Team Rocket is back!
For the Glory of Team Rocket! Welcome to the latest set ready to hit our shelves, the first we’ve seen from Team Rocket in almost twenty years…. Destined Rivals!
A Look into OP-07!
With the release of the latest One Piece expansion: OP-07: 500 years in the Future there is plenty to look forward to! With the latest English expansion centred around the recent Egg-Head Island arc, you can expect several new leaders such as Vegapunk and a new Rob Lucci.
This new Rob Lucci leader looks set to continue the dominance of black in the current meta with its cost reduction leading into targeted removal and will pair well with many of the thriller bark cards from OP-06 like the Gecko Moria SR which allows you to play cards out of your trash.
It also is a great chance to use a lot of the older OP-03 “CP” type cards like Lucci, Kalifa and Kaku due to the synergy with the leader’s “CP” type. This new leader also solidifies cards like the OP-04 Sabo SR and OP-05 Rebecca SR as black staple pieces for protection and further recursion from your trash.
Another leader that is expected to be dominant is the new Jewelry Bonney leader.
With the current meta of removal being very hard to play against, leaders like R/P Law and G/Y Yamato have very quick play styles which can allow you to either play fast or cycle through characters and avoid having them removed, while making use of “On Play” effects. This new Bonney leader provides an excellent way to control your opponent's board state, and avoid the likes of the OP-06 Gecko Moria leader’s “when attacking” ability by resting leaders or characters.
This leader pairs really well with lots of the old “supernovas” type cards such as the ST-02 Bonney searcher card and the recent EB-01 Cavendish to continuously control and outpace your opponent and will be a relatively cheaper deck to build, yet will be consistently
competitive in the new meta.
The other leaders such as Boa Hancock, Dragon, and Foxy all bring unique and easy to learn play styles but are unique in that this is the first time we have seen only mono-coloured leaders in a set. With a lot of strong multi-coloured combinations being heavily played lately, this will cause many players to look within the single colour typings and in older sets to find those winning combinations, something that is now possible due to the large number of sets available.
Within this set of course there are many rare and powerful cards to look out for, with of course the biggest of them all being the new manga rare for this set. With OP-07 we are treated to this stunning Boa Hancock manga rare, which looks like a cover taken straight off of a volume of the series.
Of course no new set would be complete without the secret rares either, with the two secret rares for this set being the two wielders of the Flame-Flame fruit, Ace and Sabo! These two cards are not only stunning in their regular variants but when the alternative arts are placed side by side they form a stunning mirror image that you absolutely must see.
Personally I am really looking forward to seeing the new Basil Hawkins card due to its ability to protect characters once a turn from removal, which means I will finally be able to keep cards out on the battlefield against black decks long enough to be able to make use of them before they get removed. But also as a collector of all cards luffy, the new Luffy SR in his egghead arc outfit is going to make a fine addition to my collection.
Overall this set is going to be a wonderful expansion to an amazing game, bringing with it new tournament packs, prize cards and busted combos, it is definitely going to shake up your local play and have you enjoying the game like never before.
With the latest double pack set coming out as well, be on the lookout for some awesome new DON!! cards to spice up your decks as well. For newer players as well, this set provides an excellent opportunity to jump into the game as there is plenty within the set itself to easily build a new deck, and paired with the recent EB-01 release, you can easily find yourself on top.
I’d especially recommend checking out a pre-release event as the promo Eustass ‘Captain’ Kid is a great alternative to the OP-01 card of the same name, while effectively doing the same thing, but for cheaper.
Either way this is not a set you want to miss out on, and so you should set sail out to your local Hobby Lords and get your hands on this real treasure today.
Wilson Ludlow
Events Manager
Hobby Lords
For the Glory of Team Rocket! Welcome to the latest set ready to hit our shelves, the first we’ve seen from Team Rocket in almost twenty years…. Destined Rivals!
Set in the mythic plane of Tarkir, this exciting set delves into the resurgence of dragonkind and the tumultuous power struggles that ensue.
Stardew Valley: The Board Game is a cooperative board game designed by Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) and Cole Medeiros, and published by ConcernedApe in 2021.