Picked up the Starter 06 Black Sakazuki Leader? Unsure how to play the deck? Well, I’ve got you covered in this guide, where we’ll go over the Black Leader with a built-in KO mechanic.
Black color is known for its cost reduction cards, so we have tons of cards that synergize with Leader Sakazuki. This list won a local tournament in the East, so let’s take a look at what they’ve been cooking!
ST06 Black Sakazuki Decklist
1xST06-001
4xOP02-106
4xST19-002
4xOP03-089
4xEB01-046
2xST06-006
4xST06-008
4xOP05-091
4xOP02-096
2xOP02-114
4xEB01-049
2xOP04-083
4xOP08-084
4xOP06-086
4xOP02-117How to Play Black Sakazuki
Leader
Black Sakazuki is a 5 health {Navy} type Leader, so he doesn’t get aggroed down easily. His Activate:Main effect can be activated once per turn for 3 Don and trashing a card from your hand to KO one of the opponent’s Characters.
However, the Character has to be at 0 cost for Leader Sakazuki to KO. This means we need cost-reduction cards like Ice Age and Hina to help us remove the opponent’s Characters and slow down their pace.
Early plays
Sengoku and Brannew are early plays to find the cards you need. Sengoku needs to trash two {Navy} type cards to draw 3 cards, helping you filter your hand for better cards.
As for Brannew, he looks at the top 3 cards and lets you put one {Navy} type card in your hand.
If you’re going second, then 4-cost Kuzan is the best play on turn 2. Kuzan draws you a card, so you’re gaining value from him, and when he attacks, he gives one of the opponent’s Characters -4-cost. The cost reduction sets you up to KO one of the opponent’s Characters with the Leader effect or one of your KO Characters.
Usually, opponents can’t afford to leave Kuzan in play for too long and will shift their focus on KOing him to shut down the cost-reduction effect.
4-cost Borsalino is better for a defensive approach. The +1,000 Power he gains during the opponent’s turn makes it easier for you to block and counter attacks. On top of that, the immunity from KO effects can be frustrating for specific matchups that usually want to KO your Characters through an effect.
KO Characters
3-cost Brook is in the list as another KO Character and its synergy 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.
As for Jack, he’s more suited for the late-game carry to control the field. He draws a card and then lets you choose a card to trash, filtering your hand. Additionally, Jack can KO a 3-cost Character, but you will have to rest him to activate his effect. Resting him means you can’t attack with him and will make him vulnerable to opponents’ attack.
You can play him on Don 7, but you’re not KOing any meaningful threats without a Kuzan in play to reduce the cost of a Character. If you play Jack on Don 8, you can use Ice Age or Tsuru to KO a higher-cost Character.
The great thing about Jack is he can activate his effect once per turn, so he remains a removal option throughout the whole game and will be a problem for opponents. Also, the extra 4-cost he gains can make things awkward for certain decks like Black Rob Lucci that rely on the Character’s cost to KO it.
Cost-reduction cards
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. Tsuru can be played again from the Trash using Gecko Moria, so if you need a cost-reducer, she comes to use when you go for the Gecko Moria combo.
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 puts a lot of stress off your shoulders when putting a specific Character in range for your removal.
Other Blockers
We talked about 4-cost Borsalino, but let’s take a look at Rebecca and Sabo, two blockers with unique effects.
4-cost Rebecca is a value play that can also block one of the opponent’s attacks. She adds a 3 to 7-cost Black card from your trash to your hand and then plays a 3-cost Black Character for free. So you can cheat out Characters like Brook or Hina, depending on the state of the field.
5-cost Sabo is a valuable blocker to protect your Leader or rested Characters. It can also help protect your Fortress strategy. The KO immunity it gives to all Characters in play can shut off specific decks from interacting with your field, setting you up for a strong upcoming turn. Sabo also draws 2 and trashes 2 cards, filtering your hand.
Gecko Moria Value
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 Kuzan for the draw value or Borsalino for added protection to your Leader. Brannew is another option instead of Tsuru to find the {Navy} cards you need.
Turn-Based Gameplay
Going First
- Turn 1 (1 Don): Songoku.
- Turn 2 (3 Don): Songoku or Brannew.
- Turn 3 (5 Don): Kuzan, Borsalino, or Sabo. OR Tsuru/Ice Age + Brook/Leader Sakazuki effect to KO a Character.
- Turn 4 (7 Don): Jack. OR Hina/Rebecca into Hina + Leader Sakazuki effect to KO a Character. If you have a Kuzan in play, you can KO a Character with Leader Sakazuki effect and use the 4 Don to develop a Character.
- Turn 5 (9 Don): Gecko Moria.
- Turn 6 (10 Don): Gecko Moria.
Going Second
- Turn 1 (2 Don): Songoku or Brannew.
- Turn 2 (4 Don): Kuzan or Borsalino
- Turn 3 (6 Don): Hina + Brook/Leader Sakazuki effect to KO a Character. If you have a Kuzan in play, you can KO a Character with Leader Sakazuki effect or with Brook.
- Turn 4 (8 Don): Jack + Ice Age or Gecko Moria and go wide.
- Turn 5 (10 Don): Gecko Moria
Other Cards to Include
- 8-cost Sabo lets you KO two of the opponent’s Characters, one with a cost of 5 or less and the other with a cost of 3 or less. Sabo is also a 9,000 Power Character, capable of going for heavy attacks.
- 9-cost trashes 1 of your cards to activate his effect, allowing you to KO a 7-cost Character. Additionally, Kaido will force opponents to trash a card from their hand, so even though you lost a card from your hand, opponents are also losing a card, balancing things out.
- During your turn, 10-cost Kuzan gives all the opponent’s Characters -5 cost. His On Play effect KO’s a 0-cost Character, so technically he can KO a 5-cost Character when played. With Leader Perona‘s effect, you can KO a 6-cost Character with Kuzan. The -5 cost will make things easier for you to KO on future turns if Kuzan remains in play.