Last week, The West saw the release of OP10, along with the requisite release events. My Local Game Store had a release tournament (Constructed) that I played in and ended up at the top table for the final match. I was running OP03-040 Nami and my opponent was running OP09-081 Marshall.D.Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard. I am a pretty decent Nami player, but I knew what I'd be up against. Here's a breakdown of the things I did (and didn't do) during the game, as well as some advice on playing against this deck for those who are interested.

Doc Q Can't Stay

As innocuous as OP09-090 Doc Q is, his presence on the board is a nuisance. I let my opponent's Doc Q stay on board, and suffered because of it. All of my characters in this Nami deck are low cost, and with the amount of cost-reduction Blackbeard is running, it's no big deal to snipe a random OP02-063 Mr.1(Daz.Bonez) that would have gained me a lot of incremental value over the course of the game.

Jesus Burgess Is A Menace

Blackbeard doesn't have a lot of attackers, and the deck grinds out incremental advantage while locking its opponents out of the game. Coming from a Magic: The Gathering background myself, this feels a lot like artifacts that stop "enters the battlefield" triggers, except you can't remove it. However, one of its biggest threats is Jesus Burgess.

Not only is Burgess immune to KO effects, but he also gets bigger the longer the game goes on and the more cards are in the opponent's graveyard. Redundant searchers (Beard has WAY too many of these) make it nearly impossible to get rid of Jesus Burgess completely.

More Removal Than You Can Shake a Stick At

Granted Nami tends to run low-to-the-ground characters, but Blackbeard's set up makes it easy to deal with characters of almost any cost. Cards like EB01-151 Finger Pistol and OP09-098 Black Hole are great targeted removal. Cost reducers like OP09-089 Stronger and EB01-048 Laboon are perfect for cutting down the size of larger creatures to make them easy to KO with those cards or even an on-board OP09-090 Doc Q.

10-Cost Teach Can Be Demoralizing

If your Beard opponent is resolving an OP09-093 Marshall.D.Teach it might be game over on the horizon. For my Nami deck, it's still an issue, since Teach's ability snuffs out Nami's wincon, meaning that if I deck out, I die. But more than that, it's an oppressive, difficult to get past blocker. Not only is it blanking one attack, but it also locks down another attacker, swinging the game toward the Blackbeard player's favor. While it's not completely backbreaking, it's a play that will take the wind out of your sails for at least one turn. That is, if they don't chain a few of them together.

Is Nami A Good Blackbeard Matchup?

Even on its best day, Nami will have a hard time going up against Teach. The fact that OP09-093 Marshall.D.Teach can just blank your wincon makes the deck difficult to play since you'll have to find ways to avoid decking out and avoid taking hits on your next turn. It turns the deck on its head, and while it's cathartic for many players, it's definitely not a good time for the Nami player.

Teach In The OP10 Meta

Does OP09-081 Marshall.D.Teach have a place in the OP10 Meta? With bans coming that'll yank the legs out from under OP07-079 Rob Lucci, Teach will likely take over as the top Black control deck in the format. With OP07-045 Jinbe also getting a ban that will hobble OP01-060 Donquixote Doflamingo until rotation, it's likely Teach might leapfrog into a T1 position alongside EB02-010 Monkey.D.Luffy. It's enough to make anyone go Ze-hahahahaha.

Potential Tips For A Blackbeard Matchup

Not every build of OP09-081 Marshall.D.Teach is the same. However, there are a few things that, regardless of what's going on, you'll need to pay attention to.

Watch Out for Teach's Leader Ability

Your opponent is under no obligation to show you that they activated Teach's ability on their turn. It's up to you to confirm it. Maybe consider having a handy tracking device (maybe a dice or a coin) that will remind you that On-Play abilities are negated so you don't accidentally run into a brick wall.

Get In Pressure Early

This applies to decks that aren't trying to do something as fancy as OP03-040 Nami. Pressuring a Blackbeard deck in the early part of the game is one of the most crucial things you can do to ensure that you can close it out. If you know how deck theory works, an aggro deck has an advantage against a control deck, and that's just as true here as it is anywhere else.

Going Wide is a Viable Option

OP09-093 Marshall.D.Teach can shut down one attacker and block another, but if you have a board full of attackers, that's only two that he can consistently stop on his turn. It also takes your opponent's full turn to play him, which helps immensely since you don't have to worry about a follow-up play. It's not the end of the world if the opponent resolves their 10-Cost Teach.

Beat Up Burgess (If You Can)

Burgess' ability makes him immune to KO by effects, which means you can swing into him. Be warned, though, as the game progresses, he'll get really big, to swinging into him early is probably the most viable strategy.

Keep An Eye On Your Opponent's Hand Size

Because Blackbeard required you to discard a card to activate its leader ability, your opponent will need those cards. That said, there are more than enough searchers in a Blackbeard deck to replenish your opponent's hand. Pressuring your opponent forces them to decide between taking a hit, or discarding for counter. Both of those are bad decisions and forcing your opponent to choose one of them plays right into your game plan.

The Natural Counter to Blackbeard

As a control deck, Blackbeard has great matchups against most of the meta. However, it's still susceptible to a well-built aggro deck. Leaders like OP01-001 Roronoa Zoro and more recently OP09-001 Shanks are ideal for getting Blackbeard on the back foot and keeping him there. Red decks, in particular, should have a good time against this deck, especially if they go wide enough to avoid early blockers like Vasco Shot (if they're running it). Again, removal for OP09-090 Doc Q and sidestepping threats like EB01-051 Finger Pistol are some of the best ways to play around the deck. Getting the Beard player to 0 life and jamming a 10-cost Gol.D.Roger is a winning play pattern.

Not Impossible to Beat, But Not Easy, Either

Playing Nami against Teach was a hard slog. However, even though I lost, I enjoyed the challenge. Teach is powerful, no doubt, but it requires understanding all the other decks you're playing against to know when to turn off on-play effects. It's just not viable discarding a card every turn, even with all the searchers the deck has. So, choosing plays that make the most impact would be ideal. If you run up against a OP09-081 Marshall.D.Teach, don't panic. It's a hard deck to beat, but it's not impossible.

Deck: Blackbeard Sample List

LEADER:

1x OP09-081 Marshall.D.Teach

CHARACTERS:

1x OP08-084 Jack

2x OP05-081 One-Legged Toy Soldier

3x OP08-079 Kaido

3x OP09-089 Stronger

4x OP09-090 Doc Q

4x OP09-086 Jesus Burgess

4x EB01-048 Laboon

4x OP09-095 Laffitte

4x OP09-093 Marshall.D.Teach

4x OP09-088 Shiryu

EVENTS:

2x EB01-051 Finger Pistol

2x OP02-117 Ice Age

4x OP09-098 Black Hole

4x OP09-096 My Era...Begins!!

4x OP07-096 Tempest Kick

STAGE:

1x OP09-099 Fullalead