Table of Contents
On February 2, 2024, the latest One Piece Card game Starter Deck, ST-11, featuring Uta as its Leader, will be released on the Western market. Uta is a Mono-Green Leader with 5,000 Power and 5 Life points.
Deck Battle
Concurrently with this release, players will have the opportunity to participate in a series of tournaments called ST-11 Uta Deck Battle, spanning from February 2, 2024 to February 23, 2024. In these tournaments, players will face each other using only the ST-11 Starter Deck.
Beyond the obvious marketing strategy aimed at boosting sales for the deck, which primarily consists of reprints of older OP-02 Paramount War cards, these tournaments also provide a chance for new players to engage in competitions on relatively equal footing with veteran players.
Participation Pack
P-061 Monkey.D.Luffy Winner Promo
Decklist
Let's now take a look together at the various cards in the deck, to understand their functionality and increase our chances of obtaining the best rewards in these tournaments. Afterward, we'll explore cards that can be added later if you want to continue playing the Uta leader in other tournaments.
Leader
Uta (ST11-001)
Attach 1 DON!! to your leader and attack with it to look at the top of your deck. If the revealed card is a 'Film' type card, you add it to your hand.
With the deck being filled with 'Film' type cards, this leader allows you to draw Once Per Turn when you attack for 1 DON!! (ideally, every turn). Thanks to this draw, your hand will grow and be filled with various offensive and defensive options to thwart your opponent's plans or deliver a decisive blow with a resounding offensive combo.
Characters
Tony Tony.Chopper (OP02-034)
If you attach 1 DON!! when you attack with Chopper, you can put an opposing character with a cost of 2 or less in the rest position, making it vulnerable to your attack. This is particularly useful for getting rid of small blockers or searchers from your opponent. However, there's a tendency to want to keep Chopper in hand to benefit from his 2000 power counter during defensive phases.
Trafalgar Law (OP02-035)
Shambles! During your turn, rest one of your DON!! to take this card back into your hand and exchange it for another card with a cost of 3. This allows you to go on the offensive by playing the vanilla card Usopp (OP02-028), expanding your board with Nico Robin (OP02-037), or opting for a defensive strategy with Uta Blocker (ST11-002).
Nico Robin (OP02-037) and Brook (OP02-040)
These two cards allow you to quickly fill your board. Indeed, when you play one of these cards, you can play a 'Film' or 'Straw Hat Crew' type card with a cost of 2 or less for Nico Robin and 3 or less for Brook immediately following.
Monkey.D.Luffy (OP02-041)
For me, one of the best cards in the deck. It's a 7000 power blocker (therefore difficult to KO), but on top of that, when you play it, you get to play another 'Film' or 'Straw Hat Crew' type character with a cost of 4 or less immediately! That includes all character cards in your deck. Combined with Nico Robin or Brook, this effect can be remarkably effective and leave your opponent stunned.
Uta (ST11-002)
A 4000 defense blocker card, handy for defending your smaller cards against small attacks. And as a second effect, discard one of your events into the trash to switch one of your 'Film' type characters from rest to active.
Events
Three Sword Style Oni Giri (OP02-045)
A defensive event that, when countered, adds 6000 power to your leader or one of your characters. Then, play a 'Film' type character with a cost of 3 or less without an effect from your hand (Usopp or Jinbe). So, not only do you avoid losing a life point or a character, but you also add another one to the board in the process.
The trigger is not to be overlooked, as if you draw this event from your life points and activate the trigger effect, you can rest the leader or an opposing character with a cost of 5 or less. Perfect for blocking an attack.
Backlight (ST11-003)
For 2 DON!!, if your leader is Uta, you choose between resting an opposing character with a cost of 5 or less or KO'ing an already rested character with a cost of 5 or less. If you have 2 Backlight in hand and enough DON!!, you can KO any character with a cost of 5 or less.
New Genesis (ST11-004)
For 1 DON!!, if your leader is Uta, look at the top 3 cards of your deck, reveal a “Film” card other than New Genesis, add it to your hand, then put the rest of the cards back under your deck in any order. Then, place one of your DON!! in active mode. With this deck, this event ensures that you draw a card, and moreover, the DON!! used to play the event will be refunded.
I’m Invincible (ST11-005)
This event allows you to put your leader Uta in active mode, enabling you to attack a second time.
However, take note that Uta's Leader ability triggers only Once Per Turn, so it doesn't let you draw twice.
Strategy
The strategy with this deck appears to focus on a fast and efficient offensive approach by leveraging synergies between the cards. Here are some key elements of the strategy:
- Exploit Leader Uta: use the Uta leader aggressively by attaching 1 DON!! to each attack to draw a card. This allows you to accumulate options and maintain pressure on your opponent.
- Use Trafalgar Law (OP02-035) and Backlight (ST11-003) cards: exploit the abilities of these cards to adjust your board and react to your opponent's moves. Trafalgar Law (OP02-035) offers tactical flexibility, while Backlight (ST11-003) can eliminate important opposing characters.
- Quickly Fill the Board: use cards like Nico Robin (OP02-037) and Brook (OP02-040) to rapidly fill your board, giving you more offensive and defensive options.
- Manage Character Costs: be aware of character costs to maximize the efficiency of cards that allow you to play other characters. This ensures you can play multiple cards in one turn if necessary.
- Tactically Use Events: events like Three Sword Style Oni Giri (OP02-045) can be powerful tools to strengthen your characters or block an opposing attack. Use them strategically to maintain control of the battlefield.
- Maintain Constant Pressure: continue to attack regularly to force your opponent to react. Strategically using cards and effects can make your attacks more formidable.
- Readjust with New Genesis (ST11-004): use the New Genesis (ST11-004) event to rearrange the top three cards of your deck and get an additional "Film" card. This ensures a constant draw while allowing you to choose the best option for your strategy.
- Save DON!! for Key Moments: DON!! is a precious resource. Save it for key moments, such as using Blacklight (ST11-003): or other crucial events.
With this deck, you'll draw a lot and also put many characters on the board. Therefore, you'll need to adapt your strategy based on what you draw. Either be aggressive and lay your characters on the board to overwhelm the opponent, or use the control-type card effects to manage the opposing board.
Card Upgrades and Substitutions
The cards that can be added if you want to continue playing Uta as the leader:
Nami (OP02-036)
Attach 1 DON!! when you attack to look at the top 3 cards of your deck, reveal a “Film” type card other than Nami, add it to your hand, then place the rest of the cards under your deck in any order. This card has already proven itself during OP04, especially in the Doflamingo deck (green/purple) that heavily relied on the “Film” archetype. Whether for its effect or stats, this card is essential if you want to play a deck utilizing the “Film” archetype.
Izo (OP01-033)
This card allows you to put an opposing character with a cost of 4 or less in the rest position. It represents a drastic increase in board management possibilities. A practical card that is also available at a low cost.
Donquixote Doflamingo (OP04-031)
When you play this card, a total of 3 opposing characters will be blocked in the rest position until the next turn. Three characters won't be able to attack or activate their effects, making them vulnerable to your attacks for a full turn. Adding the 10000 power of the card, the pressure on your opponent becomes immense.
Conclusion
Personally, I believe that the ST-11 deck, along with the various tournaments associated with it, serves primarily as an entry point for players who are still hesitant to dive into the game. The deck incorporates several gameplay mechanics and allows for frequent drawing, encouraging players to consider different ways of playing and better understand various game situations as a whole.
Additionally, with a few adjustments, the deck has proven to be quite effective upon its release in the Japanese meta. Therefore, it can be a good investment for newcomers, even though, yes, veteran players might not be pleased to have a new deck filled with old cards they likely already own.
I would like to emphasize that there will be a more detailed guide for the Uta leader upon the release of OP-06 Wings of the Captain and the new green cards.
