First Strike & Support: Gundam's Combat Keywords Explained
Battles in the Gundam Card Game are won in the details. Here's exactly how First Strike and Support work, the rulings that decide trades, and how to use both to win the attack step.
In the Gundam Card Game, combat is where games are decided — your Units attack, deal AP damage, and trade blows in the damage step. Most of the time both Units hit each other simultaneously, and the math is simple. But two keywords change that math in your favor: First Strike, which lets your attacker hit before the enemy can hit back, and Support, which lets one Unit lend its attack power to another. Together they're the core of winning the attack step.
These aren't flashy abilities — they're the quiet edges that turn an even trade into a clean kill, or a bounced attack into a destroyed blocker. First Strike decides whether your attacker survives the fight it starts; Support decides how hard your attacker swings. Learn how each one actually resolves and you'll start winning battles you'd otherwise lose, and stop walking your Units into trades that don't go your way.
This guide breaks down both keywords using the official rules — what each does, the exact way First Strike resolves in the damage step, how Support's rest-and-buff works, the rulings players get wrong, and how to combine them for blowout attacks. New to the game's combat flow? Start with our beginner's guide, then come back here for the keyword detail.
The Short Version
First Strike lets an attacking Unit deal its battle damage before the enemy does. Normally both Units deal damage simultaneously in the damage step — but a First Strike attacker hits first, and if that damage destroys the enemy Unit or Base, the attacker takes no damage back. It's a one-sided trade in your favor, but only while attacking. Support X is an ability you activate by resting the Unit that has it: one other friendly Unit gets +X AP (attack power) for the turn. It turns a benched Unit into a power boost for your attacker, enabling bigger hits and better trades. Neither stacks (you can't give a Unit two copies of First Strike). Use First Strike to win combat without losing your Unit, and Support to push an attacker's AP high enough to destroy what it's hitting — and combine them for an attacker that strikes first and hits harder.
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In This Guide
A Quick Combat Refresher
To see why these keywords matter, you need the basic shape of a battle. When a Unit attacks, the defender may block with a Unit that has the Blocker keyword; then both players get a window to act; then comes the damage step. In a normal battle, both Units deal their AP (attack power) as battle damage to each other at the same time. A Unit is destroyed when the damage it has taken meets or exceeds its HP.
That simultaneity is the key fact. Because both Units hit at once, attacking into a Unit of similar size usually means trading — both blow up, or both survive. You're often choosing between an even trade and not attacking at all.
The default rule of combat:
both Units deal damage simultaneously.
First Strike and Support are how you break that symmetry in your favor.
First Strike breaks the timing — you hit first, so the trade may not be a trade at all. Support breaks the numbers — you raise your attacker's AP so it wins a fight it would otherwise lose or tie. Both turn the symmetric default into an asymmetric advantage.
First Strike: Hit Before You're Hit
First Strike is a keyword effect that lets an attacking Unit deal its battle damage before the enemy does. Instead of the usual simultaneous exchange, your Unit's damage resolves first during the damage step — and only then, if the enemy is still standing, does the enemy deal its damage back.
The payoff is in what happens when your first hit is lethal. If your First Strike damage destroys the enemy Unit (or Base) before it can deal its own damage, you take no damage back at all. The enemy is gone before it ever swings. You've won the battle and kept your Unit at full health — a completely one-sided trade.
How It Resolves, Step by Step
In a normal battle, both Units deal AP damage at the same moment. With First Strike, the attacking Unit deals its damage first. The game then checks for destruction: if the defending Unit's HP is reduced to zero, it's destroyed and removed — and because it's no longer there, it never deals its return damage. Your attacker walks away untouched. If the defender survives your first hit, it then deals its damage back as normal. So First Strike is only "free" when your attacker can actually finish the job in one blow.
Crucially, First Strike works while this Unit is attacking. It's an offensive tool — it rewards you for being the aggressor and picking fights your Unit can win outright. That makes First Strike Units excellent at clearing blockers and trading up: send them at something they can destroy in one hit, and you remove an enemy Unit for free.
First Strike: The Rulings
Ruling #1: No Return Damage Only If the Enemy Dies
The "take no damage back" benefit happens only when your first strike destroys the enemy. If your attacker hits first but doesn't deal enough to destroy the target, the target survives and deals its full damage back to you, exactly as in a normal battle. First Strike doesn't reduce incoming damage — it just sequences yours first, hoping to remove the threat before it can answer. Always ask: can my AP actually destroy this target in one hit? If not, First Strike does nothing for you this combat.
Ruling #2: It's an Attacking Effect
First Strike is described as working while the Unit is attacking. It's not a defensive shield — don't expect a First Strike Unit sitting back to gain anything when it's the one being attacked. Its value is realized when you send it in as the aggressor. Build around using these Units to initiate favorable battles.
Ruling #3: First Strike Doesn't Stack
A Unit can't be given multiple copies of First Strike — a second copy does nothing. You either have it or you don't; there's no "double First Strike." Effects that would grant it to a Unit that already has it are simply redundant.
Support: Lend Your Attack Power
Support is written as Support X, where X is a number. It's an ability you activate by resting (turning) the Unit that has it: when you do, one other friendly Unit gets +X AP for the turn. You're spending one Unit's readiness to make another Unit hit harder.
The classic use is to pump an attacker right before or during its attack. Say you have an attacker that would tie or fall just short against an enemy Unit — rest a Support Unit to add its value to the attacker's AP, and suddenly your attacker deals enough to destroy the target (and survive, if it now out-damages what's left). A benched Unit that wasn't going to attack this turn instead converts its action into extra power exactly where you need it.
Support X in one line:
Rest this Unit → another friendly Unit gets +X AP this turn.
Turn idle Units into extra punch on your attacker.
Because it costs only the rested Unit (not resources or cards), Support is a cheap, repeatable way to win the AP race. It's especially strong when you have Units that weren't going to do much on a given turn — they can always "chip in" by supporting your main threat, making your attacks bigger than your opponent expects.
Support: The Rulings
Ruling #1: It Costs the Supporting Unit's Rest
To use Support, you rest the Unit that has it. That means the supporting Unit can't also attack or block that turn (it's now rested), and it must be ready ("active") to support in the first place. The trade is real: you're choosing to use that Unit as a power source instead of an attacker or blocker. Make sure the buff is worth more than what the supporting Unit would have done on its own.
Ruling #2: The Boost Is +X AP and Lasts the Turn
Support adds to AP (attack power), and the bonus lasts for the turn — it's not permanent. It boosts how much damage the supported Unit deals; it doesn't raise HP. Time it for the turn you're actually attacking (or need the bigger body), since the bonus wears off at end of turn and is wasted if you pump a Unit that doesn't use the extra power.
Ruling #3: One Other Friendly Unit
Support targets one other friendly Unit — not the Support Unit itself. You're always boosting a different Unit. If you have several Support Units, you can rest multiple of them to stack their bonuses onto a single attacker for a genuinely huge swing, since each Support is a separate activation feeding the same target.
Combining the Two
First Strike and Support are good on their own and excellent together. The interactions worth knowing:
| Combo | What it does |
|---|---|
| First Strike + Support | Pump the First Strike attacker's AP with Support so its first hit is now lethal — it destroys the target before taking any damage back. Support turns "hits first" into "kills first, for free." |
| Support + a key attacker | Rest one or more benched Units to push your main threat's AP high enough to break through a bigger blocker or hit harder into shields. |
| Stacked Support | Multiple Support Units feeding one attacker add their bonuses together for an oversized swing — great for a surprise lethal turn. |
The throughline: these are the keywords of an aggressive, combat-focused deck. First Strike rewards initiating battles you can win outright; Support lets you concentrate your board's power onto the attacker that matters most. A deck that leans on both pressures the opponent's Units and shields relentlessly, winning the attack step turn after turn. For where they fit in a full game plan, see our first-deck guide.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1: Expecting First Strike to save a Unit that can't kill its target.
First Strike only spares you return damage if your first hit destroys the enemy. Attack a Unit you can't kill in one blow and you'll hit first, fail to destroy it, and take the full counter-damage anyway. Always check that your AP meets or beats the target's HP before relying on the keyword.
Mistake #2: Treating First Strike as defense.
It works while attacking. Holding a First Strike Unit back to "win" defensive battles doesn't do what you'd hope — the keyword rewards aggression. Send these Units in to pick favorable fights, don't bench them as blockers expecting an edge.
Mistake #3: Resting a Support Unit you needed to block.
Support costs the Unit's rest, so a Unit you tap for Support can't block on your opponent's next turn. Don't pump an attack with a Unit you were counting on to defend — weigh the offensive boost against the defensive hole you're leaving.
Mistake #4: Using Support on a Unit that won't use the AP.
The +X AP lasts only the turn and only matters if the boosted Unit actually deals damage. Supporting a Unit that isn't attacking (or can't connect) throws the bonus away. Pump the attacker that's about to swing, on the turn it swings.
Mistake #5: Forgetting Support can stack for lethal.
Players often use one Support and stop. If you have multiple ready Support Units, you can rest them all to pile their bonuses onto one attacker — frequently enough for a surprise lethal hit through shields. Count your total available AP before committing to an attack; the blowout turn is often there.
FAQ & Quick Reference
- Does First Strike stop me taking any damage? Only if your first hit destroys the enemy. If the target survives your damage, it deals its full damage back to you as normal. First Strike sequences your damage first — it doesn't reduce incoming damage on its own.
- Does First Strike work when I'm defending? It's described as working while the Unit is attacking, so its benefit is for the aggressor. Plan to use First Strike Units to initiate battles, not to sit back on defense.
- What exactly does Support do? You rest the Unit with Support X, and one other friendly Unit gains +X AP for the turn. It's a cheap, repeatable attack-power boost — the cost is just resting the supporting Unit, which then can't attack or block that turn.
- Can I use multiple Support Units on one attacker? Yes. Each Support is a separate activation, so resting several Support Units stacks their bonuses onto the same attacker — a strong way to set up a big or lethal swing.
- Do these keywords stack on one Unit? First Strike doesn't — multiple copies on one Unit do nothing extra. Support is different: it's an activated ability from separate Units, so several Support Units can each contribute their bonus to one target.
- First Strike: attacking Unit deals battle damage before the enemy.
- The payoff: if your first hit destroys the target, you take no damage back.
- The catch: if the target survives, it deals full damage back — First Strike isn't a shield.
- Support X: rest this Unit → one other friendly Unit gets +X AP this turn.
- Stack it: multiple Support Units can pile bonuses onto one attacker.
- Neither saves a defender: both are tools for winning your attack step.
Win the Attack Step.
First Strike and Support are the two keywords that break combat's symmetry in your favor. First Strike lets your attacker hit before the enemy can answer — and when that hit is lethal, you win the battle for free. Support lets your board lend its attack power to the Unit that matters, turning idle Units into extra punch and setting up swings your opponent can't see coming. Master the timing — only attack with First Strike into something you can kill, and only Support a Unit that will use the AP — and you'll start winning the battles that decide Gundam games. Send in your attacker, stack the power, strike first.
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