Black Rob Lucci is crushing the OP08 scene. The Black control deck puts up a fight against the Tier 0 deck and it quickly became a fan favorite. Rob Lucci runs the tools to KO Characters and shuts down the opposing player’s plans, making it a challenge for them to win the field.
Decklist
1xOP07-079
2xEB01-043
3xEB01-046
2xOP02-106
4xOP03-080
4xOP03-081
4xOP03-086
2xOP04-083
4xOP05-091
4xOP05-093
4xOP06-086
2xOP07-080
3xOP08-084
2xOP08-091
2xST06-010
4xOP02-117
4xOP07-096
Leader Rob Lucci
Rob Lucci is a black color leader, that brings a unique ability to the table. When he attacks his effect reduces the cost of one of the opponent’s characters by -1 and trashes 2 cards from the top of your deck. This somewhat resembles Sakazuki‘s -1 cost reduction effect, around which this deck is built. Black color decks are famous for their removal tools, and this one’s no different.
Trashing cards is a slow mill, which seems disadvantageous, but Black loves to look at trash and use those cards to its advantage. The more we’re trashing, the better cards we’ll get to redraw and play.
How to Play
Cost Reduction
The key to this deck’s success lies in smartly reducing the costs of your opponent’s characters, making them easy targets for takedowns. The list runs multiple cost reduction cards that aid Leader Rob Lucci‘s -1 cost-reduction effect to drop Characters in range for your removals.
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.
Tempest Kick becomes your mid-game ace, drawing you a card while reducing an opponent’s character’s cost by -3. And hitting the condition for Tempest Kick isn’t hard with Leader Rob Lucci‘s ability to trash 2 cards on every attack. Technically, you need to be at 9 cards in Trash for the cost reduction effect to activate since playing Tempest Kick will put it in the Trash, making the total cards in there 10.
Ice Age makes specific turns way easier, especially when dealing with a high-cost Target. A -5 cost reduction Event for only 1 Don puts a lot of stress off your shoulders when putting a specific Character in range for your removal.
Situational Cost Reduction
Kalifa is a 2K Counter card that can reduce a Character’s cost by 2. She can also trash 2 cards and draw 2, which fixes your hand and sets up for the Tempest Kick play.
As for Kaku, he has to place 2 cards with a type including {CP} from your trash at the bottom of the deck to give one of the opponent’s Characters -3 cost.
Board Control
Your removal cards are your best friends here, making sure your opponent doesn’t have a good time playing. Combine them with your cost-reduction cards to take out high-cost characters.
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.
Rob Lucci is your ultimate removal card. You can bring him back from the Trash and play him through Spandine or Gecko Moria. When played, he can KO two targets one with a cost of 2 or less and the other with a cost of 1 or less, adding a powerful punch to your strategy.
5-cost Kaku can KO a single target with a cost of 3 or less. However, you have to place 2 {CP} cards from your trash at the bottom of the deck to activate Kaku‘s effect. So always make sure you have {CP} cards you don’t need in your trash.
7-cost Jack is the newest addition to the Black Rob Lucci deck in OP08. He’s 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 digs through your deck for the key 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.
Another effect Jack has is that in play, he becomes an 11-cost Character, which will only matter depending on the matchup you’re up against. So against Black decks, they’ll struggle to lower Jack‘s Power and KO him.
Who’s Who is a 2K Counter that could be used as a removal play if needed. Who’s Who can KO a 3-cost or less Character but has to Trash one card from hand. It’s a high price to pay, but there are situations where you’ll feel forced to.
Blocker Value
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 summon a black character with a cost of 3 or less, allowing you to make free plays like Spandine, which then brings in a rested Rob Lucci for free.
Sabo offers protection with his KO immunity, and his ability to draw 2 cards and discard 2 cards helps you manage your hand effectively, getting rid of cards you don’t need or can retrieve from the Trash later.
The Ultimate Combo
Gecko Moria is a must-have in any black deck, offering incredible value. Before you play him, take a good look at what’s in your Trash. The goal is to get Rob Lucci out, and you have two ways to do it.
- First Approach: Gecko Moria can directly bring back Rob Lucci alongside Helmeppo if you need to reduce costs.
- Second Approach: Gecko Moria can bring Rebecca and Helmeppo from Trash. Then Rebecca brings back Spandine (or you can play him from your hand for free), allowing you to play a rested Rob Lucci. Choosing the Rebecca route not only expands your board but also gives you a blocker to defend Leader during your opponent’s turn.
If you don’t need a cost-reduction play, you can play Spandam through Gecko Moria to draw a card.
Defensive Events
A {CP9} Event to protect your Leader or rested Characters. You have to trash a card to activate it, but the 3K Power can be enough to save you from an attacker.
Turn-Based Gameplay
Going First
- Turn 1 (1 Don): Spandam.
- Turn 2 (3 Don): Spandam and Attack with Leader.
- Turn 3 (5 Don): Brook to remove their Character development or if there’s nothing to KO play Kalifa or Sabo to filter hand and trash cards.
- Turn 4 (7 Don): Rob Lucci + cost reduction to remove two Characters or Jack + Leader effect to KO a 4-cost.
- Turn 5 (9 Don): Gecko Moria + Rob Lucci removal or Jack + cost reduction.
- Turn 6 (10 Don): Gecko Moria + Rob Lucci removal.
Going Second
- Turn 1 (2 Don): Spandam.
- Turn 2 (4 Don): Spandam or Kalifa or just attack with Leader.
- Turn 3 (6 Don): Rob Lucci + cost reduction.
- Turn 4 (8 Don): Gecko Moria + Rob Lucci removal or Jack + Cost Reduction.
- Turn 5 (10 Don): Gecko Moria + Rob Lucci removal.
Other Cards to Include
- 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, which is a turn that can be awkward for this deck.
- 8-cost Sabo is a powerful late-game removal card to destroy the opponent’s field. The downside is that you have to trash 1 card from your hand.
- 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.
- 9-cost Kaido is a late-game play, capable of trashing a 7-cost or less Character and one of the opponent’s cards. However, you have to trash one of your cards to activate his effect. Combined with the Leader effect, you can KO an 8-cost Character without relying on any cost-reduction cards.
