Bandai is set to release its seventh card game based on the legendary Gundam franchise in early 2025, and fans of the mecha series have plenty to be excited about. While specific details continue to emerge, here’s a breakdown of what we know so far about the Gundam Card Game.
If you want to check out the trailer, you can find it HERE.
The Basics of Gameplay
At its core, the Gundam Card Game revolves around battles between iconic mobile suits (units) and their pilots, aiming to outmaneuver and outpower your opponent. The game will feature several types of cards, each contributing to the game’s flow of combat and strategy.
- Unit Cards: These are the backbone of the game, representing the different mobile suits from the Gundam universe. Units come with two key stats—Attack Power (AP) and Health Points (HP)—and are designed to take down enemy shields or units. Unit cards are paired with pilot cards for additional abilities and bonuses, making the link between a mobile suit and its operator crucial to success. Before you play a unit, you need to make sure you have resources equal to its required Level, and enough available resources to pay for it.
- Pilot Cards: Pilots aren’t just flavor text; they bring substantial buffs to the units they are paired with, creating what the game refers to as a “Link Unit.” Together, a mobile suit and its pilot become more than the sum of their parts, offering increased stats and unique abilities.
- Command Cards: Acting like “spell” cards in other trading card games, Command Cards provide one-time-use effects. In some cases, Command Cards even function as pilots.
- Base Cards: Unique to the Gundam Card Game, Base Cards act as an extra layer of defense. Opponents will need to destroy your Base before they can attack your shields, making them a pivotal part of your strategy.
How to Win
Victory in the Gundam TCG is achieved by attacking your opponent when they have no Shield Cards left. Shields are your life force in the game, and protecting them is essential.
Key Areas of the Game
In the Gundam Card Game, each player’s battlefield is divided into several distinct areas with its own function:
- Shield Area: This represents your life total. You start with a set number of Shield Cards, and if they are depleted and you get attacked, you lose the game.
- Base Area: This is where your Base Cards are placed. These must be destroyed before your opponent can target your Shields.
- Battle Area: Units and Pilots are played here to engage in combat.
- Trash Zone: When cards are destroyed or used, they go here.
- Resource Zone: Resources are crucial for paying the cost of playing your cards. At the beginning of each turn, you place a resource card into this zone, and your total number of active resources determines your current Level.
Deck Construction and Game Setup
Players will construct 50-card decks with a maximum of four copies of any individual card. Decks are limited to two colors out of four revealed so far: black, green, blue, and red. There’s also a 10-card resource deck, which is used to manage the game’s resource system. As the game progresses, players “flip” resource cards into play to increase their level, which in turn allows for more powerful cards to be played.
At the start of the game, each player draws a hand (likely five cards, though this isn’t confirmed yet) and places six cards from their deck as shields. Both players receive an “EX Base” token with 3 HP to start the game. The second player also gets an “EX Resource” token, which provides a one-time-use resource.
Turn Structure
In the Gundam Card Game, a turn is divided into several phases, each with its own actions:
- Start Phase: All rested (turned sideways) cards are returned to an upright position.
- Draw Phase: Players draw one card from their deck.
- Resource Phase: The top card of the resource deck is placed into the Resource Zone.
- Main Phase: Players can play cards and launch attacks.
- End Phase: The turn concludes, passing control to the other player.
Final Thoughts
Bandai’s upcoming Gundam trading card game is shaping up to be an exciting new entry in the world of TCGs, blending iconic mobile suits and pilots with tactical, card-based gameplay. As more details emerge, it’s clear that this game is designed to appeal to both long-time fans of Gundam and seasoned TCG players. Expect strategic depth, intense battles, and plenty of nostalgia when it launches in early 2025.
If you’re looking for an entirely different hobby, how about getting started on mechanical keyboards?
