Every One Piece TCG keyword explained: Rush, Blocker, Banish and more
Fifteen or so words carry almost all of the game's complexity. Learn them once and most cards read themselves.
The short version
- Keywords are printed in square brackets and fall into two groups: abilities that change what a card can do, and timings that say when an effect happens.
- Rush lets a Character attack the turn it is played; without it, a Character must wait until your next turn.
- Blocker lets you rest an active Character during your opponent's attack to redirect that attack onto it.
- Banish sends the Life card it damages to the trash instead of your opponent's hand, denying both the card and its Trigger.
- Double Attack deals two Life damage instead of one when the attack connects with a Leader.
One Piece cards are short. That is deliberate: almost everything a card does is compressed into a handful of bracketed words that mean the same thing on every card that carries them. Learn the vocabulary and you stop reading cards and start reading boards.
The ability keywords
| Keyword | What it does | The detail people miss |
|---|---|---|
| Rush | The Character can attack the turn it is played | It still cannot use effects that require it to have been in play, and it can still be blocked |
| Blocker | Rest this active Character to redirect one of your opponent's attacks onto it | It must be active, and it is a choice made after the attack is declared — never automatic |
| Banish | Life damage from this attack is trashed instead of going to hand | This denies the Trigger as well as the card, which is why it breaks racing maths |
| Double Attack | Deals 2 Life damage instead of 1 when it connects with a Leader | Only against a Leader. Against a Character it is an ordinary attack |
| Trigger | The effect fires for free when the card is turned over as Life damage | It is optional, and only works from Life — never from hand or deck |
Banish and Double Attack together are the reason a two-Life lead can evaporate in one turn. If you are counting out a race, count them explicitly — see when to attack the Leader.
The timing keywords
These do not give a card new powers. They tell you at which moment the sentence after them applies.
| Timing | Fires when | How often |
|---|---|---|
| [On Play] | The card is played from hand | Once |
| [When Attacking] | This card declares an attack | Every attack it makes |
| [On K.O.] | This Character is knocked out | Once, as it leaves the board |
| [Activate: Main] | You choose, during your own Main Phase | Usually once per turn, often by resting the card |
| [Counter] | During your opponent's attack, in the Counter step | Once, from hand |
| [Main] | During your own Main Phase | Once — typical of Event cards |
| [End of Your Turn] | Automatically, as your turn ends | Every turn the card is in play |
[Counter] is the one worth memorising first, because it is the only timing that lets you act on your opponent's turn. The Counter step covers how it interacts with attacks in full.
The modifier keywords
- [Once Per Turn] — the effect can only be used once in a turn, even if you have several copies of the card. Count carefully with multiple copies: the limit is per card, not per player, unless the text says otherwise.
- [Your Turn] / [Opponent's Turn] — a permanent effect that only applies during one player's turn. A Character with +2000 power on your opponent's turn is a defensive card, not an attacker.
- [DON!! ×N] — the effect only works while at least N DON!! cards are attached to this card or your Leader. Reading this as a cost rather than a condition is a common error; nothing is spent.
- [Rested] / [Active] — the state a card must be in for something to apply. Most Blocker interactions and many Activate effects hinge on this.
If a card confuses you, split it at the brackets. The bracket says when; the sentence says what. Almost every rules argument at a local event is really a disagreement about when.
Worked examples
Rush plus Double Attack
A Character with both can be played and immediately take two Life. That is why cards with both are expensive and why they change how you count your opponent's remaining turns. Against them, holding a Blocker is worth more than holding a removal Event.
Blocker against Banish
Blocking a Banish attacker is usually correct even at the cost of the Blocker. Taking the hit costs you a Life card *and* the card it would have put in your hand *and* its Trigger — three things, not one.
Trigger from Life only
A card with a Trigger in your hand is just a card. The Trigger only exists in the Life zone. That is why decks with strong Triggers sometimes prefer to take an early hit rather than Counter it — see Life cards and Triggers.
Reading any new card correctly
Find the ability keywords first
Rush, Blocker, Banish and Double Attack change how the card behaves before any text resolves.
Find the timing bracket
It is always at the start of the effect. This tells you which phase the card matters in.
Check for a condition
[DON!! ×N], [Your Turn] and [Once Per Turn] narrow when the effect is live.
Read the sentence last
By this point the sentence usually says exactly what you expected it to.
Note the Counter value
Bottom left. Even a card you never intend to play is a defensive resource.
For the wider vocabulary players use at the table — curve, tempo, brick, gas — see the One Piece TCG glossary. For where each keyword lives on the card face, see card types explained.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Rush mean in One Piece TCG?
- Rush lets a Character attack on the same turn it is played. Without Rush, a Character has to wait until your following turn before it can attack.
- What does Banish do?
- When an attack with Banish deals damage to a Leader, the Life card is sent to the trash instead of into the opponent's hand. They lose the card and any Trigger printed on it.
- Is Double Attack two attacks?
- No. It is one attack that deals two Life damage instead of one when it connects with a Leader. Against a Character it behaves like a normal attack.
- Can a Trigger be used from your hand?
- No. A Trigger only works when the card is revealed as Life damage. In hand or in the deck it does nothing.
- What does [DON!! ×2] mean on a card?
- It is a condition, not a cost. The effect is active while at least two DON!! cards are attached to that card or to your Leader. You do not spend or discard anything to meet it.
Sources
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