The USA has the Sherman. It may not be as big as the tanks of the Germans or Soviet Union, but it has lots and lots of Shermans! The Sherman has a mixed reputation from the war but it was a battle winning weapon none the less. With the USA war production it would succeed in overwhelming and unstoppable numbers. In KARDS they are stronger in numbers, so more is merrier, and more importantly stronger and there will be cards to encourage themed play with Shermans.

USA will also have some other BIG units to take to battle that play to the strengths of the good old GI’s. Units with attack 4 or higher receive special benefits and we will see the return of General Patton coming back from reserve.

All of this will give the USA deck a number of ways to achieve victory and become the best.

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:

• Each player gets an identical 10-card deck.
  
• At the start of each turn, choose 1 of 3 3-cost cards randomly chosen from a pool of 9.
  
• Each player starts with three extra kredit slots.

In addition to the exciting and unique battle experience you’ll get with this Skirmish ruleset, you’ll also get a medkit 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, November 8th (12:00 UTC) until Sunday, November 10th at 18:00 UTC. 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!

Shock tactics are an offensive maneuver that attempts to place the enemy under psychological pressure by rapid and overwhelming attack incapacitating the defenders or causing them to retreat. The Red Army took this concept to the next level in WWII creating Shock armies with the specific structure to break through the enemy lines.

In the game this will give units with Shock a first strike ability. The new Shock mechanic gives your units a one-time advantage of attacking without taking return damage from the defending unit, making their first strike even more devastating. This will be particularly effective against ambush units as their effect will not work since they now cannot do damage.

We will expand on the Fight mechanic. Usually this means units that have Fight will fight with a target or random unit at deployment. Deployment is not the only way this happens, it can also be an order or an ability that triggers this ability.

All of this is aimed at bringing fighting units to the forefront of the expansion. Think big powerful units battling to take control of the field. This will expand the options of Kard generals and allow them to choose their tactics to victory.

Hello friends!

A new expansion is on the horizon with Blood & Iron and as usual it will include us moving cards to the Reserve Pool and returning a few choice ones. In this short dev blog we will take a look at the key highlights of what is happening with rotation this time around.

A total of 107 cards are rotating out. It is roughly the same number from each major nation, though the rarity distribution is not always the same. This is because the cards returning from the Reserve Pool (now and previously) have not always had equal numbers of each rarity for the nations and we are using this opportunity to get closer to equality between the nations. 20 cards are then returning fresh and eager from the Reserve Pool. The returning cards are specifically chosen to align well with the themes explored in the new expansion.

On the cards being reserved front, there are a few overarching themes to note. Brother In Arms is now up for rotation for the first time, so you will find a few cards from that expansion. In Covert Operations we started rotating out Pincer units and the last of them are rotating out now, meaning there will be no Pincer cards left in the active pool. Rotating out whole mechanics is something we are starting to employ more heavily to keep the overall complexity of the game low for new players. This does not mean that these mechanics are necessarily gone for good, but will most likely not return unless we are returning to explore that mechanic some more. You will notice a fair few key Mobilize cards are being rotated this time around. Mobilize is another mechanic we want to give a bit of time on the sidelines in the near future.

Benching cards temporarily is something we also like to do for individual cards. Often these are cards that have become very integral in the meta and need a bit of timeout to give room for other options to be explored. Sometimes these are cards that we intend to rework in the future and we prefer to heavily rework cards returning from the Reserve Pool rather than while they are still active.

Enough ramblings, let us now look at what is rotating out for each nation:





Notable cards that have seen some play: 1st Airborne, Secret Operatives, 2nd Para C, ATS, East Surrey Regiment, Sea Patrol, RNZAF Kittyhawk.

Britain is not losing any key cards from their most popular decks this time around. The loss of 1st Airborne and Secret Operative is certainly the final death knell for the Mobilize deck and the loss of 2nd Para C and RNZAF Kittyhawk will sadden those that enjoy shenanigans.



Britain is getting three cards back - MONTY, No. 3 COMMANDO and DOWDING SYSTEM. Two of those cards are seeing a bit of a change though:



The old Monty was one of the terrors of early British Control and made decks like Brit Air significantly stronger. We want to keep Monty an important piece of the meta, but not quite as potent. It is now no longer able to pin the whole enemy board and makes it more important to position your units correctly. The draw is now unconditional however.



The No. 3 Commando sees a very minor facelift. This makes it slightly stronger, and it fits now much better with the 4-attack or more theme of the expansion. We don’t anticipate it to show up regularly despite this buff, but it can be a nasty counter to certain decks.




Notable cards that have seen some play: Gebirgs-Pionier 95, Propaganda, 1097. Volksgrenadier, Heinkel He 115, 101. Infantry Regiment, 15 cm Autokanone, 989. Infantry Regiment, Me Bf 109 G, Eagle Day.

Germany is losing several important cards, especially the two elites mentioned above - the Heinkel and the Autokanone. Both have seen heavy play. Gebirgs-Pionier 95 is a great accelerator for aggro and some midrange decks and its loss will be felt.







Germany is getting four cards back - FAST HEINZ, WIRBELWIND, RALLY and PANZER II-C. Fast Heinz and Wirbelwind remain the same and are certain to see play in aggressive German tank strategies, just like in days of yore. Rally is back to counter those pesky pin shenanigans, but Panzer II-C sees some changes:



The old Panzer II-C saw very little play except a few times in draft. One of the themes of the new expansion is to explore the Veteran mechanic further and we want to give Germany a solid Veteran payoff card. The new Panzer II-C fits the bill perfectly.




Notable cards that have seen some play: Road to Berlin, Bryansk Irregulars, Close Combat, Five Year Plan, Great Patriotic War.

Most Soviet decks are more or less intact, though the loss of Bryansk Irregulars will hurt many slower Soviet decks. The biggest impact is the loss of Great Patriotic War, which has been a lynchpin in several combo-decks in the past, most notably the Push deck.

The Soviets are getting four cards back - ZHUKOV, SIBERIAN TRANSFER, 214th AMUR and MOBILE DEFENSE. None of them are seeing any changes.



Siberian Transfer and 214th Amur are now back from their short vacation, full of vigor and vodka, and ready to support the strong T-34 theme in the new expansion. Mobile Defense is also a solid defensive option that can replace Bryans Irregulars in many decks. The fact it adds tanks can also be helpful, for instance with the recently changed SU 85.










Notable cards that have seen some play: 99th Infantry Battalion, Island Hopping, C-47 Skytrain, M-16 Halftrack, 106th Quartermasters, Battery, Manpower, ASW Patrol.

USA is losing several strong cards. Losing the early power of 99th Infantry Battalion and the versatility of the M-16 Halftrack weakens the strong US frontline deck and it will need to find good replacements. Losing access to 106th Quartermasters and ASW Patrol weakens some ramp builds, but the deck should have enough redundancy for now for the impact to be limited.

The US are getting four cards back - PATTON, M4A1, M4A2 and M4A3R3 ZIPPO. As can be clearly seen, the focus of the returning cards is very much on Sherman tanks. Just in time for more Sherman related goodies in the new expansion! One of the returning cards is seeing a slight change:







The M4A2 was always a bit clunky as a 6-drop, but is a significantly more threat now as a 5-drop.






Notable cards that have seen some play: Honorable Death, Scouting Party, Bombing Raid, Island Defense, N1K-J Shiden, Ki-100 Goshiken.

Japan is losing some strong cards, especially the two elites above - Bombing Raid and Shiden, which have been mainstay of many Japanese decks for years. Shiden especially will be missed by all OTK aficionados out there. Honorable Death is also a heavily used removal that will be missed.

Japan is getting four cards back - ADMIRAL YAMATO, AICHI D3A-1, 61st INFANTRY REGIMENT, J1N1 GEKKO. The two big additions are Aichi D3A-1 and the solid 61st Infantry Regiment. The latter helps slower Japanese decks, while the Aichi saw heavy play in aggressive decks. It is seeing a bit of a change though:







Coming out on turn 2 the Aichi often completely took over the battlefield. It now comes out a turn later, but is cheaper to operate to compensate. This nerfs it slightly, but it is still a very potent unit. Important Note: This card is still in heavy testing alongside the balance patch that will drop alongside the expansion. It may see some further adjustments.






Notable cards that have seen some play: Arming the Resistance, Potez 63.11.



The days of resistance have long since passed - Arming the Resistance is the last such card to leave the active pool. Now that all the resistance is all in the Reserve Pool, time to return them reworked? Stay tuned next year. Potez is the key card for the Mobilize deck, which has mostly moved into obscurity now. Perhaps a bit of time on the sidelines allows it to come back stronger later?

The list of reserved minor nation cards is fairly short - Finland for instance has no reserved cards yet. If only minor nations would get more cards than the small amount each expansion…

That is it for now. Stay tuned for the spoiler season of the new expansion and the various other goodies we have to prepare you for the new expansion dropping November 28th. Until then, see you on the battlefield, commander.

On November 28th, KARDS enters a new era with the release of Blood & Iron, the highly anticipated Winter Expansion.

Featuring 87 new cards and the groundbreaking Shock mechanic, this expansion puts battlefield combat in the spotlight, offering fresh tactical depth and thrilling opportunities to command the forces of WWII like never before. From tank and armored warfare to strategic support units and unit-to-unit action, Blood & Iron adds exciting new dynamics to every match.

• 87 new cards
  Fresh reinforcements for all factions, with 15 cards for major nations and 3 for minor nations.
  
  
• Shock keyword
  Units with Shock can attack without receiving return damage on their first strike, adding a strategic element to gameplay.
  
  
• Balance changes and Reserve Pool updates
  Several reworked cards return to active duty from the Reserve Pool, and some existing cards receive balance adjustments. More details will follow in dedicated articles.
  
  
• New Battlefields
  Each major nation receives one new battlefield with new visuals matching the overall expansion theme of Blood & Iron.
  
  
• Additional improvements
  Bug fixes, performance enhancements, and ongoing adjustments to the Blitz tournament system.

The new Shock mechanic gives your units a one-time advantage of attacking without taking return damage from the defending unit, making their first strike even more devastating. Use this ability wisely to tip the scales in your favor.

• Britain
  Gains strategic bonuses by punishing enemies for making no or wrong attacks; additional minor theme around pinning.
  
  
• Germany
  High-attack units dominate, with good Fight cards. Also benefits for damaging the enemy HQ.
  
  
• Soviet Union
  Shock units take center stage, alongside iconic T-34 tanks and Fight mechanics for decisive engagements.
  
  
• USA
  The famous Sherman tanks play a key role, supported by a powerful 3-operation cost theme that enables efficient and precise tactical strikes.
  
  
• Japan
  Small Shock units provide tactical opportunities, while big units boast strong stats but come with downsides that can benefit the enemy.

Secure your pre-order for Blood & Iron in the in-game shop! Along with exclusive content like the Blood & Iron War card back, you’ll enjoy enticing discounts on card pack bundles from the new expansion.

Don’t miss out on your chance to strengthen your decks with massive discounts before the tanks roll out on November 28th.



The wait is over—spoiler season for Blood & Iron begins today! Our spoiler season starts with a bang as we reveal 10 of the new cards right here (disclaimer: spoiled cards can occasionally still receive minor changes before release), offering you the first glimpse at the game-changing strategies and powerful units coming your way.

With more reveals on the horizon, make sure to follow our weekly updates to stay ahead of the competition as we countdown to launch:

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The PANZER IV-H is a German tank unit of limited rarity, that costs 7 Kredits and costs 2 Kredits to operate. It has 5 attack and 5 defense. Panzer IV-H Fights an enemy unit on deployment and becomes a Veteran if the enemy unit is destroyed. If Veteran it gives friendly ground units with 4 and more attack Blitz.




The HUMBER Mk IV is a British tank unit of Standard rarity, that costs 1 Kredit to play and 1 Kredit to operate. It has 1 attack, 2 defense, and keywords Fury and Shock.




A British order of Limited rarity, BREAKOUT costs 1 Kredit to play, and it gives a Veteran unit Fury and Shock.




GLIDE BOMBING is a German order of Standard rarity, that costs 2 Kredits to play. It gives a target unit 0 attack until your next turn with the added bonus of drawing a card if the unit is destroyed this turn.




A Soviet infantry unit of Special rarity, the 57th RIFLES costs 4 Kredits to play and 1 Kredit to operate. It has 4 attack, 5 defense and makes any friendly T-34 tank that is added or deployed Fight and random enemy unit.




A Soviet order of Special rarity, TURNING POINT costs 2 Kredits to play and any excess damage from your T-34s the turn it is played is dealt to the enemy HQ.




A US order of a Limited rarity, PONTOON BRIDGE costs 2 Kredits to play and gives a friendly unit +1 attack and +2 defense. If the unit had 4 or more attack, its operation costs is set at 0 as well.




A US infantry unit of Special rarity, 2nd MICHIGAN costs 4 Kreditis to play and 3 Kredits to operate, has 6 attack and 6 defense. In addition, every time you operate a unit that cost 3 or to operate, you gain 2 Kredits.




A Japanese tank unit of Elite rarity, TYPE 4 Chi-To costs 4 Kredits to play and 2 Kredits to operate. It has 4 attack and 5 defense and keywords Smokescreen and Shock. It gives your units +2 attack while they have Shock.




DEFEAT IN DETAIL is a Japanese order of Special rarity and costs 1 Kredit to play. All your units get the ability "Gets +1 attack and +1 defense when it damages the enemy HQ."



That’s it for now!

Keep a vigilant watch on the horizon; we'll be unleashing new cards daily throughout the spoiler season. Stay in the thick of it for a stream of exciting reveals leading up to the launch on November 28th!

The first open qualifier for the KARDS World Championship 2024 has now concluded. Congratulations to the top 57 players, who will be moving on to the top 128 player Knockout Stage along with our pre-qualified players! You can see a list of all qualified players so far in the Details menu in the World Championship hub in-game.

The second open qualifier starts this weekend - so for those not yet qualified, there’s still a chance to make it to the next stage. The top 57 players from this second round will complete the top 128 players. Remember - anyone who participates in the top 128 player Knockout Stage will receive 300 diamonds and have a chance to make it to the top 4 Grand Finals, playing for the 12,000 USD prize pool and the title of KARDS World Champion 2024 during the second weekend of December!

The top 500 players from each open qualifier also receive the KARDS 2024 World Championship Cardback. Make sure you seize the opportunity to earn this unique reward!

The second qualifier qualification sessions will be held on the following dates:

• 19th of October: 16-20 UTC
  
• 20th of October: 12-16 UTC
  
• 26th of October: 16-20 UTC
  
• 27st of October: 12-16 UTC
  
• 2nd of November: 16-20 UTC
  
• 3rd of November: 12-16 UTC

Each player needs to successfully complete a minimum 3 out of 6 sessions to post a legal qualifier score.


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 screen or in the Play menu button. Press the Play button in the World Championship hub, select your deck, and head into battle! Note that you cannot join the World Championship qualifiers with a deck containing cards currently in the Reserve pool.

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.


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.

Gear up and ready your decks for the second KARDS World Championship qualifier!

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.
  
• Your deck can not contain any units.
  
• When you give an order, add a random unit with similar cost of the same nation to your support line.

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, October 11th (12:00 GMT) until Sunday, October 13th 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!

We are pleased to announce the first set of improvements to the Blitz Tournaments feature introduced in our recent Fall Release. From the outset, we emphasized that this was just the beginning and that we are committed to iterating on this feature based on your feedback and our own data analysis. Your participation has been invaluable, and we're grateful for the insights you've provided.



New Entry Fee: 150 Gold (previously 200 Gold)

We've heard your concerns regarding the entry fee. To make Blitz Tournaments more accessible, we're reducing the entry fee in the first step to 150 Gold. This adjustment not only responds to your feedback but also aligns the cost with the price of a draft ticket, ensuring consistency across game modes.


When: Fridays to Sundays, 00:00 to 18:00 UTC

Starting October 1, Blitz Tournaments will be available exclusively on weekends. This change aims to:

• Create a Weekly Highlight: Making tournaments a weekend event gives everyone something special to anticipate.
  
• Improve Matchmaking: A larger player pool should lead to shorter waiting times and more exciting matches.

These adjustments are just the first steps in our ongoing effort to enhance the tournament experience. We're dedicated to continuing this journey with you and have more updates and features planned for the future.

Your feedback matters. We encourage you to participate in the upcoming weekend tournaments and share your thoughts on the changes.

See you on the battlefields of KARDS!

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:

• 🃏Each player randomly gets 1 of 5 decks to battle with.
  
• ⭐There is one deck per main nation.
  
• 🎖️Each deck is a new Battle Ready deck from the September update.

In addition to the exciting and unique battle experience you’ll get with this Skirmish ruleset, you’ll also get a medkit 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, September 27th (12:00 UTC) until Sunday, September 29th at 18:00 UTC. 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!

Attention, soldiers!

KARDS World Championship 2024: The open in-game qualifiers start THIS weekend!

The open in-game qualifiers are held in two sections (A and B) between September and November and are open for anyone with rank 3 (Lieutenant General) to enter. Join one (or both if needed) of the open qualifiers available through the KARDS client during weekends between September 28th and November 3rd to qualify for the second stage of the tournament. The top 57 players from each of the two qualifiers will advance to the Knockout Stage.


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 3 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 3.

For the full overview of the World Championship, check out our announcement article here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/544810/view/7101702525892848422?l=english


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 57 players from each qualifier moving on to the next stage.


The qualification sessions in qualifier A will be held on the following dates:

• 28th of September: 12-16 UTC
  
• 29th of September: 16-20 UTC
  
• 5th of October: 12-16 UTC
  
• 6th of October: 16-20 UTC
  
• 12th of October: 12-16 UTC
  
• 13th of October: 16-20 UTC

The qualification sessions in qualifier B will be held on the following dates:

• 19th of October: 16-20 UTC
  
• 20th of October: 12-16 UTC
  
• 26th of October: 16-20 UTC
  
• 27st of October: 12-16 UTC
  
• 2nd of November: 16-20 UTC
  
• 3rd of November: 12-16 UTC

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.


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.


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 2024 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 2024 World Champion!