# How to get started in Gundam Card Game: which Starter Deck to buy, released sets and events in Spain

> Which Gundam Card Game Starter Deck to buy today, what's in the box, which sets are out, how to build your own deck and how to find events with Bandai TCG+.

- Source: https://tradematches.app/en/blog/gundam-card-game-getting-started
- Author: Joaquin Orozco · TradeMatches
- Published: 2026-11-09
- Language: en

![A starter deck of invented robots: units in a row, a pilot under a unit, resource cards, shields and an unpainted model kit](https://tradematches.app/assets/fotos/gundam-card-game-como-empezar-portada.webp)
*Editorial illustration · not a photograph of a real card.*

**The easiest way into Gundam Card Game right now is one of the four Starter Decks released on 25 September 2026 (ST11 to ST14): each box holds a ready-to-play 50-card deck, the 10 Resource cards and the tokens, and Bandai's site posts an upgraded list for every one of them.** That deck is already good enough for store tournaments, which you find and book through the Bandai TCG+ app. To move on to a deck of your own, you buy the handful of outside cards that list calls for as singles instead of cracking packs blind. Below: what each box contains, which sets are out and when, what that upgrade costs in a worked example, and which events are running this winter.

Everything was checked on 9 November 2026 on gundam-gcg.com. Its region picker sends Spain, like the rest of Europe, to the English site, so the dates here are the ones listed there. Bandai quotes suggested prices in US dollars; the euro prices are examples taken from CardTrader on the same day. Game rules (Pilots, Link, the 50 plus 10 deck, sideboards) live in our [Gundam Card Game keywords guide](https://tradematches.app/en/blog/gundam-card-game-keywords-guide).

## Which Starter Deck to buy today

The four September decks carry a suggested price of $15.99, and Bandai pitches them as good for both one-on-one and multiplayer games. All four are two-colour decks, the most the rules allow, and each has an upgraded version in the Decks section of the official site.

| Deck | Colours | Style | Headline card | Outside cards in the official list | Example price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ST11 Aquatic Assault | Blue and purple | Underwater fighters (Marine) | Char's Z'Gok | 8 (2 different) | from €12.71 |
| ST12 Raging Onslaught | Red and purple | Close combat | Gundam Epyon | 19 (5 different) | from €14.01 |
| ST13 Silent Barrage | Green and red | Long-range bits and funnels | Qubeley | 19 (6 different) | from €13.21 |
| ST14 Heavy Dominion | Green and white | Heavily armed units | The-O | 8 (2 different) | from €11.71 |

The outside-cards column comes from counting the four official lists posted on 25 September 2026. It is the number that matters most if you want to play at a store soon: the ST11 and ST14 lists only need two single cards, four copies each, while ST12 and ST13 call for five or six different cards from several sets. Prices are the lowest listing on CardTrader's European site on 9 November 2026, before shipping.

### Other options in the catalogue

- **ST09 Destiny Ignition** (27 March 2026, $39.99) is an Ultimate Deck: on top of the 50-card deck you get 22 extra cards and 6 damage dice. On CardTrader it started at €45.00.
- **ST10 Generation Pulse** (26 June 2026, $15.99), the crossover with the mobile game SD Gundam G Generation Eternal, was the cheapest that day, from €8.15.
- **ST15 Unicorn Awakening**, another Ultimate Deck, is due on 16 April 2027 at $39.99.
- **Deck Build Box SC01** (24 July 2026, $39.99) is not a fixed deck: 125 reprinted cards, 25 per colour, to build your own two-colour list, plus 4 GD05 packs.

The 2025 and early-2026 Starters (ST01 to ST08) are still around second-hand, but several of their cards are limited today, as the [common mistakes](#common-mistakes) section explains.

![Contents of a generic starter deck spread on a table: deck, resource cards, tokens and play sheet](https://tradematches.app/assets/fotos/gundam-card-game-como-empezar-1.webp)
*AI-generated illustration.*

## What's in a Starter Deck box

Going by the ST11 to ST14 product pages, each box holds a ready-to-play 50-card deck, the 10 Resource cards (a separate deck that doesn't count towards the 50), tokens (4 in ST11 and ST13, 2 in ST12 and ST14), a paper damage counter, a rules sheet that doubles as a playmat and a Bonus Pack. Every box of the same Starter has the same cards. The ST05 and ST07 pages spell out their make-up, 16 different cards (2 Legend Rare and 14 commons); the ST11 to ST14 pages don't say how many copies of each card you get, so count yours when you open the box before buying anything else.

### Card and rules language

Bandai's language rules (11 July 2025) say Europe plays with English cards; Japanese cards are for Japan and several Asian markets. Only Resource and token cards are fine in any language. There are no Spanish cards, though the official site does offer the playsheet as a Spanish PDF. If you buy singles, our [card language and edition guide](https://tradematches.app/en/blog/tcg-card-language-edition-guide) explains how language affects value.

## Released sets and packs, with dates

These are the dates on the English site, the one that covers Spain, as of 9 November 2026. Recent packs hold 12 cards and have a $4.99 suggested price; GD sets are the main line and EB sets are extra boosters.

| Code | Name | Type | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ST01–ST04 | Heroic Beginnings, Wings of Advance, Zeon's Rush, SEED Strike | Starter | 11 Jul 2025 |
| GD01 | Newtype Rising | Booster | 25 Jul 2025 |
| ST05 | Iron Bloom | Starter | 26 Sep 2025 |
| GD02, ST06 | Dual Impact, Clan Unity | Booster, Starter | 24 Oct 2025 |
| ST07, ST08 | Celestial Drive, Flash of Radiance | Starter | 16 Jan 2026 |
| GD03 | Steel Requiem | Booster | 30 Jan 2026 |
| ST09 | Destiny Ignition | Ultimate Deck | 27 Mar 2026 |
| GD04 | Phantom Aria | Booster | 24 Apr 2026 |
| EB01, ST10 | Eternal Nexus, Generation Pulse | Extra booster, Starter | 26 Jun 2026 |
| GD05, SC01 | Freedom Ascension, Deck Build Box | Booster, build box | 24 Jul 2026 |
| ST11–ST14 | Aquatic Assault, Raging Onslaught, Silent Barrage, Heavy Dominion | Starter | 25 Sep 2026 |
| GD06 | Stardust Trails | Booster | 30 Oct 2026 |
| GD07 | Blazing Fist | Booster (announced) | 29 Jan 2027 |
| EB02 | Cosmic Crisis | Extra booster (announced) | 26 Feb 2027 |
| ST15 | Unicorn Awakening | Ultimate Deck (announced) | 16 Apr 2027 |

GD06 has 135 different cards plus 8 tokens, 12 of them Legend Rares. Neither its page nor the GD05 page gives Legend Rare odds per box, so there is no way to work out how many packs a specific card will take. The [release calendar tool](https://tradematches.app/en/tools/release-calendar) filters by Gundam Card Game and exports dates to your phone, and the [Gundam section of our release calendar](https://tradematches.app/en/blog/tcg-release-calendar-spain#gundam) covers each upcoming product.

## From a Starter to your own deck

A legal deck is exactly 50 cards in one or two colours, no more than four copies of any card number, plus a separate 10-card Resource deck; the details are in the [50-card deck and 10 Resources section](https://tradematches.app/en/blog/gundam-card-game-keywords-guide#deck-resources). To upgrade a Starter without overspending:

1. Play the deck as it comes for a few games and note which cards you never use.
2. Check your box against that Starter's official list and write down only what's missing.
3. Buy those cards as singles by their code (GD05-050, for example).
4. Don't add a third colour: if you love a card in another colour, one of your two has to go.
5. Check the banned and restricted list, especially when mixing several Starters.

### How many copies to run: the maths

You draw five cards from a 50-card deck. With four copies of a card, the chance of at least one in your opening hand is 1 − (46·45·44·43·42)/(50·49·48·47·46) ≈ 35.3%; with three it's 27.6%, with two 19.2% and with one 10%. That's why the official lists almost always run key pieces at three or four. The figure ignores the redraw and the cards you draw in the first turns; the [opening hand probability calculator](https://tradematches.app/en/tools/opening-hand-probability) has a Gundam preset (50 cards, 5-card hand) and adds those draws.

## Worked example: what it costs to start with ST11

The official "Marine" list for ST11 uses 42 cards from the Starter and 8 from elsewhere: 4 White Base (ST01-015) and 4 Gundam Exia Repair (GD05-050, a GD05 Legend Rare). At CardTrader market prices on 9 November 2026, English copies only, before shipping:

| Item | Qty | Example price | Subtotal |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ST11 Starter Deck | 1 | €14.89 | €14.89 |
| White Base (ST01-015) | 4 | €0.20 | €0.80 |
| Gundam Exia Repair (GD05-050) | 4 | €6.48 | €25.92 |
| **Total before shipping** |  |  | **€41.61** |

The upgrade costs almost twice as much as the deck, and nearly all of it is one card. The cheapest English Exia Repair was €3.09, but the lowest listings were single copies from different sellers, and every order adds its own postage, so it pays to get all four from one seller or a local shop. Opening packs doesn't make sense here: GD05 has 12 different Legend Rares, and four packs (from €3.61 each that day) guarantee none of them.

On a tight budget, buy the 4 White Base first, for under a euro, and keep playing the rest of the Starter until you find the Exia Repairs at a good price or in a trade. Tournaments require opaque sleeves; the [sleeves and boxes calculator](https://tradematches.app/en/tools/sleeves-boxes-calculator) tells you how many packs you need.

## Decision table: what to buy for your situation

| Your situation | What to buy | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trying the game at home with a friend | Two different Starters from ST11 to ST14 | Two complete, legal decks you can play the same day |
| Playing a store tournament this month | ST11 or ST14 plus the 8 singles from its list | These lists need the fewest outside cards |
| You love one particular series | Its Ultimate Deck (ST09 now, ST15 in April 2027) | More extra cards and dice, for more money |
| Building a deck from scratch | Deck Build Box SC01 | 125 cards across all five colours to pick two from |
| You enjoy opening packs | A store sealed event with Starter plus boosters | You play with what you open and keep it |

## Finding events in Spain with Bandai TCG+

Official tournaments run through Bandai TCG+, Bandai's app for all its card games (One Piece and Digimon included): you search for events, sign up, register your deck, check in and report results there. The official site links to each country's store search, Spain included, so this works the same if you live elsewhere in Europe.

1. Log in to the app with a Bandai Namco ID and fill in your profile (Others, Profile).
2. Switch the game to GUNDAM CARD GAME by tapping the title at the top; otherwise its events won't show.
3. Add your home address on the Bandai Namco ID website, not in the app. Since 29 September 2026, accounts without one can't sign up for new tournaments or check in.
4. In Event Search, pick a date, tap Apply and confirm. Once the event shows under My Events, you're in.

First-come events tell you straight away whether you're in or on the waiting list; lottery events are drawn by the day before at the latest and you get a message in the app. If deck registration is required, you do it from My Events with a deck built in the app's Deck section. The TCG+ website asks you to accept its terms before it shows any events, so the app is the quicker route. Our [TCG stores in Spain directory](https://tradematches.app/en/tools/tcg-stores-spain) links the Bandai TCG+ locator next to those of other games.

![Players at a card game event in a local store, with playmats and a phone for check-in](https://tradematches.app/assets/fotos/gundam-card-game-como-empezar-2.webp)
*AI-generated illustration.*

### What's on this winter

| Event | Dates | Who it's for | How to get in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Store Tournament, season 4 | 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026 | The most casual; best-of-one recommended, 30 minutes plus 5 | TCG+; December events from 13 Nov |
| Newtype Challenge, mission 5 | 1 Nov – 31 Dec 2026 | Intermediate to advanced players | TCG+, two weeks before the event |
| Store Championships, season 2 | 1–30 Nov 2026 | North America and Europe; awards Area Finals invites | TCG+, seats drawn at random |
| "Claim Miorine" 3-on-3 | 4–31 Dec 2026 and 8–28 Jan 2027 | Teams of three | At the store; check-in via TCG+ |
| European Area Finals | 15–17 Jan 2027, London | Invitation only | Regionals, Store Championships or a last-chance qualifier |

For a first tournament, the Store Tournament is the one: the Starter is legal, rounds are short and every player goes home with a prize pack. On the bigger stage, Spain hosted a 26-27 season Regional on 15 August 2026 at La Nave in Madrid, run by Victory Road; the last one of that wave in Europe is in Wakefield, UK, on 19–20 December.

### Sealed: playing without bringing a deck

There are two official sealed formats. Booster-only means opening 4 packs and playing exactly 30 cards; Starter plus boosters means opening a Starter and 4 packs and playing exactly 50. Colour and copy limits don't apply in either. Ask your store whether it runs sealed, since each store sets its own entry fee. For everything else about your first day, see our [first TCG event checklist](https://tradematches.app/en/blog/how-to-prepare-for-your-first-tcg-event), and for best-of-three top cuts with sideboards, the [best-of-three section](https://tradematches.app/en/blog/gundam-card-game-keywords-guide#bo3-sideboard).

## Common beginner mistakes

- **Buying Japanese cards to play tournaments in Europe.** Units, Pilots, Commands and Bases must be English versions.
- **Stacking vanilla level 2 Units.** In the current list, posted on 25 September 2026, every Lv.2, cost 1, 2 AP, 2 HP Unit with no effect (ST11's Daughseat, ST12's Slash ZAKU Phantom, ST01's GM and others) is a banned pair with all the rest: you can run only one of them, up to four copies. Watch this when you merge two Starters.
- **Playing old cards without checking the list.** Anksha (GD01-020) is banned; Corsica Base (ST02-016) is limited to two; Amuro Ray (ST01-010) can't share a deck with Mikazuki Augus (ST05-010), nor Guntank (GD01-008) with M1 Astray Shrike (GD05-015).
- **Playing Gundam Epyon (ST12-001) as printed.** An erratum from 4 September 2026 adds 【Once per Turn】 to its effect, and no corrected cards were issued.
- **Counting the 10 Resources as part of the 50.** They are a separate deck.
- **Skipping the Bandai Namco ID address.** Without it you can't sign up or check in.
- **Banking on a Store Championship seat.** Seats are drawn; keep a Store Tournament as a backup.

TradeMatches doesn't cover Gundam Card Game for now. For swapping singles at the store, the [printable trade list](https://tradematches.app/en/tools/printable-trade-list) does the job, and if a keyword is new to you, the [keyword glossary](https://tradematches.app/en/tools/keyword-glossary) has a Gundam filter.

## FAQ

### Is Gundam Card Game available in Spanish?

Not the cards: Europe plays with the English version. The official playsheet is available in Spanish as a PDF on gundam-gcg.com's rules page, while the full Comprehensive Rules are only published in English.

### Do I need two copies of the same Starter to get four of each card?

Not to get going. Bandai's upgraded lists start from a single Starter and add singles from other products, so compare your box with the list before buying a second one.

### Can I take an unmodified Starter to a store tournament?

Yes, it meets the deck-building rules. If it's a 2025 Starter, check first whether any of its cards are on the banned or restricted list.

### Can I sign up for events without the app?

It depends. The "Claim Miorine" 3-on-3 is booked at the store, with only check-in going through TCG+. For store tournaments Bandai recommends the app, but every store handles sign-ups its own way.

## Sources and checks

All sources were checked on 9 November 2026: products, rules, the banned list, language rules, deck lists and events on the official English site, the Bandai TCG+ guide and, for example prices, CardTrader's European site.

- [Region picker](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/) and [product list](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/list.php)
- Product pages for [ST11](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/st11.html), [ST12](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/st12.html), [ST13](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/st13.html), [ST14](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/st14.html), [ST09](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/st09.html), [ST10](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/st10.html), [ST15](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/st15.html), [ST05](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/st05.html) and [SC01](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/deck-build-box.html)
- Product pages for [GD05](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/gd05.html), [GD06](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/gd06.html), [GD07](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/gd07.html) and [EB02](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/products/eb02.html)
- [Rules and playsheets](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/rules/), [play guide](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/welcome/playguide.php) and [sealed rules](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/news/sealed-battle.html)
- [Banned and restricted cards (25 Sep 2026)](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/news/01_279.html), [language rules](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/news/lang_card_rule.html) and [Gundam Epyon erratum](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/news/02_193.html)
- Official lists for [ST11](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/decks/deck-045.php), [ST12](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/decks/deck-046.php), [ST13](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/decks/deck-047.php) and [ST14](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/decks/deck-048.php)
- Events: [Store Tournament](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/events/storetournament2026_04.html), [Newtype Challenge](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/events/ntc_2026mission5.html), [Store Championships](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/events/StoreCS26-27_November.html), [Claim Miorine](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/events/claim_miorine.html), [Regionals](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/events/CS26-27Regionals_2.html), [Area Finals](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/events/wcs26_27_regional.html) (with the [29 Oct 2026 notice](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/news/regarding_prizing_format.html)) and [stores by country](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/events/02_7.html)
- Bandai TCG+: [home address requirement](https://www.gundam-gcg.com/en/news/02_202.html), [account setup](https://lp.bandai-tcg-plus.com/en/use01.html), [signing up for events](https://lp.bandai-tcg-plus.com/en/use02.html) and [deck registration](https://lp.bandai-tcg-plus.com/en/use03.html)
- CardTrader: [Starter Decks](https://www.cardtrader.com/en-EU/games/gundam/categories/gundam-starter-decks/blueprints_search), [ST11](https://www.cardtrader.com/en-EU/cards/376098-st-11-aquatic-assault-starter-deck-st-11-aquatic-assault), [White Base](https://www.cardtrader.com/en-EU/cards/341387-white-base-st-01-heroic-beginnings), [Gundam Exia Repair](https://www.cardtrader.com/en-EU/cards/400958-gundam-exia-repair-gd-05-freedom-ascension) and [boosters](https://www.cardtrader.com/en-EU/games/gundam/categories/gundam-boosters/blueprints_search)