Card Spotlight: R-Portgas.D.Ace from the Upcoming OP16 Set
Portgas.D.Ace gives Whitebeard Pirates a new red Leader built around big bodies, Rush pressure, and explosive mid-game turns.
OP16, THE TIME OF BATTLE, introduces a new Portgas.D.Ace Leader, and it gives Whitebeard Pirates a pretty clear direction: play big bodies, give them Rush, and keep the pressure going.
Ace is a red 5000-power Leader with 5 life and the Whitebeard Pirates type. His effect is simple, but strong. Once per turn, he can give Rush to one of your Monkey.D.Luffy Characters, or to one of your Characters with a type including Whitebeard Pirates and 8000 power or more.
That makes the deck feel like a red midrange strategy with explosive tempo turns. Instead of only leaning on small aggressive bodies, Ace wants to play larger Whitebeard Pirates Characters that can attack as soon as they hit the board.
The 8000-power requirement matters too, because many of the new OP16 Whitebeard Pirates cards are built around that number. Cards like Izo, Jozu, Namule, and Edward.Newgate all reward you for keeping 8000-power Characters in hand, either by revealing them or using them as fuel for effects.
So your hand becomes part of the engine. It holds your future threats, but it also helps activate the support cards that get the deck moving.
Edward.Newgate looks like one of the biggest payoffs. As a 10000-power Character, he works perfectly with Ace’s Rush effect, and he also gives your Leader Double Attack and +2000 power during your turn. That turns Ace into a real finisher and forces the opponent to respect your late-game pressure.
The deck also has some defensive tools. Some of the new Whitebeard Pirates support comes with Blocker, while Monkey.D.Luffy gives the strategy another way to survive pressure and protect the Leader. That balance between offense and defense is what makes Ace more interesting than a normal red aggressive deck.
THE TIME OF BATTLE releases on June 12.