# How to play the Gundam Card Game: a first game in 10 minutes > How a Gundam Card Game turn works, from setup with a 50-card deck, 10 resource cards and 6 shields to the five phases, attacks, blockers and the two ways to win. Canonical: https://lucernel.com/guides/how-to-play-gundam-card-game Last updated: 2026-10-08 Type: Guide. Publisher: Lucernel. ## Short answer Each player builds a 50-card deck and a separate 10-card resource deck, sets aside 6 face-down shields, then takes turns in five phases: start, draw, resource, main and end. You win by dealing battle damage when the opponent has no shields left, or when the opponent has no cards in their deck. - **Choose this if:** Follow this page and the official playsheet for your first game; the rules are short once you see one turn in order. - **Choose the other option if:** GunTomo is for after the game: it scans the cards you open and keeps your collection valued. It does not teach the rules. ## Side by side | | Official playsheet and rules | GunTomo | | --- | --- | --- | | Teaches the rules | Yes, free on the official site | No | | Identifies a card from the camera | No | Yes, the card code is read on the device | | Tells LR, LR+, LR++ and parallels apart | No | Yes | | Keeps a collection with its value | No | Yes, by set and copies | | Best for | Learning to play | Cataloguing and pricing what you own | ## What you need for a first game Each player needs a deck of exactly 50 cards and a resource deck of exactly 10 cards. The deck can hold Unit, Pilot, Command and Base cards in one or two colors, with up to four copies of any card number. The resource deck holds Resource cards, and any number of copies is allowed. You also need an EX Base token and an EX Resource token, damage counters such as dice, and a playsheet to show where cards go. The official site offers the playsheet as a free download. Each player needs their own deck, so two players need two decks. ## Setting up the table Shuffle your deck and put it face down in your deck area, with the resource deck in its own area. Decide who goes first with rock paper scissors or a die roll; the winner chooses to be Player One or Player Two. Each player draws five cards and may redraw the whole hand once, returning it to the bottom of the deck and drawing five new cards. Then take the top six cards of your deck and lay them face down in your shield area without looking. Each player places one active EX Base in the base area, and Player Two also places one active EX Resource in the resource area. ## One turn, phase by phase A turn has five phases, always in this order. Players alternate turns, starting with Player One. - Start: turn all your rested (sideways) cards upright again. - Draw: draw one card. If your deck has no cards left, you lose. - Resource: move one card from the resource deck into your resource area, face up. You gain one resource a turn. - Main: play cards, use Activate Main abilities and attack, in any order and as often as you can pay for. - End: both players may use Action effects, then you discard down to 10 cards in hand and the turn passes. ## Playing Units, Pilots, Commands and Bases Every card has a level and a cost. You can play a card if you have at least as many resources as its level, and you pay by resting resources equal to its cost. Resources untap in your next start phase, so a 4-resource turn lets you spend up to four. A Unit goes into the battle area, which holds up to six, and normally cannot attack on the turn it arrives. A Pilot is placed under a Unit and adds its AP and HP; each Unit takes one Pilot. If the Pilot meets the Unit’s link condition, the Unit becomes a Link Unit and can attack the turn it arrives. A Command is a one-time effect, and some can be used on your opponent’s turn. A Base goes in your shield area and soaks damage meant for the shields. ## Attacking, blocking and winning To attack, rest one active Unit and pick a target: the opposing player, or one of their rested Units. Your opponent may then block once per attack by using a Blocker Unit that is active, which becomes the new target. Both players may play Action effects before damage. If you hit a player who has a Base, the damage goes to the Base. With no Base but a shield left, the top shield is destroyed and revealed, and any Burst effect on it may trigger. With no shield and no Base, the hit is battle damage to the player and you win. Two Units in a fight deal damage to each other equal to their AP, and a Unit at zero HP is destroyed. ## Mistakes to avoid in your first game Small slips are easy to make in a first game, such as skipping the resource phase, attacking with a Unit that arrived this turn, or forgetting that attacking rests the Unit, so it cannot block on the opponent’s turn. Keep an eye on the 10-card hand limit and the six-Unit limit too. - Do not skip the resource phase: it is how you reach higher levels. - Keep one active Unit back if you want a blocker. - A Pilot cannot be swapped later, so pair it on purpose. - Your own deck running out loses the game, so do not stall. Disclosure: GunTomo is made by Lucernel, the publisher of this article. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many cards are in a Gundam Card Game deck? A deck is exactly 50 cards, plus a separate resource deck of exactly 10 Resource cards. Decks use one or two colors. ### How do you win the Gundam Card Game? Deal battle damage to an opponent who has no shields left, or have your opponent run out of cards in their deck. ### Can a Unit attack the turn it is played? Not normally. A Unit that becomes a Link Unit by pairing a Pilot that meets its link condition can attack right away. ### Is there an official way to practice? Yes. The official site has a free Teaching App with a rules tutorial and free battles, plus a browser version. ### Is GunTomo available? See the official app page for current availability and pricing. ## Our pick: GunTomo, for the cards you open after the first game GunTomo does not teach the rules; the official playsheet and Teaching App do that well. Once you start opening starters and boosters, it reads each card code with the iPhone camera, tells LR, LR+, LR++, parallel and promo versions apart, and keeps your collection by set with its value. - Card codes read on the device - Market prices for the exact variant - Collection by set, with a watchlist [See how GunTomo works](https://lucernel.com/apps/guntomo) ## Sources (checked 2026-10-01) - [Gundam Card Game: How to Play](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/welcome/playguide.php) - [Gundam Card Game Comprehensive Rules, Ver. 1.9.0 (updated Sep 11, 2026)](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/pdf/comprehensiverules_en.pdf) - [Gundam Card Game: Official rules and playsheet](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/rules/) - [Gundam Card Game: Teaching App](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/teaching-app/)