One Piece Card Game · Rules Explained
Rested vs. Active in the One Piece TCG
Resting a card is not the same as using it up. In the One Piece Card Game a rested Character can still be K.O.'d, can still have power, and is the only kind of Character your opponent is allowed to attack. This page covers what each state allows, how cards change between them, and the rule that stops a new Character from attacking.
The two states
Every card in your Leader area, Character area, Stage area and cost area is either active or rested (rule 4-4-1). Active means upright from your point of view; rested means turned sideways. Players from Magic would say untapped and tapped. The rules in this page are from Bandai's Comprehensive Rules, version 1.2.1, last updated August 28, 2026, which is the current version as of October 2026.
Comprehensive Rules · 4-4-2
As an exception, given DON!! cards are neither active nor rested.
That exception matters more than it looks. A DON!! card given to your Leader or a Character has no state at all, so it can't be rested to pay a cost, and Bandai's rules Q&A says effects can't set it active or rested either. How given DON!! works is the subject of giving DON!! in the One Piece TCG.
What needs an active card?
Most actions in the game are paid for by resting something, so they need that thing to be active first.
Being active doesn't give a card any of these abilities; it only makes them possible. Your Leader is usually your most reliable attacker for that reason: it starts every one of your turns active and can't be removed from the Leader area (rule 3-6-3).
Why a rested Character is a target
An attack can be aimed at your opponent's Leader or at one of their rested Characters, not at an active Character unless a card effect allows it (rule 7-1-1-2). Attacking rests your Character, so every Character that attacks this turn is something your opponent can attack on theirs, unless an effect stands it back up before then.
Many effects also care about the rested state directly. Green in particular rests your opponent's Characters and then punishes them for it, with effects that K.O. or shrink rested Characters only.
How cards change state
Cards enter play active unless something says otherwise (rules 3-7-5, 3-8-4 and 3-9-3). After that, a card changes state in four ways:
The Refresh Phase only refreshes the turn player's cards ("your" in rule 6-2-4). A Character you rested by blocking on your opponent's turn stays rested for the rest of that turn, so it can't block again and can still be attacked. If two effects tell you to rest a card and set it active at the same time, resting wins (rule 1-3-8).
Kikunojo
OP14-023
[End of Your Turn] Set this Character as active
Shanks
OP17-020
A Leader that stops a rested Character from becoming active in its next Refresh Phase
Uta
OP13-023
Sets 2 DON!! active on play; its [On K.O.] plays a Character rested
Some effects put a card into play rested, as Uta's [On K.O.] does. A Character played rested can be attacked straight away and can't block until it is active again.
What "cannot be rested" stops
An effect that says a Character "cannot be rested" shuts down far more than it seems to. Bandai's rules Q&A answers four questions about it, and the answer to each is yes: the Character can't attack, can't activate [Blocker], can't pay an "[Activate: Main] You may rest this Character:" cost, and can't be rested by your or your opponent's other effects. Every one of those needs the card to become rested.
Kouzuki Oden
ST32-002
Up to 1 opposing Character with a base cost of 6 or less cannot be rested until the end of your opponent's next End Phase
Boa Hancock
OP16-032
[Unblockable], and turns off one opposing Character's attacks and blocks
Used on your turn, "cannot be rested until the end of your opponent's next End Phase" takes a Blocker out of your attacks now and stops that Character attacking you next turn. It also protects the Character from being rested by your own Green effects, so check the order you play your cards in.
Why a new Character can't attack
A Character can't attack on the turn it is played unless a card says otherwise (rule 3-7-4). It still enters active, so it can block on your opponent's turn if it has [Blocker]. This is the One Piece version of what Magic players call summoning sickness, and it is narrower than Magic's rule: it limits attacking and nothing else.
Comprehensive Rules · 3-7-4
Played cards cannot attack on the turn in which they are played unless otherwise specified.
Because the rule only covers attacking, a Character you just played can use an [Activate: Main] effect that rests it as a cost. Bandai's card Q&A answers yes to exactly this question for several cards, such as Hyogoro (OP01-020) and Arlong (OP01-063). Mr.3 (Galdino), below, rests itself to give rested DON!!, and nothing stops you doing that the turn it comes down.
Shanks
OP17-022
[Rush], and its [On Play] rests all of your opponent's Characters
Monkey.D.Luffy
OP17-030
Gains [Rush] for the turn if you rest 1 DON!! as it is played
Mr.3(Galdino)
ST30-014
"You may rest this Character:" works the turn it is played
Shanks shows why [Rush] is strong on a high-cost card. It rests every opposing Character as it enters, which turns all of them into legal targets, and then attacks the same turn. The full list of attack keywords is in One Piece TCG keywords.
A turn, step by step
Your opponent has an active [Blocker] and a rested Character
Your Refresh Phase sets your Leader, your Characters and your DON!! active again. Your opponent's cards stay as they are.
You play Kouzuki Oden. Its [On Play] draws you a card and says your opponent's active Blocker, which has a base cost of 6 or less, cannot be rested until the end of their next End Phase. It can't block your attacks this turn, and it can't attack you on their turn.
Kouzuki Oden can't attack this turn (rule 3-7-4). Your Leader can: you rest it and attack your opponent's Leader.
With the Blocker unable to rest, your opponent has to defend with Counters from their hand or other effects.
Next, an older Character of yours attacks the rested Character. Your opponent's other Characters are active, so that rested one is the only Character you could have chosen.
Your Leader and that Character end the turn rested. On your opponent's turn they are targets, and they stand up in your next Refresh Phase.
Common mistakes
Attacking an active Character. Only rested Characters, and the Leader, can be targeted unless a card effect says otherwise.
Blocking with a Character that blocked earlier this turn. It is still rested until your own Refresh Phase.
Thinking [Rush] gets around the first-turn rule. Nobody battles on their own first turn.
Treating a just-played Character as unable to do anything. Rule 3-7-4 only stops attacks.
Resting given DON!! to pay a cost. Given DON!! is neither active nor rested.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does rested mean in the One Piece TCG?
A rested card is turned sideways. A rested Leader or Character can't attack or block, a rested DON!! card can't pay a play cost or a ① cost, and a rested Character is the only kind of Character your opponent can normally attack. Your rested cards stand back up in your next Refresh Phase.
Can a Character attack the turn it is played?
No, unless it has [Rush] (rule 3-7-4). [Rush] lets it attack anything that turn, and [Rush: Character] lets it attack only your opponent's Characters. Neither one lets you battle on your own first turn.
Can you attack an active Character in the One Piece TCG?
No. An attack can target your opponent's Leader, rested or active, or one of their rested Characters (rule 7-1-1-2). A Character that stays active can't be attacked unless a card effect allows it, and effects can still rest it or K.O. it.
Can a Character I just played use an effect that rests it?
Rule 3-7-4 only says a Character can't attack on the turn it is played. It says nothing about effects, so an [Activate: Main] effect whose cost is "You may rest this Character" can be used that turn, as long as the Character is still active. Bandai's card Q&A confirms this for cards such as Hyogoro (OP01-020).
What does "cannot be rested" do?
Bandai's rules Q&A says a Character that cannot be rested can't attack, can't activate [Blocker], can't pay a cost that rests it, and can't be rested by other cards' effects. Every one of those actions needs the card to become rested.
Does a Character played on my opponent's turn have to wait to attack?
No. The restriction is on the turn the Character is played. A Character that entered play during your opponent's turn, for example from a [Trigger], can attack on your next turn.
Keep score at the table.
Track each player's Life and record who won, build and check a One Piece deck, and keep your collection in one place. Free on iPhone, Android and the web.
Create Free AccountONE PIECE CARD GAME card names and images are the property of Bandai and their respective owners. ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation. TurnZero HQ is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Bandai, Shueisha, or Toei Animation. Card data and prices come from TCGplayer.