Pilot pairing in the Gundam Card Game: rules and timing
How a Pilot is paired with a Unit, what When Paired and During Pair mean, why you cannot swap or move a paired Pilot, and the rulings beginners get wrong, from the official rules and FAQ.
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Short answer
In the Gundam Card Game you pair a Pilot with one of your Units during your main phase by paying its cost; the Pilot goes face up beneath the Unit. A Unit can have at most one Pilot, and you cannot swap it or move it to another Unit. When Paired is an effect that happens at the moment a Pilot is paired, and During Pair is an effect the Unit has while a Pilot is under it.
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Read on for the timing, the two keywords with the official examples and the rulings that trip up new players.
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At a glance
| Feature | When Paired | During Pair |
|---|---|---|
| Happens at the moment a Pilot is paired | Yesit activates when the Pilot is paired with the Unit | Noit is not a one-time trigger |
| Stays active while the Pilot is under the Unit | No | Yesthe effect is active while a Pilot is paired |
| Can name a kind of Pilot | Yessuch as a (Zeon) Pilot | Yessuch as an (Earth Federation) Pilot |
| Official example | A Pilot with the (Zeon) trait must be paired for the effect to activate | During Pair, (Earth Federation) Pilot, Attack: draw 1 when the Unit attacks |
How pairing works
The official comprehensive rules (version 1.9.0, updated September 11, 2026) define pairing as placing a Pilot card, or a Command card with a Pilot effect, beneath a Unit. Pairing is one of the actions you can take in your main phase, along with deploying a Unit or a Base and activating a Command. To play the card you reveal it, confirm you have enough Resources for its Lv. condition, rest the Resources that pay its cost, and then pair it.
A Pilot can only exist in the battle area when it is paired with a Unit, and the rules say you can pair at most one Pilot with each of your Units. You can only pair a Pilot with one of your own Units. A Unit token can be paired in the same way as a normal Unit.
What a Pilot adds to the Unit
A Pilot has AP and HP, shown as modifiers such as +1, which are added to the Unit while they are paired. A Pilot card has two card texts. The text above the card name belongs to the Pilot, and Burst effects typically appear there. The text below the name is gained by the paired Unit and is treated as an effect on the Unit while paired.
Two things do not transfer. A Pilot's traits are not added to the Unit's traits, and the Pilot's color does not change the Unit's color. If you want to know whether a Unit counts as a (Zeon) card, look at the Unit, not at its Pilot.
When Paired
The rules define When Paired as the keyword for an effect that activates when a Pilot is paired with a Unit. The official FAQ says the same in plainer words: the effect activates when a Pilot is paired with the Unit that has the When Paired text.
Some When Paired effects name a kind of Pilot. The FAQ says When Paired, (Zeon) Pilot only activates when a Pilot with the (Zeon) trait is paired with that Unit. A Pilot that does not satisfy the qualification does not trigger that effect.
During Pair
During Pair is the keyword for an effect the Unit has while a Pilot is paired with it. It is a state, not a trigger. The rules give an example: an effect reading During Pair, (Earth Federation) Pilot, Attack, Draw 1 lets you draw a card when the Unit attacks if an (Earth Federation) Pilot is paired with it.
The FAQ covers the common case where During Pair is followed by Attack. The effect activates when the Unit is paired with a Pilot and attacks. If no Pilot is paired, the Attack effect does not activate. Link Units use the same idea with different words: When Linked activates when a Pilot that meets the link condition is set, and During Link applies while one is paired with the Unit.
Link Units and the link condition
Some Units have a link condition, such as a Pilot's name or trait. A Unit with a Pilot satisfying its link condition beneath it is a Link Unit, and the rules say a Link Unit can attack on the turn it is deployed, while other Units normally cannot. A link requirement can name part of a card name: the rules' example is the Pilot Garrod Ran & Tiffa Adill, which satisfies a [Garrod Ran] requirement because the name contains it.
A link condition you do not meet does not block the Pilot. The FAQ example: Char Aznable paired with a Unit that has the link requirement [Amuro Ray] still adds AP and HP, and the Attack effect can activate. The only thing the unmet condition costs you is the immediate attack.
Replacing or moving a Pilot
You cannot freely remove a paired Pilot from a Unit or exchange it with another Pilot, according to the rules. The FAQ answers the two questions directly: you cannot swap in a new Pilot on a Unit that already has one, and you cannot take a paired Pilot and pair it with another Unit. A Pilot cannot sit in the battle area by itself either.
The Pilot leaves only with the Unit. When a Unit with a Pilot is destroyed, returned to hand or otherwise moved out of the battle area, the paired Pilot goes to the same location. So choose which Unit gets a Pilot with some care, since the pairing is permanent while the Unit stays. A Command with a Pilot effect follows the same rules while paired, but the rules say you cannot pair it as a Pilot during an action step.
Common mistakes
- Putting a second Pilot on a Unit that already has one. At most one per Unit.
- Moving a Pilot to a better Unit later. A paired Pilot cannot be moved.
- Thinking the Pilot's traits or color change the Unit. They do not.
- Treating an unmet link requirement as a block. AP, HP and effects still apply; only the immediate attack is lost.
- Resolving a Pilot's lower-half text as the Pilot's. The FAQ says an effect on a paired Pilot resolves as though it belongs to the Unit, unless the effect names a location such as the hand or trash, where the Pilot card itself activates it.
- Expecting a During Pair, Attack effect to work with no Pilot under the Unit.
Frequently asked questions
When can I pair a Pilot in the Gundam Card Game?
During your main phase, as one of the actions you can take with cards from your hand, by paying its cost. A Command with a Pilot effect cannot be paired as a Pilot during an action step.
Can a Unit have two Pilots?
No. The comprehensive rules say you can pair at most one Pilot with each of your Units, and the FAQ says you cannot swap in a new Pilot on a Unit that already has one.
What is the difference between When Paired and During Pair?
When Paired activates when a Pilot is paired with the Unit. During Pair is an effect the Unit has while a Pilot is paired with it.
What happens to the Pilot when the Unit is destroyed?
The Pilot moves to the same location as the Unit. The rules say this also applies if the Unit returns to hand or leaves the battle area in another way.
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