In OP05, the new yellow leader Enel was introduced along with the Skypiea archetype that uses the keyword “Sky Island”. This deck list will focus on the Skypiea build for Enel.
Strengths of Skypiea Enel
Yellow decks are generally known for their life manipulation and trigger effect cards. Skype adds to this but also takes it one step further than other yellow decks.
Ohm is a strong Skypiea card that acts as a searcher and a board spammer. Ohm’s ability lets you search for his loyal canine “Holly” from the top 5 cards of your deck. Then it lets you play a Holly from your hand to the board. In addition, if you have 2 or less life then Ohm becomes a 6k attacker. If you’re going second, playing Ohm on your second turn can create a big swing for you if you can activate both effects. The downside is that he only searches for a “Holly” card. Everything else will go to the bottom of the deck.
The main Skypiea searcher is Shura, which is a 2-cost card and has a trigger that allows you to play him and activate his effect. Shura lets you search for any “Sky Island” card which includes some of the Sky Island staples such as Enel, Gedatsu, Ohm, Holly, Two Hundred Million Volts, or Satori. So between Shura and Ohm, the Skypiea archetype has two methods of searching.
Gedatsu is also a strong 5 DON! Turn play. His ability allows you to KO a card with a cost equal or less than your opponent’s life. So generally speaking, if you play Gedatsu on curve you can KO a 4 cost or 3 cost depending on how much life your opponent has. He is also a 6k attack which makes it very good against Whitebeard and red purple luffy leaders.
Finally, we have the rush Enel that provides an instant 7k attack when you play him. He also comes with a very interesting ability that gives you the option to trash a life to prevent him from being removed from the field once per turn. This means cards that would KO him, being killed in battle, or being sent back to your hand, deck, or life area. Any effect that would remove him from the board can be countered by trashing a life instead. It is important to note that this effect will not activate if a Luffy character is on the board. Using Enel’s effect strategically can help keep a strong body on the board to maintain pressure and close out the game.
Weaknesses of Skypiea Enel
The same strengths that make the Skypiea archetype strong also make the deck weaker. That is because some of the strongest cards like Ohm require you to either already have a holly in hand or be lucky to find one in your search. Gedatsu, which in general is a great card, can easily be played around by your opponent. Not to mention leaders like purple Luffy or whitebeard who take a life constantly can also turn this card into pretty a 5-cost 6k vanilla, which is pretty bad. Yellow decks in general do require a certain amount of luck, especially when it comes to triggering from life. But in general, it feels like the Skypiea archetype adds another layer of luck needed when searching for cards with Ohm. The additional inclusion of Skypiea cards also takes away room from adding stronger trigger cards like Cracker or Thunder Bolt. Even cards like Yamato or 7C Linlin have to be cut back to include the Skypiea package.