Happy Thursday, riot crew! This week our non-MTG spotlight lands on a game that has had an absolutely electric first year: the GUNDAM CARD GAME. Bandai is throwing a birthday party for it, and the gift is a stacked 1st-anniversary booster called Freedom Ascension (GD05), dropping July 24, 2026. If you have been watching from the sidelines wondering whether now is the time to jump in, this is the set that makes the answer an easy yes.
New to Gundam? Here is the 30-second rundown
The GUNDAM CARD GAME is a two-player duel where your goal is to break through your opponent’s defenses and deplete their Shields — six face-down cards that soak up incoming damage at the start of the game. Burn through all six and land one more hit, and you win.
The clever twist is the Resource Deck. Unlike Magic, where your lands live in your main deck, Gundam keeps its mana in a completely separate stack. Every turn you automatically add a Resource, so you are never “mana screwed” or “flooded” — you always hit your curve. To play a card you need Resources equal to or greater than its Level (Lv), then you “rest” (tap) that many Resources to pay the cost. Rested cards stand back up at the start of your next turn. It is the kind of clean, friction-free design that makes the game shockingly easy to learn but deep enough to reward smart sequencing.
The other signature mechanic is pairing Pilots with Units. Your mobile suits (Units) get a serious power boost when you attach the right ace Pilot — think Domon Kasshu climbing into the Shining Gundam. That pilot-and-machine fantasy is the heart of the game, and GD05 leans all the way into it.
Why Freedom Ascension is the perfect jumping-on point
This is the biggest celebration set the game has had. Across roughly 138 card types (plus a wave of alternate arts), GD05 finally delivers some of the most requested machines in the franchise. Strike Freedom Gundam from Gundam SEED Destiny arrives as a powerful Blue centerpiece, and ν Gundam with its iconic Fin Funnels storms in from Char’s Counterattack.
The headline for hype, though, is the debut of Mobile Fighter G Gundam. Shining Gundam and Domon Kasshu join the roster as White cards, complete with a “Shining Finger” command card — yes, you can literally throw out the glowing super-move in a duel. For a generation of fans, this is the crossover they have been begging for since launch.
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz rounds out the featured series with the gorgeous Wing Gundam Zero, so whether your loyalty is to the Universal Century, the Cosmic Era, or the After Colony timeline, your favorites are showing up.
Chase cards and new collector goodies
GD05 introduces a brand-new rarity called Link Rare — parallel cards that print a Unit and its Pilot together in a single dramatic illustration, celebrating the game’s most memorable pairings. On top of that, the anniversary brings SP Card EX Resources for the first time (premium versions of your resource cards featuring beautifully illustrated characters) and eight popular Pilots reprinted as collectible SP Cards. Topping the pyramid, GD05 packs a record-high five LR++ cards, the most luxurious treatment in the game so far.
Practically speaking, a fresh anniversary set means a level playing field. New machines shake up the metagame, so a player picking up their first booster in July is not hopelessly behind a year of releases — they are arriving right as the deckbuilding conversation resets. That is a rare and welcoming moment in any TCG.
Should you be playing Gundam?
If you love streamlined resource systems, satisfying combat math, and the pure joy of suiting up your favorite ace pilot, Gundam is one of the most beginner-friendly TCGs on the market right now — and Freedom Ascension is its grandest set yet. Strike Freedom, ν Gundam, and the long-awaited Shining Gundam make this the booster to circle on your calendar.
New to Gundam and have questions about where to start, or curious which timeline to build around first? Come say hi on our socials, or find more spotlights, deck techs, and TCG news any time at manariotgames.com. We would love to geek out with you. See you next Thursday, riot crew!