One Piece TCG Rules & Fundamentals

1. Place your leader face-up in the Leader Area
2. Shuffle your deck (50 cards) and place face-down
3. Set your DON!! deck (10 cards) face-down
4. Set your life - Take cards from top of deck equal to leader's life value, place face-down
5. Draw 5 cards for your starting hand
6. Decide who goes first (rock-paper-scissors, coin flip, etc.)

Important: The player going first does NOT draw on their first turn and only gets 1 DON!! instead of 2.

All your rested (sideways) cards become active (upright). This includes your Leader, Characters, and DON!!.

Key Point: You MUST refresh all cards. You cannot choose to keep them rested.

Add 2 DON!! from your DON!! deck to your Cost Area (active). First turn player only adds 1 DON!!.

• Turn 1 (going first): 1 DON!!
• Turn 1 (going second): 2 DON!!
• Turn 2+: 2 DON!! per turn

Maximum DON!!: You'll have all 10 DON!! in play by turn 5-6.

This is where you play the game. You can do these actions in any order, any number of times:

A. Play Characters - Pay the cost (rest DON!! equal to card's cost), place in Character Area. Characters have "summoning sickness" - can't attack the turn played unless they have Rush.

B. Play Events - Pay the cost, resolve the effect, move to Trash.

C. Attach DON!! to Cards - Move active DON!! to your Leader or Characters. Each attached DON!! gives +1000 power.

D. Attack - Declare attacker, declare target (opponent's Leader or rested Character), rest your attacker, resolve battle.

E. Activate Effects - Use [Main] effects, [On Play] effects, and other activated abilities.

"End of turn" effects resolve, effects lasting "until end of turn" expire, pass turn to opponent.

Important: There is NO hand size limit. Keep as many cards as you want.

Without Rush:

• Turn 4: Play 4-cost character
• Turn 5: Can finally attack

With Rush:

• Turn 4: Play 4-cost Rush character, attack immediately
• Turn 5: Attack again

Rush gives you an extra attack!

Offensive Use:

• Apply immediate pressure
• Finish games faster
• Punish opponents who tap out

Defensive Use:

• Rush characters can attack rested enemy characters immediately
• Remove a threat before it attacks again

Remember: Rush only works the turn the character is played. After that, it attacks normally.

1. Opponent declares attack on your Leader
2. You may rest a Blocker to become the new target
3. Battle resolves against the Blocker instead
4. If Blocker survives, it stays in play (rested)
5. If Blocker is KO'd, it goes to Trash

1. Blockers must be active (upright) to use their ability
2. Using Blocker rests the character
3. You can only block attacks on your Leader, not on your characters
4. Counter values still apply when blocking
5. One Blocker per attack - you can't use multiple blockers

Block When:

• Damage would be lethal
• You have expendable blockers
• Opponent invested heavily (lots of DON!!)
• Your blocker would survive anyway

Don't Block When:

• You have life to spare
• Blocker is more valuable than life
• You need the blocker active for your turn
• Taking the life card helps (trigger or hand advantage)

Battle Resolution Rule:
The attacker wins if their power is greater than or equal to the defender's power. This means ties go to the attacker!

Battle Scenario:

• Attacker: 7000 power
• Defender (your Leader): 5000 power

Without Counter: Attacker wins (7000 >= 5000), you take damage

With Counter:

• Discard a +3000 Counter card from hand
• Defender becomes 5000 + 3000 = 8000 power
• 7000 < 8000 = Attacker FAILS, no damage!

Important: You must counter to get your power HIGHER than the attacker, not just equal. Equal power means the attacker still wins!

1. Counter only works when being attacked (opponent's turn)
2. Discard the Counter card to your Trash to use it
3. You can use multiple Counters in one battle
4. Counter applies to Leader or Characters
5. Some Events have Counter effects that aren't just power boosts

When to Counter:

• When you'd take lethal damage
• When opponent invested heavily (lots of DON!!)
• When the Counter card isn't useful otherwise

When NOT to Counter:

• You have life to spare
• Counter card is more valuable played
• Attack is too big to counter efficiently

• [On Play]: When the card enters play
• [When Attacking]: When declared as attacker
• [On Block]: When this card blocks
• [On K.O.]: When this card is KO'd
• [End of Your Turn]: During your End Phase
• [Activate: Main]: During your Main Phase
• [Trigger]: When added to hand from Life
• [DON!! x1/x2]: If card has that many DON!! attached
• [Once Per Turn]: Can only use once per turn

When you take damage, you add a Life card to your hand. If that card has a [Trigger] effect, you MAY activate it.

Common Trigger Types:

• Play Triggers: "Play this card" - put character into play free
• Search Triggers: "Look at top 5, add 1 to hand"
• Draw Triggers: "Draw 1 card"
• Power Triggers: "Your Leader gains +1000 until end of turn"

Mandatory (no "may"):
[On Play]: Draw 1 card → You MUST draw when played

Optional (has "may"):
[On Play]: You may draw 1 card → You CHOOSE whether to draw

Life = Free Cards

When you take damage, you gain a card. This is actually valuable!

Scenario:

• You: 4 life, 3 cards in hand
• Take 2 hits: 2 life, 5 cards in hand
• You traded life for cards!

Sometimes this is the correct play.

Taking Damage Intentionally:

• Gain cards when hand is low
• Hope for Trigger effects
• Save Counter cards for later
• Don't waste blockers on small attacks

Protecting Life:

• When at 1-2 life, protect everything
• Lethal damage means game over
• Block and Counter aggressively at low life

• Character is KO'd → Goes to Trash
• Event is played → Goes to Trash (after resolving)
• Card is discarded (Counter, effect) → Goes to Trash
• Card is trashed by effect → Goes to Trash

1. Trash is public information - Both players can look at it anytime
2. Order doesn't matter (unlike some card games)
3. Cards in Trash can be retrieved by certain effects
4. Trash is NOT removed from game - It's still part of the game

Track your Trash:

• Know what Counters you've used
• Know what threats are gone
• Know what you can retrieve

Track opponent's Trash:

• What answers have they used?
• What threats are already dealt with?
• What's left in their deck?

• Leader: Exactly 1
• Main Deck: Exactly 50 cards
• DON!! Deck: Exactly 10 DON!! cards
• Card Copies: Maximum 4 of any card (by card number)

Your deck must match your Leader's color(s).

Example - Single Color:
Leader: Red Luffy (Red only)
Deck: Can ONLY include Red cards

Example - Dual Color:
Leader: Red/Green Law (Dual color)
Deck: Can include Red AND/OR Green cards

The 4-copy rule is based on card number, not card name.

• Card: Monkey D. Luffy (ST01-001) - Can have 4
• Card: Monkey D. Luffy (OP01-003) - Can have 4 more!

These are different cards with same name. You can have 4 of each.

Typical 50-Card Breakdown:

• Low Cost (0-3): 16-20 cards - Early plays, Counter cards, searchers
• Mid Cost (4-6): 16-20 cards - Core threats, value characters, removal
• High Cost (7-10): 8-12 cards - Finishers, game-ending threats
• Events: 6-10 cards - Removal, protection, card advantage

Counter Distribution:

• +2000 Counters: 8-12 cards
• +1000 Counters: 4-8 cards
• More Counters = More defensive

Keep hands that:

• Have cards you can play turns 1-3
• Advance your gameplan
• Have at least 1-2 Counter cards
• Include key cards for your strategy

Mulligan hands that:

• Are all expensive cards (6+ cost)
• Have no playable early cards
• Don't fit your deck's strategy
• Are missing critical pieces

Aggro Keep:
1-cost, 2-cost, 3-cost, 4-cost, Event
✓ Great curve, can pressure immediately

Aggro Mulligan:
5-cost, 6-cost, 7-cost, 8-cost, Event
✗ Can't play anything until turn 5

Control Keep:
2-cost blocker, 4-cost removal, 5-cost, Counter, Counter
✓ Early defense, answers to threats

Step 1: Read Card Text Carefully
Look for keywords and conditions:

• "When you [action]..."
• "If you have [condition]..."
• "For each [thing]..."
• "[Trait] cards you control..."

Step 2: Identify Themes
Common synergy themes:

• Trait Synergies: Cards that boost [Straw Hat Crew]
• Color Synergies: Effects that care about card colors
• Action Synergies: "When you draw" + draw effects
• Stat Synergies: Power boosts that stack

Pattern 1: Tribal/Trait
Cards that care about [Straw Hat Crew]:

• "All [Straw Hat Crew] gain +1000"
• "If you have 3+ [Straw Hat Crew]..."
  Build deck with mostly that trait!

Pattern 2: Engine + Payoff
Engine: Cards that do an action repeatedly (draw, search)
Payoff: Cards that reward that action ("When you draw, +1000")

Pattern 3: Setup + Finisher
Setup: Ramp DON!!, draw cards, control board
Finisher: Big Rush attackers that close the game

1. Aggressive Beatdown
Plan: Attack every turn, kill by turn 5-6
Cards: Low-cost characters, Rush, direct damage

2. Board Control
Plan: Remove their threats, win with superior board
Cards: Removal events, efficient characters, value

3. Big Finishers
Plan: Survive early, play massive threats late
Cards: Ramp, defense, 8-10 cost bombs

4. Combo
Plan: Assemble specific cards, execute combo
Cards: Search effects, combo pieces, protection

Ask yourself:

1. What cards win me the game?
   Look at your biggest threats and finishers

2. How do I get to that point?
   What setup and resources do I need?

3. What stops me from winning?
   What answers exist? What's my backup plan?

Where to Look:

• Cardboard2 LGS Finder (cardboard2.com/lgs)
• Official Bandai store locator
• Facebook groups for your area
• Ask at nearby game stores

Required:

• Your deck (Leader + 50 cards + 10 DON!!)
• Deck must be sleeved
• All cards in good condition

Recommended:

• Playmat
• Extra sleeves
• Pen and paper
• Dice or counters
• Water and snacks
• Trade binder (if you want to trade)

Before the Event:

1. Arrive 15-30 minutes early
2. Register and pay entry fee (usually $5-15)
3. Find a seat and socialize
4. Wait for pairings

During Rounds:

1. Pairings announced
2. Find your opponent
3. Play best-of-3 matches
4. Report results to organizer
5. Wait for next round

After the Event:

1. Prizes distributed
2. Trade with other players
3. Get feedback on your deck

Do:

• Greet your opponent
• Communicate clearly
• Ask before touching their cards
• Call a judge if confused
• Shake hands after

Don't:

• Rush your opponent
• Get angry at bad luck
• Accuse of cheating (call judge instead)
• Be a sore winner or loser

1. Tell people you're new - They'll help you
2. Ask questions - Better than making mistakes
3. Don't worry about winning - Focus on learning
4. Take notes - What worked? What didn't?
5. Have fun - It's a card game, enjoy it!