Despite debuting more than a quarter of a century ago – as a serialised manga, in the pages of Shonen Jump – One Piece has arguably never been more popular.
That’s thanks partly to the live action Netflix series, which brought legions of new fans to the saga – but One Piece has also expanded its reach thanks to the excellent One Piece Card Game, which hit tabletops for the first time in 2022.
Despite being such a new addition to the ever expanding pantheon of Collectable Card Games and Trading Card Games (CCGs and TCGs, terms which are pretty interchangeable!), One Piece has quietly amassed a dedicated audience of players, collectors and fans.
Its fifth set, Awakening of the New Era, is now available – and many of its cards have quickly become very sought after, with their value increasing impressively fast in a very short space of time.
Which are the most expensive though?
1. Monkey D. Luffy, Manga Alternate Art – Secret Rare, OP-05 119 ($1,700)
It’s almost certainly not a surprise to see a card featuring Monkey D. Luffy, the main protagonist of the One Piece series, at the very top of our list.
This alternate art, manga style Secret Rare card is far and away the most highly sought after card in the Awakening of the New Era set.
However, be warned that the non-manga variant of the card looks incredibly similar to this one – though it has a yellow background, rather than the comic panels that feature on this costly version.
If all you’re interested in is the card itself – for use in-game – you’re probably not going to want the manga version, which is currently selling for an average of around $1,700!
In fact, this Character card can be found for around $25 in its cheapest, English-language form for the OP-05 set – and even for other OP-05 variants, you’d be looking at paying somewhere in the region of $60-$70.
You’ll even see another of those variants on this list!
That manga Secret Rare variant though? That’ll definitely cost you!
2. Trafalgar Law, Manga Alternate Art – Super Rare, OP-05 69 ($632)
One of the dozen pirates known as the ‘Worst Generation’, Trafalgar Law briefly allied himself with the Straw Hat Pirates – causing his status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea to be revoked!
This particular variant of the card is another with a manga page background – and is currently selling for around $632 on average.
In game terms, this Trafalgar Law Character card allows its owner – when attacking – to look at the top 5 cards from the top of their deck, then reveal a Heart Pirates type card and add it to their hand.
Though there’s a slight catch to this – it can only be done if their opponent has more DON!! cards on their field than the card’s owner – it’s still a pretty useful ability to have.
As with most other cards on this list, Trafalgar Law’s card is available in several other variants that are much cheaper to get hold of – so if you’re interested more in just adding it to your deck, rather than having the most valuable and highly sought after variant as a collector, it’s still a fairly accessible card, cost-wise.
3. Eustass “Captain” Kid, Manga Alternate Art – Super Rare, OP-05 74 ($570)
Another of the 12 pirates known as the ‘Worst Generation’ – just like Trafalgar Law – Eustass Kid is the Captain of the Kid Pirates.
Kid also has a really striking look, with a metal, mechanical arm – which replaces the arm he lost, in a fierce battle against a Pirate Emperor named Shanks.
It’s yet another example of a manga art variant card being the one to watch out for, value-wise – and currently commands a price of around $570!
In terms of its in-game usefulness, Kid’s card has the Blocker ability, as well as one that can be used once per turn, during your own turn.
This ability allows players to add up to 1 DON!! card from their DON!! Deck, then set it as active, when a DON!! card on their play area is returned to their DON!! Deck.
It’s also another card that you can find for a much more reasonable price – with different variants as low as $10 – if the collectability or alternate art variant isn’t important to you!
4. Nami – Rare, OP-05 16 ($137)
Another hugely popular character in the One Piece saga, Nami features on this beautifully illustrated card.
Nami – the Navigator for the Straw Hat Pirates – first appeared in One Piece’s eighth chapter, meaning she’s been in the story almost since the very beginning!
This character card isn’t just visually spectacular – it’s also pretty useful in-game too.
In contrast to the Luffy card in the top spot – which has a massive cost of 10 – Nami only has a cost of 1, making her pretty easy to get into play.
When you do play her, she allows you to look at the top 5 cards of your deck and immediately take a Straw Hat Crew card into your hand.
Though this particular variant will set you back $137 on average, the same card has been available – with different art, but the same game mechanics – as far back as Romance Dawn, the first One Piece Card Game set.
You can even find it for as low as $1, if it’s just the card and its ability that you’re interested in!
5. Sakazuki, Alternate Art – Leader, OP-05 41 ($130)
This Leader card features Sakazuki, who currently serves as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines – and has also been known by a different alias entirely: Akainu.
Sakazuki has a few useful abilities: firstly, the card allows you to trash one card from your hand during the Main Phase, then draw a new one, once per turn.
Secondly, Sakazuki can also allow you to give one of your opponent’s Characters -1 cost when you use him to attack on your turn.
With only two variants of this card available, there’s a stark contrast between their values.
This alternate art variant will set you back $130 on average, whereas the ‘standard’ art variant can be purchased for pennies!
6. Monkey D. Luffy, Alternate Art – Leader, OP-05 60 ($110)
Not the first or last time that Monkey D. Luffy appears on this list, here we have a Leader card, with alternate art, that currently sells for around $110 on average.
This card’s once per turn ability allows you (during your Main Phase) to add 1 card from the top of your Life cards to your hand – and if you have 0 or 3 or more DON!! cards on your field, you can also add 1 DON!! card from your DON!! Deck, then set it as active.
This alternate art variant of the card has a much closer up portrait of Luffy than the standard version – if that or the card rarity isn’t an issue, note that the other version of the card is extremely cheap, selling for less than $1!
7. Yamato – Secret Rare, OP-05 121 ($78)
Though assigned female at birth, Yamato – the child of Kaidou, Governor General of the Beast Pirates – chose to identify as a man, despite his father’s opposition.
Yamato has intended to join the Straw Hat Pirates, but for various reasons has yet to do so.
Given that Yamato’s decision to identify as male was based on his desire to emulate the legendary Samurai Kozuki Oden, it’s fitting that this card can also be treated as a Character card with the name ‘Kozuki Oden’ (or, as spelled on the card and in certain translations, ‘Kouzuki Oden’).
It also has a Double Attack keyword, which deals 2 damage instead of 1, along with the Banish keyword – which removes a card from play when Yamato deals damage to it, without the target card being able to activate a trigger ability!
8. Enel, Alternate Art – Leader, OP-05 098 ($76)
This Enel card – featuring the tyrannical character who rules the island of Skypiea – is an alternate art Leader card, depicting a close up of Enel.
The card’s ability can be activated, unusually, on your opponent’s turn (albeit just once per turn!): when your number of Life cards reaches 0, you can add 1 card from the top of your deck to the top of your Life cards – though you must then trash 1 card from your hand.
The standard variant of the card is much cheaper – but as always, the alternate art version is the most highly sought after, with a current value of around $76!
9. Monkey D. Luffy, Alternate Art – Secret Rare, OP-05 119 ($68)
I told you we’d see Luffy again on this list, didn’t I?
Not only that, but this is the promised variant of the card we have in our number one slot on the list – so if you’re wondering why this looks so familiar, now you know!
Of course, this one doesn’t have the manga comic panels in the background, but – other than the illustration – is functionally the exact same card as the most valuable card on this list!
What I didn’t discuss before was the card’s usefulness in-game – so what does it do?
Well, this Character card has quite a bit to offer, as you’ll see!
Firstly, it’s a Character card with a not-too-shabby 12000 Power – though it does have a cost of 10!
Next, when you play this Luffy card, for that DON!! cost of -10, you can place all of your Characters (except Luffy) at the bottom of your deck in any order – and immediately take an extra turn!
That’s not all though; once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can add 1 DON!! card from your DON!! Deck, then set it as active.
Though expensive in-game, it’s a great card – and of course, that goes some way to explaining its $58 value; what is remarkable is that the value remains so high, even for different variants of the card!
10. Enel – Super Rare, OP-05 100 ($58)
Another character we’ve already seen appear on this list, this is another card featuring the tyrannical Enel – though this time, it’s a Character card rather than a Leader.
With the Rush ability – meaning Enel can be utilised on the turn he’s played – and a once-per-turn ability that allows you to trash 1 card from the top of your Life cards instead of Enel leaving the play field.
However, do be warned that if there is a Monkey D. Luffy Character in play – and, as you’ve seen from this list, there’s a good few of them around in OP-05 – this effect is negated.
At an average value of $58, this Enel card is clearly one that collectors will want to get their hands on – and, with its spectacular, detailed illustration, it’s not hard to see why.
You can get hold of a ‘standard’ variant of this card for around $2 – but of course, this variant is definitely going to be the one you want to pull from an Awakening of the New Era, OP-05 booster pack!
