Jeffrey piloted Green/Red to victory at our Gundam Off-Meta Night! With Sandrock pressure and Neo Zeon closers, he dominated the field. Here are his raw answers.

Here’s Jeffrey’s full Off-Meta Night interview, with all questions and answers.

🏆 Winner Interview

Q: What’s your name and bandai account name?

A: Jeffrey, and my Bandai name is Jeff.

Q: How long have you been coming to Tilted Gaming and why our shop?

A: I started coming to Tilted shortly after the Gundam Card Game was released, so it’s been about three months now. I first came here on the recommendation of a friend who was also playing Gundam. Since then, I’ve really enjoyed the regulars and the staff here, and I plan to continue frequenting Tilted Gaming.

Q: How did you get into playing the Gundam Card Game?

A: I’ve always been a big fan of Gundam, so when the card game was released, I decided to give it a try. Since then, I’ve become really invested in it, and now I feel committed to the game. I’m excited to see how both the community and the gameplay continue to grow in the future.

Q: Since Gundam is still fairly new, what other TCG did you play before GCG?

A: Before Gundam, I was learning how to play Yu-Gi-Oh for about half a year. But once I heard a Gundam card game was being released, I decided to shift my focus and make the change.

Q: Blinged out deck or functional deck?

A: I’ve leaned more toward a functional deck, especially when the game first came out, since I wanted to experiment with different builds. For the first two months, I didn’t even replace the basic resource cards from the starter decks. Since then, I’ve been gradually expanding my collection with alternate arts from the Gundam series I enjoy most SEED and X and including them in my deck during games.

Q: Tonight being a Non-Official Bandai Event and us trying a community voted ban list, what are your thoughts on this?

A: I really appreciated the chance to try something different, and I think introducing a ban list was a solid first step. It gave me the opportunity to test out some of my deck ideas in an environment where everyone’s on the same page and doesn’t have to wonder, “can this work against a giant wall of blockers?” Of course, since this is the first iteration of the list, a few high-impact LRs were overlooked, but I’m looking forward to seeing it refined and improved in the future.

Q: Next week we are closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving, but what other fun formats would you like us to try the following week on our Off-Meta day.

A: I think a mono color pauper day could be a fun format to build around. When I was deckbuilding for pauper with commons and uncommons, my lists ended up being filled with the “good stuff” that was available. I’d like to push the idea further, playing with weaker cards so everyone suffers equally.

If player counts are strong, I’d also love to see more 2v2 or Free for All days as off meta options. I’ve seen some really interesting card interactions in 2v2, and combining that with a pauper format could lead to some truly unique games.

Q: What color(s) did you use to take the win tonight?

A: I played a Green/Red deck, using Sandrock Gundam and the Maganac Corps to handle the early game, while Neo Zeon carried the late game. To fit the theme of the Neo Zeon boss mobile suits, I loaded up on red damage-dealing cards like Close Combat and Battle of Aces.

Q: Why did you choose that deck for this event and how did the ban list affect you?

A: I thought the swarm mechanics behind Sandrock and the Maganacs were fun enough to build around, but my initial draft of the deck struggled once it reached level 5. Normally, Wing and Wing Zero would have been my first choices to expand my playable range, but both were either limited or banned that day. My next best option was to lean on the high-end Neo Zeon units, which were only partially affected by the list and ended up being the best fit.

Q: How long have you been playing this color combo?

A: I’ve tried Red/Green before, but the majority of the cards were Zeon Green. This is the first time I’ve tried a deck that was closer to a mix between the two colors.

Q: How has GCG Set 2 Dual Impact changed the overall game, if any?

A: Dual Impact introduced two notable changes: another low-level blocker that adds consistency against aggressive rush decks, and support for suppression and ping-damage strategies. While suppression was meant to create new lines of play, in practice it still feels hard countered by blocker units. Beyond those additions, most of the set is laying the groundwork for new factions or offering minimal support to existing ones. As a result, blockers remain the dominant keyword, with no new consistent interaction strong enough to contest them.

Q: What unit, link, or pair carried you the most tonight?

A: The highlights were definitely the Neo Zeon boss units. In each game I saw at least one linked Kshatriya, Sinanju, or Qubely swing the match in my favor. The Maganac Corps did a solid job securing early-game advantage, with Rashid’s Maganac setting the tempo by letting another unit attack into an enemy active unit. Sandrock rounded things out by providing efficient swarming whenever I had a strong hand.

“Don’t worry too much about chasing the strongest meta deck—this is still a card game, and randomness plays a big role.”

Q: Enough about your deck, what are your thoughts on the local scene here at Tilted and should we continue doing an off meta day or 2nd official bandai day?

A: I really enjoy the local scene at Tilted, especially because of the regulars who show up on the weekends. It’s great to be able to drop in and get some games whenever I want. Even during this down period for Gundam, we’ve had new players coming in, and I’m excited to see how the regulars continue to grow and improve over time. As for formats, I’m definitely in favor of keeping Thursdays as off-meta experimental days. I enjoy seeing the goofy side of the game, and it gives me a chance to play around with ideas, get those “intrusive thoughts” out, and then come back to official days with a fresh mindset.

Q: With only two sets and a third coming early next year, do you think set 3 needs to be more impactful than set 2?

A: Right now, the state of the game in GD02 feels stale. The majority of decks lean heavily on blockers and defensive play, which slows down the pace of matches. The reveals for GD03 look promising, with new tools that give other decks ways to respond to Wing Zero’s high impact, break through walls of blockers, and add much-needed consistency. For Set 3 to truly succeed, though, the rest of the cards need to shake up the meta in a meaningful way. If the environment stays dominated by blockers and White-based strategies, players may lose interest and move on to other games.

Q: Do you have any advice for players wanting to get into GCG, in its current state?

A: If you’re just getting into Gundam Card Game, I’d recommend starting with a series that looks coolest to you and building around that. Don’t worry too much about chasing the strongest meta deck—this is still a card game, and randomness plays a big role. Working on an off-meta deck helps keep costs down since you can pick up cheaper cards, and it gives you room to learn how the game flow works before deciding whether to invest in bigger meta picks.

Q: Any shoutouts to friends or rivals you faced tonight?

A: As simple as it may sound, I want to give kudos to everyone involved. The staff at Tilted for setting up a second day, the regulars who consistently show up for every Gundam event, and the newer players like Jonas and his brother Miko for giving the game a try. I’d love to see even more people and some of the previous regulars come out and give Thursdays a shot.

Thanks for being part of the Tilted Gaming community! 💜