The Gundam Card Game just dropped its first-ever ban. Bandai announced the update on 10 July 2026, just short of the game's first anniversary, and it takes effect 24 July, the same day the Freedom Ascension set releases.
This isn't the first change to the list. A smaller restriction went live back on 1 April. But the July update is the real one: a full ban, two named banned pairs, and a new rule category that sweeps in 19 cards at once.
What ban, restricted, and banned pair actually mean
Standard deck building in GCG allows up to four copies of any card. The banned and restricted list changes that for official and sanctioned tournaments.
- Banned means zero copies, deck or sideboard.
- Restricted (2) means no more than two copies combined across deck and sideboard.
- Banned pair, new with this update, means two specific cards can't both be in the same deck. Run either one, just not both together.
The April restriction, still in effect
Since 1 April, ST02-016 Corsica Base has been Restricted (2). It was doing too much work in blue decks and pulling win rates out of line with the rest of the field. It stays restricted under the July update too, no change there.
The July 2026 update
Banned outright: GD01-020 Anksha. Bandai's reasoning was direct, blue-purple decks running Anksha alongside purple's damage-to-Units effects had a win rate well out of line with everything else.
Banned pairs, named:
- GD01-008 Guntank and GD05-015 M1 Astray Shrike can't share a deck. Same stats, same abilities, too efficient together.
- ST01-010 Amuro Ray and ST05-010 Mikazuki Augus are banned as a pair for the same reason, both turning up in the same dominant blue-purple builds.
Banned pairs, by category: this is the bigger change. Any Unit card that's Lv.2, costs 1, has 2 AP and 2 HP, and carries no card text, is now automatically a banned pair with every other card matching that description. Bandai's targeting the low-cost "vanilla" units fast decks were stacking to flood the board and race through shields. Nineteen cards currently match:
GD01-035 Zaku II, GD01-060 Zaku Mariner, GD01-085 Demi Garrison, GD02-013 Hizack, GD02-080 Nemo, GD03-032 Zaku Four Snake Eyes YETI (GQ), GD03-063 0 Gundam, GD04-078 Borjarnon, GD05-014 Javelin, GD05-027 Jegan, GD05-042 Shining Gundam, GD05-062 Hobby Hizack, GD05-077 Leo, ST01-005 GM, ST04-008 Ginn, ST05-004 Graze Custom, ST05-009 Graze, ST06-004 Gelgoog (GQ), ST09-005 Zaku Warrior, and ST10-005 Nemo.
Future cards matching the same stat line get added automatically, no new announcement needed.
One exception worth knowing: the Iron Bloom [ST05] starter deck ships with two of these cards, and Bandai's confirmed it's still tournament legal exactly as printed, the same protection given to the Wings of Advance [ST02] starter and its three copies of Corsica Base.
Why Bandai's doing this
The reasoning goes further than "these cards are too strong." Bandai said outright that fast blue-purple and blue-green decks might be benefiting from something built into the game's core rules, not just individual card design, and they're looking at a genuine rules change down the line. This list is a stopgap until that happens, not the finished picture.
Tournament timing, if you're playing
Season 1 Regionals already scheduled for July run under the old list. Season 2 Regionals onward use the new one. Decks registered for tournaments on or after 31 July get reset on 27 July if they're affected, re-register before you play.
What it means if you're buying, selling, or holding
A first-ever ban is a real market event. Anksha and Corsica Base were both build-around staples, expect tournament demand, and pricing, to shift as decks adjust. The vanilla-unit category covers more cards individually, but they're cheaper prints, the impact there is more about deck construction than any single card's price.
Freedom Ascension lands the same day as the new list, so several of the newly restricted cards (the GD05 numbers above) are brand new prints hitting the market the same day their competitive role changes. Worth watching if you're pricing singles from that set.
Check current Gundam Card Game prices on C3, or follow any of these cards individually to get notified if the price moves.
FAQ
When does the Gundam Card Game ban list take effect? 24 July 2026, the same day the Freedom Ascension set releases.
What card was banned outright? GD01-020 Anksha, after blue-purple decks running Anksha alongside purple's damage-to-Units effects posted a win rate well out of line with the rest of the field.
What is a banned pair? Two specific cards that can't both be in the same deck, though either one can be run alone. Guntank and M1 Astray Shrike, and Amuro Ray and Mikazuki Augus, are the two named pairs in this update.
How many cards are affected by the new banned pair category? Nineteen cards currently match the criteria, Lv.2, cost 1, 2 AP, 2 HP, no card text, and any future card matching that stat line is automatically included with no new announcement needed.
Is Corsica Base still restricted? Yes. It has been Restricted (2) since 1 April 2026 and stays that way under the July update.
Do I need to update my registered tournament deck? If your deck is affected and registered for a tournament on or after 31 July, it gets reset on 27 July, so re-register before you play.
The C3 Team