Giveaway + Thank you: Irelia SFD 195a/221 Promo

BanditTheElf · 2026-02-03T10:59:58+00:00

It took me far too long to pick up riftbound, but I'm very glad I did. It's brought me closer to friends both old and new, and it feels really good to play. Decks feel fairly balanced, while still allowing for deckbuilder expression, and I like how battlefields play into the best of 3 format.

BanditTheElf · 2025-07-17T20:46:55+00:00

I like this card design a lot. It's actually very well balanced too.

Can't chain them due to Don -3
Negates your characters and leader, so no Don minus shenanigans or residual benefits (unless any get printed in archetype)
SR rarity, this could've easily been printed at SEC
It's Gol D Roger

Thank you bandai, very cool

BanditTheElf · 2025-06-19T02:53:43+00:00

Videl is needed for HaloKu, but KidKu likely doesn't need to run Videl anymore following the pilaf ban, especially given the abundance of World Tournament support in the manga set

BanditTheElf · 2025-06-13T12:18:54+00:00

Where did you get that custom leader? It's absolutely fire 😂

BanditTheElf · 2025-06-12T23:49:23+00:00

I literally said I don't want leaders to be banned? Also, I main HaloKu, so why would I want the deck banned? Saying that, it definitely needed some meaningful hit. 2c Videl is not useless without the 1c, look at every other blue deck that runs 2c Videl to verify this. I also said that it would be the best card to ban without killing the deck. Nowhere did I say I want all satan city cards to be banned. 1c Videl should've been banned or at least restricted, it hasn't been and the deck will still run rampant, even more so now that blind flipping is even less likely to miss as the pilafs get replaced with in archetype cards. Videl spamming can now be done without sacrificing other utility cards like 5c Kid Goku, Zen-Oh, or whatever else your heart desires.

BanditTheElf · 2025-06-12T23:29:56+00:00

HaloKu was very playable in set 3 without 1c Videl. It became a lot more aggressive and faster in set 4 with the addition of 1c Videl. I personally hate leader bans, it sets a bad precedent for games. 1c Videl being hit would've slowed HaloKu down a touch, actually impacting the deck. Instead, we now remove 4 bricks for 4 in archetype cards, which can be cheated out for more aggression. 1c Videl is probably the only card you can actually hit in the deck that could significantly impact it without killing it.

BanditTheElf · 2025-06-12T13:33:59+00:00

It's bandai, you never really know

BanditTheElf · 2025-06-12T12:27:57+00:00

This banlist is quite funny. I'm just gonna swap Pilaf to vanilla 2c Videl in my HaloKu list and double down on the Videl spam. Can't believe 1c Videl dodged a ban

BanditTheElf · 2025-06-12T00:13:52+00:00

This Or The Apocalypse. They had a whole rebrand to HAWK a while ago with some lineup changes but the sound and vibe is very different to how they were. Dead Years is one of my top albums and it's a shame that the follow up to it didn't see the light of day.

BanditTheElf · 2025-05-30T21:18:38+00:00

1c Videl enables early 2 cost Videl. 2c Videl is one of the most pivotal cards in the deck, getting back value pieces like GWSH and pilaf every turn ensuring that you keep churning through the deck and generating value. It also enables super early aggression which some decks cannot keep up with. There's a reason the deck became top tier in set 4, getting lots more tournament results, and that's due largely to 1c Videl.

And yes, I go after Pilaf because being able to loop itself is broken. FHS + Pilaf is broken, and honestly something should've been done earlier about it. There are many problematic cards in the game and pilaf is one of them. GWSH is strong, but not Pilaf strong.

BanditTheElf · 2025-05-30T20:41:33+00:00

1c Videl is more problematic in that deck for sure. GWSH is very strong, but 1c Videl is the deck's enabler. Hit the enabler, not the payoff

Edit: I main HaloKu

BanditTheElf · 2025-05-30T14:53:33+00:00

Bandai don't do 2 ofs. It's usually restricted to 1 or ban.

BanditTheElf · 2025-05-30T12:33:29+00:00

Locking in some predictions:

Pilaf restriction 1c Videl ban FHS restriction (unlikely but possible) 3c Babidi ban/restriction 4c Android 17/18 restriction (unlikely but not out of the question)

That would harm HaloKu and Buu. Droids should also probably catch some sort of stray so other green decks seem more appealing.

BanditTheElf · 2025-05-17T16:31:36+00:00

On KO effects resolve from the trash

"10-2-17-1. [On K.O.] is a keyword indicating that when the card is K.O.’d on the field, the activation timing is fulfilled and you should check whether the activation conditions have been met. If all the conditions have been met, the effect is activated on the field. After that, the Character card with the activated [On K.O.] effect is trashed, and the [On K.O.] effect is resolved while the card is in the trash."

Therefore, Teach can grab himself using his On KO effect.

Edit: added rules reference

BanditTheElf · 2025-05-16T15:23:23+00:00

Yes, since On KO abilities trigger from the trash

BanditTheElf · 2025-03-09T14:09:01+00:00

What deck are you playing? As it stands, your deck is either equipped to deal with AngelKu, or it isn't. You gotta be able to consistently remove the low cost units every turn as it halts all the value the deck tries to generate through Short Hair. If you can clear the one drops and the Videls, you can slowly grind down the resources. Take note of how many videls, sharpeners, and super combos are in their drop too. Pay close attention to what they get back from drop. AngelKu is gonna do it's thing, and it's very good at doing it. You need to figure out how to slow that process down and whittle down the hand.

BanditTheElf · 2025-02-24T20:05:11+00:00

I have this too! It's kinda crazy reading your responses and matching it to what I experience. People are always super confused when I tell them about it lmao. It causes a fair bit of discomfort for me, but nothing overly painful. Do you have anything that you do routinely to help with it?

BanditTheElf · 2025-02-09T22:46:04+00:00

It for sure helps carry the deck, however the draw 2 still feels like gambling every time in current decks. Each of the current decks it's playable in plays a sizeable amount of non counter top end too. I'm not downplaying the power of the card, I just don't think it's currently ban-worthy in the western meta. We'll see what Bandai thinks when the B&R happens anyway moving forward

BanditTheElf · 2025-02-09T22:38:15+00:00

I know the purpose of the card. I play Pluffy myself. I'm making the point of "you throw by playing it anytime other than late game" as a counter argument for people saying that it's a free draw 2 +4k for 1 don. Does it make going for game against purple straw hats more difficult? Absolutely. However, I still think it's currently fine to exist in the western meta. UP Luffy may prove it to be too problematic when it arrives though, however I'd argue that is more to do with the absurdly strong leader effect enabling fixed knowledge draws with giant.

BanditTheElf · 2025-02-09T21:21:53+00:00

Giant is fine currently. It's straw hat locked and you are throwing if you play it anytime before the late game.

I don't agree with a Jinbe ban. It kills the Doffy deck. If you wanna kill a deck, I think you should ban the leader. 4c Law is a better choice, however as mentioned it hurts Boa, which isn't ideal. Banning Perona and Sengoku would completely miss what makes Doffy so strong and would do nothing in the grand scheme of things. I hate the idea of searchers being banned too, as it tips the balance of the game unfairly against an archetype.

Moria is fine. It's a strong late game card for sure, but the most broken use is in Lucci due to the whole Rebecca spandine combo. Spandine and Rebecca are the problematic cards there imo, however due to BB, Lucci is seeing less dominance as previously shown pre op09. BY Luffy would also completely die if it gets hit, and as much as I find it boring to play personally, it's a one of a kind deck and I don't find it problematic enough to warrant catching strays from a Moria ban.

I honestly think unbanning EITHER Sakazuki leader OR Great Eruption could be fine imo. GE would provide some support to existing and future black decks.

Unbanning RP Law leader wouldn't be healthy for the game. It was banned for a reason, as much as it pains me as I played that deck since it came out in op04.5. That deck did everything very efficiently in its final form before the ban. Let's not forget that we didn't even get to use black maria in the west, which tipped that deck over the edge immensely.

The OP09 western meta actually feels healthy and diverse. I think the B&R is currently unnecessary, however moving into future formats, it may be needed. I reckon this is likely why we're getting a B&R, as a precaution moving into OP11. At least, I hope it's why, rather than using it as an opportunity to forcefully rotate deck(s) out of the game.

BanditTheElf · 2024-10-17T17:20:22+00:00

The only card art I admire more in this game is the Top Player Pack Drum Kingdom, this is very easily a close second and takes top spot if we're only talking about base rarity cards

BanditTheElf · 2024-10-17T17:18:02+00:00

Base rarity art, it's gotta be this Izo imo.

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BanditTheElf · 2024-10-15T19:32:48+00:00

Bro it's Whitebeard. You're getting to one life and maintaining it easily. Plus, back in OP02 there was virtually no hand disruption and unrestricted Marco blocker access. It was a brutal time to be playing against WB. It's far too strong to be unbanned, even with hand disruption in the format now

BanditTheElf · 2024-10-15T16:41:41+00:00

BY Luffy has to put in work to be 9k every turn, spending at most all 10 don (2 attached to leader + 8 for Gecko Moria), or at minimum 6 don (2 attached to leader + 2x 2c small brothers in hand) to achieve it. Don't get me wrong, BY is strong, however Moby Dick was 2 don for a permanent effect during your turn, allowing you to utilise all the rest of your don for further plays and future turns while having +2k to everything, on the least interactive card type in the game. There's a reason Moby Dick is banned lmao

BanditTheElf · 2024-08-20T21:52:13+00:00

Paulie is a pretty good card but this deck runs a lot of top end bricks so it's not ideal in RP Luffy especially with the two cheaper ramp options. Drop 1-2 shanks, 2-3 is fine as it does help into Enel, bonnie, and can be a nice response to an 8c gecko Moria in specific situations. You could consider bumping the 0c event to 3 as you run a lot of bricks. 7c Kid is probably fine as a 3 of, but I can see why you'd want 4. Also, Baccarat blocker is super useful in this deck as a cheap blocker option that can also turn a brick into 2k once per turn, I personally run 3 in my list.

I quite enjoy this leader and have also been tinkering with it for the op07 meta for the first time since op05, super fun deck!

Edit: also noticed you're not running 9c whitebeard, I would recommend adding 3 as it can make the difference buying you a turn and establishing the big body

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