Legacy of the Master (OP12) introduces 5 new Leader cards featuring fan favorite characters and all-new support. With its focus on legacies, there will be a lot of focus on who these Leaders mentored/were mentored by, and important moments in their character arcs.

Zoro (OP12-020)

With the upcoming April 2026 rotation of blocks 1-4, the popular Red Roronoa Zoro Leader (OP01-001) will no longer be legal in Standard. But have no fear because mono-green Roronoa Zoro (OP12-020) is here to fill the gap. Zoro’s Leader ability costs 3 DON!! saying that if Zoro attacks your opponent’s Character during this turn, you can reset him as active– with the caveat that he can’t attack your opponent’s Leader again, or any character with a base cost 7 or less.

Cards like Tashigi (OP12-031), Dracule Mihawk (OP12-030), Kuina (OP12-026), and Perona (OP12-034) are mechanically good for this Leader, and represent important people and moments in Zoro’s journey as a swordsman in the anime/manga.

Both Tashigi and Kuina allow you to give up to 3 rested DON!! to your Leader, paying for Zoro’s ability. Additionally, both let you rest up to 1 of your opponent’s Characters, depending on their base cost.

Dracule Mihawk is a blocker with 8k power who, on play, lets you set up to 4 of your DON!! cards as active. However, once his ability is used, you’re unable to play Character cards with a base cost of 7 or more for the rest of your turn, so make sure to cast your expensive Characters first.

When played, Perona lets you look at 5 cards from the top of your deck, revealing up to 1 Slash attribute card, or green event, before adding it to your hand and placing the other cards on the bottom of your deck in any order. This lets you find characters like Tashigi, Kuina, and Mihawk, or events like Demon Aura Nine Sword Style Asura Blades Drawn Dead Man’s Game (OP12-037). Demon Aura requires you to rest 3 of your DON!! cards to rest up to 2 of your opponent’s Characters or DON!! cards, potentially locking them out of being able to block an attack or play a counter.

With how popular Zoro is as a character and how popular the Red Zoro deck is, Green Zoro is likely to shoot to the top of the list in terms of how many decks are built around him.

Kuzan (OP12-040)

Despite his (seeming) heel turn to Blackbeard’s crew in the anime/manga, Kuzan is only a Navy-type Character. Fortunately, there’s a decent amount of blue Navy support printed in this set because Kuzan’s Leader ability lets you draw cards equal to the number of cards trashed from your hand by Navy-type cards’ effects.

With a Navy-type Leader, Sakazuki (OP12-044), enables you to draw 2 as on play. And once per turn, you may trash 1 card from your hand (triggering Kuzan’s draw ability) to give up to 1 rested DON!! card to your Leader or 1 of your characters.

If card draw alone isn’t enough, Kuzan (OP12-043) lets you trash 1 card from your hand, triggering your Leader Kuzan for card draw, while also preventing up to 1 of your opponent’s Characters from attacking until the end of their next End Phase. But, keep in mind this Character’s cost increases if you have more than 5 cards in hand.

Ice Block Pheasant Peck (OP12-057) is a 1-cost event that counters by giving up to 1 of your Leader or Character cards +4000 power during this battle, and then trashing 1 card from your hand.

While there’s decent support for Kuzan from OP12, supplementing cards from sets like Awakening of the New Era (OP05) and Wings of the Captain (OP06) will give you blue Navy-type Characters to choose from.

Rosinante (OP12-061)

Just as Trafalgar Law dedicated his life to his mentor Donquixote “Corazon” Rosinante, the Rosinante Leader from OP12 is dedicated to playing as many Law cards as possible.

Once per turn, Rosinante’s Leader ability lets you add 1 card from the top of your Life cards to your hand to keep your Trafalgar Law from being K.O.’d. Rosinante’s other ability can be activated during your Main phase once per turn for the cost of -1DON!!—This ability reduces the cost of the next cost 4 or less Trafalgar Law you play by 2.

On play, Trafalgar Law (OP12-073) lets you add up to 1 DON!! card as active if your DON!! total is equal to, or less than, your opponent while also giving all your Donquixote Rosinante and Heart Pirates type characters gain +1000 power until the end of your opponent’s next End Phase. The card “The ‘Extinguishes All Sound Created by Your Influence” Technique” (OP12-077), a reference to Law’s Devil Fruit technique inspired by Corazon, gives up to 1 of your Trafalgar Law cards +2000 power this turn– And, if this card attacks during this turn, your opponent can’t activate Blockers.

“I Love You!!” (OP12-115), another narratively significant Law and Corazon moment, is a 1-cost counter that gives up to 1 of your Leader or Character cards +2000 power in this battle, and lets you move up to 1 Trafalgar Law from your trash to your hand.

Keep your opponent focused on continually removing your board by repeatedly playing Law cards, leaving Rosinante buffed and free to attack their Leader.

Koala (OP12-081)

A dual colored leader, Koala is also a dual-type card with both a Dressrossa and Revolutionary Army type. Koala’s Leader ability lets you draw a card if you are using her to attack your opponent’s leader and you have 2 or more Characters with a cost of 8 or more. While this ability doesn’t specify a card type, much of her best support in this set comes from Revolutionary Army-type cards.

This leader pairs well with the new Nico Robin (OP12-087). Despite her time with the Revs training under Koala (in the anime/manga), Robin is not a Revolutionary Army type card, but she does synergize with the Koala Leader, as her effect requires that to gain blocker and a +3 cost. With the +3 cost, Robin becomes a 9-cost character, leaving you one 8-cost or more Character away from activating Koala’s other ability– drawing a card when she attacks your opponent’s Leader.

When Bartholomew Kuma (OP12-119) is played, you can trash 1 card from your hand to add up to 1 card from the top of your deck to the top of your Life cards. Additionally, Kuma gains +2 cost until the end of your opponent’s next End Phase, turning him into an 8-cost character and qualifying to activate Koala’s ability.

During your opponent’s turn, if Kuma is K.O.’d, you may add up to 1 card from the top of your deck to the top of your Life cards. With Koala only being a 4 Life leader, having a way to regain life is valuable.

Monkey D. Dragon lets you put 3 Revolutionary Army-type cards onto the bottom of your deck in any order, and, if your leader has the Revolutionary Army type, you can play up to 1 character with cost 6 or less from your trash, allowing you to play Nico Robin or Kuma if they ended up in the trash.

Inazuma (OP12-083), Belo Betty (OP12-090), and Morley (OP12-093) are all 2k counters with the Revolutionary Army type.

As long as your Leader has the Revolutionary Army type, Koala (OP12-086) lets you look at the top 3 cards from your deck, revealing up to one Revolutionary Army type card, aside from Koala or Nico Robin, adding it to your hand, and trashing the rest. Captains Assembled (OP12-097), a 1 cost Event, has the same effect, the only difference being that you can’t add another Captains Assembled card from the effect.

Many of the cards introduced for Koala in Legacy of the Master have a higher cost, but the slow and steady approach ensures you have a solid and wide board state.

Other Leaders

 

While the final two Leaders introduced in OP12,  Sanji (OP12-041) and Silvers Rayleigh (OP12-001), don’t excite me personally, I’ll still mention them because I think they’ll be fun and interesting decks for players who enjoy that playstyle.

Sanji’s Leader ability lets you sacrifice DON!! to activate certain Straw Hat Pirates-type events, while also allowing you to put rested DON!! onto the field. OP12 also includes cards featuring important people and places in Sanji’s life, such as Vinsmoke Sora (OP12-062), Zeff (OP12-072), and The Baratie (OP12-080)

Rayleigh is the most restrictive of the Leaders, preventing you from including any cards with cost 5 or more in your deck. But with his Leader ability giving one of your weaker characters +2000 power during your turn, and the variety of low-cost Former Roger Pirates cards printed in this set, including both Buggy (OP12-012) and Shanks (OP12-007), Rayleigh makes a good deckbuilding challenge.