How to Get Into the One Piece Card Game

It's an exciting time to be getting into the One Piece Card Game! Though to be fair, you could say that about almost any time since the game sailed onto store shelves in 2022. From its simple rules to the gorgeous original artwork to the endlessly intriguing DON!! system, there's so much to appreciate about this game.

If you've been wondering how you can start playing or collecting the One Piece Card Game, you've come to the right place. This guide will help you get your sea legs so you can start enjoying the One Piece TCG yourself.

How to Start Playing the One Piece Card Game

The One Piece Card Game has taken the TCG industry by storm, with sales numbers rivaling (sometimes even surpassing) the Big Three games in the genre: Magic, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh. Much of that appeal comes from how easy it is to pick up the game and start playing, even if you've never played a trading card game before.

Learn the Rules

You can learn how to play the One Piece Card Game with our easy-to-follow article explaining the rules.

You can also learn by watching Bandai's official video tutorial!

Play Your First Game

Once you know the rules, the next step is to actually play some games.

The easiest way to try out the One Piece Card Game is by playing through the official One Piece Card Game Tutorial App, which is available on Android, iOS, and Browser. This 100% free software lets you play through some games against a computer using pre-built decks.

You can also try playing against humans using the fan-made OPTCG Sim, but there are a few caveats. First, this tool is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bandai in any way, so for legal reasons, it could be taken down at any time. Second, most matches are timed and there's no way to undo moves, so it's not ideal for brand-new players. The fan-made in-browser platform Straw Table lets you play against an automated opponent at your own pace, but it has the same caveat about its legality.

If you're trying out the game with a partner, we highly recommend starting with the Learn Together Deck Set. This box comes with everything that two players need to enjoy the One Piece Card Game, including three pre-built decks and a step-by-step tutorial that'll guide you both through the first turns of your first game until you've mastered the rules. The decks themselves are packed with strong cards, and are easily on the same power level as the One Piece Starter Decks.

You can have plenty of fun using the Learn Together Deck Set as a self-contained two-player board game. Eventually though, you may become interested in playing against other decks, and it'll be time to seek out new opponents.

Find Other One Piece Players

The best way to find new opponents to play against is by going to a Store Tournament event. Store Tournaments are low-pressure events that many local game stores hold on a weekly basis. Stores typically charge a small entry fee (~$5), and award packs of promo cards or other prizes based on participation or final placement.

Most often these are Swiss-style tournaments, meaning that each round, every player gets paired against an opponent who has a similar number of wins and losses in the event so far. This ensures that everyone gets to play every round, and that if you're having a bad night, you'll play against opponents with the same luck!

Here's how to have fun attending your first Store Tournament:

Step 1: Find a Store Tournament. To find a Store Tournament near you, download the Bandai TCG+ app on Android or iOS, or use the browser mode. Then, navigate to Event Search, click on the Event Details button for the current quarter's Store Tournament Event, and click "Confirm Event Series" to search for a nearby store.

Step 2: Register using a BANDAI NAMCO ID. Most stores use the Bandai TCG+ app as their tournament software. In order to play at those stores, you'll need to register for the event by logging into the app with a BANDAI NAMCO ID.

Create a BANDAI NAMCO ID at bandainamcoid.com, and use it to sign into Bandai TCG+. Then, preregister your interest in an event by clicking the "Apply" button under the event's name. This will let the store know you're planning to attend. Once the event begins, you'll use the event's page to find your opponent and report the match results each round.

Step 3: Bring a Sleeved Deck. Most Store Tournaments are "constructed," meaning that each player brings their own deck to the event.

If building your own deck feels intimidating, use your favorite deck from the Learn Together Deck Set, or any one of the One Piece Card Game Starter Decks printed in the last two years.

Whether you use a preconstructed deck or build one yourself from scratch, you'll want to sleeve it. Card sleeves protect cards from damage during play and make them much easier to shuffle. Any store that runs Store Tournaments almost certainly has Starter Decks and card sleeves for sale.

Step 4: Ask Lots of Questions. Aren't sure where to sit? Ask. Want to read somebody else's card? Ask. Don't remember how a rule works? Ask! As a whole, the One Piece Card Game community is extremely chill and welcoming. People will happily answer any question you have, short of "what's in your hand right now and how can I beat it," especially if it's clear that you're new.

Congratulations! You've successfully played some card games against strangers! It'll never feel as intimidating as it was the first time, and it'll just get more fun from here.

Keep Improving

Odds are, you lost all your games at your first tournament. That's normal! Still, it's fun to try to win, and even succeed once in a while. How do you increase your odds of doing better next week?

#1 Look at Decklists. Sites like Limitless, onepiecetopdecks.com, onepiece.gg, gumgum.gg, and others all host One Piece decklists that have won recent events. Looking at these lists and reading the cards in them will help you know what to expect when you play against these decks, and give you ideas for how to improve your own deck.

#2 Get Advice from Experienced Players. Talk to your opponent after each match. Join your local game store's Discord channel. Watch YouTubers. The more you interact with strong players, the more you'll learn how to think like they do.

#3 Improve Your Deck. After you've seen and heard what strategies are working for other players, you'll probably have ideas about cards you want to switch out of your deck. You may even decide to build a whole new deck! Part of the fun of playing a TCG every week is experimenting with different cards to see what works.

If you need cards you don't already have, the best way to get them is to acquire them as singles—that is, individually. Buying booster packs and ripping them open is a fun way to get many cards quickly, but it's an incredibly inefficient way to find anything specific. Instead, you should try any of the following:

• Trade with friends. Talk to the other players at your local game store, and see if they're willing to sell or trade to you the cards you're looking for. (You can double-check the Market Price of cards on TCGplayer to make sure you're getting a fair deal.)
• Buy from your local store. If your store sells singles, buying from them gets you the cards you want immediately and supports the place where you get to hang out and sling cardboard every week. 
• Buy on TCGplayer. Are we biased? Absolutely, but that doesn't make us wrong. On TCGplayer, you can shop from hundreds of local game stores at once for unbeatable selection and prices.

How to Start Collecting the One Piece Card Game

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has spent decades building out his world with some of the most beloved characters in pop culture. And now, you can own their likenesses on shiny cardboard! Here's how.

Choose a Goal

As fun as it would be to acquire every One Piece card in the world and hoard them all together on an island at the farthest reaches of the world's deadliest sea, that's probably not a realistic goal. You're better off focusing on the few cards you want the most (at least until you've mastered Haki).

Some common goals include:

• Collecting one copy of every card in a set.
• Collecting all the cards of your favorite character.
• Collecting all the cards by your favorite artist.
• Collecting groups of related cards, like the four Gold anniversary cards of the Four Emperors.

Pick one or more goals that speak to you and make sense with your budget. 

Learn About One Piece Cards

Look at One Piece cards on TCGplayer, Limitless, or Bandai's official website and learn what's out there. If you're not sure where to start, look up the most recent One Piece booster set that's released and see what cards are in it.

Here's some basic information to guide your exploration.

Sets, Booster Packs, and Promos

One Piece cards are either released in sets, or as promo cards.

A set is a group of cards that are all released at the same time and come in booster packs. Each pack contains a randomized selection of cards from the set. Booster packs can be bought individually, or in a booster box containing 24 packs.

In the One Piece Card Game, each set has a code made of letters and digits, and is designed around a specific theme:

Each card has a number in its bottom-right corner that contains the set code of the set where it first appeared. For example, Monkey.D.Luffy (OP13-118) first appeared in Carrying On His Will (OP-13). By paying attention to sets, you can keep track of which cards are related to each other, and which booster packs they can be found in.

Promo cards are any cards that weren't distributed in booster packs. They can be awarded as tournament prizes, handed out at special events, or come guaranteed in special premium products.

The list of promo cards is always growing, so they're harder to track, but Limitless and TCGplayer are good places to start.

Rarities and Alternate-Arts

Each One Piece card has a rarity which indicates how often you'll find it in a booster pack (if it's from a set), or that it's a promo card (if it's a promo card). The rarity is marked on the card with a one to three-letter symbol in the bottom right corner.

In addition, many One Piece cards have alternate-art versions. All the versions of the same card will have the same printed rarity, but some of them might be much more scarce, and much more valuable.

Check out our article on the One Piece Card Game rarity system for a full breakdown of the different rarities and alternate versions that exist in the One Piece Card Game.

Meet Other Collectors

If you're already playing the One Piece Card Game at your local game store, you're one step ahead. While collecting can be a solo hobby, it's so much fun to meet up with other people who have similar goals and will appreciate what it means to you when you finally complete that binder page.

Plus, by networking with other collectors, you can keep up to date on product releases and make trades to support each other's goals.

Get Card Storage

Now that you have an idea of what you want, you need to prepare somewhere to keep it all.

There are countless products for storing and displaying trading cards. When you're first starting out though, the only things you absolutely need are card sleeves and some kind of rigid container like a box or a binder. Sleeves protect cards from scratches and dings while you're handling them, and a box or binder will prevent them from being bent the rest of the time.

Any basic sleeves or boxes you find at your local game store or on TCGplayer will meet the essential requirements of protecting your cards. Feel free to upgrade to art sleeves, fancy binders, or limited-edition boxes later on if you like them aesthetically.

Decide What to Buy (Guided By Your Goals)

You're ready. It's time to spend money on cardboard. Where do you start?

Depending on your goals, you'll either want to buy One Piece cards as sealed products, singles, bulk lots, or graded cards (slabs).

Sealed Products

• What they are: Your standard retail products produced by Bandai. Typically full of booster packs, which contain a semi-random assortment of cards from a given set.
• Pros: Available everywhere. And ripping packs is fun!
• Cons: Ripping packs is also pricey. If you want specific cards in specific conditions, this is the least cost-effective way to get them.
• Where to find them: Your local game store, online marketplaces like TCGplayer (that's us), many major retailers.
• Buy if: You're willing to pay extra for the pleasure of pulling a rare card directly from the pack. You're okay with definitely getting a ton of Commons and Uncommons, and probably not getting the card you wanted most of all.

Singles

• What they are: Specific cards, sold on the secondary market.
• Pros: Most cost-effective way to get exactly what you want!
• Cons: No surprise factor. Slow if you're trying to accumulate lots of cards at once.
• Where to find them: Your local game store, online marketplaces like TCGplayer (that's us), card conventions.
• Buy if: You know what you want, and you've checked recent sales data to make sure you're getting a good deal.

Bulk Lots

• What they are: Big bundles of low-value cards sold on the secondary market.
• Pros: Get more cards, faster, and cheaper than any other option!
• Cons: The cards you get will likely be low-value and disorganized. Anything not promised in the description isn't guaranteed.
• Where to find them: Online marketplaces like TCGplayer (that's us) and eBay (that's our parent company).
• Buy if: You want One Piece Cards, but don't care which cards you get.

Graded Cards (aka Slabs)

• What they are: Singles that have been assessed by a third-party grading service and encased in a hard plastic box.
• Pros: Get exactly the card you want, in exactly the condition you want. Cards in perfect condition are more valuable!
• Cons: More expensive than getting the same card as a single. You're either paying someone to grade a card you own, or paying someone a premium to purchase a card they've gotten graded.
• Where to find them: Online marketplaces like TCGplayer (that's us), eBay (that's our parent company), and Goldin (another eBay acquisition).
• Buy if: You want to show off how your copy of a super-rare card is objectively better than everyone else's.

Come Aboard!

There's so much more to learn and discover about the One Piece Card Game—that's what makes the journey so exciting! Check out our other articles about the One Piece Card Game and set sail on a new adventure.