In 60 Seconds
- The plan
- let early hits through: Ran, Gorgon Sisters, Shakuyaku and Boa Marigold play themselves from your Life, and on their turn every Character you play draws you a card. Charlotte Pudding on your 2nd turn, Zoro and Ran next (Ran's DON!! on your Leader), the 9-cost Hancock from your 5th turn, and Borsalino once you're at 2 Life. Your Leader swings every turn.
- The list
- 4 each of Charlotte Pudding, Ran, Roronoa Zoro, Borsalino, Boa Marigold, Gorgon Sisters, Shakuyaku, the 8-cost Moria and the 9-cost Hancock, plus Kouzuki Hiyori, Nami, Marshall D. Teach and a few one-ofs. It's in The Deck.
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- Keep or redraw
- keep Charlotte Pudding or a 4-cost (Ran, Zoro). Going 1st, Gorgon Sisters in the hand leans mulligan. No early play: send it back.
- The matchups that matter
- Buggy: players won 33%, your worst; lean 1st.
- Trafalgar Law: 70%, your best; lean 1st.
- Sabo: 39%; go 1st (45% going 1st, 33% going 2nd).
- Top 3 mistakes
- Going 2nd against Buggy.
- Keeping Gorgon Sisters hands going 1st.
- Sending back hands with You're the one who should disappear!.
Hancock in one line: players win 50% of their EB05 games with Hancock (554), and the deck turns your Life into a second hand: its Trigger Characters play themselves from your Life when a hit takes them, and on their turn every Character you play draws you a card. Our Pro AI plays Hancock far worse than people (34% over 1,900 games), so this guide leads with players' numbers.
What Is Hancock?
In short
- Your Life is a second hand: Ran, Gorgon Sisters, Shakuyaku and Boa Marigold play themselves from it, and your Leader draws a card for each Character you play on their turn.
- Players win 50% with Hancock (554 games): 48% going 1st, 51% going 2nd.
- Weak spots: Buggy (33%), big cards that are clunky in hand, and few Blockers.
- The Life take: when they K.O. one of your Kuja or Amazon Lily 5000s and your Leader has a DON!!, the top card of their Life goes to their hand. Once a turn.
- Life comes back: Zoro trashes a card for a Life card, the 9-cost Hancock adds one and takes one of theirs, and Borsalino adds one at 2 Life or less.
- Clunky in hand: Gorgon Sisters (a 6-cost 5000) and the 8-cost Moria do their work from your Life. Strong players played the Moria from their hand 0.01 times a game.
The Deck
In short
- The core: the 9-cost Hancock, Gorgon Sisters, Shakuyaku, Borsalino, Boa Marigold, Ran, Charlotte Pudding and Roronoa Zoro.
- The 8-cost Moria is a Trigger card here: it plays Zoro back from your trash.
- Your counters: Shakuyaku, Gorgon Sisters and Kouzuki Hiyori (2000s), and You're the one who should disappear! (+3000 for no DON!!).
The list
The most played EB05 Hancock list once one account's 15 conceded wins are left out (16 games, 3 players, 9 won).
| Card | Copies | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| You're the one who should disappear! (OP06-115) | 1 | Trash a card: +3000 counter; Trigger at 0 Life: a Life card back |
| You'll Frighten Me... (OP14-118) | 1 | At 2 Life or less, one of their active Characters can't attack; Trigger: play a Trigger Character from your hand |
| Perfume Femur (OP07-057) | 1 | +2000 for your Leader, and they can't block its attack |
| Kouzuki Hiyori (OP06-106) | 3 | A 2000 counter; swap a Life card for a card from your hand |
| Charlotte Pudding (OP17-109) | 4 | Trash a card with a Trigger: draw 3 |
| Boa Hancock (EB05-028) | 2 | 5000; they trash 4 if they hold 9 or more |
| Boa Hancock (ST17-004) | 1 | 6000 Blocker; look at 3, a rested DON!! |
| Ran (OP14-114) | 4 | 5000; once a turn, a rested DON!! to your Leader; Trigger: play it |
| Roronoa Zoro (OP15-113) | 4 | 6000; trash a card: +1 Life |
| Gloriosa (EB05-052) | 1 | 6000; trash it instead of taking damage; Trigger: draw 2, trash 1 |
| Borsalino (EB04-058) | 4 | 6000 Blocker; +1 Life at 2 Life or less |
| Nami (OP11-054) | 2 | 6000 Blocker; draw 3, put 2 back |
| Boa Marigold (OP16-113) | 4 | 5000; a Blocker at 2 Life or less; Trigger: play it |
| Gorgon Sisters (OP14-105) | 4 | A 2000 counter; reveal 3 Kuja or Amazon Lily cards: a rested DON!! on your Leader and every Character; Trigger: play it |
| Shakuyaku (OP14-107) | 4 | A 2000 counter; at their 3 Life or less, draw 2, trash 2; Trigger: play it |
| Gecko Moria (OP14-104), the 8-cost | 4 | Trigger: play a 4-cost-or-less from your trash (usually Zoro) |
| Marshall D. Teach (OP16-119) | 2 | 10000; one of your top 3 onto your Life; Trigger: K.O. a 5-cost-or-less |
| Boa Hancock (OP14-112), the 9-cost | 4 | 10000; +1 Life, then their top Life card to their hand |
- The list most players ran (8 players, 10 games) runs 4 Gloriosa (Grandma Nyon), which plays itself from your Life too, and 2 Bartholomew Kuma.
Mulligans
In short
- Keep Charlotte Pudding or a 4-cost (Ran, Zoro): without Gorgon Sisters, kept hands won 59%, sent-back ones 43%.
- Going 1st, Gorgon Sisters in the hand leans mulligan: kept early-play hands won 28% with it, 60% without.
- No early play: send it back (players do, 87% of the time).
CHARLOTTE PUDDING OR A 4-COST (RAN, ZORO) = KEEP. GOING 1ST, GORGON SISTERS IN THE HAND LEANS MULLIGAN. NO EARLY PLAY = MULLIGAN.
| The hand | Players keep | Won kept | Won sent back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pudding or a 4-cost, no Gorgon Sisters | 58% | 59% | 43% |
| Pudding or a 4-cost, with Gorgon Sisters | 58% | 44% | 62% |
| Neither Pudding nor a 4-cost | 13% | 6 of 9 | 52% |
- Gorgon Sisters is a going-1st problem: going 2nd it doesn't show (56% with it, 58% without). In your hand it's a 6-cost 5000; in your Life, a hit plays it for free and your Leader draws a card.
- Pudding with a 4-cost is the best start: kept, those hands won 62%.
- A hint for You're the one who should disappear!: kept early-play hands with it won 78%, without it 50%. It's a +3000 for no DON!!.
- These are players' own choices, not the same hands played both ways: read them as what works for players, not proof.
- Keep: Boa Marigold, Ran, Roronoa Zoro, Perfume Femur, Charlotte Pudding. Mulligan: Shakuyaku, Borsalino, Boa Marigold, Boa Marigold, Shakuyaku: nothing to play before your 3rd turn.
Turn Order: By Matchup
In short
- Overall it's close: players win 48% going 1st and 51% going 2nd; our Pro AI 34% and 35%.
- Go 1st against Sabo (45% vs 33%); lean 1st against Buggy, Law and Xebec.
- Lean 2nd against Nico Robin and Sugar. The rest is in the table.
The Game Plan, Turn by Turn
In short
- Charlotte Pudding on your 2nd turn (Zoro too going 2nd), Zoro and Ran on your 3rd.
- The 9-cost Hancock on your 5th or 6th turn; Borsalino once you're at 2 Life.
- The kill comes on your 4th to 7th turn, your Leader last most often.
| Your turn | Going 1st | Going 2nd |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Usually nothing | Kouzuki Hiyori, or nothing |
| 2nd | Charlotte Pudding | Roronoa Zoro or Charlotte Pudding |
| 3rd | Roronoa Zoro or Ran | Roronoa Zoro, Borsalino, Charlotte Pudding |
| 4th | Borsalino, Roronoa Zoro | Borsalino, Charlotte Pudding |
| 5th+ | The 9-cost Hancock, Borsalino | Borsalino, the 9-cost Hancock |
- Ran's DON!! goes on your Leader (204 times in 228), every turn from your 3rd: +1000 for its attack, and it arms the Life take on their turn.
- Borsalino waits for 2 Life or less, where its On Play adds a Life card: strong players played it there 152 times in 153.
- The 9-cost Hancock: take both parts (strong players did in 74 of their 79 Hancocks).
- The kill: of strong players' 62 wins, 45 ended on their 4th to 7th turn; their Leader made the last attack in 23.
Fundamentals: Life, Triggers and DON!!
In short
- Let early hits through: your Trigger Characters come down for free, and each one draws you a card.
- From 2 Life, defend: counter, and block with Borsalino and Boa Marigold.
- On your turn, your Leader swings at their Leader.
EARLY, LET THE HITS THROUGH: YOUR TRIGGERS PAY YOU BACK. FROM 2 LIFE, DEFEND.
| Your Life | Blocked | Countered (unblocked) | Got through |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2% | 17% | 81% |
| 3 | 6% | 21% | 73% |
| 2 | 13% | 43% | 51% |
| 1 | 23% | 36% | 50% |
| 0 | 38% | 79% | 13% |
- Your Life is a second hand: strong players used Gorgon Sisters' DON!! in 61 games and had played it from the hand in only 6 of those: it comes out of your Life.
- The Life take: strong players took it 96 times, every time it could but once. Removal that isn't a K.O. doesn't set it off, and Zoro and Borsalino aren't Kuja.
- Zoro: trash a spare Zoro or the 8-cost Moria for the Life card. The Moria's Trigger plays Zoro back from your trash (64 of its 96 picks).
- Attack: 78% of strong players' attacks went at the opponent's Leader; your Leader swings 4.8 times a game.
Matchups
In short
- Good: Trafalgar Law (70% for players).
- Even: Xebec (50%) and Nico Robin (48%), far better than our Pro AI does.
- Against you: Sabo (39%) and Buggy (33%). Go 1st against Sabo, lean 1st against Buggy.
XebecPlayers do much better than our AI50%14%
Buggy33%30%
SaboPlayers do much better than our AI39%15%
Nico Robin (EB05)Players do much better than our AI48%29%
Trafalgar Law70%58%
Shirahoshitoo few games–41%
Luffy & Acetoo few games–37%
Rosinantetoo few games–23%
Luffy (ST10)too few games–48%
Kaidotoo few games–16%
Sugartoo few games–35%
Luffy (OP13)too few games–20%
Enel (OP15)too few games–52%
Hancock's win % in each matchup: players on the EB05 ranked ladder, and our Pro AI in its own games. The thin line is 50%; past it, Hancock wins more than it loses. Tap a row for the number of games.
| Opponent | Players | Players 1st / 2nd | Our Pro AI | Pro 1st / 2nd | Go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xebec | 50% (32) | 47% / 53% | 14% | 18% / 10% | lean 1st |
| Buggy | 33% (64) | 39% / 30% | 30% | 34% / 26% | lean 1st |
| Sabo | 39% (38) | 45% / 33% | 15% | 16% / 14% | 1st |
| Nico Robin (EB05) | 48% (31) | - | 29% | 18% / 40% | lean 2nd |
| Trafalgar Law | 70% (47) | - | 58% | 62% / 54% | lean 1st |
| Shirahoshi | - | - | 41% | 46% / 36% | lean 1st |
| Luffy & Ace | - | - | 37% | 32% / 42% | lean 2nd |
| Rosinante | - | - | 23% | 28% / 18% | lean 1st |
| Luffy (ST10) | - | - | 48% | 44% / 52% | lean 2nd |
| Kaido | - | - | 16% | 22% / 10% | lean 1st |
| Sugar | - | - | 35% | 20% / 50% | lean 2nd |
| Luffy (OP13) | - | - | 20% | 20% / 20% | Either |
| Enel (OP15) | - | - | 52% | 60% / 44% | lean 1st |
Players: EB05 ladder games, every bounty level, with farmed games removed (the same two accounts playing each other 8+ times, one side winning 85%+); '-' under 30 games, or under 15 a side for the split. Our Pro AI: 100 games per matchup. Bold marks where the two are 15 or more points apart.
Buggy (OP09-042)
- Lean 1st (players 39% going 1st, 30% going 2nd). Hancock players who chose went 2nd 14 times in 25.
- The 10-cost Buggy (OP09-051) and Gravity Blade Raging Tiger bottom-deck your Characters: not K.O.s, so no Life take (strong players took it 0.5 times a game against Buggy, 0.8 elsewhere).
Trafalgar Law (OP14-001)
Practice vs Trafalgar Law · Hard AI
- Your best common matchup: lean 1st (our Pro AI 62% vs 54%).
- It swings 2.1 times a turn at your Leader, but only 54% got through: strong players blocked 19%.
Sabo (OP13-004)
- Go 1st (45% vs 33%). Players win 39% here, far above our Pro AI's 15%.
- Hit the board: strong players aimed only 51% of their attacks at Sabo's Leader. Loki (OP17-119) K.O.s a total cost of 4 or less: K.O.s, so a Ran among them sets off your Life take.
Xebec (OP17-039) and Nico Robin (EB05-010)
Practice vs Xebec and Nico Robin (EB05-010) · Hard AI
- Xebec: lean 1st. Players win 50%, far above our Pro AI's 14%. Gloriosa (OP17-046) bottom-decks a Character that costs 5 or less and Rocks Pirates returns one to your hand: no Life take.
- Nico Robin: lean 2nd. Players win 48%, our Pro AI 29%. Her Leader adds a Life card when one of her Wisdom Characters is K.O.'d.
The rest
- Our Pro AI's hardest: Kaido (16%), red-green Luffy (20%) and Rosinante (23%). It plays Hancock far worse than people, so read those as hard, not hopeless.
The Mistakes That Cost Games
In short
- Going 2nd against Buggy (a lean).
- Keeping Gorgon Sisters hands going 1st (a lean).
- Sending back hands with You're the one who should disappear! (a hint).
| The spot | Players | What wins |
|---|---|---|
| Against Buggy, go 2nd (when choosing) | 14 times in 25 | Lean 1st: 39% vs 30% |
| Going 1st, keep an early-play hand with Gorgon Sisters | Kept 54% of 46 | Lean mulligan: kept hands won 28% with it, 60% without |
| Send back an early-play hand with You're the one who should disappear! | Sent back 45% of 33 | Keep it: kept, those won 78% (a hint) |
Cheat Sheet
- The engine: on their turn, every Character you play draws you a card, and Ran, Gorgon Sisters, Shakuyaku and Boa Marigold play themselves from your Life. Early, let the hits through.
- Mulligan: keep Charlotte Pudding or a 4-cost (Ran, Zoro). Going 1st, Gorgon Sisters in the hand leans mulligan.
- Turn order: go 1st against Sabo; lean 1st against Buggy, Law and Xebec; lean 2nd against Nico Robin and Sugar.
- The curve: Charlotte Pudding on your 2nd turn, Zoro and Ran on your 3rd (Ran's DON!! on your Leader), the 9-cost Hancock on your 5th or 6th, Borsalino once you're at 2 Life.
- Defense: at 3-4 Life take the hits; from 2 Life, counter and block. Attack: your Leader every turn, at their Leader.
Practice It
Play Hancock against our AI, free in your browser at optcgwebsim.com, no download and no account.
Our other EB05 guides: Xebec, Sabo, Buggy, Nico Robin, Trafalgar Law, Kaido, purple Enel, Luffy ST10, yellow Enel, Luffy & Ace, red-green Luffy, Shirahoshi, Rosinante, Moria and Sugar.
Players: EB05 ladder games (updated 10-26), farmed games removed; mulligans from players' 333 hands with a known result; plays, blocks, counters and kill turns from strong players' 127 games with every decision. Our Pro AI: its EB05 games (updated 10-25).