Strike Freedom Has Won Five Regionals, and Its Players Still Can't Agree on the Deck Five regional wins, more than any other deck in the Gundam Card Game right now. One player, Guele, won two of them five weeks apart. Its last regional win was Melbourne on 13 September. Since then, Blue/White Strike Freedom has finished second at Brazil and Düsseldorf and fourth at Milwaukee. The people playing it are not even playing the same deck. Of the 88 complete Strike Freedom lists in the current format, 56 leave Victory Gundam out and most of those lean on Amuro Ray. The other 32 are built on Victory Gundam. Both versions have won a regional. Below are the two winning lists side by side, every big finish, and the cards the two camps agree on. We sell these cards and run Gundam weeklies at Richmond and Clark. Lists are from the Egman Events deck database, and the card photos are from our own listings. Left to right: Strike Freedom Gundam (GD05-002), Kira Yamato (GD05-081) and Kira Yamato (ST04-010). Why Strike Freedom Keeps Winning Strike Freedom Gundam is a Level 8, cost 6 Unit with 5 AP and 6 HP that links with Kira Yamato. When it comes into play, you pick one or two of your Units, and each draws you a card if it destroys an enemy card in battle that turn. When it attacks while paired, you can discard two cards to send the enemy Unit with the lowest Level to the bottom of its owner's deck. Every list runs both Kira Yamato cards. The current set's Kira draws a card when he links to an Orb Unit like Strike Freedom. The older white Kira gives an enemy Unit 2 less AP during his Unit's battle. Every Big Finish Egman lists 12 regional level events in the current format. Strike Freedom won five of them: Rotterdam and Sydney on the same day in August, then Auckland, Toronto and Melbourne. Nothing else has won more than two. Figure 1 is every first and second place it has taken at those events. Figure 1. Every 1st and 2nd place at regionals and 100+ player events, newest first. Yellow rows are wins. Two Winning Lists KawaPedros won Rotterdam on 9 August with Victory Gundam. Omnomnath won Toronto, one of three 512 player events in the table, on 5 September with Amuro Ray and the original Gundam. The lists share 12 cards and very little else. Figure 2. The Rotterdam and Toronto winning lists. Yellow rows are the 12 cards they share. What Both Builds Run The shared core is defensive. Aile Strike Gundam is a Blocker, and when it pairs with a Level 4 or higher Pilot, it returns an enemy Unit with 4 or less HP to its owner's hand. Gundam Lfrith is a cost 2 Blocker with 4 HP. Overflowing Affection draws two cards and discards one. Left to right: Aile Strike Gundam (ST04-001), Gundam Lfrith (GD01-086) and Overflowing Affection (GD01-118). Unforeseen Incident gives an enemy Unit 3 less AP for the turn and can be played on your opponent's turn. A Show of Resolve draws two. Silver Bullet is a Level 5 Blocker that takes 3 less damage from enemy effects, and it shows up in both winning lists. Left to right: Unforeseen Incident (ST01-014), A Show of Resolve (GD01-100) and Silver Bullet (GD04-068). The Amuro Build This is the version with most of the results: four of the five regional wins and nine of the twelve top two finishes in Figure 1. Amuro Ray rests an enemy Unit with 5 or less HP when he pairs. The original Gundam, his Unit, recovers 2 HP at the end of your turn and gives all your Units 1 AP on your turn while it is paired. Sword Strike Gundam returns an enemy Unit with 2 or less HP to its owner's hand when it attacks while linked. Left to right: Amuro Ray (ST01-010), Gundam (ST01-001) and Sword Strike Gundam (GD01-073). Omnomnath's list adds two Justice Gundam, which brings a 2/2 Blocker token with it, and four Argama as the Base. Argama puts a Shield into your hand and cannot take damage from enemy effects. Rick Dias is a cost 2 Blocker with 3 AP. Left to right: Justice Gundam (GD01-066), Argama (GD02-129) and Rick Dias (GD02-079). The last few slots go to Kira's Strike Rouge, a cost 2 Unit that links with Kira, one Graceful Demeanor, which returns up to two enemy Units of Level 3 or lower to their owners' hands, and one Striker Pack, which makes a Sword or Launcher Strike token. Left to right: Kira's Strike Rouge (GD05-010), Graceful Demeanor (GD04-117) and Striker Pack (ST04-012). The Victory Build The Victory build swaps Amuro and the original Gundam for a League Militaire package. Victory Gundam draws a card when it attacks if you have three or more League Militaire Units out. V-Dash Gundam has Breach 3, and once per turn it can rest another League Militaire Unit to rest an enemy Unit with 4 or less HP. Üso Ewin, its Pilot, makes a 1/1 Parts token when he pairs with a League Militaire Unit. Left to right: Victory Gundam (GD04-003), V-Dash Gundam (GD04-006) and Üso Ewin (GD04-081). Every one of those tokens counts toward Victory Gundam's three. Reineforce Jr., the Base, puts a Shield into your hand and makes another Parts token on your turn if you have a League Militaire Unit out. Zoloat (League Militaire) is a cost 2 Blocker that is also League Militaire, and it is in all 32 Victory lists. Left to right: Reineforce Jr. (GD04-121), Zoloat (League Militaire) (GD04-016) and the second Victory Gundam (GD04-011). KawaPedros also ran two Freedom Gundam, a Level 7 Blocker that links with Kira and gives an enemy Unit 2 less AP when you pair a Pilot with one of your white Units. Johannes, 2nd at Düsseldorf on 4 October with the Victory build, used two Strike Rouge (Ootori) and two Flat (Militia) as extra Blockers. Left to right: Freedom Gundam (GD01-065), Strike Rouge (Ootori) (GD05-005) and Flat (Militia) (GD04-077). Where the Two Builds Split Figure 3 lays the two side by side across all 88 lists. The top of the chart is the shared core. The bottom is where they part: Amuro Ray is in 86% of the lists without Victory and 16% of the Victory lists, while V-Dash Gundam, Üso Ewin and Victory Gundam are in every Victory list and none of the others. Figure 3. Share of lists running each card, by build. Blue bars are the 56 lists without Victory Gundam, black bars the 32 Victory lists. Which Build Should You Play? On results, the Amuro build. It has four of the five regional wins and most of the big finishes. The Victory build has one regional win and the most recent second place, at Düsseldorf on 4 October. Either way, the first cards to pick up are the same: four Strike Freedom, both Kira Yamatos, Aile Strike Gundam, Gundam Lfrith and Overflowing Affection. That core is in nearly every list in Figure 3, and you can choose a side after that. The Parallel Versions Several of these cards come in parallel versions with different art, marked LR+ or R+ on our listings. They play exactly like the base cards and are the versions collectors chase. Left to right: the parallel Strike Freedom Gundam (GD05-002 LR+), Kira Yamato (GD05-081 R+) and Victory Gundam (GD04-003 LR+). The Amuro build's Gundam and Argama have them too. Left to right: the parallel Gundam (ST01-001 LR+) and Argama (GD02-129 R+). Where to Play It Gundam weeklies run at Richmond on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 PM and at Clark on Sundays at 4:00 PM. Check the TTG events page for the current schedule, and the Gundam section of our shop for sealed product and singles. Frequently Asked Questions 1. Which Strike Freedom build is better? The Amuro build has the better record: four of the five regional wins and nine of the twelve top two finishes in Figure 1. The Victory build won Rotterdam and took 2nd at Düsseldorf on 4 October. 2. How many Strike Freedom should I run? Four. The 88 lists average 3.8 copies. 3. Can I play Amuro Ray with Mikazuki Augus? No. Amuro Ray (ST01-010) and Mikazuki Augus (ST05-010) are a banned pair on the list dated 25 September 2026, so a deck can run one or the other. 4. Are these lists legal right now? Yes. Both lists in Figure 2, and every one of the 88 lists in Figure 3, pass the banned list dated 25 September 2026. 5. Which cards should I buy first? Strike Freedom Gundam (GD05-002) and Kira Yamato (GD05-081). Every list runs both.

Beyond the Brave introduces powerful new support for Angelechy, Destiny HERO, Power Patron, Witchcrafter, and more. From the versatile removal of Hey, Space Trunade! to the highly anticipated Great Gallant Bandit, the set offers plenty of cards that could influence competitive deck building. With new engines, improved consistency, and unique disruption tools, Beyond the Brave may have a lasting impact on the Yu-Gi-Oh! metagame. All eyes are now on the upcoming YCS in Houston to see which cards and strategies rise to the top.