In 60 Seconds
- The plan
- a 2-cost Straw Hat, then a 12-maker (Jaguar D. Saul on your 4-5 DON!! turn): every 2 becomes a 5000, a 6000 with 1 DON!! on Sabo. Swing wide at their Leader every turn and make them find +3000. The 8-cost Luffy closes with Rush, usually on your 5th to 7th turn.
- The list
- 4 each of Usopp, Sanji, Nico Robin, Zoro, Saul, Ripley, Yamato and Luffy; 3 each of Loki, Pirate Docking 6 and Brook; 2 each of Tony Tony Chopper, Nami, I'm Luffy! and Jinbe; 1 Bad Manners Kick Course. It's in The Deck.
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- Keep or redraw
- keep any Usopp hand. Without Usopp, Saul needs one draw card (Sanji or Nami) and Ripley needs two. Send anything else back.
- The matchups that matter
- Xebec: 40% for our Pro AI, 39% for players; go 2nd and survive their Xebec turn.
- Buggy: 79% for our Pro AI but 53% for players; go 2nd.
- Trafalgar Law: go 1st (players won 63% going 1st, 31% going 2nd).
- Top 3 mistakes
- Ripley instead of Saul on your 4 DON!! turn.
- Skipping Loki on your 7 DON!! turn going 1st.
- Playing Zoro or Nami to the board: they're your counters.
Sabo in one line: in our Pro AI's games, Sabo wins 66% against the EB05 field (3,300 games), the second best record in the format behind Xebec. Players win 54% (1,591 EB05 games).
What Is Sabo?
In short
- Cheap 2-cost Straw Hats, then one 12-maker (Saul, Ripley or Loki): every 2 becomes a 5000, a 6000 with 1 DON!! on Sabo.
- Fast: our Pro AI's kills land on its 5th to 7th turn in 5 games out of 6.
- Weak spots: long games, and Xebec, Kaido and purple Enel.
- 12-makers are the Characters that count as cost 12 or more on the field: Jaguar D. Saul (cost 16), Ripley (cost 16) and Loki (cost 18). You run 11.
- The 2s are the 2-cost Elbaph Straw Hats (Usopp, Sanji, Nico Robin, Zoro) that gain +3000 while a 12-maker is out. Jinbe gets +3000 and [Blocker].
- The switch is Sabo's ability: with 1 DON!! on Sabo and a cost 8+ Character on your side, your Leader and every Character get +1000. Every 12-maker turns it on, and so do Pirate Docking 6 and the 8-cost Luffy.
- One 12-maker plus 1 DON!! on Sabo makes each 2 a 6000. That single turn is the whole deck.
The Deck
In short
- The most played EB05 Sabo list. The core: the four 2s, Saul, Ripley, Loki, Luffy and Pirate Docking 6.
- Saul is the main 12-maker; Ripley is mostly a 2000 counter.
- Brook is never played: he's a 2000 counter.
The list
| Card | Copies | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| Usopp (OP17-080) | 4 | The best opener: look at 3, take an Elbaph card |
| Sanji (OP17-082) | 4 | Draw 2, trash 2 |
| Nico Robin (OP17-087) | 4 | -3000 on one of theirs, with a 12-maker out |
| Roronoa Zoro (OP17-095) | 4 | A 2000 counter first |
| Jinbe (OP17-083) | 2 | A 5000 Blocker with a 12-maker out |
| Nami (OP17-086) | 2 | Trash an Elbaph card: draw 2 |
| Tony Tony Chopper (OP17-084) | 2 | 2000 counter; with a 12-maker out, makes an attacker Unblockable |
| Brook (ST01-011) | 3 | A 2000 counter, never played |
| Jaguar D. Saul (OP17-089) | 4 | The main 12-maker, a 6000 that digs |
| Ripley (EB05-047) | 4 | 12-maker, but mostly a 2000 counter |
| Loki (OP17-119) | 3 | 12-maker; K.O. their Characters with total cost 4 or less |
| Pirate Docking 6 (OP15-088) | 3 | A 7000 that turns on the switch and replays a 2 |
| Yamato (EB05-046) | 4 | A Blocker (+3000) against an 8000+; late, makes Sabo a 7000 on their turn |
| Monkey D. Luffy (OP17-093) | 4 | The closer: Rush with a 12-maker out |
| I'm Luffy! (OP17-096) | 2 | +4000 counter with a 12-maker out |
| Bad Manners Kick Course (OP04-016) | 1 | +3000 counter |
- Core: the four 2s, Saul, Ripley, Loki, Luffy and Pirate Docking 6. Flex: Brook, Chopper, Jinbe, Yamato and the two Events (other Sabo lists swap these).
- We tested about 20 one-card swaps: keep the list as is.
Mulligans
In short
- Keep every Usopp hand: our Pro AI kept all 601 it saw.
- No Usopp: Saul needs one draw card (Sanji or Nami), Ripley needs two. Anything else goes back.
- It matters less than for most decks: Sabo digs a lot.
USOPP = KEEP. SAUL NEEDS ONE DRAW CARD. RIPLEY NEEDS TWO. ANYTHING ELSE: MULLIGAN.
| The hand (no Usopp) | Our Pro AI keeps |
|---|---|
| Saul + Sanji or Nami | 89% |
| Saul, no Sanji or Nami | 29% |
| Ripley + two draw cards | 83% |
| Ripley + one draw card or none | 9% |
| No Saul or Ripley | 16% |
- Counters don't make a hand. Brook, Chopper and the Events don't put a 2 on the board on turns 1-2: hands with two or more of them and no Usopp were kept 5% of the time.
- Keep: Saul, Sanji, Saul, Yamato, Nico Robin. Sanji on 3 DON!!, Saul on 5.
- Mulligan: Loki, Nico Robin, Ripley, Yamato, Sanji. Ripley with only one draw card, and Loki is three turns away.
Turn Order: Go 2nd
In short
- Go 2nd: our Pro AI wins 70% going 2nd and 63% going 1st.
- Going 2nd, Saul lands on your 2nd turn (4 DON!!), a full turn earlier.
- Go 1st against Trafalgar Law, Rosinante and purple Enel (the table).
GO 2ND. Our Pro AI wins 70% of its Sabo games going 2nd and 63% going 1st (3,300 games).
- Why: going 2nd, your 2nd turn has 4 DON!!: Saul comes down, so the 2 from your 1st turn is a 5000 before their 3rd turn. Going 1st, the same play waits for your 3rd turn.
- The cost: all 4 DON!! go into Saul, so Sabo has no DON!! that turn. That's fine: the board is what this turn is for.
The Game Plan by DON!!
In short
- Going 1st, one card + 1 DON!! on Sabo every turn: a 2 on 3, Saul on 5, Loki on 7, Luffy on 9.
- Going 2nd: a 2 on 2, Saul on 4, then Saul, Loki or Pirate Docking 6 on 6.
- Saul on 4, not Ripley: Saul won the close call 51 times in 58.
| DON!! | Going 1st | Going 2nd |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Usually nothing; Nami if you have an Elbaph card to trash | A 2: Usopp first, Sanji next |
| 3-4 | A 2 + 1 DON!! on Sabo, and swing | Saul (all 4 DON!!, none for Sabo) |
| 5-6 | Saul or Pirate Docking 6 | A 2nd Saul, Loki or Pirate Docking 6 |
| 7-8 | Loki + 1 DON!! on Sabo (89% of games) | Loki, Luffy or Saul |
| 9-10 | Luffy: draws, replays a 2, attacks the turn it lands | Luffy, or Yamato and another body |
- Saul on 4, not Ripley. Saul is a 6000 that digs; Ripley is a 4000 that's better as a 2000 counter.
- Docking over Loki on 6, unless your Saul is gone. Docking's replayed 2 is only big while a 12-maker is out.
- DON!! moves to Sabo for the kill. About 1 on him through your 5th turn, 1.5-2.5 on your 6th.
Fundamentals: Attacking, Countering, Closing
In short
- Hit the Leader: our Pro AI attacks it 11.6 times a game, Characters 2.0.
- Make them find +3000: +2000 asks hit 47% of the time, +3000 asks 77%.
- Counter for your Characters at 4-5 Life, for Sabo from 3 Life down.
HIT THE LEADER. MAKE THEM FIND +3000.
- Leader first: a Character you K.O. gets replaced; a Life card doesn't come back. The exception is a Character that wins the game for them or blocks your kill: use Loki's K.O. and Robin's -3000 on those.
- +3000 takes two cards (or a 2000 plus a 1000). A spare DON!! does the most on a 2: it turns a +2000 ask into +3000.
| Your Life | Our Pro AI counters for Sabo | For your Characters |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 8% | 46% |
| 4 | 21% | 52% |
| 3 | 51% | 39% |
| 2 | 58% | 42% |
- Early, save the board; late, save the Life. At 4-5 Life Sabo is a 4000 and the Life cards refill your hand.
- Counter with Zoro, Ripley, Brook, Sanji and Yamato. Keep Saul, Loki, Pirate Docking 6 and Luffy for the board.
- The kill: your 5th to 7th turn, about 4 attacks, about 9 DON!!. Sabo goes last with the most DON!!; Luffy, Loki or Saul go first to draw out the counters. Chopper's Unblockable beats a last Blocker.
Matchups
In short
- Among the main decks, our Pro AI's best: Robin 84%, Buggy 79%, Rosinante 71%, Luffy & Ace 70%. Players do far worse against Buggy, Robin, Shirahoshi and Sugar.
- The problem decks: Xebec (40%), Kaido (43%) and purple Enel (36%).
- Against Xebec, survive their Xebec turn; against purple Enel, go 1st and counter early; against Kaido, race.
Xebec39%40%
BuggyPlayers do much worse than our AI53%79%
Nico Robin (EB05)Players do much worse than our AI61%84%
Trafalgar Law41%52%
ShirahoshiPlayers do much worse than our AI48%68%
Luffy & Ace70%70%
Rosinante67%71%
Luffy (ST10)42%51%
Kaido48%43%
SugarPlayers do much worse than our AI52%69%
Luffy (OP13)45%52%
Enel (OP05)too few games–65%
Enel (OP15)38%36%
Sabo'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, Sabo 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 | 39% (112) | 38% / 37% | 40% | 27% / 53% | 2nd |
| Buggy | 53% (200) | 54% / 50% | 79% | 77% / 82% | 2nd |
| Nico Robin (EB05) | 61% (114) | 72% / 55% | 84% | 82% / 85% | Either |
| Trafalgar Law | 41% (113) | 63% / 31% | 52% | 56% / 49% | 1st |
| Shirahoshi | 48% (86) | 52% / 43% | 68% | 63% / 73% | 2nd |
| Luffy & Ace | 70% (33) | 62% / 87% | 70% | 62% / 77% | 2nd |
| Rosinante | 67% (46) | - | 71% | 74% / 68% | 1st |
| Luffy (ST10) | 42% (74) | 28% / 52% | 51% | 50% / 52% | lean 2nd |
| Kaido | 48% (71) | 62% / 38% | 43% | 40% / 46% | Either |
| Sugar | 52% (69) | 34% / 66% | 69% | 56% / 82% | 2nd |
| Luffy (OP13) | 45% (47) | 58% / 33% | 52% | 52% / 52% | lean 1st |
| Enel (OP05) | - | - | 65% | 46% / 84% | 2nd |
| Enel (OP15) | 38% (42) | 33% / 40% | 36% | 46% / 26% | 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: 300 games per matchup for the seven most played decks, 100 for the rest. Bold marks where the two are 15 or more points apart.
Xebec (OP17-039)
- Go 2nd, and survive their Xebec turn (10 DON!!, their 5th-6th turn). Build the board early and keep counters for it: in our detailed games Pro spent about 1.5 counters that turn.
- Robin's -3000 goes on Shiki, then attack it; Loki's K.O. takes Streusen or Stussy. Hit Newgate too: it gives their Leader +3000.
- Push Life early: Xebec takes hits to keep its hand, so 71% of Pro's attacks on its Leader land.
Buggy (OP09-042)
- Plan for a close game: 79% in our Pro AI's games, but players win 53%.
- Keep two 12-makers out once Alvida can come down: its attack negates one of your Characters' effects, and on your only 12-maker it shrinks every 2.
- Ask for +3000: only 55% of Pro's attacks on their Leader land.
Nico Robin (EB05-010)
Practice vs Nico Robin · Hard AI
- Hit the Leader: K.O.ing their Wisdom Characters can give them a Life card.
- Count Gloriosa as one more Life: she can take a hit for the Leader.
- Players win 61% here, far below our Pro AI's 84%: a good matchup, not a free one.
Trafalgar Law (OP14-001)
Practice vs Trafalgar Law · Hard AI
- Go 1st: players won 63% going 1st and 31% going 2nd; our Pro AI agrees (56% vs 49%).
- A race: have your board up before their 4th-5th turn (Bonney, Newgate, the 9-cost Law).
- Urouge with 5000+ power K.O.s one of your 2s when it swings: Loki's K.O. reaches it (it costs 3), or Robin's -3000 first.
Shirahoshi (OP11-022)
Practice vs Shirahoshi · Hard AI
- Protect your Characters: at 5 Life Pro counters 58% of the attacks on them.
- Keep their Neptunian count under 3: with 3 or more out, Bird Neptunian rests one of your 2s when it attacks.
- Players win 48% here, far below our Pro AI's 68%.
Luffy & Ace (ST30-001)
Practice vs Luffy & Ace · Hard AI
- Go face and kill first: in our detailed games 8 of Pro's 10 kills came on its 5th turn.
- Don't attack their Luffys: on your turn they're +3000. Loki and Robin's -3000 are the way.
- Take early hits, counter from 3 Life.
Rosinante (OP12-061)
Practice vs Rosinante · Hard AI
- Push early: Sabo won all 13 games that ended by turn 10, and 38% of those that reached turn 17.
- A K.O. on a Law is a hit on their Life: their Leader takes a Life card into hand instead.
- Ask for +3000 or more: they spend a full card per attack on their Leader.
Luffy (ST10-002)
- A race, now even (51%); lean 2nd (players won 52% going 2nd, 28% going 1st). Their big Luffys and Zoros ask for +4000 or more on most attacks.
- Count their DON!!: at 10, the 10-cost Luffy takes an extra turn.
- When it's close, counter: Brook won every counter-or-take close call here.
Kaido (OP17-058)
- Race: Sabo won 21 of the 22 games that ended by turn 12, and only 17-25% of those that went past turn 14.
- Only hit the Leader. Their Leader's -2000 shrinks your 2s on both turns; their Queen stops two cost-5-or-less attackers, so your 12-makers carry that turn.
- Either turn order: our Pro AI leans 2nd (46% vs 40%), players 1st (62% vs 38%).
Enel (OP05-098)
Practice vs Enel (OP05) · Hard AI
- Go 2nd, by a lot (84% vs 46%), and race.
- Plan one more hit than their Life: their Leader puts a card back on their Life the first time they hit 0 on your turn.
Enel (OP15-058)
Practice vs Enel (OP15) · Hard AI
- Go 1st (46% vs 26%) and counter early, even at 5 Life: Holly gives itself and every Ohm Double Attack, so each hit takes 2 Life.
- Survive first, win second: their counters are thin, so when you go face it lands.
- Players win 38% here too: a problem matchup either way.
The Mistakes That Cost Games
In short
- Ripley instead of Saul on the 4 DON!! turn.
- Skipping Loki on the 7 DON!! turn going 1st.
- Playing Zoro and Nami to the board.
From close to 500 strong players' Sabo games (2,000+ bounty), next to our Pro AI's:
| The spot | Strong players | Our Pro AI |
|---|---|---|
| 4 DON!! going 2nd: Ripley | 28% | 3% |
| 7 DON!! going 1st: Loki | 54% | 89% |
| Zoro played to the board (% of games) | 27% | 16% |
| DON!! on Sabo, 6th turn going 2nd | 1.8 | 2.5 |
- Saul over Ripley: Saul won the close call 51 times in 58.
- Loki on 7: it K.O.s their small board, turns the switch on, and is a 12000 on their turn.
- Zoro and Nami stay in hand: Zoro is your most used counter.
Cheat Sheet
Before the game
- Go 2nd (70% vs 63%). Go 1st against Law, Rosinante and purple Enel.
- Mulligan: keep any Usopp hand. Without Usopp: Saul + one draw card, or Ripley + two. Else send it back.
The curve (one card + 1 DON!! on Sabo)
- Going 1st: nothing on 1, a 2 on 3, Saul on 5, Loki on 7, Luffy on 9.
- Going 2nd: a 2 on 2, Saul on 4, Saul, Loki or Pirate Docking 6 on 6, Loki or Luffy on 8.
- Never play Brook. Zoro and Ripley are counters first.
Attacking and defending
- Hit the Leader; make them find +3000. Spare DON!! goes on a 2.
- 4-5 Life: take hits on Sabo, counter for your Characters. 3 Life and below: counter for Sabo.
Practice It
Play Sabo against our AI, free in your browser at optcgwebsim.com, no download and no account.
Our other EB05 guides: Xebec, Buggy, Nico Robin, Trafalgar Law, Kaido, purple Enel, Luffy ST10, yellow Enel, Luffy & Ace, red-green Luffy, Shirahoshi, Rosinante, Moria, Sugar and Boa Hancock.
Win rates and turn order: our Pro AI's EB05 games, Pro on both sides (updated 10-25). Plays, counters and close calls: 141 detailed Pro games. Players: EB05 ladder games (updated 10-26), farmed games removed.