Rarity
Quick answer
CardSpicy indexes every GUNDAM CARD GAME card by the fields actually printed on it, and that is why the word link is worth slowing down over. Two separate things in this game carry the name. One is the Link keyword, a printed line that ties a Unit to the Pilot who can fly it. The other is the Link Rare, a premium treatment that arrived with the first-anniversary set. They are unrelated, and treating them as the same thing is the most common mix-up in the game’s rarity talk.
The Link keyword on a card
A Unit can print the name of a Pilot beside its effect. When that Unit is fielded with that Pilot, its paired line switches on. Across the 1,148 cards we index, 299 cards carry a Link line, and between them they name 129 different pilots. A Unit with no Link line is not missing anything — most Units simply do not pair.
| Pilot | Units that link with them |
|---|---|
| Amuro Ray | 12 |
| Kira Yamato | 9 |
| Suletta Mercury | 9 |
| Mikazuki Augus | 9 |
| Char Aznable | 8 |
| Allelujah Haptism | 8 |
| Hallelujah Haptism | 8 |
| Banagher Links | 7 |
| Setsuna F. Seiei | 7 |
| Lockon Stratos | 6 |
These counts cover the cards we index, not every card ever printed, so a new set moves them. They are read from the same card database the rest of this site is built on, at the date cited below.
What a Link Rare actually is
The Link Rare is not a rung on the same ladder as Common, Uncommon, Rare and Legend Rare. It is a presentation of a card rather than a different card: a parallel treatment in which a Unit and its Pilot are drawn together in one linked illustration rather than the Unit alone. It was introduced with Freedom Ascension [GD05], the first-anniversary booster released on 24 July 2026, and the five Link Rares in that set are Strike Freedom Gundam, Nu Gundam, Master Gundam, Sazabi and Wing Gundam Zero (EW).
The part worth holding on to: a Link Rare is a version of a card that also exists in a normal printing. The normal printing is what appears in a checklist; the Link Rare is one of the versions layered on top of it.
Legend Rare and Link Rare are different
Legend Rare, usually written LR, is an ordinary rarity printed on cards, sitting above Rare, and it has been part of the game since the first booster. We index 96 LR cards across the line. Here is how they fall by product.
| Product | LR cards indexed |
|---|---|
| Eternal Nexus [EB01] | 6 |
| Newtype Rising [GD01] | 12 |
| Dual Impact [GD02] | 12 |
| Steel Requiem [GD03] | 12 |
| Phantom Aria [GD04] | 12 |
| Freedom Ascension [GD05] | 12 |
| Heroic Beginnings [ST01] | 2 |
| Wings of Advance [ST02] | 2 |
| Zeon’s Rush [ST03] | 2 |
| SEED Strike [ST04] | 2 |
| Iron Bloom [ST05] | 2 |
| Clan Unity [ST06] | 2 |
| Celestial Drive [ST07] | 2 |
| Flash of Radiance [ST08] | 2 |
| Destiny Ignition [ST09] | 4 |
| Generation Pulse [ST10] | 2 |
| Aquatic Assault [ST11] | 2 |
| Raging Onslaught [ST12] | 2 |
| Silent Barrage [ST13] | 2 |
| Heavy Dominion [ST14] | 2 |
An LR card is a normal pull from a normal pack. A Link Rare is a special treatment of a card, launched at the anniversary. The two are told apart by what is printed on the card, not by the letters alone.
How to tell which one you are looking at
Read the card, then read the number. If the card names a Pilot in its text, you are looking at the Link keyword — that is a rule, and it holds for every printing of that card. If the card is a foil or alternate treatment whose artwork shows a Pilot and a Unit composed as one image, and it comes from GD05 or a later set, you are likely looking at a Link Rare. The checklist page for each product on this site lists every version of every card, which is the only way to be certain about one specific copy. The parallel prints page covers how versions are counted, and the rarity by product page shows which labels each set prints.
Frequently asked questions
Is Link Rare a rarity like Rare or Legend Rare?
No. Rare and Legend Rare are rarities on the printed card. Link Rare is a premium treatment — a version of a card in which a Unit and its Pilot share one illustration. A card can exist in its normal printing and also as a Link Rare.
When did the Link Rare first appear?
With Freedom Ascension [GD05], the first-anniversary booster released on 24 July 2026. That set introduced the treatment and included five of them: Strike Freedom Gundam, Nu Gundam, Master Gundam, Sazabi and Wing Gundam Zero (EW).
How many Gundam cards link to a pilot?
299 of the 1,148 cards we index carry a Link line, naming 129 different pilots between them. The most linked pilot is Amuro Ray, with 12.
Does a card without Link work differently?
No. Link is an addition, not a requirement. A Unit with no Link line plays exactly as its text says; there is simply no paired pilot line to switch on.
Sources
Sources and further reading
- GUNDAM CARD GAME official card database (Bandai) — card entries for the whole game, including printed name, number, rarity, level, cost, colour, type, AP, HP, zone, traits, link, source series and effect text. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- Bandai — GUNDAM CARD GAME product pages, for set names, codes and release information used here.
- Bandai — Freedom Ascension [GD05] first-anniversary product and release material, for the 24 July 2026 release date and the introduction of the Link Rare treatment.
- Third-party set coverage of GD05 — secondary reporting, used only for the description of the linked-pair artwork treatment.
Card data is quoted from the official card database at the date cited and is subject to change. This page is identification and set data, not valuation: we publish no price for Gundam cards, because there is no sales source we can stand behind for the game.
Related reading
- Gundam Cards — the full index
- Parallel prints in the GUNDAM CARD GAME, counted
- The parallel print index
- Every GUNDAM CARD GAME rarity label, counted
Where to go next
- The CardSpicy card index — every card we track, with its PSA 10 population and market history (195 cards).
- The illustrator index — every artist behind those cards, card by card (110 artists).
Leave a Reply