Black Smoker is seeing more play in the OP09 meta and has already won several tournaments in the East. This Leader’s cost reduction synergizes with Black’s control prowess, allowing you to remove Characters before they pause a threat.
This list is heavy on the {Navy} cards, especially with two searchers who rely on the Navy to get the most out of them.
Decklist
1xOP02-093
4xOP02-106
4xST19-002
4xOP03-089
1xST06-010
3xEB01-046
4xST06-006
2xST06-008
4xOP05-091
3xOP02-096
3xOP02-114
2xEB01-049
4xST19-003
2xOP08-084
2xOP03-078
4xOP06-086
4xOP02-117How 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 Jack will lower the opposing player’s aggression, helping you take things to the late game.
8-cost Gecko Moria is this deck’s strongest play, offering value through playing two Characters from the trash, allowing them to go wider on the field and activating those Characters’ effects for added value.
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, allowing you to pack a stronger punch when going for the attack.
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 looked at the top 3 cards from 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.
On Don 4/5, you’ll be planning Kuzan or Borsalino. 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.
On the other hand, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Tsuru is a 1-cost Character that gives one of your opponent’s Characters -2 cost, but will usually be used for her +2,000 Counter. She can also be played through Gecko Moria from the trash.
Helmeppo is a stronger cost-reducer, giving -3 to one of your opponent’s Characters, and can be played through Gecko Moria to use its cost reduction and remove a target.
Finally, Hina, a 3-cost Character gives one of the opponent’s Characters a -4 cost reduction. Hina is amazing in this deck for multiple reasons: She’s a {Navy} type Characters, has 5,000 Power so she poses a threat when she attacks, and can be played through Rebecca.
Rebecca is a powerful play since she can put 1 black Character with a cost of 3 to 7 from your trash to your hand and then can play a 3-cost or less Black Character.
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 and what you’re planning to play. When played, Gecko Moria can play two Characters from the trash, a 4-cost or less and a 2-cost or less.
If there is a Character you want to KO, Brook is the ideal card to bring from the Trash along with a cost reduction Character like Tsuru or Helmeppo. However, you can take extra steps to put a blocker on the field as well. Instead of picking a Brook from the trash immediately, we can play Rebecca through Gecko Moria, which lets us play Brook through Rebecca from the trash or hand for free. If you have a Jack on the field and prefer more cost-reduction, Rebecca can bring back Hina from the trash and play it for free.
Other cards to keep in mind when playing Gecko Moria are Kuzan, Borsalino, Brannew, and Sengoku which can be more useful than the other Characters depending on the game.
8-cost Issho is a game changer if the opponent has 6 cards or less. Trashing two of the opponent’s cards cuts down their resources and potentially removes key cards they’re relying on. Attaching one Don to Issho will give all of the opponent’s Characters a -3 cost-reduction, making it easier for you to remove Characters through Brook, Tashigi, and Jack.
Events
Ice Age is a low-cost Event that gives one of the opponent’s Characters -5 cost. It’s exceptionally useful against high-cost Characters who can be tough to put in range for your removal cards.
Turn-Based Gameplay
Going First
- Turn 1 (1 Don): Sengoku.
- Turn 2 (3 Don): Sengoku or Brannew.
- Turn 3 (5 Don): 5-cost Tashigi or Kuzan or Borsalino.
- Turn 4 (7 Don): Jack, but you can’t KO anything higher than 3-cost unless you have a Kuzan in play. Or play 5-cost Tashigi.
- Turn 5 (9 Don): Gecko Moria or Issho or Jack.
- Turn 6 (10 Don): Gecko Moria or Issho.
Going Second (Preferred)
- Turn 1 (2 Don): Sengoku or Brannew.
- Turn 2 (4 Don): Kuzan or Borsalino.
- Turn 3 (6 Don): 5-cost Tashigi + Leader cost-reduction.
- Turn 4 (8 Don): Jack or Issho or Gecko Moria.
- Turn 5 (10 Don): Gecko Moria or Issho
Other Cards to Include
- 5-cost Smoker can’t be KO’d by effects and given 1 Don and there’s a 0-cost Character in play, he 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.
- 9-cost Stussy is a reliable control Character to KO one of the opponent’s Characters regardless of its cost. However, you need to trash one of your Characters on the field, so you’ll target low-cost Characters like Sengoku who don’t offer much on the field.
- 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.
