Perona OP12-034 and Limejuice OP17-032
These are your main cards to have in your opening hand. They let you immediately start searching for the pieces you will need for the rest of the game.
Shanks OP17 Deck Guide
Use searchers to build your control curve, then keep the opposing board under control with Shanks.
Decklist
Mulligan
Your priority in your opening hand is to find your Searchers so you can quickly start building your hand and preparing your curve.
Cards to Keep
Lucky.Roux OP17-033
Lucky.Roux is also a good card to keep. In addition to being a Searcher, it can later be used defensively through its effect during an opposing attack.
Yasopp OP17-031
Yasopp is another excellent card to have in your opening hand, especially for starting to control the opposing board from the midgame onward.
Prepare Your Curve
A good hand should not contain only Searchers. If your early game is already secured, you can also keep the cards that will let you naturally chain your next turns.
Benn.Beckman OP17-027 is especially interesting after your Yasopp turn, while Shanks OP17-022 is your main target for reaching the late game.
The sequence you are looking for can gradually look like this: Searcher → Yasopp → Benn.Beckman → Shanks OP17-022.
You do not need to have this entire curve in your opening hand. Your Searchers are there to gradually find the missing cards.
Adapt Your Hand to Going First or Second
Going first, a hand with Perona or Limejuice is especially valuable because you can immediately start searching for your next cards.
Going second, those same Searchers remain priorities on your first 2 DON!! turn. You can then move into Lucky.Roux or Hongo at 4 DON!! before reaching your true midgame.
The goal remains simple: secure your early game with your Searchers, then gradually build your control curve rather than look for one specific multi-card combination during the Mulligan.
Curve Guide
Going First
1 DON!! — Searchers
OR
Play Perona OP12-034 or Limejuice OP17-032 to start searching for the cards needed for your curve.
3 DON!!
You do not have a mandatory play at 3 DON!!. You can play other Searchers and/or use your DON!! on your Leader to attack. If you want to starve your opponent, you can also choose not to attack at all so you do not give them additional cards from their Life. This is especially useful against Sabo OP13.
5 DON!! — Control
OROR
This is your first real control turn. You can play Kouzuki Oden ST32-002 to prevent an opposing Character with a base cost of 6 or less from becoming rested, which notably stops it from attacking or blocking. Yasopp OP17-031 is the other main option: its On Play effect rests an opposing Character with a cost of 8 or less, allowing you to attack it immediately. If your opponent has not played an interesting target, Lucky.Roux OP17-033 is also an option to keep searching while preparing your defense.
7 DON!! — Benn.Beckman
Play Benn.Beckman OP17-027. In addition to drawing 1 card, he can rest up to two opposing Characters with no cost restriction, then immediately attack a rested Character. Your goal remains to keep controlling the board rather than rush the opposing Life.
9 DON!! — Shanks
Shanks ST16-004 becomes your main play. Its On Play effect can K.O. a rested opposing Character, which directly fits your control strategy.
10 DON!! — Shanks
Play Shanks OP17-022 for your late game. It rests the entire opposing board with no cost restriction, and it has Rush and 12000 Power. Its On Play effect also sets two of your DON!! as active. You can use those two DON!! to keep your Leader effect and a defensive option available, or to strengthen an attack.
Going Second
2 DON!! — Searchers
OR
Start with Perona OP12-034 or Limejuice OP17-032 to search for your next cards.
4 DON!! — Setup
OR
You mainly have two options. Hongo OP17-029 is for when you want to start controlling small opposing Characters. It can rest up to two Characters with a cost of 2 or less, and it is a Blocker. Lucky.Roux OP17-033 is the more general option to keep searching while preparing your defense with its effect during an opposing attack. Hongo is especially preferred against Sabo OP13 and Luffy OP17, where its ability to rest small Characters can be particularly useful.
6 DON!! — Trafalgar Law
→→OR
Play Trafalgar Law OP13-031. You can return the Limejuice played on your first turn to your hand, then play Kouzuki Oden or Yasopp rested through Law. This sequence lets you recover your 2000 Counter Limejuice to your hand, or replay it later for another search if needed.
8 DON!! — Benn.Beckman
Play Benn.Beckman OP17-027 to keep controlling the opposing board.
10 DON!! — Shanks
Move into Shanks OP17-022. Once you reach 10 DON!!, the curve is to keep playing your 10-cost Shanks to establish your late game. The general principle remains the same for both curves: prioritize controlling the opposing board. You do not need to attack Life every turn. The main exceptions are Rocks OP17 and Luffy & Ace ST30, against whom you should focus more on racing your opponent.
Tech Cards
Crone Oli OP17-021
Crone Oli is your main protection against removal effects. She protects your Red-Haired Pirates Characters by resting one of your cards: your Leader, a DON!!, or Crone Oli herself. She also has 2000 Counter, which keeps her useful in hand when you do not need her protection. However, she cannot protect Kouzuki Oden ST32-002 or Trafalgar Law OP13-031 because they do not have the Red-Haired Pirates type.
Lucky.Roux OP17-033
Lucky.Roux combines searching and defense. When an opponent attacks, you can trash him to rest an opposing Leader or Character. This can neutralize a large attack before it happens. If your opponent has two large Characters, you can wait for the first one to attack and rest the second. The Character that becomes rested is also a target you can then freeze with your Leader effect or K.O. with Shanks ST16-004.
I Think He's Seen an Ugly Future... OP17-038
This card turns cards without Counter into defense: by discarding another card, you gain +3000 Counter for 0 DON!!. It can also be used offensively by resting 4 of your cards, including DON!!, your Leader, or Characters, to rest an opposing Character. This gives it a second use when you do not need its Counter.
Withdraw Now and Allow Me to Save Face OP17-036
This card has two uses. Offensively, it can K.O. up to two rested Characters with a cost of 6, while first letting you rest a Character to create an additional target if necessary. Defensively, it can provide +4000 Counter, but only to your Leader or your Characters named Shanks.
Are You That Afraid of the New Era?!! OP17-037
This card complements your Searchers while also serving as a defensive tool. Its defensive use provides +3000 Counter, but it requires you to rest another card in addition to paying its cost. You can rest a DON!! or use a Perona, Limejuice, or Crone Oli already on the board to pay this requirement.
Shanks ST16-004
This version of Shanks is your direct late-game removal: for 9 DON!!, its On Play effect can K.O. a rested Character. It works especially well with the deck's many ways to rest opposing Characters before removing them. Only 2 copies are played because Shanks OP17-022 remains your main threat at 10 DON!!.
Matchups Format 17.5
Quick OP17.5 matchup spread for Shanks.
Favorable
Slightly Favorable
Even
Slightly Unfavorable
Unfavorable
Tips
Focus on Opposing Characters
Do not automatically look to attack Life. Shanks is first and foremost a control deck. In matchups where you can limit opposing resources, focus on Characters and force your opponent to use the cards already in their hand. Against Sabo, this approach lets you switch to offense once their board is under control.
Use Your Leader to Neutralize Important Attacks
Use your Leader to neutralize important attacks. You can rest 1 DON!! or trash a card from your hand to prevent a rested Character from becoming Active during the opponent's next Refresh. A card without Counter can therefore be used to stop a large attack on the following turn.
Prepare Your Targets
Prepare your targets before removing them. Lucky.Roux, Yasopp, Hongo, Benn.Beckman, and Shanks OP17 can rest opposing Characters. You can then keep them rested with your Leader, attack them, or use Shanks ST16-004 to K.O. them.
Use Trafalgar Law to Reclaim Useful Cards
Use Trafalgar Law to recover your useful cards. You can return Limejuice OP17-032 to your hand before playing Oden or Yasopp. This gives you back a 2000 Counter and lets you replay Limejuice later for another search.
Use the Two Active DON!! from Shanks OP17-022
Make use of the 2 DON!! set as active by Shanks OP17-022. You can keep one for your Leader effect and the other for defense, or use them offensively. You can also attach both to Shanks to attack for 14000 Power.
Change Your Plan Against Rocks and Luffy & Ace
Adapt your approach against Rocks and Luffy & Ace. Against these two Leaders, the classic control plan is less suitable: you should focus more on racing your opponent than simply controlling their board.