Gameplay6 min read
One Piece TCG glossary: every term and keyword explained
Everything you will hear at a table, from [Trigger] to "bricking", defined once so you can stop nodding along.
The short version
- The four combat keywords are Rush, Blocker, Double Attack and Banish, and each changes how an attack resolves.
- Timing keywords in brackets — [On Play], [When Attacking], [On K.O.], [Activate: Main], [Trigger], [Counter] — tell you when an effect can be used, not what it does.
- Rush lets a Character attack the turn it is played; without it, a newly played Character cannot attack.
- Banish sends a damaged Life card to the trash instead of your opponent's hand, and the Trigger on it does not activate.
- Community slang like brick, ramp, tempo and playset is borrowed from other card games and means the same thing here.
Card game vocabulary is two vocabularies stacked on top of each other: the official keywords printed on cards, and the slang players use to describe what is happening. This covers both. Bookmark it, skim it once, and come back when someone says something you do not recognise.
Combat keywords
| Keyword | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rush | This Character can attack during the turn it is played. Without Rush, a Character played this turn cannot attack. |
| Blocker | When one of your other cards is attacked, you may rest this Character to make it the target of the attack instead. |
| Double Attack | When this card's attack deals damage to the opponent Leader's Life, two Life cards are dealt with instead of one. |
| Banish | When this card's attack damages the opponent Leader's Life, the Life card is trashed instead of going to their hand — and its [Trigger] does not activate. |
Timing keywords
These appear in square brackets before an effect and tell you when it can happen.
| Keyword | When it fires |
|---|---|
| [On Play] | Once, when the card is played from hand. |
| [When Attacking] | Every time this card declares an attack — repeatable, unlike [On Play]. |
| [On K.O.] | When this Character is knocked out. |
| [Activate: Main] | During your Main Phase, at your discretion. Often has a cost such as resting the card. |
| [Trigger] | When this card is taken as Life damage and goes to your hand, you may activate the effect instead of keeping it. |
| [Counter] | Playable from hand during the Counter step, adding power to the card being attacked. |
| [Main] / [Your Turn] / [Opponent's Turn] | Restricts when a continuous or activated effect applies. |
| [Once Per Turn] | Exactly what it says — the effect cannot be used again this turn even if the condition recurs. |
| [End of Your Turn] | Resolves during the End Phase of your own turn. |
Game terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DON!! | The resource cards in the ten-card DON!! deck. Spent to play cards or attached to add +1000 power. |
| Leader | The card you choose before the game. Sets your colours, has power and a Life value, and attacks like a Character. |
| Life | Cards set face-down at setup equal to the Leader's Life value. Damage moves them to your hand. |
| Rested / Active | Turned sideways / upright. Resting is the cost of attacking and of many effects. |
| Counter step | The window after an attack is declared where the defender may add power from hand. |
| Counter value | The number in the bottom-left of most cards — how much power it adds when discarded during the Counter step. |
| Trash | The discard pile. Face-up and public; both players may check it. |
| Character / Event / Stage | The three card types you play from hand. See card types explained. |
| Attribute | Slash, Strike, Ranged, Special, Wisdom — referenced by some effects. |
| Traits | The keywords under the name, such as *Straw Hat Crew* or *Supernovas*. Most archetypes are built on a trait. |
Format and collecting terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Standard / Extra | The two Regulations. Standard uses the current Blocks; Extra allows everything ever printed. See rotation. |
| Block | The number in the icon on a card, deciding which Regulation it belongs to. |
| Banlist | Officially, the banned and restricted list. Explained here. |
| AA / SAA | Alternate Art and Super Alternate Art — variant printings. Variants explained. |
| Manga rare | A variant using manga panel artwork, typically the most sought-after printing in a set. |
| Parallel | The Japanese term for a foil variant printing of an existing card. |
| Promo / P-card | A card with a P- prefix, distributed at events and campaigns rather than in boosters. Promos explained. |
| Bulk | Low-value commons and uncommons. What to do with it. |
| Slab | A professionally graded card in its sealed holder. Grading explained. |
Slang you will hear at locals
- Brick — an opening hand or draw that does nothing. "I bricked" means the hand was unplayable, not that you misplayed.
- Playset — four copies of a card, the legal maximum.
- Tempo — who is dictating the pace. Playing a cheap threat that forces a response is a tempo play.
- Ramp — accelerating resources. In One Piece this means effects that give extra DON!! ahead of schedule.
- Board — everything in play on your side.
- Wide / tall — a wide board is many small Characters; a tall board is few large ones.
- Race — both players attacking the Leader rather than trading, betting on who runs out of Life first.
- Out — the specific card that would win or save a lost position. "My only out is the 7-cost."
- Sac / trade — deliberately losing a Character to remove one of theirs.
- Mull / mulligan — the one redraw at the start of the game. Mulligan guide.
- Netdeck — playing a list copied from a published tournament result.
- Meta — the decks people are actually playing. How to read it.
- Rip / crack — to open packs.
- Hit — a valuable card pulled from a pack.
- Chase card — the card everyone wants from a set.
Marketplace shorthand
- NM / LP / MP / HP / DMG — condition grades from Near Mint to Damaged. Condition guide.
- PWE — Plain White Envelope, the cheapest way to post a low-value card. Shipping guide.
- BMWT — Bubble Mailer With Tracking.
- Comp / comps — comparable recent sales used to price a card.
- Firm — the seller will not negotiate.
- Pending — a trade or sale agreed but not completed.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Rush mean in One Piece TCG?
- Rush is a keyword that lets a Character attack during the same turn it is played. Without Rush, a Character played this turn has to wait until your next turn before it can attack.
- What is the difference between Double Attack and Banish?
- Double Attack deals two Life cards of damage instead of one. Banish deals the normal one, but the damaged Life card goes to the trash instead of the defender's hand, and its Trigger does not activate. Double Attack is about speed; Banish is about denying resources.
- What does [Trigger] do?
- A Trigger effect can be activated when that card is taken as Life damage. Instead of simply adding the card to your hand, you may activate the printed Trigger effect for free. Banish prevents this from happening.
- What is a Counter value?
- The number printed in the bottom-left corner of most Character and Event cards. During the Counter step you may discard the card from your hand to add that much power to whatever is being attacked.
- What does bricking mean?
- Community slang for drawing an opening hand or sequence of draws that cannot function — no plays, no early Characters, nothing to do. It describes bad variance rather than a mistake.
Sources
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