After the success of the first Heroines Edition volume, Bandai is back with EB-05. Nico Robin becomes a brand new Leader, Boa Hancock, Perona and Baby 5 take centre stage, and six SP cards with a special design spice up every opening. A set made for players and collectors alike who are chasing the most beautiful artwork from Eiichiro Oda's world.
The big news of the set is the Nico Robin (EB05-010) Leader card, which fights alongside Wisdom attribute characters. The Straw Hat archaeologist gives players a brand new deck archetype, and her Leader version should quickly become one of the key cards of the end of the year.
Alongside Nico Robin, Bandai chose to highlight three other iconic female characters from the series:
As in recent sets, EB-05 slips SP cards into its boosters: known or new cards reprinted with a special design. There are six of them:
Another highlight: the Nami (EB05-055) card features exclusive artwork by Kentaro Yabuki, the creator of "To LOVE-Ru". It comes in a standard and a parallel version, and the parallel should rank among the most sought-after cards of the set.
SP cards, the parallel Nico Robin Leader and the Kentaro Yabuki artwork are the best candidates for grading. As soon as you pull them, slide them into a sleeve and then a toploader: shiny and textured finishes scratch very easily, and a single micro-scratch is enough to lose a point on the surface subgrade.
Also take the time to check the centering, which is often uneven on One Piece cards. A well-centered parallel with sharp corners and a clean surface has every chance of earning a high grade and gaining value over time.
The most sought-after One Piece cards are among the most copied on the market, and the SP and parallel cards of such an anticipated release will be no exception. Buy your boosters and singles from trusted shops, and when in doubt, grading remains the best way to have a card authenticated. See you on October 30, and until then, get your sleeves ready!