Character. Rebecca can also synergize with your 8-cost Gecko Moria play which I’ll explain more later in the guide.
Cost Reduction
Since Absalom and Brook rely on the cost of the opponent’s Characters to KO them, we have multiple cards that can reduce the cost of the opponent’s cards. We already talked about Kuzan, but we have other reliable options we can use on the same turn they’re played.
Tsuru is a 1-cost Characters that reduces the cost of one of the opponent’s Characters by -2. She’s also a +2,000 Counter, so you can use her to protect yourself from an attack.
Helmeppo is a 2c that can reduce a Character’s cost by -3. He’s extremely important for this deck’s game plan as we’ll be relying on him in the late game when we play Gecko Moria and pull him from the Trash. Tsuru is an alternative choice to play through 8-cost Gecko Moria.
3-cost Hina is a great cost reducer, giving -4 cost-reduction to one of the opponent’s Characters. She’s also a 5,000 Power Character, so she can attack the opponent’s Leader or a rested Character, posing offensive pressure. Hina can also be played through Rebecca, so you can pull her from the Trash when you need cost reduction.
Ice Age makes specific turns way easier, especially when dealing with a high-cost Target. A -5 cost reduction Event for only 1 Don is perfect when combined with the Gecko Moria play on Don 9+
Value Gecko Moria
Gecko Moria is a value card, which lets you play two Characters: a 4-cost or less Character and a 2-cost or less Character. You can play Rebecca through Gecko Moria and get Brook to KO one of the opponent’s Characters. With Gecko Moria‘s second Character, you have Tsuru to play for the cost reduction.
Gecko Moria can also play Characters like Absalom, Kuzan, Perona, or Dr. Hogback, the card you choose to play through Gecko Moria will depend on the game and what your opponent has on the field. Gecko Moria can also play Brannew as a 2-cost Character for extra draws if you don’t need the cost reduction.
Mulligan
Brannew is early play to make sure you get cards in the trash and draw what you need. Perona and Absalom are always good to have for the early game. Having an 8-cost Gecko Moria ensures a powerful late-game since you rely on him to carry.
Turn-Based Gameplay
Going First
- Turn 1 (1 Don):
- Turn 2 (3 Don): Cheat out Perona with the Leader effect.
- Turn 3 (5 Don): Cheat out Perona or Absalom with the Leader effect. Brook is another option if you don’t have Absalom. You’ll need to use a cost-reduction card like Helmeppo, Ice Age, or Tsuru.
- Turn 4 (7 Don): Cheat out Perona, Absalom, or Dr. Hogback with the Leader effect. Absalom is usually the play to KO a Character and keeps control of the field.
- Turn 5 (9 Don): Gecko Moria + Rebecca + Helmeppo/Tsuru. You can cheat out Brook from Rebecca to KO the Character. Or you can play Absalom instead of Rebecca.
- Turn 6 (10 Don): Gecko Moria + Rebecca + Helmeppo/Tsuru. You can cheat out Brook from Rebecca to KO the Character. Or you can play Absalom instead of Rebecca.
Going Second
- Turn 1 (2 Don): Brannew.
- Turn 2 (4 Don): Cheat out Perona with the Leader effect.
- Turn 3 (6 Don): Cheat out Perona or Absalom with the Leader effect. Brook is another option if you don’t have Absalom. You’ll need to use a cost-reduction card like Helmeppo, Ice Age, or Tsuru.
- Turn 4 (8 Don): Gecko Moria + Rebecca + Helmeppo/Tsuru. You can cheat out Brook from Rebecca to KO the Character. Or you can play Absalom instead of Rebecca.
- Turn 5 (10 Don): Gecko Moria + Rebecca + Helmeppo/Tsuru. You can cheat out Brook from Rebecca to KO the Character. Or you can play Absalom instead of Rebecca.
Other Cards to Include
- Victoria Cindry is a +2,000 Counter effect you can add to the list. If you’re hand is rough, you can play her in the early game to trash the top 5 cards in your deck and potentially get one of your 4-cost {Thriller Bark Pirates} in the trash to cheat out with Leader Gecko Moria.
- Borsalino is a defensive blocker that can’t be KO’d by effects. He’s useful when planning a defensive game plan and can be played on Don 4 or later in the game to protect your Leader from an attacker. He can also be played through 8-cost Gecko Moria.
- Issho can cut down on the opponent’s resources, trashing 2 cards from their hand if they have 6 or more cards in their hand. Additionally, giving 1 Don to Issho will activate his cost-reduction effect, lowering the cost of all opponent’s Characters by -3, which will make it easier to KO Character on the upcoming turn.
