Blue Kuzan is the newest value Navy type Leader in the OP12 meta. This Leader thrives when you include Navy-type Characters with a trash effect, letting you trigger your Leader’s draw effect.
You cannot run out of resources easily when playing Blue Kuzan, as you have multiple cards that add cards to your hand and ensure you have plays to make and can outvalue the opposing player as games stretch out.
Leader
Blue Kuzan is a 5-Life Leader, making him naturally tanky and difficult to rush down. His ability triggers whenever a Navy-type card trashes a card from your hand; in return, Kuzan draws you a card, helping you maintain card advantage.
There’s no limit to this effect, so it can activate multiple times per turn. If a card trashes two or more cards, you’ll draw the same number in return. Even better, the effect also works during your opponent’s turn, giving strong synergy with Navy-type Counter events.
The deck is packed with powerful Navy cards that typically require you to trash cards from your hand as a cost. With Leader Kuzan, that drawback becomes a strength. He not only offsets the discard, but also lets you filter your hand for better cards.
Blue Kuzan Decklist
How to Play
Early Searchers
1-cost Tashigi looks at the top 5 cards of your deck to add 1 Navy-type card to your hand. This lets you search for the card you’re missing to add to your hand, adding consistency to your deck.
As for the 3-cost Sengoku, he trashes 1 card from your hand to look at the top 5 cards of your deck and add 2 Navy-type cards to your hand other than Sengoku. This triggers your Leader’s effect to draw a card, which means you’ll be adding 3 cards to your hand and trashing 1 when playing Sengoku.
Low-cost Blocker
Maynard is a low-cost Blocker, perfect to tank a hit for us to protect our Leader or a rested Character. Since he’s a Navy-type Character, we can search for him through Tashigi or Sengoku when needed.
Resource Burn
Pudding is the perfect play if your opponent is holding 6 or more cards in their hand. She’s usually a premium play if they’re at 7 cards or more in their hand, placing them back into their deck and letting them draw 5 cards. They’d be losing resources and potentially win conditions they were relying on, putting them behind in the game and making it harder for them to keep up in the late game. Since Pudding is a 4,000 Power Leader, you can attach 1 Don to her and turn her into an attacker, forcing the opposing player to use Counter resources.
As for Gion, she’s a +2,000 Counter Character who can be played in specific matchups. If you’re against a deck that relies on playing Counter events, Gion can make things awkward for them, forcing them to place a card at the bottom of their deck if they play a Counter event. It activates once per turn, but the ability to drop them 1 card less while still having Gion as an attacker can be worth it.
Control Characters
5-cost Tsuru and Zephyr are Navy-type +2,000 Counter Characters that can be played to control the field. Tsuru forces the opposing player to choose one Character in play and return it to their hand. This means she’s best played if your opponent only has high-cost Characters on the field, forcing them to return them to their hand and helping shift the field in your favor. We can go for the attack first on a rested Character to try to KO it before going for the Tsuru play to remove a more valuable Character. However, if your opponent has a low-cost Character in play, Tsuru‘s effect is useless, and if anything, you’re benefiting the opponent by playing her since you’re giving them an additional Counter card in their hand.
You have to trash 2 cards to activate Tsuru’s effect, but with Kuzan’s draw effect, we’re not too stressed to fulfill that condition.
Zephyr isn’t the strongest play, but his effect can come in handy in specific situations. Zephyr On Play effect, trashes 2 cards from your hand, letting you filter your hand for better cards. Zephyr‘s Activate: Main lets you trash him to return a 5-cost or less Character to the opponent’s hand, it’s not the best removal option, especially since you’re losing a Character yourself, but it can come in handy if you’ve already attacked with Zephyr and need to remove a potential attacker or a blocker from play.
Jozu isn’t a Navy-type Character, so you can’t search for him, but he has a strong removal option, allowing you to return one of your Characters to return an opponent’s 6-cost Character to their hand. You can return one of your low-cost Characters, like 1-cost Tashigi or 3-cost Sengoku, to remove a threat on the field, putting the opposing player behind in the game.
As for the 6-cost Kuzan, he gains +1 cost if you have 5 or more cards in your hand, putting him out of range from certain removal plays, which lets him stick longer on the field. You may trash a card from your hand to prevent one of your opponent’s Characters from attacking on the upcoming turn, weakening their offensive pressure.
Late Game Characters
7-cost Sakazuki is an 8,000 Power Character that draws you two cards when played. This adds more resources to your hand and through his Activate: Main effect, you can go for heavier attacks to force more Counter cards. Once per turn, Sakazuki lets you trash a card from your hand to attach a rested Don to your Leader or one of your Characters, which can be problematic for the opposing player since you’re gaining +1,000 Power to your attacks every turn and filtering your hand for better cards.
The 8-cost Monkey.D.Garp is how we go wide on the field, trashing a card from our hand to cheat out 1 blue {Navy} type Character card with 8000 power or less other than [Monkey.D.Garp] from hand. Ideally, we want to cheat out Sakazuki, developing two 8,000 Power Characters in one turn to start going for heavy attacks and pressuring the opposing player.
We want to protect our high-power Characters whenever possible, making sure we continue to present a threat to put the opposing player in a tough situation.
Control Events
Gum Gum Red Roc is great for removing high-power win conditions that your attackers or other removal plays can’t remove. You can place that Character at the bottom of the deck, weakening the opponent’s side of the field.
As for the Gravity Blade Raging Tiger, it’s a great option if your opponent is going wide on the field. Having two 6-cost or less Characters, you can remove both of them and place them at the bottom of the opponent’s deck.
Counter Event
Ice Block Pheasant Peck gives your Leader or one of your Characters a +4,000 Power boost and then lets you trash a card from your hand. This triggers your Leader’s effect to draw a card, removing the Ice Block Pheasant Peck drawback.
Ice Block Pheasant Peck‘s Trigger effect lets you trash a card from your hand to draw a card, which will trigger your Leader effect to draw a second card. It’s great to filter your hand for better cards.
Blocker Shutdown
Hina is mostly in the list for the +2,000 Counter, but she can be used to shut down one of the opponent’s blockers. Using her Activate: Main effect, you can rest Hina and trash a card from your hand to prevent an opponent’s 4-cost or less Blocker from activating for the remainder of this turn. This can be a game-winning play if you have just enough attacks to close out the game, but there’s a blocker tanking one of your hits.
General Tips
- Protect your Characters from attackers. Since we have a lot of Counter resources, we’ll try to protect our high-power Characters from the opponent’s attacks, forcing them to use removal plays or risk losing the board presence.
- Use your trash effects wisely. You want to trash cards you’ll least need on the upcoming turns. Depending on the matchup and state of the game, you might value high-cost Characters over Counter cards, but as games stretch out, you might want to preserve your Counter resources to protect your Leader from attacks.
Mulligan Tips
Going First: 1-cost Tashigi, 3-cost Sengoku, 6-cost Jozu, 8-cost Monkey.D.Garp.
Going Second: 1-cost Tashigi, Pudding, 6-cost Jozu, 8-cost Monkey.D.Garp.
Other Cards to Include
- Traflagar Law is a 1-cost Blocker to protect us from an opponent’s attack. He can be enough to save us on the upcoming turn, buying us enough time to line up the winning attack.
- Cavendish is a consideration in this list, giving you a strong 4-cost Character that draws you a card whenever he goes for the attack.
- 4-cost Borsalino is a strong addition to this deck, tough for opponents to remove thanks to his effect, and will gain +1,000 Power and the Blocker keyword during your defensive turn.
- Aramaki is an 8,000 Power Blocker, which means Monkey.D.Garp can cheat him out. Aramaki trashes a card from your hand to place a 2-cost or less at the bottom of the owner’s deck, useful if there’s a 2-cost Blocker in play. Aramaki then gains a +3,000 Power boost, becoming an 11,000 Power Character, perfect if you’re planning to close out the game.
Turn-Based Gameplay
Going First
- Turn 1 (1 Don): 1-cost Tashigi.
- Turn 2 (3 Don): 3-cost Sengoku.
- Turn 3 (5 Don): 4-cost Pudding or 5-cost Tsuru.
- Turn 4 (7 Don): 6-cost Jozu, 6-cost Kuzan, or 7-cost Sakazuki.
- Turn 5 (9 Don): 8-cost Monkey.D.Garp.
- Turn 6 (10 Don): 8-cost Monkey.D.Garp.
Going Second
- Turn 1 (2 Don): 1-cost Tashigi.
- Turn 2 (4 Don): 4-cost Pudding.
- Turn 3 (6 Don): 6-cost Jozu or 6-cost Kuzan.
- Turn 4 (8 Don): 8-cost Monkey.D.Garp.
- Turn 5 (10 Don): 8-cost Monkey.D.Garp.
Closing Words
Blue Kuzan‘s ability to remove the card trash drawback makes him an insane value-oriented Leader, allowing you to use your Navy’s powerful effects without having to worry about the drawback. This deck relies on outvaluing opponents, controlling their side of the field until you can set up the winning turn.
