How to Tell If a Gundam Card Is Rare: The Mark Beside the Number
A Gundam card prints its rarity beside the number at the top right. Learn C, U, R and LR, the plus signs on parallels, and the LK and SP tags before the number.
In this guide
Look at the top right corner of the card. The letters right after the card number are the rarity, so GD01-001 LR is a Legend Rare, and a plus sign after the letters marks a parallel version.
This page reads the mark. For the data on what parallels earn, read are Gundam cards worth money.
Where is the rarity mark?
We opened Bandai's image of GD01-001 Gundam on 3 November 2026. At the top right it reads GD01-001, then LR in a small badge, then a small number.
Bandai's Comprehensive Rules, Ver. 1.10.0, updated 16 October 2026, list Rarity under Card Information.
Rule 2-16-1 says only that it is "an indicator of a card's rarity".
The same rules call the card number "the serial number of a card". We found no rule that explains the small number after the badge, so do not read it as rarity.
What does each mark mean?
The labels come from the Rarity filter in the official card search. The counts come from the Freedom Ascension GD05 page, released 24 July 2026.
| Mark | Meaning | Card types in GD05 |
|---|---|---|
| C | Common | 50 |
| U | Uncommon | 36 |
| R | Rare | 32 |
| LR | Legend Rare | 12 |
| LKC, LKU, LKR | Link Rare, with the C, U or R of the card | Not given as a count |
| P | Not spelled out by Bandai | Not listed |
Bandai's page says C, U, R and LR in full, so those are its words. It never spells out LK.
The evidence is still direct: GD05-053 is labelled LKR on its card page and shown in the product page's "Link Rare" section.
The page also lists 8 Special cards, 8 Special EX Resources and 2 Tokens, and each pack holds 12 cards.
Counts vary by product. The Dual Impact GD02 page, released 24 October 2025, has the same four main tiers with no Special line.
Those are types of card and not pull rates. The product pages we read give no odds at all, so we quote none.
What does the plus sign mean?
The official search has an Alternate Art filter with three options: SP, + and ++. Bandai does not explain them on that page, so we looked at the cards.
The GD01-001 parallel image shows the same number and game text with new art, and the badge reads LR+. So the plus is printed right on the card, and it is not only for LR: a parallel of ST01-011 reads C+.
The GD05 page describes LR++ as luxurious cards with combinations of Pilots and Mobile Suits, in 5 types.
GD05-002's card page labels its version LR ++, and the image prints it small, so use good light.
What do LK and SP tags mean?
These two sit in a small tag before the number, so they are easy to miss.
LK. GD05-053 reads LK, then the number, then R+. The GD05 page says Link Rare cards are parallels of cards in the set, showing linked Units and Pilots.
SP. The same page says 8 popular Pilot cards come as SP versions, and that SP EX Resources appear for the first time.
An SP card can carry a number from an older product. ST01-011 Suletta Mercury is listed as SP from Freedom Ascension.
Its image reads SP, ST01-011, C+. So do not call it a misprint because the code looks old.
Traps worth knowing
Same number, same card in play. Rule 2-1-1 says cards with the same number are treated in the game as the same card. A deck may hold four or fewer of them, whatever the art.
LR is partly a play label. Bandai's deck building guide says LR cards "provide effects central to the deck". That is a statement about play, and it makes no claim about collecting.
Language matters. Bandai lists Japanese, English and Simplified Chinese versions, current as of 11 July 2025, and we only read English images here.
Rare does not mean expensive
Rarity does not set the price. The letter tells you the tier and the plus tells you the version, and neither names a figure.
Our Gundam value guide has the numbers, so we repeat none here. The game is young, so read any figure with its date, and use how much are my trading cards worth for the method.
Our rarities explainer shows the same split between rarity and price in other games.
A quick check for any card
- Read the number and badge at the top right.
- Look for a plus sign after the letter and an LK or SP tag before the number.
- Compare the art in the official card search using the Alternate Art filter.
- Check for a Special or SP line on your set's product page.
- Use the condition guide before pricing, and how to spot fake trading cards if it looks off.
What people ask next
- What are Gundam parallels really worth?
- Which Gundam sets are coming next?
- How does rarity work in One Piece, another Bandai game?
- How do I read the rest of a card?
- Is grading worth it?
FAQ
What is the highest rarity in the Gundam Card Game?
LR is the top of the four main tiers on product pages. Above that base card, the GD05 page singles out LR++ versions as its luxurious cards.
Is LR+ a separate card?
In play it counts as the same card, because rule 2-1-1 treats matching numbers as the same. For collecting, it is a different printing with different art.
What does LK mean?
Link Rare, new in GD05. Bandai never spells out the letters, but GD05-053 is labelled LKR and sits in the page's Link Rare section.
What is the small number after the rarity?
We found no rule that explains it. We saw a 1 on GD01-001, a 2 on GD05-002 and a B on an Edition Beta print of ST01-011, so do not treat it as rarity.
Does a higher rarity mean a stronger card?
Bandai says LR cards can decide the game. Its deck guide still sorts copies by how much a deck wants a card, so read the card as well as the badge.
Find your card
See the shops → Independent shops on Foilio. On an order you pay the seller directly.
Foilio does not hold the payment and does not guarantee the deal.
Check a card price → Search the Gundam cards on Foilio and compare the figure with sold prices.