ONE PIECE ST-37 vs ST-38: Release Date, Contents & Deck Guide

ST-37 versus ST-38: release date, price and identity

Both products belong to the Japanese Start Deck range. The code is the quickest way to distinguish them when titles are translated differently across shops. Use ST-37 or ST-38 together with a photograph of the correct Japanese packaging. A listing headed only “Alabasta deck” is less precise than one naming the exact code.

The shared price makes theme and format a more useful starting point than an imagined price tier. Buying one of each totals ¥2,640 at Japanese MSRP. That is arithmetic from the two official prices, not an SST bundle offer or an estimate of an international order’s final cost. Retailers may price sealed products differently.

What comes in each ST-37 or ST-38 purchase?

Read the quantity and variety figures separately. “51 cards, 17 types” describes the constructed deck: 51 physical cards drawn from 17 different card types. It does not describe 51 different designs. The ten DON!! cards are a separate line in the product contents, and the bonus pack is another separate component.

Bandai presents each as a product with the items needed for one player to begin. Two people choosing a deck each is therefore a practical way to plan a first session: each person has their own constructed deck and DON!! cards. One ST-37 purchase is not a two-deck set, and neither product description lists a second opponent’s deck.

The distinction also matters when buying an opened product. A seller may offer the constructed deck alone, a sealed product with all components, or selected cards. Compare the actual included components against the four lines above. A cheaper deck-only offer can suit play, while a sealed collector may care about the original box and unopened bonus pack as well.

Alabasta and Baroque Works: choosing ST-37 or ST-38

ST-37: a preference for an active attacking theme

The official ST-37 page brings together the Straw Hat Crew and Alabasta Kingdom and emphasizes attacking with a high number of actions. Vivi and Karoo are pictured on the box alongside members of the Straw Hat Crew, including Luffy. These are useful visual identifiers for an Alabasta-themed collection; a character on the packaging is not a confirmation of the deck’s Leader.

That theme gives a collector a reason to choose ST-37 beyond its red/blue colors. You can pair the sealed box with earlier Vivi or Straw Hat prints, or select it as a gift for someone who recognizes that group. Compare the code and the pictured box first, then decide whether you want the complete sealed presentation or individual cards. The Vivi card guide is a separate route for earlier identified printings.

For play, use the advertised action-focused direction as a starting preference. Once the card list is available, look at how the deck generates those actions: which cards enable another play, when their conditions apply and what resources they consume. That gives a concrete basis for choosing upgrades.

ST-38: a preference for hand management and removal

The ST-38 description focuses on changing cards in hand and KOing opposing characters with Baroque Works members. Crocodile is pictured on the box, giving the blue/black product an immediately recognizable identity beside ST-37. Choose this side of the comparison if Baroque Works is the group you want to collect, or if the advertised hand-management and removal direction appeals to you.

For a two-product display, the pair connects the Alabasta Kingdom and Straw Hat theme with the Baroque Works theme, while keeping each sealed product distinct. For two players, the shared launch date and equal MSRP make the pair straightforward to budget: each person chooses a theme and receives the same quantities of the listed components. This is a practical pairing choice rather than a claim about a tested matchup.

A useful play comparison will examine the decisions behind each description. For ST-38, check which hand changes are optional, what is spent to activate a KO effect and which opposing characters it can affect. Reading those conditions together is more informative than judging difficulty from the color pair alone.

The bonus pack: 17 types is a range, not a completion promise

Both pages list one bonus pack and describe its range as 17 types. That is useful for identifying the component, but it is not a full explanation of its distribution. As of this check, the inspected product pages do not give enough card-level detail to calculate the chance of a particular bonus card or the number of products needed for a complete bonus set.

Keep two collecting goals separate. Buying the constructed deck gets you the advertised prepared product. Collecting every bonus version requires a checklist of those versions and a way to identify each one. Once individual cards are revealed, compare their card numbers, artwork and finish; a listing using only the character’s name may omit the difference you care about.

For sealed buying, the useful question is whether the offer includes the unopened bonus pack. For an opened deck, ask what was retained or removed. For a specific bonus card, inspect the pictured copy. This approach lets you compare like-for-like offers without assigning a speculative value to an unknown pack result.

How do ST-37 and ST-38 compare with ST-30?

Start Deck EX Luffy & Ace ST-30 is an earlier Japanese product, released on April 11, 2026. Its official MSRP is ¥1,980 including tax, and its colors are red/green. The EX label, earlier date and different code matter when comparing listings with similar Luffy imagery.

ST-30’s official feature section identifies ST30-001 Luffy & Ace as a red/green Leader with 6000 power. Its product page also shows named cards and a link to its card list, giving a buyer more card-level information to evaluate today. The December comparison is currently built from the newly announced product details.

The ¥660 MSRP difference is a price comparison between separate products. The ST-30 page lists the same quantities of the four components shown here, but it does not itemize a reason for its higher MSRP. Treat the EX branding, identified Leader and available card list as details to inspect; do not assume a particular premium bonus finish or a stronger deck from the price alone.

A checklist for the new card lists

Use the official list to turn a theme preference into an exact buying choice. Record the deck code alongside each card number so that a reprint, another illustration or a similarly named card stays distinct. Five checks are especially useful:

1. Leader identity and conditions. Confirm the printed Leader, colors and activation conditions. Packaging characters help identify the product, while the card itself supplies the rules you will use.
2. Physical copy quantities. Separate a list of 17 types from the number of copies included for each type. For an upgrade purchase, compare that included quantity with the copies you actually intend to add.
3. Timing and resources. Read when an effect works and what it spends or requires. An attractive headline effect can serve a different role when its turn, hand or DON!! conditions are included.
4. Bonus-print identity. Compare the exact number, artwork and finish with the constructed-deck version. Keep a checklist of the versions you want so an individual-card offer can be evaluated against the right target.
5. Offer completeness. Match a sealed product or opened-deck offer with the deck, DON!! cards, bonus pack and play sheet. Compare sellers on the same included components before comparing the total price.

If you already own ST-30, begin with the reason for another purchase. A second theme for casual play is different from buying copies for upgrades. For upgrades, compare the new card list with the deck you intend to use; for collecting, compare the complete product and the individual prints. Our earlier starter deck guide covers the broader ST range.

ST-37/ST-38 versus EB-05, OP-18 and the Precious Box

Several nearby releases compete for the same buying budget, but they serve different purposes. The December starters provide prepared decks. EB-05 and OP-18 are booster products built around opening randomized cards. The Heroines Precious Box combines an EB-05 box with accessories. Choose the format first, then use the dedicated guides for the individual cards.

All prices in this table are tax-inclusive Japanese MSRP, and the units deliberately differ. A six-card pack price should not be compared directly with a complete starter product price as if both purchases delivered the same thing. A booster box is also a different purchase from one pack.

For a more detailed comparison, read our EB-05 versus OP-18 guide and Heroines Precious Box guide. The official Precious Box page lists one EB-05 box, a storage box, 70 sleeves and ten special DON!! cards of one design, with a regular or parallel version included. Those accessories are part of that bundle, not ST-37 or ST-38.

The official EB-05 and OP-18 pages are useful for checking those booster identities. Their existence does not establish that their individual cards are needed to make either December starter playable as supplied.

Buying the Japanese edition: language, timing and listing checks

The December 19 date and ¥1,320 price in this guide come from the Japanese pages. A product code alone does not tell you a seller’s language edition, regional release date or included configuration. For a Japanese purchase, look for the Japanese packaging shown above and a listing that explicitly identifies the language.

If you intend to use a deck at organized events, check the event’s current language and format requirements before buying. If you want a different language edition for reading the card effects, use that region’s official product information for its own date and contents. Japanese announcement details should not be silently copied into an overseas-edition listing.

For a gift or a planned play session, decide how many people need a complete product and which themes they prefer. For a collector, decide whether the goal is sealed packaging, the constructed-deck cards or a particular bonus print. Making that choice before comparing prices helps avoid buying an extra product that does not advance the goal.

Use the ONE PIECE collection for current offers and the booster box buying guide for other sealed formats. When an exact deck listing appears, match its code, edition and components with this comparison.

Frequently asked questions