GD05 Freedom Ascension launched on July 24, 2026 and did something GD04 never managed: it took over its own format in ten days. Of the first 100 tournament wins since release, 70 run decks built on the set's three headline themes. Nu Gundam leads with 28 wins, Strike Freedom holds 24 across two different color shells, and the G Gundam package takes 13.
- GD05 Freedom Ascension is the 1st Anniversary set: 130 cards, released July 24, 2026, the first set with the Link Rare rarity and a record five LR++ cards
- Blue/Green Nu Gundam is the most-winning archetype at 28%, running a complete Char's Counterattack package
- Strike Freedom takes 24% across two shells: Blue/White (15%) and a Purple/Blue hybrid (9%) that splices the new engine into the established Barbatos shell
- Red/White Gundam Fighter (G Gundam) wins 13% with an almost fully locked list: seven cards appear in every winning copy
- The GD04 featured decks are gone: Minerva Squad, Banshee Norn, Crossbone, and Vulture took zero of the 100 wins
- The field is still wide: 30 distinct archetypes won at least one event in the window
Win counts come from tournament results collected daily on /decklists. Ten days is an early window; shares will move as the format matures.
Nu Gundam: the new benchmark
The Blue/Green Nu Gundam deck is the format's early benchmark at 28 wins. The list is unusually settled for a ten-day-old deck: seven cards appear in every single winning copy. The core is a complete Char's Counterattack theme, with both new Nu Gundam prints (GD05-017 and GD05-020), the new green Amuro Ray (GD05-085), Jegan, Re-GZ, Kayra's Re-GZ, and the Ra Cailum base, mounted on the ST01 blue Gundam and Amuro starter core that has anchored blue decks since launch.
Nu Gundam consensus build (28 winning lists)
Seven cards at 100% inclusion. The 13 shown below cover roughly 45 of the 50 slots; the rest are flex picks.
Full lists: filter by Nu Gundam on /decklists
Strike Freedom: one engine, two shells
Strike Freedom Gundam (GD05-002) and the new Kira Yamato (GD05-081) are the most-played cards in the format. They show up in both Strike Freedom archetypes, in several hybrid lists, and even in a handful of Nu Gundam variants. The two main shells solve the same problem in different ways.
The Blue/White version (15 wins) is the straight SEED build: Strike Freedom and Kira on top of the ST04 Aile Strike core, with Gundam Lfrith and Overflowing Affection from the white card pool. It plays as tempo with a heavy finisher.
Blue/White Strike Freedom consensus (15 winning lists)
Three cards unanimous, four more above 80%. This shell has the most flex slots of the top decks.
The Purple/Blue version (9 wins) is the more interesting one. It keeps the Iron-Blooded Orphans Barbatos shell intact, with Barbatos 1st Form, Adapt, Lupus, Gusion Rebake, and Mikazuki all at 100% inclusion, and splices Strike Freedom plus Kira in as the top end. Proven consistency from a year-old engine, new finisher from the anniversary set.
Purple/Blue Strike Freedom consensus (9 winning lists)
Eight cards unanimous. The tightest list in the format: the Barbatos package and the Strike Freedom package leave almost no room for flex.
Gundam Fighter: the G Gundam package
The Red/White Gundam Fighter deck (13 wins) is built almost entirely from one set. Every core card is from the G Gundam roster: Shining Gundam, Rising Gundam, and Gundam Maxter in white, Master Gundam with Master Asia in red, Domon Kasshu as the pilot, and the command suite of Darkness Finger, Shining Finger, and Cyclone Punch. Seven cards appear in all 13 winning lists.
Gundam Fighter consensus build (13 winning lists)
Nearly locked: 11 of 12 cards shown appear in 92% or more of winning lists.
The full field
| Archetype | Colors | Win share | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nu Gundam | Blue/Green | 28% | Char's Counterattack |
| Strike Freedom | Blue/White | 15% | SEED Destiny |
| Gundam Fighter | Red/White | 13% | G Gundam |
| Strike Freedom | Purple/Blue | 9% | SEED Destiny x Iron-Blooded Orphans |
| Wing Zero | Green/White | 3% | Wing Endless Waltz |
| 26 other archetypes | mixed | 32% | long tail, 1-2 wins each |
The takeover is complete at the top, and the field below it stays wide. The GD04 featured decks we covered in the June snapshot, Minerva Squad, Banshee Norn, Crossbone, and Vulture, took zero of the 100 wins in this window. At the same time, 30 distinct archetypes won at least one event, including single wins for Zeon, Academy, Impulse, and Victory builds. GD05 replaced the top tables without flattening the field.
What to watch
- Whether Nu Gundam's 28% share holds once players finish tuning anti-meta answers, or whether the Strike Freedom shells close the gap
- Whether the Purple/Blue hybrid pattern spreads: if splicing GD05 finishers into older proven shells beats building pure GD05 decks, expect more hybrids like the BG Nu-StrikeFreedom lists already appearing
- Chase-card prices: Wing Zero EW, Strike Freedom, and Nu Gundam top prints are trading at record numbers for the game, which affects how accessible the top decks are
Tournament results update daily on /decklists, every card in this article is in the database, and you can rebuild any of these shells in the deck builder.