With so many mobile suits in the game, 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 the meta comps.

What Is The Current Meta?

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.

On defense, it's very common for Zeongs to be paired up with Gundam GP02A, since it's a Blue-type Armored unit that can protect the Zeong from potential flankers with type advantages.

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 and Dag Doll

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

［M0340］ Dag Doll

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.

The Dag Doll, on the other hand, is like a slightly weaker Yellow Sazabi but with better utility thanks to its ability to jam whatever it's attacking, as well as all opposing Raid mobile suits for a full 8 seconds, drastically limiting their effectiveness. It's also a high-damage life-stealing skirmisher that can fit in most team compositions, hence why they're grouped together on this list.

Zeta Gundam

［M0086］ Zeta Gundam

The Zeta Gundam is arguably the next best Yellow-type DPS unit, second only to the Sazabi, and in some cases, the Dag Doll as well. What makes this MS strong is its EX skill-spamming capabilities that can melt even the tankiest of foes thanks to its DEF-bypassing capabilities. It is one of the few mobile suits that can really spam the heck out of its EX skill, thanks to its numerous EX gauge buffs. Once it gets going, it's very hard to stop.

The Zeta Gundam works well with the units from the AOE team below, as its EX skill also benefits from bonus damage when targeting opponents with the Unavoidable status effect, much like The-O. That said, the Zeta Gundam should ideally be paired with units that can inflict Unavoidable on foes.

Zeta Gundam (Hyper Mega Launcher)

［M0266］ Zeta Gundam (Hyper Mega Launcher)

Similar to the Zeta Gundam, the HML version is also an EX spamming powerhouse, though not nearly as rapidly as the Zeta Gundam. It previously took the S Gundam's place as the best bombardment MS in the game, though that spot's recently been taken by the Zeong. Regardless, it's still the next best thing, though for a different reason. While the Zeong can hit entire teams with its AoE EX skill, the Zeta Gundam thrives on single-target damage as it loops its EX skill quickly to deal big damage. Its weapons have low hit-counts, but still hit rather heavily, and it's also equipped with a skill that increases its damage cap by 200,000.

Similar to other bombardment mobile suits, the Zeta Gundam has to be protected for it to thrive and carry the game. It's also one of those MSs who are extremely powerful at max Potential and Transcendent level, but just decent without it. That said, a T5P5 Zeta HML will give you trouble if you don't strategize accordingly, but a T4 and below Zeta HML shouldn't be nearly as hard to deal with.

Titania

［M0245］ Titania

The Titania has slowly but surely made a name for itself as the premier Close Combat unit for PvP thanks to its proficiency in melee combat, straightforward single-target damaging EX skill, absolute evade status, heal on evade mechanic, and EX gauge recovery on evade. It's almost like a melee version of The-O that can completely take over battles the same way if the matchups are good.

Its self-sustaining capabilities make it rather similar to the Sazabi and the Dag Doll in the sense that you can add it to almost any team composition. However, do look out for mobile suits that can inflict Unavoidable as this can seriously ruin the Titania's chances of dominating.

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.

Penelope

［M0231］ Penelope

The Penelope is arguably the hardest mobile suit to take down, and the best at fulfilling tank duties for the team, thanks to its high guard rate that allows it to shrug off even the strongest of attacks.

On taking damage, the Penelope's base guard rate of 110% gets whittled down by 5% for 10 seconds for a maximum of 100%, so the key to beating it is to use high hit-count weapons that can quickly take away its guard rate.

Because of how good it is as a tank, the Penelope fits in almost any team comp, and is one of the more common mobile suits you'll come across in Arena.

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 who 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.

AoE EX Teams

These AoE EX Teams have drastically fallen in terms of popularity, but it's still a very effective team composition, just not as dominant as it used to be.

These teams like to use mobile suits that target all opponents and hit them for big damage, like the Gundam GP02A and the Hamma-Hamma, along with units that can fulfill conditional bonuses to their EX Skills, like the Hyaku Shiki, The-O, and the Qubeley.

AOE teams often have to chain together their EX Skills manually and in a certain order. For example, you'll want to activate the Hyaku Shiki's EX Skill first because it'll inflict the Unavoidable status effect on all enemies. Afterward, you use the Hamma-Hamma's EX Skill to stun all targets with the unavoidable debuff, then The-O's EX skill to hit them for massive damage. The Unavoidable debuff is required for the Hamma-Hamma to stun and for The-O to deal big bonus damage.

When things go their way, this team comp will burst down most opponents. However, if a key unit dies before it can unleash its EX Skill combo, the team's effectiveness drops considerably. If the Hyaku-Shiki gets taken down, the team misses out on the AOE Unavoidable debuff, which will make it difficult to capitalize on The-O's and Hamma-Hamma's bonus damage. If The-O or Hamma-Hamma is taken down early, the team loses a substantial amount of its attack power.

To counter these AOE teams, focus on quickly eliminating key targets before they can chain together their EX Skills. This can be achieved by strategically positioning units that have advantages over them. For example, to quickly take out The-O, you should position units like the Banshee Norn and the Gundam GP04 in front of it since these units boast high damage output, enjoy type or category advantages against The-O, and have the accuracy needed to hit it (as The-O is a dodge tank).

How To Form/Beat A Meta Team?

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.

For example, if you have a The-O, it's known for being an evasion tank that deals heavy damage with its EX Skill. However, to maximize its damage potential, its target has to have the Unavoidable debuff. Hence, it makes sense to field it with units that can inflict Unavoidable like the Hyaku Shiki. 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 a ZZ Gundam to fight it, as this is a high firepower unit that enjoys both category and type advantages over the GP02A.

Should I Follow The Meta?

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.

Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. Engage Related Guides

All Tips and Tricks

All Tips and Tricks Guides

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
Intermediate Guides
Intermediate Guide
How To Pair Pilots and Mobile Suits	Team Building Guide
Canon Mobile Suits and Pilots 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
Other Intermediate Guides
Best Pilots to Get From Total War
Advanced 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 Mobile Suits and Counters	Best Arena (PvP) Teams
Top Ranked Arena Teams and Counters [December 2024]	PvP Team Building Guide
Arena Defense Team Building Guide	What to Grind for in the Arena
Elite Arena 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?