Best OP-17 Leaders Ranked: Which One Piece TCG Leader Is Strongest?

One Piece Card Game OP-17: The World’s Strongest Warriors introduces six new Leaders featuring some of the biggest names in the series: Shanks, Rocks D. Xebec, Monkey D. Luffy, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Edward Newgate.

So, which OP-17 Leader looks strongest?

Based on the revealed support, existing card pools, deck interactions, and early community testing, Shanks is our pick for the best OP-17 Leader heading into release, with Rocks D. Xebec and Monkey D. Luffy close behind.

This is a pre-release ranking, so the goal isn't to pretend the OP-17 meta is already solved. Instead, we're looking at which of the six Leaders currently has the strongest tools, clearest game plan, and best competitive upside.

Best OP-17 Leaders Rankings at a Glance

The gap between the top three is small. Shanks gets our #1 spot because his game plan currently looks the most dependable, while Rocks D. Xebec may have the highest competitive ceiling. Monkey D. Luffy is the wild card because his strongest board states look excellent, but consistency could determine whether he eventually challenges the top two.

Bandai's Official Announcement Video

Why Each OP-17 Leader Ranks Where It Does

1. Shanks (OP17-020)

Shanks is our #1 because his game plan is just really clean. You do not need three specific cards in hand or some weird setup to make the Leader work. Once your opponent rests something important, Shanks can keep it down for another turn and make them deal with the consequences.

The Red-Haired Pirates support gives him plenty to work with, and Green is already deep enough that the deck does not feel like it is waiting for another set to become good. Early testing has been positive, although Mihawk may still end up being the better Green deck overall.

For now, Shanks feels like the safest bet. Strong Leader, strong support, easy game plan to understand.

2. Rocks D. Xebec (OP17-039)

Rocks D. Xebec (OP17-039)

Rocks is probably the deck I would be most nervous to sit across from once somebody really learns how to play it.

The big attraction is card advantage. Rocks can build a huge hand, keep finding options, and make it difficult to actually run him out of resources. The downside is that this does not look like a deck you pick up Friday night and immediately pilot perfectly.

Early testing has been bullish on Rocks, but removal could be a real problem if opponents can keep blowing up the board before all those extra cards turn into pressure.

Shanks looks easier to make good. Rocks might eventually be better.

3. Monkey D. Luffy (OP17-079)

Luffy looks scary when the deck does what it is supposed to do.

The whole idea is to push your Characters up to 12 cost or more so they gain Blocker. Once that board gets established, you can end up staring at a bunch of huge Characters that are attacking you and protecting Luffy at the same time.

The problem is that the deck seems noticeably worse when it misses pieces like Loki or its important search cards. Early testing has shown both sides of it: some games look brutal, while others never really get going.

That is why I have him third. If players fix the consistency, Luffy could absolutely move higher.

4. Charlotte Linlin (OP17-099)

Linlin is annoying in exactly the way you would expect a good Yellow Leader to be annoying.

When she attacks, you are basically choosing between letting her gain Life or throwing away a card from your hand. Neither option feels great, and the Big Mom Pirates support gives her plenty of ways to make that resource game even more uncomfortable.

There is a catch, though. Early testing suggests players may be making Linlin look scarier by repeatedly letting her heal. One tester had much better results simply taking the discard option and refusing to feed her extra Life.

So yes, Linlin looks good. I am just not ready to call her broken yet.

5. Kaido (OP17-058)

Kaido looks solid, but I am still waiting for the part where the deck really scares me.

Being able to knock 2000 power off an opposing Character during either player's turn is useful, especially in Purple where bouncing DON!! around is already part of the game. The support also gives Kaido the big bodies and Animal Kingdom feel you would expect.

My concern is wide boards. If the other player keeps putting multiple threats in front of you, Kaido may struggle to answer everything while keeping enough cards and DON!! to stay ahead.

Early testing has raised those same concerns, although Kaido also appears to be one of the less-refined OP-17 decks right now. There is probably more here than we have seen so far, but fifth feels fair today.

6. Edward Newgate (OP17-001)

Newgate does not look bad. He just looks the fairest out of six pretty ridiculous Leaders.

His ability can make an attack much harder to push through, which is useful, but you are paying for that defense by discarding cards from your hand. If the deck is not replacing those resources fast enough, that starts getting expensive.

That is the difference for me. Shanks is freezing things. Rocks is drawing piles of cards. Luffy is building giant Blockers. Linlin is messing with Life and hand size. Kaido is changing combat math. Newgate is mostly trying to make attacking him inconvenient.

That can absolutely win games, but right now it feels like the least explosive plan of the six. Sixth does not mean bad. It just means everybody above him is doing something I trust a little more.

Which OP-17 Leader Should You Build?

The strongest Leader on paper is not automatically the best Leader for every player, and the six OP-17 options offer noticeably different playstyles.

Shanks currently looks like the safest starting point for someone who wants a powerful strategy with a straightforward control plan. Rocks D. Xebec should appeal to players who enjoy resource management, sequencing, and decks with room for optimization, while Monkey D. Luffy offers enormous upside for anyone attracted to building difficult defensive boards.

Charlotte Linlin brings the familiar Yellow game of turning Life into a resource and forcing awkward decisions. Kaido leans into Purple's DON!! manipulation and combat control, while Edward Newgate offers the most defensive approach of the six.

If you're choosing a Leader based on playstyle rather than raw ranking, those differences matter more than whether a deck currently sits third or fourth on a pre-release list.