One Piece OP-17: The Cards and Leaders We're Most Excited About
One Piece OP-17: The Cards and Leaders We’re Most Excited About
OP-17: The World’s Strongest Warriors has landed, and after looking through the set and watching the first wave of games, there are already several cards and Leaders we keep coming back to. Not because they are all going to become the undisputed best cards in One Piece — OP-17 is still far too new for that. What excites us more is how many different directions the set opens. Rocks D. Xebec finally has a proper deck. Shanks gets another completely different way to play Red-Haired Pirates. Kaido is doing Kaido things again. Whitebeard receives some excellent new tools. Big Mom returns to one of Yellow’s most resource-intensive games. Black Luffy takes the format into Elbaph with enormous Characters and Giants. And then there are individual cards that may matter well outside their intended Leader — which is often where the most interesting cards in a set are found. Browse booster boxes, starter decks, and current releases in our One Piece Card Game collection at Tistaminis.
Our OP-17 Shortlist
- Rocks D. Xebec Leader – The strongest-looking brand-new OP-17 archetype so far.
- 10-Cost Shanks – Possibly the card with the broadest competitive potential in the set.
- Monkey D. Luffy Leader – Elbaph gives Black a genuinely different deck-building direction.
- Charlotte Linlin Leader – An extremely frustrating resource engine when the deck gets established.
- Loki – One of the most interesting Elbaph payoff cards.
- Gloriosa – A card that may matter well beyond a dedicated Rocks deck.
- Izo – Excellent new support that makes Whitebeard worth revisiting.
- Kaido Leader – The kind of Purple deck that becomes terrifying once it stabilizes.
Our early favourite overall: Rocks D. Xebec.
Early Meta Caveat
OP-17 released in English on August 28, 2026. We are still in the first stage of the format — players are changing ratios, testing older cards, cutting cards that looked amazing during previews, and discovering cards everyone initially ignored. A card being expensive or heavily discussed during release week does not automatically make it a long-term competitive staple. Likewise, an inexpensive Rare can end up more important than a flashy Secret Rare once lists are refined.
The OP-17 Leaders at a Glance
| Leader | Colour | Early Excitement | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocks D. Xebec | Blue | New archetype with strong internal synergy and early competitive results | |
| Monkey D. Luffy | Black | Elbaph and high-cost Characters create a distinctive Black strategy | |
| Charlotte Linlin | Yellow | Life, card advantage, and huge late-game bodies | |
| Kaido | Purple | Strong ramp package and intimidating late game | |
| Shanks | Green | Strong control tools and excellent Red-Haired support | |
| Edward Newgate | Red | New support may matter more than the Leader’s initial hype suggests |
#1 Rocks D. Xebec Is the Leader We’re Watching Most Closely
If you asked us which completely new OP-17 Leader looks most likely to remain part of the competitive conversation, our answer right now would be Blue Rocks D. Xebec. The important part is not simply that Rocks has a powerful Leader effect — the entire archetype arrived with him. The deck has access to Rocks D. Xebec, Shiki, Gloriosa, Stussy, Charlotte Linlin, Edward Newgate, and other Rocks Pirates support from day one. You are not building a Leader around three good cards and waiting six months for the rest. That depth immediately is one of the rarest things a new archetype can have.
The deck also rewards planning over raw aggression. Its effects can generate strong value, but you need to understand what your deck can reveal, what you want available later, and how to sequence the larger Rocks Pirates Characters. That higher skill ceiling may mean the deck has not been fully optimized yet — which is exciting rather than discouraging.
Early Competitive Signal
Rocks has already become one of the most represented and better-performing OP-17 Leaders in early testing and tournament tracking. That does not guarantee it will remain Tier 1, but this is no longer just preview hype.
The Card We’re Most Excited About: 10-Cost Shanks
Shanks – OP17-022
10 cost · 12,000 power · Rush · Major board-resting pressure · DON!! recovery
If we had to choose one individual OP-17 card that looks capable of becoming important beyond its intended Leader, this might be it. A normal 10-cost Character creates a large body. Shanks creates a large body and immediately affects the current turn. Big late-game cards often suffer because playing them consumes the entire turn — Shanks compensates by immediately attacking while also interfering with the opponent’s board. That amount of tempo compressed into one Character is why we expect players to keep experimenting with it across multiple Green Leaders.
Our pick for the most obviously powerful standalone card in OP-17.
#2 Black Luffy and the Elbaph Package
Black Luffy may not end up being the strongest OP-17 Leader, but he may be one of the most interesting. The deck gives Black a genuinely different reason to care about printed Character cost. Instead of everything being about reducing the opponent’s cost and removing their board, Luffy can leverage his own oversized Characters defensively — producing a fortress-like strategy that feels meaningfully different from traditional Black control.
Loki – OP17-119 (Secret Rare)
Loki is directly connected to the Black Luffy strategy because of how his printed cost interacts with Luffy’s Leader ability. He brings a large body, high effective cost, defensive utility, removal pressure, and direct Elbaph synergy. Even if the first Black Luffy lists are not perfectly optimized, Loki does not necessarily need to become the strongest card immediately — if Elbaph continues receiving support, cards from this first major Elbaph package could become more useful over time.
Long-Term Card to Watch
Bandai has plenty of room to add more Giant support in later sets. OP-17 may function as the beginning of a broader Elbaph theme rather than an isolated release.
#3 Charlotte Linlin May Be the Most Annoying Leader in the Set
We mean that as a compliment. Yellow decks are often at their strongest when the opponent feels like they have finally made progress — only for that progress to disappear. OP-17 Charlotte Linlin fits that identity perfectly.
The deck can pressure Life, hand size, board presence, and counter value simultaneously. Once it reaches its larger Linlin Characters, the resource swing becomes difficult to ignore — a large Character that also rebuilds Life and cards can turn a close game into a very long one. Some decks want to kill you quickly. Linlin makes you prove you can finish the game through repeated layers of resources. That is exactly the kind of strategy that becomes better as players refine defensive ratios.
#4 Purple Kaido: You Can See the Disaster Coming
Kaido is one of those decks where you can sometimes see the disaster developing several turns before it actually arrives. You know the big Characters are coming. You know the DON!! engine is building. You know the board is getting harder to answer. And if you fail to pressure it early enough, the large threats start arriving faster than you can clean them up. Unlike a completely new archetype, Kaido can also draw on years of Purple cards and existing Animal Kingdom Pirates support — making experimentation considerably easier. Purple players may already own a significant portion of the useful supporting card pool.
#5 Green Shanks Has More Potential Than Early Numbers Suggest
Shanks has not immediately displaced every established Green Leader — but that is a very high bar anyway. The deck plays a control-oriented game built around manipulating rested Characters and creating increasingly difficult combat turns. The biggest obstacle may simply be that Green already has extremely strong competition. A new Green Leader does not only need to be good; it needs to justify why you are not playing another excellent Green Leader using many of the same high-quality staples. That does not make Shanks weak. It makes his internal competition unusually demanding.
Key Competitive Question
When evaluating any new Leader, do not ask only “Is this deck good?” Also ask: “Is this the best Leader available for these cards?”
#6 Edward Newgate May Have Been Underrated at First
Whitebeard was not the Leader receiving the most hype before release, but OP-17 gives Red several pieces that make us interested in revisiting him. The most notable is new power-reduction and removal support that changes the deck’s question from “how hard can Whitebeard attack?” to “how efficiently can this deck control large enemy Characters while remaining difficult to kill?” That is a more interesting identity. Sometimes the most enjoyable decks in a format are the ones players initially dismiss and then slowly optimize.
The Support Cards: Where the Real Competitive Value Hides
Izo – Most Underrated Card in the Set
Izo is exactly the type of card we enjoy finding in a new set. Not a giant Secret Rare. No premium artwork needed to matter. Its value comes from power reduction, Whitebeard synergy, enabling removal thresholds, and supporting board-control turns. Combined with existing Whitebeard tools, those reductions can help answer extremely large Characters that would otherwise be difficult for Red to remove efficiently.
Cards Like Izo Are Why You Should Not Evaluate a Set Only by Secret Rares
Some of the most important tournament cards are the unglamorous pieces that make the expensive card actually work.
Gloriosa vs. Shiki – The More Interesting Blue Question
Both are strong OP-17 Blue cards, but they serve completely different roles. Gloriosa stands out because her usefulness does not appear to be restricted entirely to Rocks — a useful blocker with broader application can migrate between Leaders as the format develops. Shiki may have a higher ceiling inside Rocks specifically, but is much more tied to the structure of the Rocks Pirates archetype. Those are two completely different reasons to care about a card, and both can be correct at the same time. Gloriosa is potentially a broader Blue staple. Shiki is potentially stronger within one archetype. Leaders can disappear from the meta. A generically useful support Character may simply find another home.
Yasopp – The Efficient Searcher You Might Need Four Of
Efficient searchers tend to age well in One Piece. They help make archetypes consistent, give early turns something useful to do, and improve along with the trait they search if that trait keeps receiving support. Yasopp may not be the card collectors put in a display case. It may be the card players eventually realize they need four copies of.
Rocks D. Xebec SEC – OP17-118
A dedicated archetype becomes far more interesting when it has something truly powerful to build toward. The Secret Rare Xebec gives the deck that late-game identity — huge impact, Rocks Pirates synergy, explosive board development, and a direct connection to the Leader’s broader plan. This is one of the cards that makes Rocks feel like a complete new archetype rather than a pile of characters sharing the same trait.
The Collector Cards We’re Most Excited About
Competitive strength and collector strength are completely different conversations. For collectors, OP-17 has an unusually strong lineup because the characters involved — Luffy, Shanks, Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Rocks D. Xebec — carry demand independently of whether their decks win a Regional.
The Rocks Pirates Crew Super Parallel is our personal standout: Rocks D. Xebec is finally becoming a major card-game character, the treatment features the broader crew, and it belongs to a new premium treatment tier. The appeal does not depend on whether Blue Rocks wins the next Regional — it comes from the character, the artwork, and the historical importance of the crew. The premium Luffy Leader is equally inevitable: you see the Leader for the entire game, and when the Leader is Monkey D. Luffy in a fourth-anniversary set, demand does not need much explanation. The four Emperor manga treatments (Newgate, Shanks, Kaido, Linlin) are an absurdly strong collector lineup — Shanks in particular has the strongest overlap between character popularity, card strength, and deck relevance.
Buying OP-17: Singles vs. Sealed
Do not rush to buy every card at release-week prices — OP-17 singles are still settling, more boxes are being opened every day, and tournament results will continue changing demand. Some cards will fall as supply increases; others will rise if a deck performs; others will remain expensive because collectors want them regardless of format.
Also remember: you do not need to build an OP-17 Leader to benefit from OP-17. Before buying a completely new deck, look at your current Leader and ask whether OP-17 quietly gave it two or three excellent upgrades. 10-cost Shanks, Gloriosa, Izo, new Red-Haired Pirates support, and selected Purple cards may all slot into older strategies. And if you do buy a box, open one and finish your deck with singles — that gives you the fun of the set without repeatedly opening duplicates while chasing one specific playset.
Alternate Art ≠ Competitive Advantage
A regular Shanks and an alternate-art Shanks have exactly the same game text. If your goal is competition, buy the playable version first and upgrade it later if you love the deck.
Our OP-17 Excitement Rankings
| Category | Our Pick |
|---|---|
| Most Exciting New Leader | Rocks D. Xebec |
| Best Standalone Card | 10-Cost Shanks |
| Most Interesting New Archetype | Rocks Pirates |
| Most Interesting Future Archetype | Elbaph |
| Most Annoying Leader to Face | Charlotte Linlin |
| Leader With the Scariest Late Game | Kaido / Linlin |
| Most Underrated Support Card | Izo |
| Blue Card to Watch | Gloriosa |
| Collector Chase We’re Most Excited About | Rocks Pirates Crew Super Parallel |
| Best Character + Playability Combination | Shanks |
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Leaders in One Piece OP-17?
It is still early, but Rocks D. Xebec has produced some of the strongest initial results among the new OP-17 Leaders. Black Luffy, Purple Kaido, Green Shanks, and Yellow Charlotte Linlin are all being actively tested and have competitive potential.
Which OP-17 Leader are you most excited about?
Rocks D. Xebec. The deck received a deep support package from day one, has interesting card-advantage and board-development lines, and has already shown meaningful early competitive results.
What is one of the best cards in OP-17?
The 10-cost Shanks (OP17-022) is our strongest early candidate — 12,000 power, Rush, board-resting pressure, and DON!! recovery in one card.
Is Rocks D. Xebec good in OP-17?
Early results suggest yes. Blue Rocks has already become one of the more prominent new OP-17 strategies, although the format is young and tournament rankings will continue developing.
Is Black Luffy good in OP-17?
Black Luffy is one of the most interesting new Leaders because he builds around Elbaph and extremely high-cost Characters. Early performance is promising, but the list is still developing.
Is Charlotte Linlin good in OP-17?
Linlin has strong potential as a grindy Yellow deck built around Life, triggers, card advantage, and large late-game Characters. Early testing suggests the deck can be extremely difficult to finish once it stabilizes.
Is Kaido good in OP-17?
Kaido has strong Purple ramp tools, existing Animal Kingdom Pirates support, and large OP-17 Characters. Early data shows the deck can compete, especially when it survives long enough to establish its late game.
Is Green Shanks good?
Shanks has strong control tools and excellent support including the powerful 10-cost Shanks Character. His biggest challenge may be competing against other already-established Green Leaders using many of the same high-quality cards.
What OP-17 cards should Whitebeard players look at?
Izo is the card we find most interesting — its power-reduction effects can help Whitebeard decks reach important removal thresholds against large Characters.
What OP-17 Blue cards should players watch?
Gloriosa and Shiki are both worth watching. Shiki is particularly important inside the Rocks Pirates package; Gloriosa may have broader applications across multiple Blue strategies.
Should I buy OP-17 boxes or singles?
Buy booster boxes if you want cards across several colours, enjoy opening packs, or collect premium treatments. Buy singles if you are building one exact tournament deck or only need a handful of OP-17 upgrades to an existing deck.
Is OP-17 good for collectors?
Yes. OP-17 contains premium treatments featuring some of the biggest characters in One Piece, including Luffy, Shanks, Whitebeard, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and Rocks D. Xebec.
What is the most interesting collector card in OP-17?
Our personal standout is the Rocks D. Xebec Pirate Crew Super Parallel, which combines a new premium treatment with one of the most important crews in One Piece history.
Where can I buy One Piece OP-17 in Canada?
Browse OP-17 The World’s Strongest Warriors booster boxes, starter decks, and other One Piece products in our One Piece collection at Tistaminis. Ships from Canada.
Final Thoughts: OP-17 Has More Than One Winner
The thing we like most about OP-17 is that there is no single card carrying the entire set. Rocks D. Xebec gives players a completely new archetype. Black Luffy begins building around Elbaph. Charlotte Linlin creates another grindy Yellow resource deck. Kaido gives Purple another enormous late-game engine. Shanks gains one of the most immediately impressive individual cards in the set. And Whitebeard receives support that may make the archetype more interesting than people initially expected.
The support cards are equally important. Gloriosa has the potential to appear outside Rocks. Shiki gives Rocks exactly the kind of dedicated support a new archetype needs. Izo improves an older strategy rather than forcing everyone to start over. Loki gives the first major Elbaph package a proper payoff. And the Secret Rare Xebec turns the new crew into a deck with an actual late-game identity. Collectors then get a completely different list of reasons to care: four Emperor manga treatments, a premium Luffy Leader, Pirate Crew Super Parallels, anniversary treatments, and some of the biggest characters in the entire franchise occupying the same set.
That is why OP-17 feels stronger to us than a release built around one obvious chase card. If we had to pick one thing to watch over the next several weeks, it is Rocks D. Xebec — the archetype already looks real, but the more interesting question is whether players have actually discovered its best version yet.
Build Your OP-17 Deck
Browse the full One Piece Card Game collection at Tistaminis for OP-17 The World’s Strongest Warriors booster boxes, starter decks, and current sets. Protect your premium pulls and tournament decks with card sleeves, binders, deck boxes, top loaders, and storage supplies, or add a TCG playmat for weekly play. Check our new releases collection for upcoming One Piece sets. Ships from Canada.