[OP04] Red/Green Law MASTER Guide (Updated October 6th) (Patreon)

(Update 10/06: Added changes to Hawkins Law and "Attack" Law, Added Disclaimer section before matchups, Added "Overpowering cards" section to Whitebeard matchup)

Red/Green Law Achievements:

• First Place Peoria Offline Regional (OP02)
• 3rd Place Knoxville Offline Regional (OP04)
• Top 16 Online Regional (OP02)

Today I will be presenting a MASTER Guide to Red/Green Law! I personally believe Red/Green Law is one of the strongest decks in the format, and if Zoro/Rebecca players continue to shy away, I’d argue that it is THE strongest deck in the format. That isn’t to say that Law can’t beat Rebecca/Zoro… We will discuss how to potentially beat these match-ups in the match-up guide section.

Incentives to Play Red/Green Law

• Has a good matchup into 90% of the meta (This is a made-up number, but it's probably true lmao)
• The red/green card pool, and the way the deck plays, allows the decklist to potentially adapt to any matchup
• Distinct strategies for every matchup, that also allows it to potentially win against any deck

Red/Green Law in the Meta

Advantageous: Yellow(including Katakuri), Blue, Green Kid, Black(Excluding Rebecca), Blurple Croc, etc.

Slightly Advantageous:  Whitebeard, Gurple Doflamingo

50/50: Red Zoro(Dependent on Zoro’s construction and how both player’s draw)

Disadvantageous: Rebecca

As you can see, I believe Red/Green is advantageous against all relevant decks, except Rebecca and Zoro. But the great thing about Red/Green Law, is that, through proper playing, we can put ourselves in a position to beat decks that we are disadvantageous too! Depending on playing and construction, i believe it’s possible to make Red Zoro Slightly Advantageous ~ Advantageous. Rebecca is 50/50 at best, but it’s a deck you’re likely to encounter 0 to 1 times, and it’s unlikely the Rebecca player will know how Law can win, let alone make all the right decisions even if they did know…

Law Deckbuilding in OP04

Above is the Standard for most Law decklists in OP04! OP04 Law Features:

• 22 One Drops - I think it's important to run a lot of one drops in order to shambles on Turn 3 against Rebecca, and to flood the board early against Zoro & Whitebeard
• 7 Blockers (6 is fine, but 7 Blockers is good against Yellow)
• Starter Nami - Strong against Whitebeard, and combos well with Restand Law. This is the current replacement to Makino, if a broken card against Whitebeard, such as Hawkins, is used then this card may become Makino! I think Starter Nami also justifies using more Sanji than Brook, so that is something to be aware of as well.
• Sanji - It's important to be able to take our own life against decks like Queen and Rebecca that try to starve us! Sanji is also not "slash," which means it can destroy Zoro's Buggy... (Sanji has been reduced from 4 to 3, because 3 copies is enough against Queen and Rebecca. I used to run 4 because it could attack Buggy, a
• Robin - I said I'm not a fan of this card in the past due to it being hit-or-miss against Zoro/Rebecca(due to Fire Fist, Three Thousand Worlds, etc). But this card is actually really strong in the mirror, and Law is becoming increasingly popular! This card is arguably stronger than Vista against Whitebeard as well, being able to commit 1-Don rather 3 to pop a blocker is good.
• Rush Zoro - Strongest card against control decks like Blue, Rebecca, etc. Starter Zoro is also strong, but weaker than Starter Zoro, due to being worse against control.
• Rush Luffy - There's too many blockers in this meta, and this card is a necessity to defeat Rebecca. It's also nice that Luffy can return Bonney to hand, when using the shambles.
• 4 Restand Law - 4 copies is the strongest way to consistently deal with Whitebeard. It's also a strong aggro play, to restand a Supernova and attack with it again. If Hawkins is included, it is ok to consider 3 Copies.
• Guard Point - In the past it was strong to have defensive events against 9Beard Whitebeard, since low cost blockers would become useless at the end of the game! 9Beard is now at 1, but I still think Guard Point is a very strong defensive card

Other Considerations

• Hawkins - This card isn't bad. I only consider this card WINMORE, in reality it is strong against Yellow, Whitebeard, Mirror Match, Guplre Doflamingo, etc. I do, however, think this card is bad against Rebecca/Zoro, which is why I don't use it. I also think Luffy being able to return Bonney to hand is a huge advantage over Hawkins. My opinion on Hawkins as winmore has changed a bi though. I believe Hawkins advantage against Whitebeard may make it worth playing. Whitebeard is originally a favorable matchup, but I sometimes feel like it's more 50/50 than I would like it to be. If Whitebeard becomes less popular, then I would probably go back to not running this card.
• 4 Cost Film Brook - This card was my original counter to Red Zoro. Once our board is taken by Fire Fist, Film Brook makes it easier to recover the board. The recent trend of 3-4 Starter Nami, also makes this card potentially strong against Whitebeard.
• ST Zoro - This card is a strong attacker against Whitebeard, and another answer to Red Zoro. While Film brook helps recover the board from fire fist, ST Zoro can be played from blocker Law, and this would mean two 6K attackers are placed side-by-side. This means the opponent needs two debuffs, in order to clear all our attackers with Fire Fist.
• Vista - ANOTHER ANSWER TO RED ZORO. This card is similar to Robin, except I think it's stronger against Red Zoro, due to it having immediate value, whereas Robin can get popped. This is important against Zoro players that play Gordon, Buggy, and/or Blamenco early. Vista + Otama is also strong against Rebecca's Orlombus.
• 8 Cost Kid - Another Red Zoro counter lol. Similar to Film Brook, this card also punishes the use of debuff cards and Fire-Fist. If the opponent doesn't have enough debuffs and fire-fist, they either A.) Avoid fire-fisting our original board in order to save it for 8 Cost Kid or B.) Will be unable to handle 8 Cost Kid. 8 Cost Kid is an interesting punish card, that I would like to explore more against Zoro. But I think 8 Cost Kid is at the mercy of whatever the Zoro player draws...

Is Vista Strong?

As mentioned in last article, Vista is the card people have the most difficulty in deciding whether to use. I personally think Vista was extremely weak against 9Beard Whitebeard, to the point where it was not worth using. If a card is too weak against the most popular deck in the format, why include it when you are able to defeat most decks without it? But due to Whitebeard including low power blockers(due to Blocker Marco no longer being at 4), and due to 9Beard being at one, I think there is more possibility to include Vista. Vista is not searchable, so the minimum copies you should include is 3 imo. 3 is fine, but go to 4 if you really want to see it.

Current OP04 Law Lists

OP04 Hawkins Law

| 1 Bege or 1 Vista could be replaced for 1 Guard Point. Vista and Zoro can also have their ratios swapped.

(Update 10/06: In the list below I will include ST Zoro, but due to Hawkins in this list, I would not run ST Zoro. The only potential change would 4 Rush Zoro, 3 Vista. But this is preference.)

This deck uses Hawkins as a game-breaking card against Whitebeard, and uses 4 copies of Vista in order to combat Red Zoro. This decklist is a little weaker against Rebecca(due to having less rushers), but I think this list is overall strong into the meta!

It's possible to use Makino instead of ST Nami. But I still like ST Nami against Whitebeard, just in case we miss Hawkins.

OP04 "Attack" Law

| It's also fine to have Vista at 4, and Rush Zoro at 3. It's also possible to play 1 Starter Zoro & 3 Rush Zoro, to have another 6K attacker against Whitebeard

(Update 10/06: I prefer 3 Vista, 3 Zoro, 1 ST Zoro to 4 Vista. ST Zoro increases resistance to Whitebeard & Zoro, even if it's at 1 copy imo. 4 Vista/Rush Zoro is completely viable as well, so you can continue to use that, if you prefer.)

I think this is the best version of Law for defeating Rebecca. Similar to my OP04 Law List (https://x.com/Cross_Aii/status/1705716813026202026?s=20) , I am confident in this decks ability to handling the whole meta.

The biggest difference between this list and the "Hawkins" Law list, is this list has much higher chances of defeating Rebecca. 2 Rush Luffy is great for closing out games against Rebecca, and Zoro having rush is cracked. I also think Hawkins makes the possibility of losing to Black & Blue more likely, it's better to have rush against those decks.

I think this version is arguably weaker into the mirror than Hawkins and Film Brook Law, although I think it is the strongest one against Rebecca

OP04 Film Brook Law

The main difference in this build is that we only run 9 2Ks, but in exchange we get access to Film Brook! The reason I chose 9 2Ks, is because I think 2 Robin is strong against the mirror(which is becoming increasingly popular), but I also think ST Zoro is strong to help this build counter Zoro. If you want 10 2Ks, I would reduce the amount of ST Zoro by one.

Film Brook Advantages:

• Film Brook is great when we don't see Blocker Law(good accident prevention)
• ST Zoro & Film Brook is strong against Red Zoro
• ST Zoro is the strongest non-Hawkins card against Whitebeard
• Film Brook + ST Nami is potentially strong against Strawbeard
• Film Brook has potential than Hawkins against Rebecca
• Film Brook + Zoro is gross against the mirror

Jeremy's OP04 8cost Kid Law List

| https://x.com/JellybeansOP/status/1695673022559178833?s=20

Jeremy has one with this Law list multiple times in Melbourne. I honestly think this deck completely gives up on the Rebecca matchup, but I think it's fairly solid into most of the meta. 8Kid has potential against Zoro as I've described above, and word on the street is, 8Kid may be strong against Whitebeard decks that don't use crossfire.

This is the Law list I am sketchiest of, but it has real potential.

Deck Summary

• OP04 "Hawkins" - Law strongest against Whitebeard
• OP04 "Attack" - Law strongest against Rebecca
• OP04 "Film Brook Law" - strongest against Zoro,stronger against Rebecca then "Hawkins", and stronger than "Attack" against Whitebeard
• OP04 8Cost Kid Law - Unknown

How to Play + Matchups

Basic Playing

• Choose to go second in 99% of matchups. The stability from going second is too strong.
• 99% of the time, don't play Bonney until shambles turn. Bonney is our whole engine and if it dies to some random card early on, we will be at a huge loss
• Aim to activate leader ability by Turn 3 in most matchups
• Generally don't start defending until 2 life
• Generally don't start attacking until 2 life or Turn 3/4(we will lose our board and hand, if we start attacking too early)

Disclaimer

• If you see a card that isn't in a decklist you're using, this doesn't mean the card is necessary, it just means the card is good in that matchup. The biggest example is Hawkins, I think this card is winmore(not necessary to win), but that also means it's not strong into the matchups it's not NECESSARY against!

VS Whitebeard(Pure/Straw)

First: 55/45 Advantageous | Second: 60/40 Advantageous (Hawkins Type is Advantageous, regardless of going first or Second)

I would choose to go second, because we can fight easier. We draw3 cards from deck and 2 cards from life by our shambles turn(Turn 3). Whitebeard also doesn't have a Turn 2 play going first!

Mulligan: Starter Nami, Hawkins, Blocker Law + Starter Zoro

Advantageous Cards: Starter Nami, Rush Luffy, Restand Law, *Hawkins, *Starter Zoro, 2 Cost Brook(Important for lethal turns)

Overpowering Cards: Hawkins (You can win without Hawkins, but this card almost gurantees victory if played)

General Gameplan:

• BEWARE of playing into Ace
• Beware of Red-Hawk(don't attack on our turn 2, unless they don't have 2 don up. Also keep an extra don up in the late-game)
• Attack for 6K every turn(except for T2, if you suspect Red Hawk). Every 6K is either 1 less card in the Whitebeard player's hand, or it allows us to go for Restand Law Combos earlier(due to them being at 0 life faster).
• Try to keep life to 2 until the lethal turns are approaching, it's fine to go down to 1 if you have no plays and need to draw from life
• Don't leave Hawkins rested in the early-to-mid game or it will get destroyed by Ace
• Otama is great for getting rid of Atmos/Luffy
• For all mentioned mulligans, we would like to see Blocker Law/Bonney on top of the mentioned cards. It's always good to see searchers in general as well, but Blocker Law/Bonney is the priority

Early-Game

• If the opponent has 2 don active, don't bother attacking on Turn 2, regardless of if you are first or second. Red-Hawk will set us too far behind, and this is part of why I lost to Will in Top 4 at Knoxville...
• Hawkins is the priority to play on turn 3, if you have blocker Law and Hawkins, play Hawkins
• Aim to shambles on Turn 3
• Use Starter Nami to be aggressive with Leader & 5K+ Attackers
• Use Otama to get rid of Luffy/Atmos (make sure to attack Atmos/Luffy with Dadan for 4K, before attacking with anything else!)
• It's fine to play blockers, because it's generally more advantageous for Whitebeard to destroy Starter Nami!
• Don't leave Law, Hawkins, or Luffy rested in the early-stages, as they will be taken by Ace

Late-Game

• Use Restand Law(Starter Law) to decide the game, or heavily reduce the opponents hand!
• It's common to shambles in Luffy and leave it standing, so we can go for 2 huge unblockable swings on the following turn
• Blocker Law may be worth attacking with, for additional pressure, the opponent if we have enough defense, and if we have another Supernova to combo with Restand Law
• If the opponent only has 1 blocker, it's actually strong to use Vista, and go for two big swing with Restand Law to reduce the opponents hand!

VS Red Zoro

First : 45/55 | Second: 50/50

I would choose to go second. I think it's stronger to have more cards to deal with(helps with bricking). Extra draws from deck/life, also means we can see Vista sooner. It's also easier to shambles on turn 3.

This matchup becomes more advantageous for Law based on the amount of Vista, Starter Zoro and/or Film Brook seen. A well-timed fire-fist is disadvantageous for Law, but if Zoro either doesn't see Fire-Fist, or misses the proper time to use it, then Law can win, even if Law doesn't see Vista/Starter Zoro/Film Brook.

Mulligan: Vista, Film Brook, ST Zoro, 2+ Searchers, Blocker Law

Advantageous Cards: Vista, Film Brook, Starter Zoro, 2 Cost Sanji(can defeat Buggy)

General Gameplan:

• Make sure to not play all searchers early. If all our searchers get destroyed before our shambles turn, we lose our advantage engine
• Rush Zoro swinging for 5K is strong, because Debuff Zoro runs a lot of bricks
• Leave 2K characeters alone(unless we are attacking them with units already on the board). Since it's rare that we can completely clear all the 1-Drops off the opponents board, it's better to not give them defensive value by attacking the 2K attackers
• It's fine to go down to 1 life. If our hand is already too strong, then it's fine to stay at 2 life, but I will commonly go down to 1 life to have more plays.

Early Game

• Focus on playing non-searchers(unless we have a lot), so our advantage engine is not lost before our shambles turn
• Sanji is good to play early to destroy Buggy (Sanji isn't slash)
• Vista is strong to play on curve to pop something
• *It's fine to play Robin on curve going second. If they fire-fist, then they didn't establish a Marco! Going first I wouldn't play Robin on Turn 2, as a fire-fist would clear our entire board.
• *ST Zoro is fine to play on curve if you can give it a don every turn
• *Save Film Brook for after our board starts getting destroyed

Late Game

• The late-game is a war of attrition, make sure to play searchers and bring them back with shambles, to keep up our hand advantage
• Use Vista to get rid of pesky 3K attackers
• Try to only go for lethal when we would die the next turn, or lose our whole board. It's better to compete in the war of att
• rition, so we are more likely to defeat the opponent when going for game
• *If you run 8Kid, it would be strong to play it after the Zoro has already drained some of their debuffs and removal

VS Yellow Katakuri

First : Advantageous | Second: Advantageous

I would choose to go second, to deny Katakuri's curve, and Law prefers to go second anyways.

The most important cards in this matchup are Attackers(Blocker Law, Zoro, Hawkins, etc.) and Low cost blockers. As long as you see attackers and enough blockers, you should not lose, unless you get omega-sacked. When the opponent uses 7Mom give them life.

Mulligan: Blocker Law + Searchers, Hawkins

Advantageous Cards: Low Cost Blockers, Hawkins, Rush Luffy, Robin(Can pop Amande, and combo with Otama to pop a 5K)

General Gameplan:

• In the early game, attack any trigger units that come from life! Leaving units on the opponent's board lets them whittle our defenses faster, and gives them more room to use Amande
• Start defending from 1-2 Life, and use blockers effectively. Be wary of Streusen & Am.ande when considering if the opponent has lethal.
• Use Otama to conveniently clear 5K and 7K units. There are plenty of times times where I defeat 7 Cost Mom thanks to Otama.
• Give the opponent life with 7Mom - Unlike Zoro, we have slightly less aggression, but we have enough defense to justify giving the opponent life with 7Mom. I think trashing life when Katakuri uses 7Mom, and then getting sacked by triggers is how Law players could lose this matchup.
• BEWARE of Thunderbolt, try to play around Thunderbolt by attacking with the most valuable units first(Hawkins > Luffy > Blocker Law)

Early Game

• Attack into trigger units that come out of life
• Give the opponent life with 7Mom

Late Game

• Attack smart on lethal turn, and beware of thunderbolt, Bege, and Sanji.
• Don't be scared to hold back an attack on the turn before our lethal turn, if there's a potential trigger we could lose the game to

There's a Japanese player that prefers to take all life in order to reduce the effectiveness of 7Mom & 10Mom, but I am not a fan of this strategy. I think it's more consistent to handle trigger units, and give the opponent life at 7Mom's request. Losing all life makes it harder to maintain blocker laws, and you have to have enough low cost blockers or you will lose to Streusen/Amande.

VS Rebecca

First: Disdvantageous | Second: Disadvantageous

I think it's better to go second. Being able to play 2 Drops on curve is very smooth.

This matchup is very hard. But the key to standing a chance, is to not lose our 1-Drops early, and to attack the opponent intelligently.

Mulligan: Blocker Law + Searchers, 2 Drops

Advantageous Cards: Rush Luffy, Rush Zoro, 2 Cost Brook(let's us attack for 7K early), 2 Cost Sanji(allows us to maintain card advantage, since Rebecca denies us life), *4 Cost Film Brook?, Vista + Otama

General Gameplan:

• Attack for 7K+, or don't attack at all: We would like to force the opponent to take life early,  or deny their leader skill by not letting them defend.
• Play 2+ Cost units early, and wait until shambles turn to play 1 Drops: Playing 1 drops on curve allows the opponent to conveniently play Kyros
• It's better to swing 7K with a few units, than 5K with a bunch of units. It's not worth attacking 5K with units because we give the opponent a free attack target for no reason.
• 2 Cost Sanji:wq Collect up to 3 life with Sanji's ability(I generally only collect 2). Rebecca does not attack life early, so it's nice to be able to maintain advantage. If Sanji sticks on the board, it can also attack Rebecca for 7K!
• Play two 1 Cost Blockers on our shambles turn, so we can defend against a 1-2 attacks from Luffy for free

Early Game

• Only play 2 drops, and hold on to 1 Drops, until you're ready to shambles
• Return searchers to hand, as they will help us maintain hand advantage the whole game
• 2 Cost Brook allows us to swing for 7K+ while producing a body
• 2 Cost Sanji allows us to collect so we can maintain card advantage. Sanji can also attack for 7K!
• Don't attack the opponent's leader with ours, unless the attack is 7K+. This will deny them the ability to conveniently search for 7Luffy & Orlombus.

Late Game

• Swing 7K+, rather than a bunch of 5Ks
• Save Luffy to close out the game! Being able to swing unblockable is very strong.

Swinging 7K units is very different from swinging a bunch of 5Ks.  7K+ is effective against Rebecca, and it gives the opponent fewer units to attack into. It's important to remember that Luffy is the only card that can attack active characters(aside from the use of Gyats).

VS Gurple Doflamingo

First : 50/50 ~ Slightly Advantageous | Second: Advantageous

I would 100% choose to go second, Gurple Doflamingo has one of the strongest going second curves.

Mulligan: Blocker Law + Searchers, Hawkins, Vista

Advantageous Cards: Vista, Hawkins, Rush Luffy, Robin, *Jet Pistol

General Gameplan:

• Avoid playing searchers Turn 1, to not get punished by Sugar, or to see if they play Film Chopper.
• Reduce life quickly, so Hawkins & Luffy value increases: When the opponent has less life to absorb attacks from Luffy/Hawkins, it requires a lot more defense from Doflamingo
• Make sure to play around Uta. Attack for 9K+ so it's hard for them to block with Uta, but also keep Uta on the board!
• Otama is strong to reduce the power of the Film Luffy Blocker, or to prevent Uta from being protected.
• If the opponent is already at 1 life, a strong way to play around 10 Cost Doflamingo, while still producing pressure: Is to combine Restand Law with Hawkins/Luffy, a nd leave most of our other attackers standing.
• Beware of Spider Web restanding units, Gibson resting Zoros, etc.

The biggest thing in this matchup is to not lose our advantage engine early to Sugar/Choppers, and it's important to prioritize offense over defense in the mid-game, so we can increase the threat of Hawkins/Luffy!

VS Blue/Yellow Queen

First: Slightly Advantageous | Second: Advantageous

I would choose to go second. Queen isn't particularly strong going first, and Law is strong going second.

This matchup has always felt easy to me. Thanks to 2 Cost Sanji, it feels impossible to lose.

Mulligan: Blocker Law + Searchers, 2 Cost Sanji, Rush Units

Advantageous Cards: 2 Cost Sanji, Rush Units, Restand Law

General Gameplan:

• Start attacking after the shambles turn. Queen refuses to attack life, but if we take the game too slow we will lose
• 2 Cost Sanji is ridiculous, use it's effect immediately, and continue to abuse it

2 Cost Sanji makes this matchup impossible to lose. I would change my description to "First: Impossible to Lose, Second: Impossible to Lose," if Sanji is included in the decklist.

VS Blue Crocodile

First: Slightly Advantageous | Second: Advantageous

I would choose to go second. Croc is strong at going first, but I would prefer to avoid 10 Cost Kaido + Leader skill on curve.

Mulligan: Blocker Law + Searchers, Rush Units

Advantageous Cards: Rush Units, Restand Law

General Gameplan:

• Be Aggressive - Literally just focus on attacking the opponent every turn. Croc can't kill us in the early stages, we can confidently dedicate all our don into attacking! Rush units are key in this matchup, cards like Hawkins are too slow to play.

Just bum rush the opponent, and you win tbh.

VS Black Lucci

First: Advantageous | Second: Advantageous

I would choose to go second. Black is stronger when going second, and Law is strong while going first.

Unlike Rebecca, Black Lucci does not have the stability nor the card advantage to destroy our board for the whole game!

Mulligan: Blocker Law + Searchers

Advantageous Cards: Rush Luffy, Film Brook, Hawkins

General Gameplan:

• Searchers are most important in this matchup. As long as we have an advantage engine, it's hard to lose
• Use Otama to take rested Borsalino/Sabo, and other black attackers!
• Be cautious of when the opponent has lethal: Lucci get's a free restand, so you generally need more than 1 blocker, or you need to be able to counter out of the other attacker (that isn't Lucci)
• It's common for me to defeat the opponent's character, so they have signifciantly less defense

VS Red/Green Law (Mirror Match)

Choose to go second

Advantageous Cards: Robin, Vista, Hawkins

I can't provide much description to the mirror match, the person who draws better generally wins. I will try to write some common things I notice though:

• The person going first should attack with Leader every turn
• The person going second can potentially avoid attacking on their turn 2, if it looks like the opponent has a slow start. This gives the player going second significantly more stability, since they have extra draws from life/deck (This is still being tested, and it may be better to just always attack?)
• Robin is really strong, because it can be played on curve going first
• Vista is strong because it can pop one drops, and Otama + Vista can destroy the opposing Robin
• Rush Luffy is very strong for sneakily closing out games
• Hawkins slows down the aggression of the opponent
• 2 Life is a sweet spot, going down to 1 life is fine, but beware of Luffy being used 2 turns in a row...

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Thank you for reading this article! If this master guide was helpful, please drop a like, I will deeply appreciate it.

Stay tuned for the guides for other decks!

I almost called it quits yesterday, this whole article really almost didn't exist lmfao.