KARDS - The WWII Card Game News

Attention, soldiers!

The KARDS 2023 World Championship open in-game qualifiers start THIS weekend!

The qualifying rounds are split into two sections, with the first starting on September 2nd and ending on September 17th. The second section starts on September 23rd and ends on October 8th. From each of these sections, 55 players will advance to Stage 2 of the tournament: the Knockout Stage.

[h2]In-Client Open Qualifiers[/h2]
The open qualifiers are conveniently integrated into the client. All you need to do is log in to the game to join the action!

When a qualifying session is active, you can participate in the qualifier and view your rankings from the World Championship hub, accessible on the game’s main screen, or through the Play menu.

The in-game qualifiers are open for all to enter, as long as you’ve reached at least rank 15 when you join your first qualifying session. Once you’ve played in a qualification session you are eligible for all future qualification sessions even though your rank might drop below 15.

Check out the full rules for the event here: KARDS 2023 World Championship Rules.

For the full overview of the World Championship, check out our announcement article here: KARDS 2023 World Championship Announcement.

[h2]Two Qualifying Sections[/h2]
To give as many people as possible the opportunity to post a qualifying score, we’re holding two separate open qualifiers, each spanning 6 sessions over 3 weekends, with the top 55 players from each qualifier moving on to the next stage.

[h3]Qualifier A[/h3]
The qualification sessions in qualifier A will be held on the following dates:

• 2nd of September: 12 - 16 UTC
  
• 3rd of September: 16 - 20 UTC
  
• 9th of September: 12 - 16 UTC
  
• 10th of September: 16 - 20 UTC
  
• 16th of September: 12 - 16 UTC
  
• 17th of September: 16 - 20 UTC

[h3]Qualifier B[/h3]
The qualification sessions in qualifier B will be held on the following dates:

• 23rd of September: 16 - 20 UTC
  
• 24th of September: 12 - 16 UTC
  
• 30th of September: 16 - 20 UTC
  
• 1st of October: 12 - 16 UTC
  
• 7th of October: 16 - 20 UTC
  
• 8th of October: 12 - 16 UTC

Check out the full schedule of the World Championship here:



[h2]Competing in a Qualifier[/h2]
Each qualification session lasts for 4 hours, during which a special World Championship qualifier queue will be available for the bravest among you!

Players need to complete at least 9 games during those 4 hours to successfully complete a qualification session. We also recommend playing a few extra games during the session, as these may improve your chances in the event of tiebreakers.

To enter a game, open the World Championship hub, accessible on the main scree or in the Play menu button. Press the Play button in the World Championship hub, select your deck, and head into battle!

For each win during the first 9 matches, a player receives 5 points for the qualification ladder. For each loss in these matches, the player receives 1 point. A player’s final score is the combined total score from their best three sessions out of six sessions in the qualifier.

To post a legal qualifier score, each player needs to successfully complete a minimum of 3 out of the 6 sessions in a qualifier.

[h2]Tiebreakers[/h2]
If players end up with the same score, a tiebreaker system is used to order them. This is based on several things, the most important being the strength of your opponents. Being matched against a very strong player might make for a difficult match, but will improve your chances in the event of tiebreakers, regardless of the match result. Additional games played after your first 9 games in a qualifying session contribute to your tiebreaker score as well.

See the full tiebreaker rules here: KARDS 2023 World Championship Rules.

[h2]Rewards![/h2]
In the open qualifiers, players aren’t just playing for their spot in the Knockout Stage - we also have some enticing rewards on the line!

The top 500 players from each open qualifier will receive the KARDS 2023 World Championship cardback!

Every player that qualifies for the top 128 player Knockout Stage will also receive 300 diamonds to spend on anything they desire in the in-game store!

With the first qualification session just around the corner, it’s time to shuffle your decks and get ready for battle! There’s just one way to find out if YOU could be the KARDS 2023 World Champion!

Hello everyone!

Following the announcement of this month’s card balance changes earlier this week, we have deployed these changes on August 28th. Check out the dev blog for all the details about these changes here: Card Updates: Power Control.

This August patch also includes some behind the scenes additions in preparation for the World Championship open in-game qualifiers starting in September, which you can read more about in our announcement article: KARDS 2023 World Championship. This patch also includes numerous bug fixes as well as some small tweaks and other quality of life improvements.

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!

[h2]Card Balance Changes[/h2]
A total of 3 cards have been updated in this patch.

[h3]Ki 45 DRAGON SLAYER (Veteran)[/h3]


[h3]ISLAND DEFENSE[/h3]


Old: Give your HQ +5 defense. Give +10 and draw a card instead if your HQ has 10 or less defense.
New: Draw a card if your HQ has 10 or less defense. Give your HQ +6 defense.

[h3]CASE YELLOW[/h3]


Old: Deal 1 damage. Your units get +1 +0. The enemy discards a card. Draw a card.
New: Deal 1 damage. Your units get +1 +0. The enemy discards a card.

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]
[h3]AI[/h3]

• The AI could use target Orders and deployment effects on your support line when KING TIGER was located on your battlefield. Fixed.

[h3]Battle[/h3]

• When a 158. NACHSCHUB with 1 (or more) attack destroyed an enemy unit and itself, and it was the first enemy unit destroyed during the turn, 2 Kredits were not added. Fixed.
  
• When L6/40 was destroyed through its own attack, retreating friendly 3-inch M5 in support line to hand, upon redeployment, the 3-inch M5 tooltip would incorrectly display -1 attack. Fixed.
  
• When GAMBIT was played, after adding the highest cost unit from both players’ hands to the support line, M4A1 was drawn into the enemy's hand if present in enemy’s deck. Fixed.
  
• KOKURA’S SWORD destruction ability triggered twice if the next added unit was the 114th INFANTRY REGIMENT. Fixed.
  
• KOKURA’S SWORD’s ability was not correctly triggered on spawned unit when it was destroyed while under enemy control through “take control” ability. Fixed.
  
• A unit with active pincer from KING’S OWN SCOTTISH was not dealt damage after KING’S OWN SCOTTISH unit was destroyed by AoE Order (e.g. STRATEGIC BOMBING). Fixed.
  
• After becoming Veteran, when 179th TOMAHAWKS were sent back to hand and redeployed, it had no Destruction icon. Fixed.
  
• Damage to HQ was not reduced by 1 after using IJN SHINANO when the 593rd JASCO was located on the battlefield. Fixed.
  
• DESERT RAID did not correctly affect combat between Fighters and Bombers. Fixed.
  
• Fixed broken interaction between ROYAL ULSTER RIFLES and RECKLESS ASSAULT.
  
• Sometimes, the target of an Order was removed after being played, resulting in no card being targeted. Fixed.
  
• Cards in hand were usable during animation after using Order with “shuffle your hand into your deck” ability (e.g. EDGE OF THE EMPIRE). Fixed.
  
• The cost of using CROSS OF LORRAINE was not correctly decreased after the “add a card to hand” ability was triggered on an enemy unit in combat. Fixed.
  
• JUNGLE WARFARE’s ability was triggered on the enemy side after being used on an enemy unit. Fixed.
  
• The destruction ability of a unit was removed after using FORTUNES OF WAR if T-28’s pincer ability was activated. Fixed.
  
• Countdown on units with countdown to Veteran transformation (e.g. 14th GUARD RIFLES) was reset after taking control with a card with the “take control” ability. Fixed.
  
• When HOLD THE LINE was activated, the enemy using CHASING SHADOWS on your unit would trigger the Countermeasure. Fixed.
  
• MATSUMOTO REGIMENT’s ability was triggered after the 179th TOMAHAWKS Veteran unit was destroyed. Fixed.
  
• A copied version of ASW PATROL destroyed a random enemy unit after being used if the USA was not your ally. Fixed.
  
• In some instances, enemy units would keep buffs after using FORTUNES OF WAR on them. Fixed.
  
• PANZER I-B with 0 attack would become Veteran after attacking and dealing 0 damage to enemy HQ. Fixed.
  
• After 10th ENGINEERS BATTALION was destroyed, adjacent air units received -2 attack debuff. Fixed.
  
• When retreated to hand and redeployed, Ki-45 DRAGON SLAYER would become Veteran again. Fixed.
  
• Sometimes, cards with “choose and draw ability” (e.g. PANZER III-H) would result in cards getting stuck on screen. Fixed.
  
• STEALTH MISSION ability was removed from a unit when taken control of by the enemy (e.g. by CONFUSION). Fixed.
  
• When using gold Order to draw and select 1 of 3 units (e.g. SOUL OF OLD JAPAN), unit added was not gold. Fixed.

[h3]Collection[/h3]

• Newly acquired gold cards did not show up correctly in the Collection menu until after client restart. Fixed.
  
• In very large appscale, some text in deck Customize options overlapped title text. Fixed.
  
• After using wildcards, the wildcards counter did not always correctly update to reflect accurate number of wildcards. Fixed.
  
• When hovering over nation icons in the “Collection Overview” menu, the tooltips displayed would appear behind the menu. Fixed.
  
• Tooltip was missing for the Reserved icon in the Collection menu. Fixed.
  
• The “Alternative Art” button on a card in the Collection menu was missing after switching to an alternate image and relaunching the client. Fixed.
  
• When scrolling down in the Collection menu with the scroll bar, sometimes cards would not be displayed correctly. Fixed.

[h3]Draft[/h3]

• After creating a deck in Draft, when left and right clicking on a card several times in succession, multiple pop-ups would be stacked on top of each other. Fixed.
  
• After creating a deck in Draft, when clicking some static elements of the UI, they would unexpectedly jitter. Fixed.
  
• After 7 consecutive Draft victories, the gold currency reward icon was missing on the “Draft Result” screen. Fixed.
  
• On mobile devices, in a player’s first Draft, a tooltip overlapped nation’s icons when selecting an ally. Fixed.

[h3]Skirmish[/h3]

• Defeat screen was sometimes shown when the enemy surrendered in Skirmish. Fixed.

[h3]Sound[/h3]

• The button pushing sound was played when pushing a button that was already pushed in. Fixed.

[h3]Tutorial[/h3]

• Sometimes, a German tutorial pop-up would not correctly disappear after ending the first tutorial battle. Fixed.

[h3]Visual[/h3]

• The crate icon would sometimes disappear after opening a card pack containing duplicate card. Fixed.
  
• National progression rewards which contained 2 Standard Wildcards displayed only 1. Fixed.
  
• In the national progression, the medkit reward image was displaced out of its intended border. Fixed.
  
• Random pack rewards in national progression sometimes displayed the incorrect pack type. Fixed.
  
• “Congratulations!” text when reaching Field Marshall was not correctly centered in all languages. Fixed.
  
• Sometimes, an incorrect image was displayed for Skirmish reward. Fixed.
  
• When playing a game in Casual mode, if the game was relaunched, players ranks were displayed. Fixed.

That’s it for now. As always, we welcome your feedback in the comments below, or on the KARDS Discord.

A new Skirmish event is live now until August 27th!

Here’s everything you need to know.

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

Get ready for thrilling battles with these unique Skirmish rules:

• Choose your own deck to battle with.
  
• When a unit survives combat, destroy it and replace it with a unit from the same nation with cost 1 higher, if possible.
  
• Only air units and orders are allowed in the deck.

In addition to the exciting and completely different battle experience you’ll get with this Skirmish ruleset, you’ll also get a random card pack with your first win 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 25th (12:00 GMT) until Sunday, August 27th 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!

Greetings, everyone!

After a rejuvenating summer break, we're back in full stride, brimming with motivation to march ahead! It's been nearly two months since the launch of Brothers In Arms. Throughout this time, we've diligently analyzed the performance metrics of all the new cards. Now, it's time to make some subtle adjustments to cards that have raised concerns.

[h3]KI-45 DRAGON SLAYER VETERAN[/h3]



Throughout historical conflicts, the Ki-45 served as both a daytime and nighttime interceptor, as well as a formidable strike aircraft. In KARDS, the KI-45 DRAGON SLAYER has gained remarkable popularity due to its exceptional attributes. Virtually every deck with Japan as the main or allied nation includes a copy of this card. Its defense value of 5 has proven a bit too resilient to counteract. We've lowered the defense value to 4 so that the opponent has more possible solutions, while its attack strength remains at 6, a formidable and impossible-to-ignore threat.

[h3]ISLAND DEFENSE[/h3]



Old: Give your HQ +5 defense. Give +10 and draw a card instead if your HQ has 10 or less defense.
New: Draw a card if your HQ has 10 or less defense. Give your HQ +6 defense.

During World War II, the defensive strategies employed by the Japanese on the Pacific islands were not lacking. However, the effectiveness of ISLAND DEFENSE in KARDS appears to be somewhat excessive. Among the new cards in Brothers In Arms, this specific card stands out as a remarkably effective card against aggro decks. In most scenarios, the value of this card can be fully harnessed. Increasing the HQ's defense by +10 is usually sufficient to survive another turn, or perhaps more. For control decks, the extra card draw could be invaluable. Playing multiple copies of ISLAND DEFENSE in a turn or two essentially seals the fate of numerous games. While the new version essentially upholds the same function, increasing HQ defense and seeking the right card, it now provides a fixed defense of 6.

[h3]CASE YELLOW[/h3]



Old: Deal 1 damage. Your units get +1+0. The enemy discards a card. Draw a card.
New: Deal 1 damage. Your units get +1+0. The enemy discards a card.

Case Yellow or The Manstein Plan, the strategic blueprint of the German armed forces during the 1940 Battle of France was a resounding success. In KARDS, this card showed modest efficacy in the beginning. Yet, as the game's meta underwent transformation after the expansion, CASE YELLOW gradually emerged as a standout key card in discard decks. In keeping with its historical roots, this card is still capable of multiple tasks. Nevertheless, considering both the historical context and the present KARDS meta, it seems more appropriate to omit the card draw.

That is it. As mentioned in our dev blogs some time ago, the ongoing priority in balance adjustments centers on rectifying cards that are excessively powerful or pose issues, as opposed to implementing extensive changes. Expansions will bring forth fresh content.

We hope that you are enjoying Brothers In Arms. Our preparations for the winter expansion have already commenced.

These changes are expected to go live on 24 August, 2023.

Thank you, and until we meet again on the battlefield, commanders!

Attention, soldiers!

We are thrilled to announce the KARDS 2023 World Championship!

The KARDS World Championship is the biggest esports event of the year in KARDS. It’s open for anyone to join - read on for all the details!

[h2]Tournament Stages and Formats[/h2]
The KARDS World Championship is split into three main stages, conducted from September to December. To become the World Champion, you must be successful in each of these stages, starting with the open in-game qualifiers and ending with the final 4 participants, played out over two days in a LAN environment in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland and home of KARDS developers 1939 Games.

Winners of in-game seasons, KARDS Open tournaments and all Officer Club Championship (OCC) tournaments from September 2022 and throughout August 2023 are all pre-qualified to participate in Stage 2 (the top 128 player Knockout stage) of the World Championship. Also pre-qualified are the top 4 players from last year’s World Championship.

[h3]Stage 1: Open Qualifiers[/h3]
The open in-game qualifiers are held in two sections (A and B) in September and October and are open for anyone to enter. Join one (or both!) of the open qualifiers available through the KARDS client during weekends between September 2nd and October 8th to qualify for the second stage of the tournament. The top 55 players from each of the two qualifiers will advance to the Knockout Stage. The top 500 players in each of the open qualifiers also earn the exclusive KARDS 2023 World Championship cardback.

Each qualifier is held on Saturday and Sunday over the course of three consecutive weekends (i.e. 6 sessions in each). Each player needs to successfully complete a minimum of 3 out of the 6 sessions to post a legal qualifier score. Each session lasts for 4 hours, during which participating players have to complete at least 9 games to successfully complete the qualification session. Note that only the first 9 games are counted towards your score - any additional games after the required games can be important for tiebreakers, so we do recommend playing a few extra games during the sessions to improve your chances in tiebreakers.

For each win a player receives 5 points for the qualification ladder, for each loss a player receives 1 point. A player’s final score is the combined total score from their best 3 sessions out of 6 in the qualifier in question.

[h3]Stage 2: Top 128 player Knockout Stage[/h3]
Players qualified through the in-game open qualifiers and pre-qualified players are randomly drawn into 16 groups of 8 players and will play a Round Robin group stage on Saturday, October 21st. The top 2 players in each group will progress into a 32 person Double Elimination bracket played on October 22nd. The top 6 players in that Double Elimination bracket play to find out who will become the 4 World Championship grand finalists during a live broadcast on October 29th. Both Round Robin and Double Elimination sections feature best-of-five series with one ban in conquest format (meaning that any deck that wins cannot be selected again for the remainder of that series).

[h3]Stage 3: The Grand Finals[/h3]
On December 2nd and 3rd, the four finalists will battle for the title of KARDS 2023 World Champion! The Grand Finals take place in Iceland, with both players and casters in a live studio setting. Players play a best-of-seven series in conquest format with one ban and a 3rd place matchup. This two-day event will be live streamed on the KARDS Twitch, YouTube and Huya channels, as well as Bilibili.

The full list of rules for the event is here: KARDS 2023 World Championship Rules.

[h2]World Championship Calendar[/h2]
For a comprehensive overview of the dates and details outlined above, check out the calendar below.



[h2]Prizes[/h2]
Participating in the World Championship at any stage is a fun and exciting experience - but of course, we also want to provide our brave participants with some extra goodies!

The rewards for the KARDS 2023 World Championship are:

• The top 500 players in each qualifying section (A and B) in the Open Qualifier for the World Championship will receive the exclusive KARDS 2023 World Championship cardback!
  
• Every player that participates in the top 128 player Knockout Stage will receive 300 diamonds to spend on anything they desire in the in-game shop!
  
• The four finalists get an all expenses paid trip to Iceland to play the Grand Finals in the bunker where they compete for a 12,000 USD prize pool!

[h2]Prepare Your Forces![/h2]
With the first set of qualifiers right around the corner in September, now is the time to start preparing your forces for battle. Start thinking about what types of decks you want to bring and what cards you need to get to be in fighting shape come September to take on the world's best players!

We will continue to publish more details on the KARDS 2023 World Championship in the coming weeks and months. Make sure to check back regularly for updates - join us on Discord and follow us on Twitch, Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter/X to make sure you don’t miss any of the action!