OP-17 Mihawk Matchup Guide: All 6 Leaders Explained

TL;DR: Bandai banned the Mihawk Leader (OP14-020) effective October 12, 2026, so this guide now covers the pre-ban field and the OP14-119 finisher, which is not on the ban notice. The Leader ramps DON!! at the cost of "cannot play Character cards" that turn. The finisher (OP14-119, 9 cost, 10000 power) locks one opposing Character with cost 9 or less so it cannot be rested, on Mihawk's turn, until the end of the opponent's next End Phase. It has no removal immunity. Newgate and Kaido have the most direct power tools. Blocking it never K.O.s it. Xebec and Shanks both have the Slash attribute that gives Mihawk's Leader +1000 power.

Updated October 12, 2026: The OP14-020 ban is now in effect; Bandai also plans a replacement Leader, P-163 Dracule Mihawk, for future events. Card text re-checked against Bandai's card list, and several errors fixed: the lockdown lasts until the end of the opponent's next End Phase and only triggers on Mihawk's turn; a Blocker that wins the battle does not K.O. the attacker, and an equal-power Blocker loses; Shanks, not only Xebec, has the Slash attribute; and Big Mom's leader effect was misdescribed. September meta-share figures were replaced with the October 12 tracker check.

OP-17 Mihawk matchup guide: the core question

Mihawk's engine runs on two pieces. The Leader ability ramps DON!!, but only "if there is a Character with a cost of 5 or more," and it stops you from playing Character cards that turn. OP14-119OP14-119Shop on TCGplayer The payoff, a 9-cost 10000-power Character, locks down one of your Characters every time it becomes rested on its controller's turn. Neither half has a removal-immunity clause. The finisher can be K.O.'d or bounced like any other Character. What makes the matchup tricky is that the lockdown fires as soon as it rests to attack, before any blocking or counter decision matters.

Why Mihawk plays nothing like Enel

Purple Enel's finisher has a printed clause that makes it immune to opponent's effects while its controller has 6 or fewer DON!! cards, and Enel's Leader limits his DON!! deck to 6. The OP-17 Enel tech-card guide covers how to get around that. Mihawk's finisher has nothing like it. Read its full text and there's no "cannot be removed." Its only defensive line is a once-per-turn "+2000 power during this battle" on your attack, paid by trashing a card from hand.

That distinction matters for deck-building. Against Enel, generic K.O. removal fails. Against Mihawk, it works if it can reach cost 9, so check the cost limit on your removal before you count it as an answer.

Image: Bandai official card images (OP14-020 Dracule Mihawk Leader, left; OP14-119 Dracule Mihawk Character, right). Neither card carries a removal-immunity clause, unlike Enel's finisher.

Mihawk's real weaknesses

The ramp needs a 5-cost body first. The Leader ability only works "if there is a Character with a cost of 5 or more." Before that, it does nothing, so Mihawk decks have to bridge the early turns with a normal curve.

Every activation skips Character development. "Then, you cannot play Character cards during this turn" is printed on the ability. That's a real tempo cost each time the ramp fires, and a window to develop your own board.

The lockdown has a hard ceiling. It only affects "up to 1 of your opponent's Characters with a cost of 9 or less." Anything you control at cost 10 or above can't be targeted by it.

The lockdown only triggers on Mihawk's turn. The effect is marked [Your Turn]. If the finisher rests on your turn for some other reason, nothing happens.

The finisher is exposed after it attacks. Once it has rested from attacking, it stays rested through your turn, and you can attack rested Characters. Removal that reaches cost 9, or an attack with more than 10000 power, deals with it then. Remember its +2000 on-your-attack boost when you count the power you need.

GODEEPER: Want the full Mihawk deck breakdown from the pilot's side? Read the OP-17 Mihawk Deck Guide: Green Dracule Mihawk 2026 → for the dated 50-card shell and turn-by-turn plan.

Matchup breakdown: all 6 OP-17 leaders vs Mihawk

The notes below come from each Leader's printed text, not matchup win rates. Treat them as a mechanical breakdown, not a tier ranking.

Newgate (Red): the strongest defensive tool

OP17-001OP17-001Shop on TCGplayer Edward Newgate's Leader ability is "On Your Opponent's Attack," once per turn: trash 1 card from hand to give his Leader or a Character +4000 power during that battle. Against a 10000-power finisher, that matters, but count carefully. Ties go to the attacker, so a Blocker needs more than 10000 power after the boost; a 6000-power Blocker becomes 10000 and still loses. Mihawk can also give the finisher DON!! cards on his turn, and each one adds 1000 power.

The boost is reactive. It can make an attack fail, but it never K.O.s the finisher, and the lockdown has already resolved by the time Newgate's ability is used.

Luffy Black (Black): Blockers, not removal

OP17-079OP17-079Shop on TCGplayer Luffy's Leader ability is static: all of your Characters with a cost of 12 or more gain Blocker. That gives Luffy big Blockers, but blocking the finisher only makes its attack fail. The attacking card "will lose the battle, and nothing will happen," so the finisher stays on the board.

The lockdown also matters here. Blocking requires resting the Blocker, so a Character that Mihawk's lockdown has hit cannot block for the rest of that turn. And the lockdown reaches only cost 9 or less, so Luffy's cost-12 Blockers are outside its range.

Kaido (Purple): a repeatable power tool

OP17-058OP17-058Shop on TCGplayer Kaido's Leader ability works on "[When Attacking]/[On Your Opponent's Attack]," once per turn, for DON!! -1: give up to one of your opponent's Characters -2000 power during this turn. On Mihawk's attack, that drops the finisher from 10000 to 8000, which can make a block hold. On Kaido's own turn, it lowers the power he needs to attack a rested finisher. It doesn't change the finisher's cost.

Because it works on both players' attacks, Kaido can use it on whichever turn matters more. Burpless's September 7 video below plays this exact matchup from the Kaido side.

Image: Bandai official card images (OP17-058 Kaido, left; OP17-079 Monkey.D.Luffy, right). Kaido's -2000 works on either player's attack; Luffy's cost-12-plus Characters gain Blocker.

Big Mom (Yellow): hand pressure

OP17-099OP17-099Shop on TCGplayer Charlotte Linlin's Leader ability is [When Attacking]: she may trash 1 card from her hand, then her opponent chooses one option. Either Linlin trashes 1 more card from her hand and adds the top card of her deck to her Life, or the opponent trashes 1 card from their own hand. Against Mihawk, the second option costs him the hand cards his finisher wants to trash for its +2000 boost, so expect him to let Linlin gain Life instead when his hand is thin.

This is a grind, not a race. Neither side's Leader ability removes the other's board.

Shanks (Green): the same rest axis, and the same Slash penalty

OP17-020OP17-020Shop on TCGplayer Shanks's Leader ability, once per turn, trashes a card from hand or rests a DON!! card so that one of the opponent's rested Characters "will not become active" in their next Refresh Phase. That fights over the same resource as Mihawk's lockdown: who can attack and block next turn. Shanks also has the Slash attribute, so Mihawk's Leader gains +1000 power in this matchup too.

Image: Bandai official card images (OP17-039 Rocks.D.Xebec, left; OP17-001 Edward.Newgate, right). Xebec has the Slash attribute that triggers Mihawk's Leader bonus; Newgate has the clearest reactive power boost.

Xebec (Blue): a specific passive penalty

OP17-039OP17-039Shop on TCGplayer Rocks D. Xebec has the Slash attribute. Mihawk's Leader reads: "If your opponent's Leader has the Slash attribute, this Leader gains +1000 power." Against Xebec, Mihawk's Leader attacks at 6000 base instead of 5000. That penalty also applies to Shanks, and Bandai's ban notice says Mihawk "significantly restricts the viability of Leader cards with the Slash attribute."

Xebec's own Leader ability is a [When Attacking] draw: trash a card, reveal the top card, and draw 2 if it is a Rocks Pirates card. It does not answer the finisher directly, so Xebec relies on the cards in his deck for that.

Universal answers, regardless of leader

Check the cost limit on your removal. The finisher costs 9. Any K.O. or bounce effect that reaches cost 9 works, because the card has no immunity.

Answer it before it rests, or accept the lockdown. The lockdown fires the moment the finisher becomes rested on Mihawk's turn, which happens when it attacks. Removal on your own turn stops future triggers; nothing during the battle stops the one that already happened.

Attack it while it is rested. After it attacks, it stays rested through your turn. Attack it with more than 10000 power, or lower its power first with Kaido.

Keep something at cost 10 or higher if you can. It can't be targeted by the lockdown.

GODEEPER: Curious how Luffy gets a cost-12-or-more body onto the field? OP-17 Luffy Deck Guide: Black's New Cost-12 Blocker Plan → breaks down the DON!! math behind reaching that threshold.

Step-by-Step: playing around Mihawk's finisher

1. Watch for the ramp turn. The Leader ability needs a cost-5-or-more Character and stops Mihawk playing Characters that turn. That's a visible tell and a window to build your own board.

2. Remove it on your turn if your removal reaches cost 9. It has no immunity, and removing it before it attacks prevents the next lockdown.

3. If it attacks, plan the battle, not the lockdown. The lock has already resolved. Use Newgate's +4000 or Kaido's -2000 so your block or Leader survives, and remember ties go to the attacker.

4. Punish it on your next turn. It is still rested, so you can attack it. Count its 10000 power, plus any boost, before committing.

5. Build toward cost 10 or above when you can. Those Characters can't be locked.

Tips for this matchup

Don't spend conditional removal on the finisher until you have checked its cost limit. At 9 cost and 10000 power, a lot of removal won't reach it. Save that removal for smaller support pieces, and use cost-9-capable removal, attacks on the rested finisher, or Kaido's debuff for the finisher itself.

Common mistakes when facing Mihawk

Assuming the finisher is protected like Enel's. It isn't. Nothing in its text blocks the opponent's effects.

Expecting a Blocker to kill it. A Blocker with more power makes the attack fail, but the finisher just loses the battle and stays on the board. An equal-power Blocker loses, because ties go to the attacker.

Forgetting the Leader ability's drawback. Mihawk can't play Characters on ramp turns. Use that turn to develop your own board.

Thinking only Xebec takes the Slash penalty. Shanks has the Slash attribute too.

What players said about Mihawk and the ban

On r/OnePieceTCG's thread about the ban, one reply summed up the Slash problem: "You can't have Mihawk in the game, he just stops any other slash leader being played." Another pointed to results: "Mihawk also had more top 8s than Robin and Enel combined." On the October 12 tracker check, Green Mihawk had 318 decklists, a 65.0% tracked win rate and a 23.3% meta share, all from the pre-ban window.

Our take

Based on the card text and Bandai's notice cited above, the Mihawk matchup was never about immunity. It was about a lockdown that resolves the moment the finisher attacks, on top of a Leader that punished Slash Leaders. With OP14-020 banned from October 12, the Leader is gone, but the OP14-119 Character is not on the notice. If it shows up under another Green Leader, the rules in this guide still apply: remove it on your turn if you can reach cost 9, attack it while it is rested, and don't count on Blockers to kill it.

How we checked this: 22 facts checked on October 12, 2026 against Bandai's official card list, Bandai's September 24 ban notice, the One Piece Card Game Comprehensive Rules, the One Piece TCG Meta tracker, and the Reddit thread and video cited above; the full source table is kept with our editorial notes. Last reviewed: October 12, 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Bandai banned the Mihawk Leader (OP14-020) effective October 12, 2026; the OP14-119 Character is not on that notice
• The 9-cost, 10000-power finisher (OP14-119) has no removal immunity, only a once-per-turn +2000 on the opponent's attack
• Its lockdown triggers on Mihawk's turn when it becomes rested and lasts until the end of the opponent's next End Phase, on Characters with cost 9 or less
• Newgate's +4000 and Kaido's -2000 are the most direct power tools among OP-17's Leaders; neither K.O.s the finisher
• Blocking never K.O.s the finisher, and ties go to the attacker
• Xebec and Shanks both have the Slash attribute that gives Mihawk's Leader +1000 power
• Green Mihawk had a 23.3% meta share on the October 12 tracker check, from pre-ban data

Related Reading

• OP-17 Meta Tier List: Enel Leads, Mihawk Close Behind: the dated S-A-B breakdown and where every leader stood in the September snapshot.
• OP-17 World's Strongest Warriors Set Guide: Complete OP-17 set overview, all six new leaders, and format context.
• OP-17 Kaido Deck Guide: Purple Removal, Not Ramp 2026: Full breakdown of the repeatable power-debuff leader referenced in this matchup guide.
• OP-17 Big Mom Deck Guide: Yellow's Hand Disruption Plan: The hand-attrition engine that pairs with Mihawk's own tempo cost.
• One Piece TCG banlist and effective dates: the October 12 Mihawk ban and other restrictions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Mihawk's finisher have removal immunity like Enel's does? No. OP14-119 has no clause that stops removal. K.O. and bounce effects work on it like any other Character. Its only defensive text is a once-per-turn +2000 power boost on the opponent's attack, paid by trashing a card.

Is Mihawk still legal after October 12, 2026? The Leader is not. Bandai banned OP14-020, Parallel cards included, effective October 12, 2026, and plans a replacement P-163 Leader for future events. The OP14-119 Character is not on that notice.

What does Mihawk's 9-cost finisher actually do? On its controller's turn, when it becomes rested, up to one opposing Character with cost 9 or less cannot be rested until the end of the opponent's next End Phase. It can't attack or block in that window.

Which OP-17 leader answers Mihawk best? Newgate (+4000 on the opponent's attack) and Kaido (-2000 on either player's attack) have the most direct tools. Neither K.O.s the finisher; that needs removal or an attack while it is rested.

Can a Blocker kill Mihawk's finisher? No. A losing attacker just loses the battle and stays on the board. Ties go to the attacker, so a Blocker needs more power, not equal power.

Is Rocks D. Xebec at a disadvantage against Mihawk specifically? Slightly, but so is Shanks. Both have the Slash attribute, so Mihawk's Leader gains +1000 power against them.

References

• One Piece Card Game official card list, Bandai: printed text for Dracule Mihawk (OP14-020, OP14-119), Edward Newgate (OP17-001), Monkey.D.Luffy (OP17-079), Kaido (OP17-058), Charlotte Linlin (OP17-099), Shanks (OP17-020), and Rocks.D.Xebec (OP17-039)
• Bandai: Banned/Restricted Cards effective from October 12, 2026: OP14-020 ban, reason, and P-163 replacement
• One Piece Card Game Comprehensive Rules (PDF), Bandai: battle results, attack targets, and DON!! power
• One Piece TCG Meta decks page: Green Mihawk tracked win rate and meta share, checked October 12, 2026
• Burpless: HOW TO BEAT OP14 MIHAWK - OP17 KAIDO GAMEPLAY: September 7, 2026 video