In One Piece Card Game, cards on the table do not all provide the same information. The size of a hand can be checked, but its contents remain hidden. The Trash can be inspected, while the order and contents of the main Deck cannot. Life cards are normally secret unless an effect creates a visible exception.
This guide complements our article on Deck, Trash, Stage and DON!! areas. Here the goal is to decide what may be checked, by whom and when.
Counting is not looking
The number of cards in every area is open information. Either player may ask how many cards remain in a Deck, hand or Life area. That permission does not reveal card identities or allow anyone to change their order.
Information map
| Area | Usual status | Open information | Protected information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck | Secret | Card count | Contents and order |
| Hand | Secret | Count; contents to its owner | Identities from the opponent |
| Trash | Open | Contents and order | None |
| Field | Open | Face-up cards and attached DON!! | None |
| Life | Secret by default | Count and face-up exceptions | Face-down cards and order |
The DON!! Deck is an important exception: it is an open area even though the cards form a face-down stack. Do not apply that rule to the main Deck.
Handle the Deck without creating information
Without an instruction, neither player may inspect the main Deck. A search, reveal or temporary look opens only the information required by that effect. Read the exact verb, identify who may see the cards, reveal only what is requested and restore the secret area before continuing.
If cards move to the top or bottom, preserve the order set by the effect. When the owner chooses the order of cards moving from an open area to a secret one, the opponent does not confirm that order.
Keep the hand private
You may inspect and rearrange your own hand. Your opponent may count it but may not read it without an effect. Keep faces toward you and do not place a card face up until the action is confirmed. Revealing one card does not reveal the entire hand.
Make open areas readable
Both players may inspect the Trash. Ask before touching an opponent's cards and restore the pile afterwards. On the field, keep names, power, effects and attached DON!! visible. For activation windows, see our guide to On Play, When Attacking and On K.O. timings.
Life: secret with visible exceptions
Life cards are normally face down. If an effect adds a face-up Life card, that card is open information without exposing the rest. When an effect allows a player to look at Life, follow exactly who looks and return each card to its previous face-up or face-down state afterwards.
Common mistakes
- Turning cards over when only the count was requested.
- Browsing the Deck beyond a search instruction.
- Showing the whole hand instead of one required card.
- Blocking access to the Trash.
- Treating all Life cards as open because one is face up.
- Changing the order of a secret stack without permission.
Final checklist
- Is the area open or secret?
- Can I state the count without exposing identities?
- Does the effect say look, reveal, search, place or shuffle?
- Who may see the cards?
- Was the required order or shuffle completed?
- Are open areas readable to both players?
Browse the One Piece Card Game collection and practise identifying the area and information status before every action.