Gundam Card Game impressions so far: the game is pretty good and fun overall. However, there need to be some small changes to make the game a lot easier to play based solely on the cards themselves. Other than that, the game itself is quite fun and a great change of pace, as personally I currently play the current formats for both Cardfight Vanguard and Yu-Gi-Oh!. As for how the games will go, it is expected to take some time, as it is a more middle- to late-stage type of game in comparison to faster card games like Yu-Gi-Oh!
The game is quite different from current card games yet borrows some mechanics from them, which makes the learning curve a lot easier for people who have played CardfightVanguard, HearthStone, and Magic The Gathering to name a few card games that people can rely on to understand some of the mechanics of the game. Moreover, players who have played Yu-Gi-Oh! will have an easier time adjusting to the game as it will mostly focus on more simplified text. Aside from that, as for how the game is to be played, each player shuffles their respective deck and draws 5 cards, and each player can mulligan one time. If they do decide to mulligan, the players will need to shuffle back their hand and then draw 5 new cards. After they have 5 starting cards, each player will need to put the top 6 cards face down into the shield counter section with them in an overlapping manner.
As for how the turns play out, the first turn player gets one energy card to start off with. And the second turn player gets an EX Energy card for their turn. This allows both players to have a balanced start, as having an early advantage can be detrimental in making the game feel balanced. And players will need to summon various mobile suits onto the field, and if they have enough energy, they can equip the mobile suits with pilots to allow the mobile suits to attack the turn they are summoned. Aside from mobile suit and pilot cards, there are also other cards that can provide extra benefits as long as the player has enough energy. These other cards come in the form of command and base cards that allow the player to perform additional actions, with some allowing the player to remove a mobile suit from the field back into the opponent’s hand.
As for base cards, they can be activated and provide an extra layer of defense or attack depending upon the card used and its effects, with some ranging from spawning in token mobile suits that allow the player to swarm the field in an instant to preparing for a large-scale attack next turn. Other than that, the future can change how base cards operate and impact the feel of the game, as they have the field presence needed to impact the flow of the game.
As for how players will need to win, they will need to destroy the shields and then attack the opponent again for the final hit. Overall, when playing the game, it feels a little slow at the start, but other than that, there are some major concerns that need to be addressed.
One major concern is the lack of a clear indicator for both HP (Hit Points) and AP (Attack Points) being on the cards themselves to make it easier to see if they are completely new to the game itself. Or those who need instant game knowledge and can sometimes miss the information during small local tournaments to world championships.
This will make livestreaming it to new players and current players have an easier time reading the cards themselves. Other than that, the card game is fine, and with Bandai being in charge of the game, it can go a variety of ways, as they are dealing with quite the IP, as Gundam itself is well known and has become a global phenomenon. For now, only the future can be speculated for how well the Gundam Trading Card Game is going to go.
Related: Reviews by Kyle Manila
I would describe myself when interacting with games as a strategist with a pension for stealth and loud explosions.
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