How to play the One Piece Card Game: the rules in 8 steps

Everything a new player needs for a first game of the One Piece Card Game (OPTCG), in the order a game goes. Then try it for free: an AI plays any of the top decks against you, right in your browser.

Practice free vs the AI

Free, no download, no account. Works on a phone held sideways.

1. Your Leader and your life

Every deck has one Leader card. It starts face up on the field and stays all game.
The LIFE number on your Leader, usually 4 or 5, is how many life cards you get.
Deal that many cards from the top of your deck, face down. Those are your life cards.

2. Deck, hand and DON!!

Your deck is exactly 50 cards plus your Leader: up to 4 copies of a card, all in your Leader's colors.
DON!! cards are a separate deck of 10. Each turn some move to your cost area: that's the energy you spend.
Draw 5 to start. Don't like them? Shuffle them back once and draw 5 new ones.

3. Every turn, in order

Refresh, draw, DON!!, then your Main phase, then End. Used cards are rested: turned sideways. Refresh stands them back up.
Whoever wins a dice roll chooses who goes first.
On the very first turn, the first player skips the draw and gets only 1 DON!!. Neither player can attack on their first turn.

4. Pay with DON!!, play cards

A card's cost is in its top-left corner. Pay it by resting that many active DON!!.
Characters stay on your field, up to 5 at a time.
Events work once, then go to your trash (discard pile). A Stage stays on the field, one at a time.

5. Give DON!! for power

In your Main phase, you can give active DON!! to your Leader or a Character: tuck them under it.
Each one adds +1000 power during your turn.
At your next Refresh they return to your cost area, ready to use again.

6. Attack!

Rest your Leader or an active Character to attack with it.
Target the opponent's Leader, or one of their rested Characters.
A Character can't attack on the turn it's played, unless it has Rush.
Compare power: if the attacker's is equal or higher, the attack hits.

7. Block and counter

When you're attacked, you get two chances to respond before damage.
Blocker Rest an active Blocker Character to make it the new target.
Counter Trash cards from your hand that show a Counter value (+1000 or +2000) to add that much power for this battle.
Events marked Counter can be played now too, paying their cost with DON!!.

8. Damage and winning

When a Leader is hit, its owner takes their top life card into their hand.
If that card has a Trigger, they may use its effect for free instead.
A Character that's hit is K.O.'d: it goes to the trash.
Hit a Leader that has no life cards left and you win. A player who runs out of cards in their deck loses.

Questions new players ask

How many cards are in a One Piece Card Game deck?

50 cards plus 1 Leader. You can run up to 4 copies of a card, and every card has to match your Leader's colors. DON!! cards are a separate deck of 10.

What is DON!! in the One Piece TCG?

DON!! cards are your energy. Each turn you add 2 from your DON!! deck to your cost area (the player going first gets 1 on the very first turn). Rest them to pay for cards and effects, or give them to your Leader or a Character for +1000 power each during your turn.

How do counters work?

When your Leader or a Character is attacked, after the chance to block you can trash cards from your hand that show a Counter value to add +1000 or +2000 power for that battle, and play Counter Events by paying their cost. If the defender's power ends up higher than the attacker's, the attack misses.

How do you win a game of OPTCG?

Land a hit on your opponent's Leader when they have no life cards left. A player whose deck runs out of cards also loses.

Can I play the One Piece Card Game online for free?

Yes. OPTCG Web Sim runs in your browser on a computer or a phone held sideways: play any of the top decks against an AI with no account, play Ranked against real players, or open a room for a friend. Nothing to download.