KARDS - The WWII Card Game News

Hello friends!

On the whole, the meta is in a pretty healthy place. There are no dominating decks and many different archetypes thrive. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement. The Retribution mechanic continues to polarize the player base, plus it hurts the viability of various other decks. One of the new kids on the block - the French Mill deck - has also become slightly too big for its breeches and needs a slight adjustment. And as always we round out things with a few key buffs to help support or enable new decks.

But before we go into more details of cards receiving nerfs and buffs, let’s start with some text updates on a few cards. These are not intended to strengthen or weaken cards as such, and more just to align them better with current technical capabilities and future changes. Let’s take a look.

[h2]UPRISING[/h2]



Old: Deal damage to target unit and all other units equal to Polish units destroyed this battle.
New: Deal damage to all units equal to Polish units destroyed this battle.

Uprising is actually going to its original design. The only reason the targeting version was required was for players to be able to see the amount of damage to be dealt, but it made the text on the card quite clunky. Now that we can show numerical counts on cards in hand, the targeting requirement is no longer needed, so the card is going back to the original version.

[h2]FEIGNED RETREAT & CONTEST DOCTRINE[/h2]



Old: Discard your hand. When you deploy a unit this battle, draw a card.
New: Discard your hand. Your HQ gets: “When you deploy a unit this battle, draw a card.”



Old: Develop a German medium or heavy tank. Tanks you deploy this battle get +1+1.
New: Develop a German medium or heavy tank. Your HQ gets: “Tanks you deploy this battle get +1+1.”

These cards (and the one below) will functionally continue to work exactly the same. However, we want to clarify that their battle-lasting abilities are actually becoming part of the HQ. This has no impact at the moment, but if we do add cards in the future that interact with HQs (like Suppress them), then this will make it clear that it will impact these effects.

Alright, let’s take a look at cards getting a change this round.

[h2]YANK[/h2]



Old: This battle the first time you Develop each turn, also Develop a RETRIBUTION.
New: Your HQ gets: “This battle the first time you Develop each turn, also Develop a RETRIBUTION.”

Yank is also specifying its ability is now a part of the HQ, but on top of that it is also seeing a price hike of one. Yank continues to give great long-term value, especially while its effect cannot be interacted with at all. The slight cost increase is not a great hindrance, but does often mean that it comes online a turn slower, making it that much more risky spending a turn not affecting the board. Let’s see if this keeps it in check, or if we need to yank its chains some more.

[h2]OUTRAGE[/h2]



Increasing the cost of Outrage however is likely to have a much greater impact, especially for the value-enabling BLUE & GRAY and 121st INFANTRY REGIMENT units. OUTRAGE still generates a valuable RETRIBUTION to punish your enemies, but justice now comes at a greater cost. Will justice finally be served to those nefarious RETRIBUTION lovers, or will those that oppose them still end up black and blue (and gray)? Only time will tell.

[h2]B-24J[/h2]



Old: Deployment: Suppress all enemy units.
New: Deployment: Suppress target enemy unit and adjacent units.

Suppressing the whole enemy army greatly affects many loved archetypes, such as tokens, mobilize and alpine. It is a shame when a single card can have such a negative impact, so we are nerfing the B-24J a bit. WHITE DEATH is now the only card capable of blanking the enemy board, but as a minor ally card it is a lot less influential. Suppressing up to three key units can still be quite potent, so if you find yourself on the receiving end of cards like BOMBER MAFIA, make sure you position your units with B-24J in mind.

[h2]HONOR & LOYALTY[/h2]



Some people say the French Mill deck is an honorless phoney of a real deck, but let’s compromise and say it is a natural resistance to slower decks. Nevertheless, it is gaining a bit too much traction for our tastes, so we are curbing its enthusiasm a bit. Let’s see how many players will remain loyal to it after this change.

[h2]FIRST RESPONDERS[/h2]



The first response to this card has been fairly negative, as even if it can come down like a ton of bricks against aggro decks, it was a bit too slow at release to really hit home. Now that it can come down a turn earlier it is a much better tool against aggressive strategies and can also provide valuable support to guard matters decks or counter-measure decks. Let’s see if the second response improves on the first one.

[h2]92nd NAVAL BRIGADE[/h2]



This card probably saw more adjustments in testing before Covert Ops launched than any other, ranging from 3 to 5 defense and between 2 and 4 in kredit loss. In the end we opted for a fairly conservative version, as we didn’t want the Covert deck to be too strong. This has not been the case, though the deck is quite decent, and there is room for a slight improvement. More potent seamen has a higher chance of penetrating the meta and giving birth to something wonderful.

[h2]WORKERS UNITE![/h2]



When WORKERS UNITE! came back in its changed form we feared it would union with some other cards for some horrible combo shenanigans. Now that the card has been allowed to percolate for a bit we are less fearful of this possibility and are willing to give it a more fair treatment. We will see if this will allow them to clock more time in decks and work their way to victory.

[h2]SHOCK ATTACK[/h2]



SHOCK ATTACK is one of the early examples of a card being nerfed after being spoiled but before the official release, such was the shock of its earliest incarnation. We are not tuning it all the way back to 1 kredit, but at 2 kredits it still offers a lot more danger for a fire and brimstone deck to emerge. As the old saying goes: “Where there’s smokescreen, there’s fire.”

[h2]EMPIRE OF THE SUN[/h2]



White haired Kards veterans with wild eyes and wobbly walk insist this card was once the mainstay of a potent Japan Control deck. Such mad ramblings should of course be dismissed out of hand, but maybe there is some truth to the rumors - an old-school Japan Control deck would be a thing of beauty for sure. Let us tempt fate and see what happens.

[h2]2e RMT[/h2]



With a French card being nerfed, according to our interpretation of the Geneva Convention we must buff another French card to balance things out. The 2e RMT has an extremely strong ability, but it is a bit too slow to have a competitive impact. With a reduced cost it is now a much more attractive prospect, even if its other stats needed to be adjusted accordingly.

[h2]STUBBORN DEFENSE[/h2]



Old: When an enemy attacks your unit, give your unit +2 defense.
New: When an enemy attacks your unit, give your unit +1 defense. Draw a card if your unit survives.

STUBBORN DEFENSE has seen some limited play, but has on the whole stubbornly refused to become part of the competitive scene. We are now applying the magic bacon that automatically makes everything tastier - card draw. With bacon now being involved this is the real bacon and will for bacon see a lot of bacon in the near bacon. Bacon.

That is all. We hope that alongside the 18 reworked cards returning from the reserve pool there will be plenty of interesting things for you guys to try out and some popular decks are bound to see some changes as well. We will see how the meta develops over the next few weeks, we will of course monitor things closely and make adjustments if needed. All these changes are going live on September 19th. Keep an eye out for the full patch notes as well, as there are a lot of bug fixes as well as UX adjustments in the update. See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello friends!

A new release is around the corner and we want to continue our experiment from last spring in bringing back reserved cards in a completely reworked form. Like last time, we are focusing on cards that would not normally be returned to active duty, either because they no longer fit what we want that nation to be doing or simply because they are bad. Some of the reworked cards this time around do have a tie into what will happen later this winter with the next expansion, but should be fine as is for playing around with. Our main goal is to provide a batch of cards that support some minor existing theme or take an old archetype into a new direction, rather than to act as a huge meta-shaker - more diversity and allowing creative juices to flow is the name of the game.

A total of 18 cards are being returned this time around, 3 for each major nation, plus 1 for France, Italy and Poland (there are no Finnish cards in reserve). All of them will become part of the Core pool and will drop from Core and Covert Ops packs. Note that some of them can also be found in the new Battle Ready decks, so look into those if you want quick access. Some of these returning cards only recently entered the reserved ranks, but some have lingered there for a long time until they mothballed. But finally they can emerge from their cocoon and shine as the beautiful butterflies they now are. Alright, enough hyperbole, let’s dig in.

[h2]TACTICAL WITHDRAWAL[/h2]



This new version has a very similar concept as the old one, with one important difference - it resets the operation of the unit, meaning it can move and/or attack again this turn. As a baseline, this card allows, for instance, your big infantry in the frontline to attack an enemy unit, be retreated and repaired with Tactical Withdrawal and then return to the frontline again. Decent value, but nothing earth shattering. But now imagine you have a lone Humber Mk II in your support line with Blitzkrieg and Tactical Withdrawal in hand. For 5 kredits you can deal 16 damage to the enemy HQ - yes, Tactical Withdrawal allows a tank with Fury to attack 4 times in a turn. Welcome to the Fury Road: Tactical Withdrawal version.

[h2]CROMWELL Mk IV[/h2]



We are keeping the pin matters theme of this card, but in a much stronger way. While we generally want to be careful with how much Suppress we add to the game, we wanted to broaden a little bit what nations have access to the effect, even in a fairly niche manner as we see here. In the right deck, this card can be a real menace and it now having Guard is the icing on the cake. Put a pin in it.

[h2]ROYAL WEST KENTS[/h2]



There are many What Ifs to ponder when it comes to World War II, What if Chamberlain stood up to Hitler? What if Rommel won at El Alamein? And one of the popular ones - what would happen if Guards suddenly and spontaneously turned into crazed Zombies? Well, now we can play out this exciting alternative history with aid from the Royal West Kents, zombie-makers extraordinaire.

[h2]SUPPRESSION[/h2]



For some of the returning cards it took us a long time to figure out what to do with them. This card was one of the harder ones, we spent countless brainstorming sessions searching for solutions. Finally it struck us that making it suppress a unit might work due to the name and there is an air unit in the art so lets throw in a reference to that. Voila! This is why we are paid the big bucks.

[h2]BREAKTHROUGH[/h2]



Speaking of names fitting the card’s concept, here is one that is very much on the nose. This card can at the same time be devastatingly effective in the right deck (think decks that like to run cards like Blitzkrieg and Pursuit) and it is very thematic. Sometimes being on noses is a good thing and this one smells like success.

[h2]PAK 40[/h2]



Germany hates cheap stuff and here is one more proof if you need one. This iconic anti-tank artillery saw little play in its first iteration, but we hope this new and improved version sees more 40-cards decks packed with Pak 40s. It does cost one more than the versatile Nebelwerfer, but the potential draw and Ambush does give this unit a higher ceiling.

[h2]MEN OF STEEL[/h2]



Alright, let’s get the sexual innuendos out of the way - Hard Men Like to Hammer. Happy now? Can we go back to talking about cards? Thank you. With the childish horseplay out of the way we can finally start to dig into the dry, technical nitty gritty of this card: It makes your units hard or it allows you to hammer. There we go.

[h2]SU-85[/h2]



Last time around we gave SU 152 a facelift and hinted at a potential tank-themed Soviet deck. It worked well then, so we are going for the same trick a second time. The deck still needs a few key pieces, but who knows what the (near) future will bring? In the meantime, this unit can help midrange or slower Soviet decks stay afloat against very aggressive decks. Stick a couple of these on the battlefield and you will soon be out of reach of most aggro decks.

[h2]KV-2[/h2]



The KV-2 was always a meme-card, a borderline laughing stock. It now has some important stat tweaks (one less operation cost, one more attack), but the main attraction lies in its brand new ability. Note that this ability works for all of your units with Heavy Armor, including itself. Furthermore, it works on order damage from any source, including yourself. With this on board you can play Men of Steel to protect your squad, then fire off a Winter Warfare and see only the enemy units go up in flames. Even Winter Offensive can now be tanked a lot easier.

[h2]B-26 MARAUDER[/h2]



Recent meta has been teeming with bomber-heavy US decks. So what do we do? Rework a US bomber into something super exciting for people to play with. Classic 1939. The wording may seem a little strange, but is a requirement as otherwise we would run into all sorts of technical and UI issues. It also limits the power level a little bit, which is needed, as this unit is quite potent as is. B-17 Flying Fortress now becomes High Altitude Bombing, 332nd Engineer Regiment now gives +4 HQ defense and 2 kredit slots, etc. The sky’s the limit, which is why this is on a bomber. Note that this effect does not stack, so printer shenanigans will not work with it.

[h2]OVERWHELMING FORCE[/h2]



Sometimes regular force is just too meh and mundane. Sometimes you just need that extra bit of oomph. Sometimes you just want to go grr and go all out. Sometimes, uh, one should stop writing out interjections and just go on with things. This card buff may seem expensive, but it is not that hard to give a unit +8+8 with it, which is quite potent. Chances of OTK attempts in the near future: Overwhelming.

[h2]A-24 BANSHEE[/h2]



Unspent kredits are like free candy lying around, just waiting to be hoovered up on a first-come-first-serve basis. The Banshee is now insanely versatile and bound to show up regularly. Especially as it can be grabbed by the Bomber Mafia. Late game the Banshee can come down like an angel of wrath, but you still retain the option of dropping it early if you really need that body. I mean, just look at that sleek, slim figure. Yummy. Don’t worry, the bomber fetish quota has now officially been reached for this blog and you can read on stress-free.

[h2]SHIBATA REGIMENT[/h2]



Raise your hand if you are tired of watching your opponent spam endless orders while you twiddle your thumbs. Well, now you have a new best buddy. It remains to be seen how big an impact this card will have on the meta, but you should prepare for its presence. The best way to deal with the Shibata is with units like the Flammpanzer or the M18 Hellcat, so take this into account when adjusting your decks.

[h2]OUTMANEUVER[/h2]



The Smokescreen deck has been a weak meme-deck for a long time, but it only requires a few new key cards to really put the deck on the map. Getting a +2+2 buff for mere 1 kredit is very strong, so let’s see if this change sees the Smokescreen deck maneuver its way into the meta.

[h2]144th INFANTRY REGIMENT[/h2]



The Self-Kredit Denial deck (SKD) has been quite popular and performs well. But we still feel that in the wake of the nerfs in the last patch there is room for one more tool for the deck to play with. The stats have been adjusted slightly to fit better with a deck running tight on kredits, but having a couple of these can give you important reach to close out games in drawn-out games.

[h2]SABOTAGE[/h2]



Finally we come to a card that people will love to hate and hate to love. The cost may be high with this one, but the effect may (and will) bring grown men to their knees crying when their beloved win-con is stolen. What a nice Manhattan Project you have there, good sir. Yoink! Note that Sabotage can only be played if the enemy has at least 3 cards in hand and will show you random 3 cards if more are held by the enemy, so time your sabotage with care!

[h2]SAVOIA-MARCHETTI SM.79[/h2]



This bomber is like the little brother of the B-26 Marauder. Italy may not be known for their non-targeting deployment effects, but that could change in the future. In the meantime, you can have fun copying various juicy effects on your main nation units, be it draw, random removal, HQ defense or something else. Leopold anyone? Note that for Choose One effects the original effect will be copied and for cards like Panzer III-H the leftmost (top) card is automatically drawn.

[h2]HEL[/h2]



Hel did not have to spend eternity in purgatory, having only been reserved with Covert Ops, but Hel found a highway for a quick return to active duty. It can make one of your Legions a real problem to deal with, especially if backed up with protection and lots of intel. Also, don’t discount the option of self-inflicted harm now being harmless. Five-year plans work best in Hel, after all.

That’s it. We hope some of these cards get you all excited to try out some new and fun things in Kards, we know we are really excited to see what you guys will cook up. We also have a balance patch, which we will cover in another blog.

All these updates will drop on September 19th, so prepare yourself. See you on the battlefield, commander!

Dear KARDS players,

Prepare for an exciting new chapter in KARDS as our autumn update is set to launch on September 19th.

We’ve been hard at work to improve KARDS on all fronts and now want to give you a high-level overview on what we have planned for the September update. Further details will follow in the coming weeks, but let’s get to the overview without further ado:

[h2]Blitz Tournament Feature[/h2]

We’re excited to announce a new feature that debuts in this update: a 8-player sit-and-go blitz tournament mode.

This new mode represents the first step towards more permanent tournament features in KARDS, adding another layer of competition and strategy. We will have, of course, more details about this exciting new addition in a separate blog.

[h2]Returning Cards from the Reserve Pool[/h2]

As part of our ongoing effort to keep KARDS fresh and exciting, this autumn update will see the return of several cards from the reserve pool.

These cards, some of which have updated stats, will provide new options and strategies for your decks. Expect a full breakdown in our upcoming blog post, detailing which cards are returning and how they’ve been adjusted.

[h2]Card Balance Changes[/h2]

We've closely monitored the game and listened to the community, leading us to make important adjustments to several cards.

These changes aim to refine gameplay balance and enhance strategic depth. We’ll be releasing a detailed dev blog soon, where you can get all the specifics on these updates and the rationale behind them.

[h2]Bug Fixes and Other Improvements[/h2]
We've addressed a number of bugs and made various improvements to enhance your overall gameplay experience.

We are dedicated to making KARDS as polished and enjoyable as possible, and this update is another step towards that goal.

Keep an eye on our dev blogs for detailed information on the balance changes, returning cards and other features. As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts and feedback.

In the meantime, see you on the battlefields of KARDS!

[h3]🚨A new Skirmish event is live now until August 4th!🚨[/h3]

Skirmish is a special game mode, easily accessible from the main screen, where you play with a different set of rules. These rules vary between the Skirmishes - you’ll face something different at every new Skirmish event.

Get ready for a thrilling and completely unique battle experience with these Skirmish rules:

• Choose your own deck to battle with
  
• You can use a deck with more than 12 Ally cards
  
• Draw an extra card each turn
  
• Players gain extra 2 kredit slots each turn.

In addition to the exciting and unique battle experience you’ll get with this Skirmish ruleset, you’ll also get a free random card pack as your first win reward in this Skirmish!

Access the Skirmish event from the game's main screen or from the battle screen to get a detailed overview of the game mode, rules and prize.

📅This Skirmish is available from Friday, August 2nd (12:00 GMT) until Sunday, August 4th at 18:00 GMT. Join this special event and win your Skirmish to claim victory and the spoils!

Please let us know what you think of the event in the comments below or on the KARDS Discord.

See you in the Skirmish this weekend!

Hello everyone!

A new KARDS update with card balance changes and bug fixes has been deployed! This update has been deployed on July 9th and is currently being rolled out across all platforms (Android, iOS, PC including Steam and Epic). Please note that some regions on some platforms might encounter slight delays for the update to become available.

Read on for all the intel on what is included in this update.

[h2]Card Balance Changes[/h2]

We encourage you to read our in-depth dev blog about all the card changes for background information and reasons why the following cards have been changed in the way listed below. Read the dev blog here: Card Balance Changes July 2024

• SHARK Mk III
  Old: Deployment: Deal damage to target enemy equal to friendly air units.
  New: Deployment: Deal damage to target enemy equal to your other friendly air units.
  
  
• 20. PANZERGRENADIER
  Old: 4 cost 3/3 unit.
  New: 5 cost 3/4 unit.
  
  
• BLITZ DOCTRINE
  Old: 1 cost order.
  New: 2 cost order.
  
  
• CONTEST DOCTRINE
  Old: 3 cost order (only spawnable).
  New: 4 cost order (only spawnable).
  
  
• BOMBER MAFIA
  Old: 2 cost order. Develop a US bomber. Deal 2 damage to all enemies if you have 6 or more unspent kredits.
  New: 3 cost order. Develop a US bomber. Deal 2 damage to all enemy units if you have 6 or more unspent kredits.
  
  
• YANK
  Old: This battle, when you Develop a card, also Develop a RETRIBUTION.
  New: This battle, the first time you Develop each turn, also Develop a RETRIBUTION.
  
  
• RETRIBUTION (see details in the dev blog)
  Old: 4 cost order (only spawnable)
  New: 6 cost order (only spawnable)
  
  
• 5th REGIMENT
  Old: When you lose a kredit slot, this unit gets +2+2 if on the battlefield or -2 cost if in hand.
  New: When you lose a kredit slot, this unit gets +1+1 if on the battlefield or -2 cost if in hand.
  
  
• THE GREAT EXPANSE
  Old: Set your kredit slots to equal the enemy kredit slots. Your units get +1+1 for each slot gained.
  New: Set your kredit slots to equal the enemy kredit slots. Your units get +1 attack for each slot gained.
  
  
• NIGHT RAID
  Old: 5 cost order.
  New: 4 cost order.
  
  
• T-35
  Old: Deals 1 damage to each HQ at the start of your turn.
  New: Deals 1 damage to each HQ at the end of your turn.
  
  
• 60th CAVALRY REGIMENT
  Old: 4 cost unit, 3/6 with Ambush.
  New: 2 cost unit, 2/4, no Ambush.
  
  
• LA DECIMA
  Old: 8 cost unit, 2/4 with Ambush and Guard.
  New: 7 cost unit, 2/5 with Ambush and Guard.
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

[h3]Collection[/h3]

• The Filter icon became active after scrolling the sidebar on the Collection tab. Fixed.
  
• We have adjust the expansion filter order in the collection: base set first, then sets by reversed release date

[h3]Battle[/h3]

• The TSURUGA REGIMENT destruction ability buffed by HONOR dealt damage to the enemy HQ even when the 15TH MOTOR RIFLES unit was located on the enemy battlefield sometimes. Fixed.
  
• The INNISKILLING FUSILIERS ability is not triggered after STRETCH THE LINE was used. Fixed.
  
• The 48TH ARMORED INFANTRY was pinned after UNDER FIRE was issued against it even though it was not damaged. Fixed.
  
• The SISSIOSASTO ability was not triggered after deploying covert unit to the battlefield. Fixed.
  
• 122ND KORSUN didn't always correctly work with covert units. Fixed.
  
• The RNZAF KITTYHAWK ability was not triggered after deploying covert unit to the battlefield. Fixed.
  
• Units with reduced attack by SCATTER TACTICS still gained attack at the end of the turn after being sent back to hand and deployed again. Fixed.
  
• PANZER III-H didn't get +1+1 from CONTEST ORDER after deploying it if your deck was empty. Fixed.
  
• The 1ST SIGNAL REGIMENT ability was not triggered after using the STRATEGIC FOCUS order. Fixed.

[h3]User Interface[/h3]

• In the collection overview, the amount of limited cards for "Covert Operations" could exceed 100% in some cases. Fixed.
  
• After completing Daily Mission, the missing timer went awol. Fixed.
  
• The "Intel" icon was not shown on the developed cards in your hand after the enemy used the "Intel" ability. Fixed.
  
• The USA was counted as an ally for daily missions if the deck contained the DEVIL'S BRIGADE exile card and another nation as an ally. Fixed.
  
• The damage indicator icon during a match didn't move when the target moved underneath. Fixed.
  
• Various smaller user interface bug fixes for Theater of War campaigns.
  
• Various smaller localization bug fixes.

That’s all for now. We thank all of our players and the KARDS Community in general for reporting bugs and discussing the game balance. If you want to get involved, join us on Discord!