Games Mothership · Beginner's Guide

How to Play One Piece
the Card Game

A friendly, complete walkthrough of the One Piece Card Game — from building your first deck to landing the finishing blow on your opponent's Leader. Perfect for first-timers pulling up a chair at the shop table.

Start Learning ↓ Jump to Winning

The Basics

What's the Objective?

Two Captains face off, each led by a powerful Leader card. Play Characters, power them up with DON!! cards, and battle your way through your opponent's Life before they do the same to you.

1 Take Their Life

Every Leader starts the game with face-down Life cards equal to its printed Life value. Win a battle against your opponent's Leader once it has zero Life cards left, and the game ends on the spot.

2 Empty Their Deck

If a player can't draw a card at the start of their turn because their deck is empty, they lose immediately — the classic "deck out" rule found across most trading card games.

Building Blocks

Your Deck & Card Types

Every deck pairs exactly one Leader with a 50-card main deck and a separate 10-card DON!! deck. Knowing what each card does is the fastest way to feel confident at the table.

Leader cards sit face-up in front of you the whole game. They set your starting Life total and the colors your deck can use, and can attack or use effects just like a Character.
Character cards are played from your hand by paying their DON!! cost. Each has Power and often an effect, and can attack your opponent's Leader or a rested Character.
Event cards are one-time effects played from hand — some during your Main Phase, others as a reaction during an opponent's attack — by paying their DON!! cost.
Stage cards stay in play once played, granting an ongoing effect. You can only have one Stage in play at a time.
A legal deck is your Leader plus exactly 50 main-deck cards and a 10-card DON!! deck, with no more than four copies of any card number. Every card must share at least one color with your Leader.

Red Green Blue Purple Black Yellow

Before You Begin

Setting Up the Table

Both players set up at the same time, then reveal together.

A Shuffle & Draw

Shuffle your deck and draw a starting hand of 5 cards. You may mulligan once: return your whole hand, reshuffle, and draw a fresh 5.

B Set Your Life

Place cards from the top of your deck equal to your Leader's Life value face-down as your Life cards — don't look at them.

C Ready Your DON!!

Set your 10-card DON!! deck off to the side. It feeds your DON!! Phase for the rest of the game.

D Decide Who's First

Determine turn order. The player going first places only 1 DON!! (instead of 2) and skips their Draw Phase on turn one.

Gameplay Loop

Anatomy of a Turn

Every turn follows the same five beats. Within the Main Phase you can play cards, attach DON!!, and attack in almost any order.

Refresh

Stand up all of your rested cards and DON!! cards — everything becomes active again.

Draw

Draw one card to start your turn. Skipped for the first player on their very first turn.

DON!!

Add 2 DON!! cards to your cost area (just 1 for the first player's opening turn).

Main

Play Characters, Events, and Stages; attach DON!! for Power; attack with your Leader or Characters.

End

Resolve any end-of-turn effects, then the turn passes to your opponent.

Combat

Attacking, Blocking & Countering

A single attack runs through five quick steps. DON!! cards attached to an attacker or blocker add Power, so count carefully before you commit.

① Declare

Rest your Leader or an active Character to attack, then choose a target — the opponent's Leader, or one of their rested Characters.

② Block

The defender may rest a Character with the Blocker keyword to take the hit in place of the original target.

③ Counter

The defender may play Counter effects from hand — Event cards or a Character's [Counter] ability — to boost their blocker's Power.

④ Damage

Compare total Power. Attacker's Power equal to or greater than the defender's means the attack lands.

⑤ End

Battle-only effects wear off, and play continues from where the attack left off.

Attacker

Defender

DON!! Boost — each DON!! attached adds +1000 Power for the turn.

Character Hit — struck with equal or greater Power is KO'd and trashed.

Leader Hit — a struck Leader loses 1 Life card (2, if the attacker has Double Attack).

Card Text Shorthand

Trigger & Keywords to Know

These printed keywords show up across almost every deck — learn them once and you can read any card at the table.

Keyword	What It Means
Rush	This Character can attack the same turn it's played, ignoring the usual summoning-sickness rule.
Blocker	Can be rested during the Block Step to redirect an attack meant for your Leader or another Character.
Banish	A successful hit removes a Life card face-down to the trash without letting its Trigger effect activate.
Double Attack	A successful hit against a Leader removes two Life cards instead of one.
Trigger ◆	Some Life cards carry a Trigger effect. When you take a hit, you may reveal that card and use its effect instead of adding it to hand.

The Finish Line

Two Ways to Win

Keep either of these in sight and you're playing to win the game.

Sink Their Life

Win a battle against your opponent's Leader once it has zero Life cards remaining — that final hit ends the game on the spot.

Deck Out

If your opponent can't draw a card on their turn because their deck is empty, the game ends in your favor.

Quick Reference

Glossary for New Captains

Leader: The single card that anchors your deck, sets your starting Life, and can attack or use effects all game.
DON!! Card: A resource card — attach it to a Leader or Character during your Main Phase for +1000 Power each, or use it to pay costs.
Life Card: Cards set face-down from your deck equal to your Leader's Life value; running out costs you the game on the next hit.
Rested / Active: A rested (sideways) card can't attack or block again until your next Refresh Phase.
Trash: The discard pile — KO'd Characters and used-up cards go here face-up.
Cost: The number of DON!! cards needed to play a Character, Event, or Stage from your hand.

Ready to play? Bring this guide to Games Mothership — we'll get you a starter deck and a seat at the table.

Guide built for Games Mothership · One Piece Card Game rules summarized from official Bandai/One Piece Card Game resources. ONE PIECE Card Game is a trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd./Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation — used here for educational reference only.