OP-16 Marco Deck Guide: Phoenix in Whitebeard 2026

How we checked this: on October 21, 2026 we read both Marco cards and the Ace and Newgate leaders on Limitless's card database, Limitless's OP16 Red Ace page, and every decklist from the three Limitless Play online events after the October 12 ban (149 players).

Updated October 21, 2026: We added the OP17 Marco comparison and post-ban decklist data, fixed Edward.Newgate OP16-003 (it gives your Leader Double Attack; it doesn't have it itself), and dropped the Garp comparison, an old OP16 meta-share figure and the step-by-step section.

What the card does

Image: Bandai, ONE PIECE CARD GAME official card list (OP16-014, OP17-015, OP16-001).

Marco OP16-014 is a 6-cost, 8000-power Red Character with the Whitebeard Pirates type. He has two lines of text:

• Replacement. If one of your Characters would be removed from the field by your opponent's effect, you may K.O. Marco instead.
• On K.O. You may trash a Character card with 8000 power from your hand to play Marco from your trash.

Read both lines carefully. The replacement only covers your opponent's effects, so it does nothing against a lost battle. He has no Blocker and no counter. And the recursion asks for a Character with exactly 8000 power: a 10,000-power Newgate in hand doesn't pay it.

Why he lives in Red Ace

Portgas.D.Ace OP16-001 is a 5-life, 5000-power Red Leader. Once per turn, his Activate: Main gives Rush to a Monkey.D.Luffy Character or a Whitebeard Pirates Character with 8000 power or more. Marco qualifies, so the turn you play him he can attack.

The rest of the Ace deck is built to keep 8000-power cards in hand. Edward.Newgate OP16-003 asks you to reveal two 8000-power Character cards for his On Play, and Portgas.D.Ace OP16-118 raises the counter of every 8000-power Character card in your hand to +2000. A hand full of 8000s is your counters, your Newgate fuel and Marco's recursion cost all at once. That's why Marco is a four-of here.

The numbers back it up. Limitless's OP16 Red Ace page has four placings, led by Long Le's third place at Treasure Cup Peoria on June 20, and every one of those lists ran four Marco. After the ban, the two players who registered OP16 Ace in the online events ran three and four.

Image: Bandai, ONE PIECE CARD GAME official card list (OP16-003).

How to play him

Play Marco when the opponent has a removal effect that matters and you have something worth protecting. Your best targets are a Newgate OP16-003 that's powering up your Leader, or an attacker you've just given Rush. If the opponent removes a cheap body, let it go and keep Marco.

Before you play him, check your hand for an 8000-power Character you can spare. If you don't have one, the On K.O. does nothing and Marco is a 6-cost body that trades once. With one, he comes straight back, so the opponent's removal costs you a hand card instead of a board piece.

Rush him in when it changes the board. Ace's ability is once per turn, so it's a choice between Marco and any other 8000-power Whitebeard or Luffy you played that turn.

OP17 Marco and Newgate

OP-17 printed a second Marco, OP17-015. It has the same replacement text but costs 5, has 6000 power and a +1000 counter, and its recursion takes any card with a Whitebeard Pirates type from your hand.

That's a better fit for Edward.Newgate OP17-001, the new mono-Red Leader. RubenTR took Newgate to a 5-1 sixth place at ChinoizeCup #121 with three OP17 Marco and no OP16 Marco. No Newgate list in the three events played OP16 Marco.

One Newgate player on r/OnePieceTCG described "two major way to play Newgate, the 6k bodies way or the 8k bodies way." We'd still pick the OP17 Marco on the 8k version, because its recursion takes any Whitebeard card. Another player in the same thread said Rocks is a matchup that's "miserable for Ace anyway," and Rocks is the most played leader after the ban.

MarinefordTCG's June video tests Red Ace in the OP16 format:

Our take

OP16 Marco is a great card in the one deck built for him. If you're on OP16 Ace, four copies is right, and the card was only $0.72 on Limitless's price list on October 21. But Ace went 2-6 between its two pilots in the post-ban online events, so it's a deck for people who love it, not a meta pick. If you're building Whitebeard for the current format, play Newgate with the OP17 Marco. The OP-16 Ace deck guide and Newgate deck guide have full lists, and our Red color guide and OP-17 meta tier list show where both leaders stand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does OP16-014 Marco do?

He's a 6-cost, 8000-power Red Whitebeard Pirates Character. If one of your Characters would be removed by an opponent's effect, you may K.O. Marco instead, and when he's K.O.'d you may trash a Character card with 8000 power from your hand to play him again from the trash.

Which deck plays OP16 Marco?

Red Ace (OP16-001). All four Red Ace lists on Limitless's OP16 page run four copies, and both Red Ace lists in the first post-ban online events ran three or four. No other leader played him there.

Should Newgate play OP16 Marco or OP17 Marco?

OP17 Marco. It has the same removal replacement at 5 cost with a +1000 counter, and its recursion takes any Whitebeard Pirates card from hand, not only an 8000-power Character.

Is Marco a Blocker?

No. Neither Marco has Blocker. His replacement only works against your opponent's effects, so he doesn't stop attacks or save a Character that loses a battle.