SD Gundam and Saint Seiya EX just reshuffled June 2026, and these 11 picks explain why

How I Lost a Weekend to Two EX Tier Lists and One Brutal Truth

I spent last weekend drowning in combat animation PVs, anniversary banner math, and two different EX tier lists that dropped within hours of each other. By Sunday night, my notes looked like a war room: color-coded arrows connecting SD Gundam G Generation Eternal’s v2.3.0 SSS bracket to Saint Seiya EX’s new Specter Shion placement, coffee stains marking the exact moment I realized most players were splitting their resources in half and getting nothing. June 2026 did not just add new units-it redefined what “must-pull” means when the EX pool is this crowded and the diamonds are this finite.

This list is not a museum of every S-tier unit in both games. It is a survival guide. I am ranking the EX investments, banner realities, and squad-building rules that actually move the needle right now, while the current pools are live. If you are rerolling, saving, or just trying to beat the new Challenge stages before they expire, these eleven priorities are where every diamond belongs.

1. Strike Noir Gundam (EX)

If you are rerolling in v2.3.0, stop the moment this shows up. Strike Noir Gundam (EX) is the newcomer that instantly colonized the SSS tier in the June 2026 rankings, and it earned that spot by being the rare EX unit that does not need a fully synergized squad to dominate. On an 800-plus-unit roster, most top-tier suits are either hyper-specialized or locked behind obscure tag requirements that demand months of farming. Strike Noir breaks that pattern. It brings all-range pressure, clean EX animations, and enough base stat weight to carry an early account through story content and into endgame PvE without hand-holding.

What makes it essential for June specifically is its banner timing. It arrived alongside the v2.3.0 expansion, which means it benefits from the current pickup rates and anniversary-adjacent pity resources. Beginners who reroll for it are essentially buying a ticket past the early-game grind, while veterans can slot it into Seed Destiny formations without tearing their existing builds apart. There are flashier suits on this list, and there are definitely bigger numbers floating around in the CCA-MSV bracket, but none offer this much power with this little setup. If you walk away with only one EX unit from the current SD Gundam G Generation Eternal pool, make it this one.

The real kicker is its team value in large-scale events and Challenge stages. While other EX units demand specific pilots or support suits to hit their ceiling, Strike Noir functions as a self-contained package. You can drop it into a generic team of SR filler and still clear content that would otherwise gate you. That kind of independence is invaluable when you are working with a limited roster and the current EX pool has an expiration date. It is not just strong; it is efficient, and efficiency is what separates players who progress from players who stall.

2. Infinite Justice Gundam (EX)

Infinite Justice Gundam (EX) is the melee scalpel to Strike Noir’s ranged shotgun, and together they form the most oppressive opening duo in the Seed Destiny corner of the meta. Where Strike Noir controls space from a safe distance, Infinite Justice lives in the enemy’s face, closing gaps with EX-grade thrust and a melee combo string that chews through frontline units before they can cycle their defensive skills. The June 2026 tier lists do not separate these two by much-both sit comfortably in the SSS bracket-but their roles are distinct enough that owning both turns your squad into a full-spectrum threat.

The reason I am ranking it here, rather than bundling it with Strike Noir, is that Infinite Justice demands slightly more from your team. It wants a frontline that can survive the initial enemy barrage while it repositions, and it benefits enormously from pilot skills that boost melee critical rates. That is not a weakness; it is a gate. New players can absolutely reroll for this unit and succeed, but they need to understand that its ceiling is higher than Strike Noir while its floor is slightly lower. If you are the kind of player who enjoys piloting a Gundam that feels like a heat-seeking missile, this is your main. If you prefer set-it-and-forget-it auto-play, prioritize Strike Noir and treat Infinite Justice as a luxury second pull.

In the current v2.3.0 environment, luxury is surprisingly affordable. The anniversary economy means multi-pulls are more accessible than usual, and the odds of assembling a dual-EX Seed Destiny core are the highest they have been since launch. If you have the diamonds, the synergy is undeniable. Infinite Justice does not just deal damage; it forces the AI to react, which buys your backline the one or two turns it needs to end the fight.

3. Nightingale (EX)

When Bandai Namco dropped Nightingale (EX) on May 31, they pulled from CCA-MSV and Beltorchika Children lore instead of the standard Char’s Counterattack playbook, and the result is a machine that feels less like a mobile suit and more like a mobile fortress. The combat animation PV hinted at its scale—those massive binders and the heavy psycoframe glow—but the June 2026 tier lists confirmed what the visuals promised. This is an SSS anchor that defines the top end of the SD Gundam G Generation Eternal meta, and it does so through raw, unapologetic firepower rather than subtle trickery.

What separates Nightingale from the Seed Destiny pair is its weight. It is slower, bulkier, and far more demanding in terms of team support, but when it fires, stages end. The EX variant amplifies its funnels and mega particle cannons to the point where it can wipe enemy squads before they enter effective range. That makes it a nightmare in PvE Challenge stages and a dominant force in any content that rewards alpha strikes. The trade-off is that you need to build around it. Nightingale wants specific pilots—Char Aznable is the intended match—and it wants a team that can buy it the two turns it needs to spin up.

For players who already have a solid roster and are looking for a centerpiece, Nightingale is the definitive June 2026 investment. For beginners, it is a riskier reroll target than Strike Noir because it reveals its full power only with proper support. But if you are willing to build your entire account around one red machine, the payoff is the kind of spectacle that justifies the gacha grind.

4. ν Gundam (Double Fin Funnel EX)

You cannot discuss Nightingale without also acknowledging the rival that dropped alongside it. ν Gundam (Double Fin Funnel EX) is Amuro Ray’s answer to Char’s monstrosity, and the June 2026 tier lists treat them as a matched set—two SSS pillars that force every player to pick a side. Where Nightingale overwhelms through raw bombardment, the ν Gundam wins through map control. The Double Fin Funnel EX variant does not just add a second funnel for show; it fundamentally changes the unit’s engagement range, letting it apply pressure to backline targets while Amuro stays safely outside retaliation distance.

This creates a strategic fork in the road that defines the current meta. If you pull Nightingale, you are committing to a front-loaded, high-damage squad that ends fights quickly or dies trying. If you pull ν Gundam, you are opting for a war of attrition where your funnels grind the enemy down while your team absorbs the initial charge. Both are valid. Both are SSS. But mixing them is harder than it looks because they want different support structures and different pilot investments. The smart play in v2.3.0 is to choose one rivalry unit and build vertically rather than splitting resources horizontally.

For veterans who already own a tuned Amuro pilot, this is a no-brainer. The Double Fin Funnel mechanics synergize with his kit in ways that feel almost bespoke, and the EX stat bump pushes his already-high accuracy into guaranteed-hit territory against most current content. It is not the safest reroll for a brand-new account, but it is arguably the highest ceiling in the game right now.

5. Gundam Falact (Season2)

Here is where I am going to upset the purists. Gundam Falact (Season2) is not an EX unit, which means the strict tier-list orthodoxy will always place it below the SSS rarity bracket. But June 2026 is not a month for orthodoxy; it is a month for accounting. This machine is featured in the first-anniversary pickup gacha, it carries the Season2 tag that signals endgame-tailored stats, and it serves as a statistical reality check for anyone who thinks they are guaranteed an EX pull. You are not. And when your diamonds run dry and your pity is still three multi-pulls away, Falact is the pivot that keeps your account competitive.

The Season2 designation matters more than most players realize. It implies a kit tuned for the current large-scale event structure and Challenge stage rotation, with defensive thresholds and damage output that match or exceed older EX units that lack modern scaling. I am not arguing that it outclasses Strike Noir or Nightingale in a vacuum. I am arguing that a maxed Falact with proper gear and a competent pilot will outperform a naked EX that has no support. Tier lists are aspirational documents; your actual roster is a statistical artifact. If the anniversary banner gives you Falact early, the correct move is to stop chasing the dragon, invest your resources, and clear content.

It also benefits from being less contested in the build-meta conversation. While everyone is theorycrafting the perfect Nightingale funnel timing, Falact players are quietly clearing the same stages with less investment and less stress. Sometimes the best unit is the one you actually own.

6. Ex-S Gundam

The first-anniversary pickup gacha pairs Gundam Falact with Ex-S Gundam, and if Falact is the pragmatic choice, Ex-S is the fireworks. This is a UR unit, not an EX, but it sits at the top of the UR hierarchy thanks to its burst-oriented transformable frame and its sheer presence in the anniversary spotlight. When the official anniversary video highlighted this machine alongside the new home-unit features, it signaled that Ex-S is meant to move the needle for players who want big damage without the EX scarcity tax.

In practice, Ex-S plays like a hybrid of the ν Gundam’s range and the Infinite Justice’s aggression. It can hover at mid-distance, unload a high-damage volley, and then shift into a melee engagement if anything survives. That flexibility makes it an excellent generalist for players who do not yet know which meta they want to commit to. It is also less punishing than the true EX units when it comes to team requirements. You do not need a specific pilot to make it work, and its base durability means it will not evaporate if your frontline is underleveled.

The downside is obvious: power creep. EX units exist because they are designed to outscale UR over time. Ex-S will not age as gracefully as Nightingale or Strike Noir. But aging is a luxury concern. In June 2026, with the current event cycle demanding immediate clears, Ex-S is a powerful tool that demands respect. Pull it, build it, and use the time it buys you to save for the next EX banner.

7. Specter Shion

While SD Gundam is arguing over funnel placement and psycho-frame density, Saint Seiya EX dropped a single name that reordered its entire v2.3 tier list: Specter Shion. He is not a Gold Saint. He is not a Bronze underdog. He arrives under the Specter rarity tag, and that distinction matters because it gives him access to a control-oriented kit that the game’s 40-plus Saint roster was desperately missing at the top end. The June 2026 rankings place him high not because he deals the biggest numbers, but because he dictates the pace of battle in a way that no other current unit can replicate.

Shion’s value is rooted in row disruption. Saint Seiya EX organizes combat across three row positions—front, mid, and back—and five distinct classes. Most high-tier units specialize in either dealing damage from the back row or absorbing it in the front. Shion breaks that binary. His abilities reach across rows, disabling key enemy supports and buying your carries the breathing room they need to scale into their burst windows. In a meta where team fights are often decided by which backline Saint gets their ultimate off first, Shion is the ref who stops the match.

For rerollers, he is the Saint Seiya equivalent of Strike Noir: a high-rarity unit that justifies an account restart if you missed him. For existing players, he is the reason to burn Recruitment tickets and complete the current event cycle. There are flashier damage dealers in the 40-plus roster, but none of them matter if they are frozen in place while Shion’s team lines up the kill.

8. Cover All Three Damage Types

Here is the secret that the individual tier lists do not advertise loudly enough: owning Specter Shion or any other EX Saint means nothing if your squad only deals one damage type. Saint Seiya EX builds its endgame content around a hard check on damage-type coverage. The June 2026 team-building map is explicit about this—there are three damage types in play, and late-game bosses and Challenge modes actively resist one while being vulnerable to another. A mono-type squad, no matter how shiny its rarity tags, will hit a wall that no amount of grinding will overcome.

This is why “cover all three” is not lazy advice; it is the single highest-priority roster rule in the game. Before you chase a second EX dupe or dump resources into maxing Shion’s level cap, audit your squad. Do you have a reliable physical dealer? A consistent Cosmo bomb? A hybrid unit that can switch? If the answer is no, your Recruitment tickets should be going toward filling those gaps, not stacking more power in a category you already own. The tier list for individual Saints is a wish list. The damage-type checklist is a load-bearing wall.

In practice, this means your first multi-pulls in Saint Seiya EX should be diagnostic. Pull for breadth, identify which damage type is weakest, and then target that role specifically. Shion can carry your control needs, but he cannot punch through a Cosmo-immune boss for you. Build the toolbox first. The EX hammer comes second.

9. Balance Five Classes Across Three Rows

If damage types are the load-bearing wall, row positioning is the foundation. Saint Seiya EX organizes its five classes across three rows—front, mid, and back—and the June 2026 meta punishes players who ignore that geometry. A common trap is pulling a high-tier EX or UR backline carry and then wondering why they die before their first turn. The answer is almost always that your front row is made of paper and your mid row offers no support. Individual unit tier lists do not fix bad formation math.

The current v2.3 team-building consensus emphasizes balance: a durable frontline class to absorb initiation, a utility or buffer class in the mid to enable cooldowns, and your damage-dealing EX in the back to scale safely. Specter Shion works so well in this ecosystem because he disrupts enemy row order, effectively extending your frontline’s lifespan by preventing the opposing backline from firing on schedule. That control buys your carries the three turns they need to swing the fight.

When you are spending Recruitment tickets or rolling for new Saints, do not ask “is this unit S-tier?” Ask “which row does this unit fix?” If your frontline is collapsing, a B-tier tank is more valuable than an S-tier damage dealer. Row balance is the hidden tier list that determines whether your shiny EX pulls translate into actual stage clears.

10. The 3,000 Diamond Panel Mission

Let us talk about money—specifically, the free kind. The first-anniversary rollout for SD Gundam G Generation Eternal includes a panel mission that pays out up to 3,000 diamonds, and if you are not treating that payout like a non-negotiable milestone, you are playing yourself. In the gacha economy, 3,000 diamonds is not just a generous login bonus; it is roughly a multi-pull and a half, which can be the difference between hitting pity and walking away empty-handed. With the current EX pool featuring v2.3.0 units and the anniversary banners still live, every single diamond has leverage.

The mission structure is designed to guide you through the anniversary content organically—clearing new Challenge stages, participating in large-scale events, and engaging with the home-unit features that dropped alongside the update. It is not a handout; it is a roadmap. Players who rush to burn their starting currency on day one often miss these milestones and then complain about bad rates when they fall short. The correct sequence is clear: earn the panel diamonds first, add them to your stockpile, and then decide whether to commit to the Nightingale banner, the ν Gundam banner, or the Seed Destiny pair.

This mission also serves as a deadline. Panel missions in live-service games do not stay open indefinitely, and the June 2026 window is already shrinking. If you are on the fence about rerolling, use the panel progress as your timer. Complete it, cash out, and make your final pull decisions before the banner rotates. Free diamonds expire in value faster than paid ones because they come with a clock.

11. Recruitment Tickets and Roster Gaps

The final entry on this list is not a unit, but it is the mistake that ruins more accounts than any single bad pull. Recruitment tickets feel like free currency, which means players treat them like monopoly money. They burn them on rate-up banners chasing EX dupes or chasing the latest shiny Saint, and then they wonder why their roster has three top-tier damage dealers and no frontline. In both SD Gundam and Saint Seiya EX, the June 2026 meta rewards complete teams, not soloists, and Recruitment tickets are the tool you use to patch the gaps your premium pulls leave behind.

In Saint Seiya EX, this is especially critical because the five-class, three-row ecosystem demands breadth. A Recruitment ticket spent on a B-tier tank that completes your frontline is worth more than a ticket spent gambling for a second Shion dupe. The same logic applies to SD Gundam’s 800-plus-unit roster, where tickets can net you the obscure SR support suits that enable your EX centerpiece’s full damage rotation. The tier lists show you the stars; the tickets build the stage beneath them.

My rule for June 2026 is simple: before you spend a single ticket, write down your weakest role or row. If the ticket cannot fill that hole, save it. Patience with free resources is what separates the players who clear anniversary content from the players who post rage-quit threads. The EX units get the headlines, but the roster gaps get the last laugh.