What defines a protagonist? Some would say their actions demonstrate their character. Others might believe it's a character's backstory that helps shape the beliefs a protagonist acts upon. You could certainly argue that the setting in which a character lives is the backbone of crafting a protagonist. Some examples of protagonists molded by their environment and culture include Ash Ketchum, Anakin Skywalker, and, without a doubt, Batman. These protagonists exist in action-packed, adventurous stories. Today's protagonist has been following an adventure of his own for over 25 years now. We're discussing the Pirate Captain himself, Monkey D. Luffy, who strives for a great adventure and is the centerpiece of the entire One Piece storyline. This sense of adventure is supported by the isolation of various landscapes found across the vast sea that engulfs the entirety of the One Piece globe, alongside the inspiration provided to him by role models such as Red-Haired Shanks.

Luffy's experience throughout all of his adventures is reflected in the many different-colored Luffy leaders. From the Set 1 Red/Green Luffy leader to even the promotional Blue Luffy leader, he remains flexible, able to expand his horizons toward other strategies within the One Piece Trading Card Game.

Unsurprisingly, there are 133 Monkey D. Luffy cards within the One Piece Trading Card Game, including original printings and variants, with 8 of them (not including variants) being leader cards.

While we could discuss each individual leader at length, none of the previously mentioned leaders are the Luffy we'll focus on today. Today, we're talking about a Luffy leader that brings a new aspect to the color it represents: a contradictory archetype within its own color pie. Today we discuss Starter Deck 14 Leader, Monkey D. Luffy.

Monkey D. Luffy is a 5000-power Black leader with the ability: "[DON!! x1] All of your Characters gain +1 cost. If you have a Character with a cost of 8 or more, this Leader gains +1000 power." This ability is not limited to your turn, or restricted by any other condition. However, adding cost to your characters instead of reducing your opponent's characters' cost? This is different from everything Black has done within the One Piece Trading Card Game, ushering in a new era of Black-aligned leaders that represent "anti-removal" subthemes. Leaders such as Smoker and Lucci struggle against leaders like this that oppose their entire game plan. It's similar to how a Mono-White life gain deck would fare against a Mono-Red burn deck in Magic: The Gathering - one deck clearly counters the other. Even without all that being said, this starter deck leader has recently gained a lot of attention within competitive tournaments and the OPTCG meta. But, of course, the leader can't carry the entire deck alone, right?

As previously mentioned, this is a starter deck Luffy, meaning he comes with a preconstructed deck featuring excellent characters like Nico Robin and Sanji.

Let's break down Nico Robin real quick.

Nico Robin is a 6-cost, 7000-power character with the abilities "[On Play] / [When Attacking] If you have a Character with a cost of 8 or more, give up to 1 of your opponent's Characters -5 cost during this turn." Not only is this Nico Robin a big body, but as long as you have a Don attached to your Luffy Leader, Nico Robin activates her own ability. Reducing the cost of your opponent's characters enables you to remove them with other characters such as Set 5 Rob Lucci, Set 8 Jack, or even Set 3 Kaku. You have the power to remove them both On Play and When Attacking. Even Brooke can remove an opponent's 6-cost character with a swing at the opposing leader for 4000 power, thanks to Nico Robin's ability.

Next, let's discuss the Sanji character from Starter Deck 14.

Sanji is a 5-cost, 6000-power character with the ability "[On Play] If you have a Character with a cost of 6 or more, K.O. up to 1 of your opponent's Characters with a cost of 5 or less." Magic Christmas Land scenario, right? Your opponent has just played Moria, meaning you'll be on your 9 DON!! turn next, and you already have Nico Robin out. Attach a DON!! to your leader to buff your characters, swing in, and then drop this Sanji for his On Play ability - which, without any other cost reductions, will remove characters like Jinbe, Eustass Captain Kid, Brooke, Kid & Killer, and a whole slew of other 5-cost characters. This play removes the opposing Moria from the board after Nico Robin reduces Gecko's cost from 8 to 3. What was once a 9000-power pillar is now nothing more than a pile of ashes.

But how would you build Starter Deck 14 Luffy? Do these crewmates, Sanji and Nico Robin, appeal to you? Or might you build this contradictory leader in a way that stands out from the crowd?

'Til the seas do us part, fellow seafarers!