ST-08 Monkey D. Luffy

Overview

ST-08 is a black Luffy deck built around removal. The Leader, Monkey.D.Luffy (ST08-001), has 5000 power and 5 Life, and on your turn, whenever a Character is K.O.'d, you can give up to 1 rested DON!! card to the Leader. Every K.O. you make before the Leader attacks makes that attack stronger.

The deck's 15 different cards are the Leader, 12 Characters and 2 Events. Unlike most starters, the Characters come from all over the story (Uta, Koby, Shirahoshi, Shanks, Nefeltari Vivi) rather than one crew, because the Leader cares only about K.O.s. All of them are block 1 cards that left Standard on April 1, 2026, so the deck is now for casual play and Bandai's Extra Regulation, where every card is legal except the ban list.

It suits a newer player who wants a straightforward plan with some interaction. If you want to stay with a black Luffy Leader in Standard, the upgrade section covers ST14-001 Monkey.D.Luffy and the Straw Hat Crew cards that support it.

Monkey.D.Luffy

ST08-001

ST08-001, 5000 power, 5 Life: gains a rested DON!! when a Character is K.O.'d on your turn

Every card in ST-08, including the Monkey.D.Luffy Leader (ST08-001), is a block 1 card and has been out of Standard since April 1, 2026.

Ratings

These are TurnZero HQ's own read of the cards, not tournament results or an official Bandai rating. How we rate starter decks →

How it plays

The deck wins by clearing your opponent's board and swinging with a Leader that has picked up extra DON!! along the way. Most of the removal comes in two steps: lower a Character's cost, then K.O. it.

Early on, Higuma gives −2 cost on play, Uta can rest each turn for −2 cost, and Gum-Gum Pistol K.O.s a Character with a cost of 2 or less. Koby can rest to K.O. a Character with a cost of 2 or less every turn, and Makino draws a card if any Character has a cost of 0.

Later, Shirahoshi is a Blocker that gives −4 cost on play, and Gum-Gum Bell takes a Life card to give −7 cost, which sets up Koby, Gum-Gum Pistol or Mr.2.Bon.Kurei(Bentham). Shanks costs 9 and can trash a card to K.O. every Character with a cost of 1 or less, including yours, so lower your opponent's costs first and check your own board before you play him.

Tips for your first games

• Make your K.O.s before the Leader attacks, so the DON!! it gains adds to that attack.
• The Leader's effect gives a rested DON!!, so it needs rested DON!! in your cost area; spend DON!! on Characters first, then K.O.
• Play Higuma or Shirahoshi before Makino, since Makino only draws if a Character already has a cost of 0.
• Uta cannot be K.O.'d in battle by Leaders, so your opponent has to use a Character or an effect to remove her.

Key cards in the box

Koby

ST08-004

Rests each turn to K.O. a Character with a cost of 2 or less

Uta

ST08-002

Repeatable −2 cost, and Leaders cannot K.O. her in battle

Shirahoshi

ST08-006

Blocker that gives −4 cost on play

Gum-Gum Bell

ST08-014

Takes a Life card to give −7 cost; returns a 2 cost Character as a Trigger

Shanks

ST08-005

9 cost: trash a card to K.O. all Characters with a cost of 1 or less

Upgrade guide

Every upgrade below is legal in Standard and shares a color with the Leader. Prices are each card's base printing on TCGplayer on October 10, 2026; open a card for today's price.

Budget black removal for the ST08-001 Leader

The Leader rewards every K.O. on your turn, so the simplest upgrade is more cheap removal in place of the vanilla Characters. EB01-049 T-Bone and Blue Hole each K.O. a Character with a cost of 2 or less, and EB01-046 Brook gives −1 cost and then K.O.s a cost 0 Character, on play and again when attacking. Three-Pace Hum Soul Notch Slash and Haute Couture Patch Work lower costs by 4 and 3, which pairs with Koby. Dracule Mihawk draws 2, trashes 2 and gives −4 cost. All six are budget, and Blue Hole trashes 3 cards from your deck, which costs you little in this deck.

T-Bone

EB01-049

K.O.s a Character with a cost of 2 or less, with a 2000 counter

Blue Hole

OP11-098

Trash 3 from your deck to K.O. a Character with a cost of 2 or less

Brook

EB01-046

−1 cost, then K.O. a cost 0 Character, on play and when attacking

Three-Pace Hum Soul Notch Slash

EB02-051

Choose: K.O. a cost 2 or less Character, or give −4 cost

Haute Couture Patch Work

OP05-094

−3 cost, and a cost 0 Character stays rested next Refresh Phase

Dracule Mihawk

OP16-089

Draw 2, trash 2, then give −4 cost

Straw Hat Crew cost-up cards for ST14-001 Monkey.D.Luffy

If you want a black Luffy Leader for Standard, ST14-001 Monkey.D.Luffy gives your Characters +1 cost with a DON!! attached and gains power when you have a Character with a cost of 8 or more. These Straw Hat Crew cards from the same starter mostly check for a high-cost Character, and all are budget except Sanji. ST14-002 Usopp K.O.s a Character with a cost of 4 or less when attacking, ST14-007 Nico Robin gives −5 cost, ST14-003 Sanji K.O.s a cost 5 or less Character, and I Have My Crew!! draws a card and gives +3 cost. ST14-012 Monkey.D.Luffy is a 10000 power 8 cost body that turns on the rest. These cards do little under the ST08-001 Leader, which does not raise costs.

Usopp

ST14-002

When attacking with a cost 8+ Character out, K.O. a cost 4 or less Character

Nico Robin

ST14-007

Gives −5 cost on play and when attacking if you have a cost 8+ Character

Sanji

ST14-003

K.O.s a cost 5 or less Character if you have a cost 6+ Character

I Have My Crew!!

ST14-016

Draws 1 and gives +3 cost; K.O.s a cost 3 or less Character as a Trigger

Monkey.D.Luffy

ST14-012

8 cost, 10000 power; gains Rush with a cost 10+ Character

What to cut first

Bandai's list doesn't say how many copies of each card the deck has, so cut by card: take out every copy of these before anything else, and keep the deck at exactly 50.

Gaimon

ST08-003

A 2 cost 4000 power Character with no effect

Monkey.D.Luffy

ST08-011

A 3 cost 5000 power Character with no effect

Laboon

ST08-012

A 4 cost 6000 power Character with no effect

Monkey.D.Garp

ST08-010

A 5 cost 7000 power Character with no effect

Every card in ST-08

Bandai's card list for ST-08 has 15 different cards. 15 of them carry a block 1 icon or are banned, so they can't be played in Standard; they are still legal in Extra Regulation unless banned. Legality follows Bandai's block icons and its banned list effective October 12, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions