Everything to Know About ONE PIECE Card Game Starter Decks

29th October 2024 EDT FEATURES

Everything to Know About ONE PIECE Card Game Starter Decks

A general run-down of the main information about ONE PIECE Card Game Starter Decks.

To date, there have been a total of 20 ONE PIECE Card Game Starter Decks released, undoubtedly with more to come in the future. While the main sets remain the backbone of the ONE PIECE Card Game, the Starter Decks have served as much-desired supplementary additions. These Starter Decks have not only served as ideal introductions for newcomers to the ONE PIECE Card Game; many cards from these Starter Decks have gone on to become extremely coveted for collection and gameplay purposes alike.

With this in mind, let’s take a deeper dive into these Starter Decks and why they’re important to the ONE PIECE Card Game.

What is a Starter Deck?

At its core, a Starter Deck is a pre-constructed deck of 61 ONE PIECE Card Game cards specifically selected to cater to those new to the ONE PIECE Card Game. The cards included in a Starter Deck and their respective features are easy for these newcomers to understand and use in gameplay; they are initially intended to be played as-is.

Each Starter Deck revolves around a specific theme. Some are based on a certain character while others are based on a group of characters. There’s also one other Starter Deck—3D2Y [ST-14]—which fits into neither category. Instead, 3D2Y [ST-14] is themed around the events of the two-year timeskip which separates both of the two portions of the ONE PIECE manga.

Multiple new Starter Decks are often released simultaneously. This is done to give new players options in terms of the deck’s archetype and tactical approach when choosing a Starter Deck. It even works on a non-gameplay level—there’ll of course be some who choose a Starter Deck purely based on featured characters or even the deck’s color.

Due to the fact that they’re designed to appeal to new players, Starter Decks are usually priced relatively affordably. The exceptions to this are The Three Captains [ST-10] and The Three Brothers [ST-13] which come in at higher price tags than other Starter Decks. That’s because these decks are each a special type of Starter Deck known as an Ultra Deck. An Ultra Deck is a Starter Deck that comes packaged with add-ons such as a deck box and a full set of holofoil DON!! Cards. To date, The Three Captains [ST-10] and The Three Brothers [ST-13] are still the only Ultra Decks that BANDAI has put out.

Most Valuable Cards from Starter Decks

Some of the cards originally released as part of a Starter Deck have gone on to become some of the rarest and most expensive ONE PIECE Card Game cards of all time. Probably the most notable of these is the tournament promotional version of Monkey D. Luffy Leader card from Worst Generation [ST-01]. For one thing, this is a reprint of the first-ever Starter Deck card by number as its number is ST01-001. Additionally, just 700 of these cards are in existence, as shown by the serial number in the top-left corner. A copy of this card can go for more than US$8,300.

A Parallel Art version of the Monkey D. Garp card from the Absolute Justice [ST-06] Starter Deck was awarded to top-16 finishers in selected Treasure Cup tournaments; this is shown by the Treasure Cup logo on the right side of the card. Like most other cards first distributed as tournament prizes, this card’s exclusivity is the main driving force behind its value. A copy of this Parallel Art Monkey D. Garp card can be sold for as much as US$1,125.

However, neither of these even come close to the biggest catch among all Starter Deck cards—a Parallel Art version of the Kaido card from Animal Kingdom Pirates [ST-04] first awarded to Jackson Hoang, the third-place finisher at the ONE PIECE Card Game World Championships held in Tokyo in March 2024. Featuring an image on its right side authenticating that it indeed was awarded to a third-place finisher at Worlds, this Kaido card sold at an auction in May 2024 for the mind-boggling sum of US$39,600!

Best Starter Deck Cards for Gameplay

Once a new ONE PIECE Card Game player has gained more gameplay experience, each Starter Deck can be used as the framework for a highly competitive, metagame-relevant deck. Many of the cards from Starter Decks have made notable impressions of the meta—none more so than the Trafalgar Law Leader card from The Three Captains [ST-10]. Decks built around this remarkable card dominated tournaments to such an extent that BANDAI felt it was necessary to ban it from official gameplay in order to prevent the meta from becoming overcentralized around Red/Purple Law decks.

Another card originally from a Starter Deck deemed to be “broken” and thus banned by the powers that be is Great Eruption, an Event card from Absolute Justice [ST-06]. By playing this card, the player would be able to reduce opposing Character costs without suffering any drawbacks, all but eliminating any risk involved. Prior to its ban, this card was understandably seen in virtually every Black Moria and, infamously, Blue/Black Sakazuki deck—the latter was so outrageously overpowered that it would also see its own Leader card banned as well.

Other Leader cards from Starter Decks which are metagame staples with top-tier tournament-level decks built around them include the Monkey D. Luffy cards from The Three Brothers [ST-13] and The Three Captains [ST-10]. Among the notable non-Leader cards in the meta that originated from Starter Decks are Helmeppo from Absolute Justice [ST-06], Portgas D. Ace from The Three Brothers [ST-13], and Diable Jambe from Worst Generation [ST-01].

Although they might not find themselves in the spotlight at the same level that ONE PIECE Card Game main sets do, Starter Decks are nonetheless an integral part of the TCG franchise’s success. Starter Decks have not only brought countless new faces to the ONE PIECE Card Game; they’ve greatly enriched the collection and gameplay experiences of those already there. While we of course can’t be sure what future Starter Decks will bring, it’s a near guarantee that they’ll be full of highlights—and perhaps the next all-time iconic card will be in one.

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