Within the One Piece TCG there are many card types, but the one that matter to us today is Events. If you are familiar with the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering, Events function the same as Sorceries. Events provide a one-time effect that impacts the game in some form of fashion, and they follow the normal rules for playing any card type; Pay the DON!! cost, follow time restrictions, then after the effect of your event has finished place it in the trash pile unless stated otherwise by game rules or mechanics (though there currently aren't any cards that deviate from that norm).

Today, I want to talk about some of the best events in the game, and which ones I believe make the cut for the Top 5! For clarity, I will be omitting events that have been banned from structured play. Events such as Ice Age, Kingdom Come, Great Eruption and Reject are not considered eligible for the Top 5 since they aren't currently legal to play.

5. Gum-Gum Red Roc

Starting off with Number 5, I'd like to shine the spotlight on Gum-Gum Red Roc. Red Roc is a 6-cost Blue event that came out of One Piece Set 4: Kingdom of Intrigue. This event allows the player to remove any character on the board and place it on the bottom of its owner's deck instead of placing it in the trash. Red Roc also has a less powerful trigger ability if you pull it from your life pile that reads "Place up to one character with a cost of four or less at the bottom of the owner's deck." This smaller effect is still strong, as being able to clear the opposing board is critical in any card game. However, Bandai has made a concentrated effort to dampen removal effects within the One Piece TCG. Most characters that you would like to hit with Red Roc have some form of protection, often leaving it an expensive Event without a big payoff. There are certainly other expensive options that better benefit you in the current metagame. Even so, Red Roc is worth including as a one-of in any Blue deck!

4. You're the One Who Should Disappear

Moving on to Number 4 on our list, we have the Counter Event You're the One Who Should Disappear. This is a yellow event with a cost of zero and can only be used after your opponent declares a blocker. It reads as follows "[Counter] You may trash one card from your hand: Up to one of your Leader or Character cards gains +3000 power during this battle." This Event is one of a set that reads the same and exists in every color; Purple has Gum-Gum Jet Gatling, in Blue you have Gum-Gum Rain, in Green it's Because the Side of Justice Will Be Whichever Side Wins!!, Black's version of this card is Six King Pistol, and Red has several zero cost events (that pair well with Rayleigh) but the one from this cyclce is Bad Manners Kick Course.

So, if there a version of this EXACT effect in every color, why does this one make the Top 5 as opposed to the others? Well, the Trigger ability differs from card to card, and this one is a doozy. This event's Trigger reads "If you have zero life cards, you may add up to one card from the top of your deck to the top of your Life cards. Then, trash one card from your hand." You think you've got your opponent dead to rights only to realize they've got one more life in them. When a leader such as Enel triggers this event, when he already requires three swings into him to win, it's devastating. You follow up with this after triggering something like Capone "Gang" Bege who stops you from attacking with a character or leader? Ugh, it's just gross.

3. Gravity Blade Raging Tiger

Next up we have Gravity Blade Raging Tiger, a 7-cost Blue event that reads: "[Main] Place up to 2 Characters with a cost of 6 or less at the bottom of the owner's deck in any order," and the Trigger ability of, "Place up to one character with a cost of 5 or less at the bottom of its owners library." This event is more expensive than Red Roc, and it is restricted in what it can target, whereas Red Roc can target anything. However, there's a reason I'm ranking this higher; it targets two characters instead of one. Even with protections against removal, this event has the capability to bottom two of your opponent's characters, making it a more premium piece of removal than Red Roc!

2. Tempest Kick

Closing in on that first place slot, we have Tempest Kick. Tempest Kick is a Black event that cost 1 DON!! and reads: "Draw 1 card. Then, if you have ten or more cards in your trash, give up to one of your opponent's characters -3 cost". This is one of the cheapest forms of card draw within the One Piece TCG while also rewarding a Black leader by reducing the cost of your opponent's character (which could lead to the removal of that character from the board in manycases). Reducing character costs can help Black decks out in many ways. For example, Set 2 Smoker benefits from one of your opponent's characters have a cost of zero by granting Smoker +1000 as long as you have a DON!! attached to him, which would put Smoker up to 7000 power for the turn!

1. Gum-Gum Giant

And now it's time for our first place slot, Gum-Gum Giant. Gum-Gum Giant is a Counter Event, which means you can play it in response to your opponent declaring an attack, with a cost of 1. This Purple event does have an additional cost to it, but it's not detrimental to purple in any way. Gum-Gum Giant reads: " [Counter] DON!! -2, you may trash one card from your hand: If your leader has the 'Straw Hat Crew' type, up to one of Leader or Characters gains +4000 power during this battle. Then, draw 2 cards.". This Event was released in Emperors of the New World and absolutely changed the way players see the game. A 1-cost +4000 power event is strong no matter how you look at it, but pair that with card draw? There is no downside to this besides having to choose what card to pitch to play Giant out of your hand. Your opponent always has the opportunity to bluff an unrested DON!! to make you think they have Giant, but it is such a gamble because if they do you have to throw at least 5 DON!! onto your leader (assuming they are a 5000-power leader) just to ensure you can swing in against Gum-Gum Giant alone. Granted this card is restricted to Purple leaders with the straw hat crew card type, so you can't just throw this event into purple Katakuri or Black/Purple King, but you can utilize this event in any of the five purple Luffy leaders out there, Yellow/Purple Nico Robin, and Blue/Purple Sanji.

This wraps up our discussion on the Top 5 events in the One Piece Trading Card Game. Do you think there are other events that should make the cut? Farewell until the seas bring us together again, fellow seafarers!