Gundam Card Game card types: Unit, Pilot, Command, Base and Resource
What the five Gundam Card Game card types do in play and in a deck: Units that fight, Pilots paired beneath them, Commands, Bases that guard your shields, Resources and tokens.
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Short answer
The Gundam Card Game has five card types: Unit, Pilot, Command, Base and Resource. Units are the only cards that attack, Pilots are paired beneath Units, Commands are one-time effects, Bases absorb damage to your shields, and Resources pay for everything. A 50-card deck uses the first four types, and a separate 10-card resource deck holds the Resources.
Choose this if
The official comprehensive rules are the place to settle how a card type works, and a card’s own text decides the exceptions.
Choose the other option if
GunTomo helps once you hold the cards: it identifies the exact variant by its card code and keeps your collection valued.
At a glance
| Feature | Rulebook and card text | GunTomo |
|---|---|---|
| Explains how each card type works | Yesin the comprehensive rules | Noit is not a rules guide |
| Identifies a card with the camera | No | Yesit reads the card code on the device |
| Tells LR, LR+, LR++, parallel and promo apart | Partlyby reading the card | Yes |
| Shows the market price of the exact variant | No | Yesfrom public TCGplayer data |
| Keeps your copies by set | No | Yeswith quantity and total value |
| Best for | Learning and settling rules questions | Scanning, valuing and tracking cards |
The five card types at a glance
Every card in the game belongs to one of five types. The official comprehensive rules (version 1.9.0, updated September 11, 2026) name them as Unit, Pilot, Command, Base and Resource. The type tells you where a card goes when you play it and what it does there.
Four of the types make up your 50-card deck. Resources live in their own deck, which is why a starter deck lists a 50-card deck and 10 Resource cards as separate contents.
- Unit: deployed to the battle area and the only card that can attack.
- Pilot: placed beneath a Unit and paired with it.
- Command: activates its effect, then goes to the trash.
- Base: deployed to the shield area and takes damage first.
- Resource: placed in the resource area and used to pay costs.
Unit: the cards that fight
A Unit is deployed into the battle area when you play it. According to the rules, only Units can attack, and you can have up to six Units in your battle area at once. Each Unit has AP, its offensive strength, and HP, its defensive strength. When a Unit’s HP reaches zero, it is destroyed.
A newly deployed Unit cannot attack on the turn it arrives, with one exception. Some Units have link conditions, such as a Pilot’s name or trait. When a Pilot that satisfies the condition is paired with that Unit, it becomes a Link Unit, and a Link Unit can attack on the turn it is deployed.
Pilot and Command: the support cards
A Pilot cannot exist in the battle area on its own. When you play one, it is placed beneath a Unit and paired with it, and each Unit can have at most one Pilot. You cannot freely remove a paired Pilot or swap it for another.
Pilots have AP and HP too, shown as modifiers such as +1 that are added to the Unit while they are paired. A Pilot also has traits, but the Unit does not gain them. If the Unit leaves the battle area, the Pilot goes to the same place.
A Command activates its effect when you play it and then, unless an effect says otherwise, goes to your trash. The effect is marked Main or Action, which tells you when it can be played. Commands are not Units, so they never sit on the battlefield.
Some Command cards also carry a Pilot effect on the lower part of the card. When you play one of these, you can pair it with a Unit as a Pilot instead of using its command effect. While it is paired, the Pilot rules apply to it.
Base and the shield area
A Base is deployed into the base section of the shield area. While a Base is there, damage dealt to your shield area goes to the Base first. Like Units, Bases have AP and HP, and a Base is destroyed when its HP reaches zero.
Every game starts with an EX Base, which is a token with 0 AP and 3 HP. Each player also sets six cards face down in the shield area at the start, so a deck Base is an extra layer on top of that.
Resource, EX Resource and tokens
Resource cards form the separate resource deck. In your resource phase you place one Resource from that deck into your resource area, face up and active. You can have up to 15 Resources there, and a card’s level is met when you have at least that many, active or not. Its cost is paid by resting active Resources.
Tokens are cards that are not in your deck. The rules call them tokens when effects put them on the field, and treat them as having no color, with level and cost of zero. A token that leaves the field is removed from the game. The EX Base and EX Resource are two tokens used at the start of games: Player Two begins with one EX Resource, and an EX Resource is removed from the game when it pays a cost. You can hold up to five EX Resources.
How the types fit into a deck
A deck is exactly 50 cards made of Unit, Pilot, Command and Base cards, in one or two colors, with up to four copies of any card number. The resource deck is exactly 10 Resource cards, and any number of copies of the same Resource is allowed.
Bandai’s product page for the first starter deck lists a ready-to-play 50-card deck, 10 Resource cards and 8 Token cards, and the newer ST11 page lists 4 Token cards. The product pages do not break the 50 cards down by type, so check the decklist inside the box.
Frequently asked questions
How many card types are there in the Gundam Card Game?
Five: Unit, Pilot, Command, Base and Resource. The comprehensive rules list them together.
Can a Pilot be played on its own?
No. A Pilot has to be paired with a Unit in your battle area, and each Unit can have at most one Pilot.
Do Resource cards count toward the 50-card deck?
No. The deck is exactly 50 cards of Unit, Pilot, Command and Base, and the 10 Resource cards are a separate resource deck.
Which cards can attack?
Only Units. A newly deployed Unit cannot attack that turn unless it is a Link Unit.
Is GunTomo available?
See the official app page for current availability and pricing.
Our pick
GunTomo, once the cards are in your hands
Knowing the types gets you through a game. When you open packs or sort a binder, GunTomo reads the card code with the camera, tells LR, LR+, LR++, parallel and promo apart, and shows the market price of that exact variant.
- Card codes read on the device; photos are not uploaded
- Prices from public TCGplayer data, in the currency you choose
- Collection by set with copies and total value, synced through your iCloud
