Can you Nope a Nope in Exploding Kittens?
Yes. A Nope played on another Nope cancels it, so the original action goes ahead after all (the sheet calls this a Yup). It can keep going back and forth, with each new Nope flipping the result. Every Noped card stays in the discard pile.
The rule:
In Exploding Kittens, yes: a Nope played on another Nope cancels it, so the original action goes ahead after all (a Yup), and the chain can keep going back and forth, with each new Nope flipping the result.
How a Nope chain ends: count the Nopes played on the action.
| Nopes played on it | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | The action is cancelled |
| 2 | It goes ahead (a “Yup”) |
| 3 | Cancelled again |
When you can play one: you can jump in on anyone’s turn, as long as the card’s effect hasn’t started yet. Once the effect is under way, for example after someone has already looked at the top 3 cards, it’s too late.
What a Nope can stop: any card’s action, including a Special Combo. It can’t stop an Exploding Kitten or a Defuse.
Noped cards are gone: they stay in the discard pile, and the player doesn’t get them back.
A Noped Skip or Attack doesn’t end the turn: that player carries on, and still has to draw unless they play something else that ends their turn.
Example:
Priya plays a Favor on Omar. Omar plays a Nope to block it. Priya answers with a Nope of her own, cancelling Omar's, so the Favor goes through and Omar has to give her a card.
Why players argue about it:
Some players think one Nope ends the argument. The sheet lets Nopes be answered with more Nopes, and tables also disagree about when it's too late to play one.