CGC Cards Hot List: Japanese One Piece: The Best Vol. 1

In this monthly series, CGC explores the diverse world of TCG, sports card and non-sports card collecting, closely examining the popular sets that are currently making an impact in the market. Leveraging valuable insights from CGC submission data and Gem Rate, the hobby’s source for grading trends, we delve into the latest chase cards, interesting promos and new fan favorites.

This October, One Piece fans are being treated to volume 2 of One Piece: The Best, a premium booster set with a guaranteed secret rare card (or better) in each pack. The first volume of the set was released in 2024 and introduced some very popular cards, including a Manga Art Nami and several brand-new full art cards. So, while One Piece fans tear open their new volume 2 cards, let’s look at the top five cards from the previous volume of One Piece: The Best based on CGC submission data.

CGC’s One Piece: The Best Vol 1 Hot List

Sabo (OP05-007)

While not a Leader or a fancy Alt Art print, this Sabo Character card became a staple in Revolutionary Army decks because of its ability to K.O. two character cards with a total power of 4,000 or less. This lets players clear the board of smaller characters who may be blocking or otherwise causing chaos on the opponent’s side of the board. Now that players are shifting decks, they are sending in their Sabo cards to CGC for grading.

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Edward Newgate (OP02-004)

Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, Edward Newgate is a legendary pirate in the One Piece universe. Many Newgate-themed cards have been released in the One Piece TCG, but his character card was part of an essential deck strategy. The Edward Newgate Leader card demands that players draw one Life card at the end of each turn, effectively lowering their Life count after each round of play. To mitigate this, players use Edward Newgate’s Character card in play (the one pictured here), which cancels out the need to take this Life card at the end of the turn. What resulted was a powerhouse deck that allows players to steamroll their opponents with little repercussions.

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Monkey D. Luffy (OP01-024)

It wouldn’t be a One Piece Hot List without Luffy! This Monkey D. Luffy Character card is a reprint from Romance Dawn, the first set in the One Piece Card Game. Luffy is a powerhouse in the anime and manga, and his effects make him a powerhouse in the card game, as well. Once per turn, players can take two rested DON!! cards and attach them to Luffy, giving him an attack boost of +1,000 each. Additionally, Luffy can’t be K.O.’d by other “Strike” characters, letting him stand up against other Strike decks.

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Dracule Mihawk (OP01-070)

Dracule Mihawk is one of the greatest swordsmen in the One Piece universe, and Zoro’s main rival. He and Zoro were also the main focus of one of the most recent One Piece Card game sets: Legacy of the Master. This card was reprinted from Romance Dawn and the Zoro and Sanji Starter Deck. The close-up artwork of Mihawk and his signature weaponry is gorgeous, leading many collectors and players to send their copies into CGC for authentication and grading.

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Boa Hancock (OP01-078)

With 541 total examples graded in September alone, Boa Hancock has become the most popular One Piece: The Best Japanese card, according to GemRate and the CGC Cards Population Report. Boa Hancock is a Blocker in the card game — her ability lets players rest her card to become the new target of an opponent’s attack, keeping attention away from other targets. Boa is also very well-loved among fans, leading many of them to get her card graded by CGC rather than playing her in decks.

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About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.