With so many mobile suits in Gundam UC Engage, it's hard to pinpoint which units are the absolute best that will give you a competitive advantage against others. This article aims to discuss which teams are finding the most success in the PvP arena game mode, why they're strong, and how to counter popular meta comps.

What Is The Current Meta?

Crit-Enhanced High DPS

The Gundam UC Engage PvP meta has gone through plenty of changes over the past year. While it was dominated by evasion and high damage AoE EX Skills for the majority of 2024, it has shifted to the Sazabi, Zeong, and Gyan Meta, and is now changing again thanks to the highly anticipated crit rework. It still closely resembles the Sazabi, Zeong, and Gyan meta, though now these units are often amped by the Ez8, which has caused the downfall of the Penelope. Below are the best mobile suits of the current meta.

Gyan

［M0317］ Gyan

The Gyan is a support mobile suit that inflicts all enemies with Target Focus, forcing them to prioritize targeting the Gyan's allied Armored units first. This is extremely valuable in Arena where you want the heat taken away from your key DPS units, allowing them to attack freely without retaliation.

The Gyan is one of, if not the most important mobile suit to have on an Arena team. Having this MS, when paired with decent tanks and heavy hitters like the Zeong and the Yellow Sazabi, can carry a relatively low CP team out of Standard Arena and into Elite.

Gundam Ez8

［M0238］ Gundam Ez8

The Ez8 went from being a weak mobile suit to one of the best in the game with the arrival of the crit rework. It can boost both the critical rate and critical ATK of its entire team, but these buffs are more potent for Bombardment mobile suits like the Zeong. It can greatly increase the power of not only Bombardment mobile suits but all allied DPS units regardless of type.

Zeong

［M0056］ Zeong

The Zeong is an extremely powerful mobile suit whose release was hyped from the very beginning, thanks to how it also dominated the Japanese meta when it was released on their servers. The hype was well-deserved, and its power truly is on a different level. Its biggest strengths consist of its high power AoE EX skill that deals bonus damage against Protagonist units, its high hit-count weapons, and its high damage output powered by multiple buffs.

The Zeong doesn't really require much setup from its allies, other than ensuring it stays protected and doesn't die too early. That said, Zeong team compositions vary from player to player, though all of the high-level Zeong teams try their best to protect the Zeong by placing them alongside durable Armored mobile suits that can keep the heat off the Zeong, like The-O. Having Gyan or one of the Taunt tanks alongside it should greatly increase its chances of staying alive long enough to deal big damage and use its EX skill.

Because of its well-warranted hype and effectiveness in combat, the Zeong is one of the most popular mobile suits that you'll surely match up with often if you're an active Arena participant.

Yellow Sazabi

［M0218］ Sazabi ［THE LIFE-SIZED v Gundam STATUE］

The Yellow Sazabi is very much like the Zeong in the sense that they're both extremely popular meta-defining mobile suits that have been at the top of the meta since their release. However, that's where the similarities end since the Zeong is more of a backline AoE threat while the Sazabi is a life-stealing skirmisher with extremely high damage supplemented with the bullseye status effect, allowing it to easily deal with evasive opponents.

Because it doesn't need as much protection as something like the Zeong or any specific debuffs from certain allies, the Yellow Sazabi can fit into almost any team composition. That, paired with its extreme popularity, is why it's one of the mobile suits you'll come across most often in Arena.

Full Armor ZZ Gundam

［M0306］ Full Armor ZZ Gundam

The Full Armor ZZ Gundam (FAZZ) is currently the most used tank among the high-ranking players of Elite Arena. Its main selling point is that it takes 99% reduced damage from EX Skills, allowing it to brush off even the strongest of EX Skills. In exchange, it inflicts Unavoidable on itself for the entire match. This mobile suit has a 55% guard rate that gets reduced by 5% for 10 seconds each time it takes damage, similar to the Penelope. However, because the crit meta is in full swing, this isn't really one of its selling points anymore, as Ez8 teams and crit-based units can easily bypass an enemy's guard rate.

Another thing that makes the FAZZ a great Arena mobile suit is its natural synergy with the Zeong. This is because it buffs the damage output of Blue-type allies by 26% with its EX Skill, which it can use very early into the match as it has 2 EX gauge restoration skills.

The-O

［M0105］ The-O

The-O has been one of the best Armored mobile suits in the game now, and for good reason. Like the Titania, it's a highly evasive MS that heals and recovers EX gauge each time it evades, making it extremely hard to take down. Its offense is no slouch either, mainly because of its EX skill that deals huge damage to targets with the Unavoidable status effect.

A juggernaut both defensively and offensively, The-O's weakness is attributed to how it doesn't heal or spam its EX skill if it doesn't get to evade, so Bullseye, Unavoidable, and high accuracy mobile suits are its kryptonite. As for its allies, The-O is best paired with mobile suits that can inflict Unavoidable on opponents, though since it can do that on its own, it's not essential for it to succeed on the battlefield.

Gundam GP02A

［M0122］ Gundam GP02A

The Gundam GP02A is a mobile suit that has been at the top of the meta for a very long time already. It's an Armored unit equipped with an AoE EX Skill that hits all enemies for humongous amounts of damage. As a tradeoff, it takes a while before it gets to use its EX Skill, as it doesn't benefit from any EX Gauge-related buffs. That said, you'll want to buy time for this unit if it's on your team, and you'll want to prioritize killing it before it uses its EX Skill if it's on the enemy team.

Char's Z'Gok

［M0089］ Char's Z'Gok

Char's Z'Gok is a very situational pick who excels when fighting teams centered around Gundam-type mobile suits but is terrible against those centered around the Yellow Sazabi or the Zeong.

The Z'Gok grants its entire team bonus damage against Gundam-type mobile suits, but more importantly, grants target focus to make its allies lock in on Gundam-type mobile suits first before moving on to other targets. This is great for taking out MSs like the Zeta Gundam or the Gundam GP02A, but it will definitely backfire if you field it in against powerful mobile suits that don't fall under the Gundam-type unit category tag, since they won't have to worry too much about enemies retaliating for as long as their Gundam-type allies take the heat away from them.

Taunt Tanks

［M0311］ Rick Dom (Thunderbolt)

［M0269］ Messer Type F01

These two mobile suits inflict Provoke on all enemy units, forcing them to attack either the Rick Dom TB or the Messer first. Provoke grants higher aggro priority than target focus, overriding the aggro of units like the Sinanju Stein, Char's Z'Gok, Blue Destiny Unit-1, and so on.

These two units do not need a Gyan to force enemies to attack them so that frees up a slot on your team that you could use for another DPS or utility unit, which is great in today's meta where battles are essentially a race to destroy the enemy team as quickly as possible. In exchange, they're not nearly as tanky as the top Armored units of the game, and the Provoke status effect lasts only for the first 8 seconds of combat.

How To Form/Beat A Meta Team?

Identify Key Units and Understand What They Do

Forming meta teams can take a lot of investment. To form a meta team, you have to see which units are powerful enough to build a team around and you have to understand what makes them meta, and then try to strengthen or support whatever that is by fielding units that synergize with your key units.

Say you have a Gyan for example, which draws enemy aggro towards its allied Armored units. You'll want to pair it up with an Armored unit or two that can actually stand its ground and buy enough time for its allies to deal damage safely. You'll also want powerful DPS units alongside it that can take advantage of the window of opportunity the Gyan provides them with. Alternatively, if you have a Yellow Sazabi, try to build a balanced team around it with whatever strong units you have, since it's a self-sustaining all-around unit that can fit well in almost any team composition.

You might not have all the meta units to make the strongest of team comps, but understanding these principles will help you form the strongest team available to you.

The same strategic thinking applies when planning to counter meta-teams. It all boils down to game knowledge, particularly understanding type and category advantages, which are crucial in determining matchups. For example, if your opponent has a Gundam GP02A, you could quickly take it out of commission by positioning an Ez8-amped ZZ Gundam to fight it, as this is a high firepower unit that enjoys both category and type advantages over the GP02A.

PvP Team Building Guide

Should I Follow The Meta?

Depends On You As a Player

The answer to this question is entirely up to you. If you're serious about climbing the PvP leaderboards of Gundam UC Engage, then yes, using meta units will give you a competitive advantage over non-meta teams, as these are the best units in the game for PvP.

On the other hand, if your goal is to just play, have fun, and collect the mobile suits you like, then that's perfectly fine as well. With enough resources, you can make pretty much any unit work, though they'll undoubtedly perform worse than the meta units would. At the end of the day, the meta will always come second to your own enjoyment.

Best Mobile Suit Tier List (PvP)

Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. Engage Related Guides

All Tips and Tricks

All Tips and Tricks Guides

Arena (PvP) Guides
Arena Beginner's Guide (PvP)
Arena Guide	How to Get Started With the Arena?
Why Do I Keep Losing at the Arena?	How to Win at the Arena
Most Common Arena MSs and Counters	Best Arena (PvP) Teams
Top Ranked Arena Teams and Counters	PvP Team Building Guide
Arena Defense Team Building Guide	What to Grind for in the Arena
Elite Arena Guide
Beginners' Guide
Beginner's Guide: Tips and Tricks
Reroll Guide	How to Farm Diamonds
Panel Missions Guide	How to Strengthen Your Mobile Suits Guide
Combat System Explained	Haro Coin Farm Guide
How to Get Started With the Arena?	Clan Guide
Raid Battle Guide	Mobile Suit Categories Explained
Other Beginners' Guides
Beginner Mistakes to Avoid	Daily Tasks Checklist
Research Guide	Gacha Guide
Gacha Guide	UR Selector Ticket Guide
Mobile Suit Stats Explained	Pilot Stats Explained
Deployment Guide	How To Rank Up and Unlock All Content Quickly
Fragment Quest Guide	How to Get Skip Tickets
How to Get VIP Points	Haro Pass (VIP Pass) Perks and Benefits
How to Farm Coins Guide	How to Get More AP
How to Farm and Use Blueprints and Character Pieces	Recycle Points Guide
Engage Link Guide	Mock Battle Guide
How to Raise Your Player Rank Fast	How To Farm UR Custom Tickets
Intermediate Guides
Intermediate Guide
How To Pair Pilots and Mobile Suits	Team Building Guide
Returning Players Guide	What Upgrade Should I Do First?
Transcendence Guide	Potential Unleashed Guide
Unit Enhancement Guide	Unit Alteration Guide
How to Get Grand Coins	How to Get Unit Enhancement Points
Modules Guide	Skill Rate Level Up Guide
What To Buy at the Shop	Clan Battle Guide
Master Battle Guide	Status Effects Guide
Canon Mobile Suits and Pilots Guide
Other Intermediate Guides
Best Pilots to Get From Total War	Crit Rework Guide
Game Mechanics
Title Guide	Account Linking Guide
How to Send an SOS	How to Get Friend Medals
Mobile Suit Guides
How to Counter the Zeong	What is the Best Nu Gundam?
How Good is the Zock?	How Good is the Zeong?
How to Counter the Yellow Sazabi	How to Counter the Gundam GP02A
How to Counter the Zeta Gundam	How to Counter The-O
How to Counter the Penelope	How to Counter the Gyan
How Good is the Gyan?	What is the Best Sazabi?