One Piece Card Game: Banlist Shakes Up Western Meta Early

The One Piece Card Game community is abuzz following a surprising banlist announcement that will significantly alter the competitive landscape, particularly for Western players. While the bans themselves were largely anticipated, their implementation date for the West has created a unique meta for upcoming tournaments, including the crucial North American Finals.

Unforeseen Banlist Shake-Up Hits One Piece Card Game

Bandai Namco recently unveiled a banlist for the One Piece Card Game, targeting two dominant cards: the Red/Purple Trafalgar Law Leader and the Black Enies Lobby Stage. These bans were expected in Japan to coincide with the OP09 expansion, but the Western release schedule has introduced an unprecedented twist.

Western Meta Gets an Early Jolt

In a move that caught many off guard, the same bans will be applied to the Western meta starting September 6th, three months ahead of the anticipated schedule. This means that the West will experience the OP08 format with a completely different metagame than Japan did, as the banned cards will be out of play from the outset.

North American Finals in the Crosshairs

One of the most significant impacts of this early ban implementation is on the North American Finals tournament, part of the Bandai Card Games Fest World Tour. Originally slated to be played under the OP07 format, the tournament, taking place on September 13th, will now effectively operate with the OP08 banlist in effect. This creates a unique competitive environment:

• The Red/Purple Law and Black Rob Lucci decks, while strong in OP07, were not considered ban-worthy in that specific format.

• With their bans now active, other strategies previously deemed non-viable may emerge as contenders.

A History of Unintended Metagame Shifts

This isn't the first time a major tournament's metagame has been unexpectedly altered by a banlist announcement. A previous banlist, which saw the removal of three cards (Blue/Black Sakazuki leader, Black Great Eruption event, and Yellow Reject event), also created a temporary, unique format. This led to the emergence of the "Mesquite format" or "EB01.5," which saw a significant increase in viable deck choices for a brief period.

History is now repeating itself, with the North American Finals set to become another one-off tournament with a distinct metagame. The competitive scene is now watching to see how players adapt to this sudden shift, making the race to become the next One Piece Card Game pirate king even more intriguing.

Sources

• One Piece Card Game announces expected banlist with unexpected implementation date, Sports Illustrated.