Genre: Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Indie, Card & Board Game
Kards: The WWII Card Game
July Update - Patch notes
This July patch includes preparation for the new game mode Skirmishes and several bug fixes.
New features and updates
Introducing a new game mode: Skirmishes. Please read more about Skirmishes, what they are and how they work in our latest blog New game mode Skirmish.
Improvements to the new player tutorials and nation unlocking campaigns.
Bug Fixes
Visual bugs
The visual indicator that the attacking unit will be killed by the attack was shown when it actually survived as uff effects before the attack were not taken into consideration. This impacted the F6F HELLCAT and 33RD LIVORNO REGIMENT. Fixed.
Localization
Several translation bugs have been fixed. Thank you for reporting them!
User Interface
Several bugs with the user interface in the unlocking campaigns have been fixed.
As usual, we welcome all feedback in the comments below and on KARDS Discord.
PSA - Bugfix for degraded graphic performance - June 23
Following the recent game update on June 22 and updating KARDS to Unreal Engine 5, we have received reports of issues with the graphic performance.
Our investigation revealed that the graphic settings in KARDS were automatically set to the highest value for everyone. This was a fault in the update and resulted in degraded graphics performance in some cases (GPUs running too hot, visual defects in the game, animation stuttering etc.). We also identified an issue with the fullscreen mode not actually covering the entire screen.
On June 23 at 18:00 UTC, we updated the KARDS game client with a bug fix for the above mentioned issues.
Please let us know if you still experience graphic issues even after this latest update.
June Update - Patch notes
This June patch improves some fundamental systems in KARDS to ensure that we are ready for the future including mobile.
While this patch doesn’t change any cards, the general look & feel, or the behavior of the client in general, it is important that we keep updating core systems so that we can KARDS keep running and improving for years to come.
Inability to use use fullscreen and/or window mode
Irregularly high GPU usage
We are looking into these issues with high priority and will provide an update as soon as we have further information on this.
As usual, we welcome all feedback in the comments below and on KARDS Discord.
Patch notes - Balance Update June
Following the announcement of this month’s card balance changes a few days ago (details of the balance update), we have deployed these changes on June 9th.
We also thank all of our engaged players and the KARDS community in general for reporting bugs and discussing the game balance.
If you want to get involved, please join us on Discord!
Card balance changes
A total of 10 cards have been updated, one was toned down in power, two got adjusted for strategic reasons, and seven received an upgrade to their power.
Please read the following dev blog for all the details and background info: Consistency
Strategic Changes
WELLINGTON
Old: Costs 1 less to deploy for each order you’ve given this battle.
New: If in your hand, this unit costs 2 less each time you give an order.
34th GUARDS
Old: Reduce cost by 1 each time a friendly card damages your HQ. New: If in your hand, this unit costs 2 less each time your HQ takes friendly damage.
MIG 3
Old: Costs 2 kredits to deploy if an enemy countermeasure triggered this battle. New: If in your hand, this unit costs 2 less each time an enemy countermeasure triggers.
39th BOLOGNA REGIMENT
Old: Costs 1 more to deploy if you have lost a unit this battle. New: If in your hand, this unit costs 1 more each time you lose a unit.
Adjusted down in power
2nd PARA C
HENSCHEL HS 126
Old: Deployment: Give a friendly tank +1+1 for each unit type in the same line. New: Deployment: Give a friendly tank +1+1 for each other unit type in the same line.
UNITED WE STAND
Old: Deal 2 damage to a unit. If this destroys it, gain 1 extra kredit slot. New: Deal 2 damage to a unit. If this destroys it, all players gain 1 extra kredit slot.
Adjusted up in power
SORTIE
Old: Target unit with Mobilize gets Fury this turn. At end of turn, fully repair the unit. New: Choose one - Give a friendly unit Mobilize OR add a FRAPPE to your hand.
D4Y SUISEI
Old: Destruction: Pin all enemy ground units. New: Deployment: Pin target enemy unit and its adjacent units.
ZHUKOV
Old: Draw a random Soviet infantry from your deck. It costs 3 less this turn. New: Draw a random Soviet infantry. It gets +1+1 and Blitz when deployed.
As always, if you have recently created one of these cards with wildcards, you get the option to recycle them back into a wildcard if you don't like the above changes.
We also welcome more feedback in the comments below and on KARDS Discord.
Consistency
Hello everyone!
It’s time for a new balance patch.
In all games, players always have to learn something new when they start playing. KARDS, as a free-to-play World War II-themed CCG, is very easy for players to understand due to its close connection with the history. However, there are still some ambiguous cards, mainly because of the length limit of card texts. We also need to keep a reasonable balance between being attractive and being complicated. Through this patch, we hope to reduce the amount of such cards, before they become too many. As usual, some nerfs and buffs are also included.
To be specific, we are focusing on cost reduction this time. This ability provides interesting strategies, by making cards much more flexible. For example, the cost of 34th Guards is reduced if your HQ takes damage from a friendly card. The cost of Wellington is reduced if you give an order. Nevertheless, they also function a bit differently. The cost of 34th Guards is reset, if the card is returned to hand, while Wellington is not. In addition, it is not explicit for players that the cost reduction also works while the card is in the deck. After a lot of debate, we have decided to simplify these cards. Meanwhile, their stats are also adjusted according to their respective performances. What is more, the costs of all such units will always be reset if they are sent to hand or deck.
Let’s take a look at these cards and other balance cards.
Strategic Changes
WELLINGTON
Old: Costs 1 less to deploy for each order you’ve given this battle.
New: If in your hand, this unit costs 2 less each time you give an order.
This bomber has been performing very well since its previous change. The attack and the defense are swapped so that it fits the role of a powerful bomber better. Reducing its cost will not be as easy as it was. The increased operation cost will also keep this unit checked.
34th GUARDS
Old: Reduce cost by 1 each time a friendly card damages your HQ.
New: If in your hand, this unit costs 2 less each time your HQ takes friendly damage.
This big boy got a lot of likes for a short while when the ability was introduced. However, it did not really shatter the battlefield and slowly faded into part of a meme deck. With this new version, the cost can be reduced faster, but it will only work while in your hand. As compensation, the operation cost is also reduced. We expect a slightly better performance for this card.
MIG 3
Old: Costs 2 kredits to deploy if an enemy countermeasure triggered this battle.
New: If in your hand, this unit costs 2 less each time an enemy countermeasure triggers.
This fighter was designed to be a good counter card against countermeasures. The role will remain the same. The basic stats are adjusted a bit in hope that it can find a place in a Soviet control or air deck. The cost can be reduced to 0 if you trigger two or more countermeasures with this unit in your hand.
39th BOLOGNA REGIMENT
Old: Costs 1 more to deploy if you have lost a unit this battle.
New: If in your hand, this unit costs 1 more each time you lose a unit.
This unit has a fixed spot in any control deck with Italy as the ally. The new ability looks a bit similar to its earlier version, where the cost can be increased to 10 or even higher. However, it only triggers if the card is in your hand. Aa a Guard unit in a control deck, this unit is often played as early as possible once in hand, without seeing many friendly units being destroyed. As such, this unit is actually expected to be played at the cost of 3 in most cases. Its defense is reduced to 6, based on its overwhelming performance.
Adjusted down in power
2nd PARA C
This parachute unit has been the most popular and powerful card since it was released, also the most troublesome one. The Pincer effect can turn any friendly unit into a very efficient removal. We would like to keep its efficiency and amplify its weakness. The defense is reduced to 2 so that breaking the pincer effect is much easier. It also makes more sense for a parachute unit to have a low defense, as airborne operations are always very risky.
HENSCHEL HS 126
Old: Deployment: Give a friendly tank +1+1 for each unit type in the same line.
New: Deployment: Give a friendly tank +1+1 for each other unit type in the same line.
As mentioned in our previous balance blog, we are closely monitoring the combined arms deck. In general, it is a very fun deck, with various types of units but focusing on tanks. However, the ladder is a bit swamped with this deck, especially for middle and lower ranks. We hope this deck will remain strong and popular, while it does require a small break. Different versions of this card and other related cards were tested. In the end, this new version is deemed to be the most suitable break for the deck. The new equation will not count the tank itself. In other words, this fighter won’t give any buff to a tank in the frontline, if you only have tanks at that line.
UNITED WE STAND
Old: Deal 2 damage to a unit. If this destroys it, gain 1 extra kredit slot.
New: Deal 2 damage to a unit. If this destroys it, all players gain 1 extra kredit slot.
This card was the least used card and ascended as the most used one since its change in March. Improving ramp and control decks was its initial intention. Midrange aggro decks also became better, such as Brit Air deck and US frontline deck. Many versions were tested with the same initial intention. Increasing the cost would surely work as a nerf, but ramp and control deck will likely suffer more. Dealing 2 damage with only 1 cost is very efficient. However, the ability is a double edge sword, which is much less harmful for ramp and control decks.
Adjusted up in power
SORTIE
Old: Target unit with Mobilize gets Fury this turn. At end of turn, fully repair the unit.
New: Choose one - Give a friendly unit Mobilize OR add a FRAPPE to your hand.
The version of this card was tested some time ago. When 2E RIMA was introduced, the current version was expected to be seen in more battles. Nevertheless, it is simply not happening, based on our internal statistics for this card. As such, we would like to proceed with this entirely new direction, which gives more versatility for Mobilize decks, instead of only low cost Mobilize units and Potez.
D4Y SUISEI
Old: Destruction: Pin all enemy ground units.
New: Deployment: Pin target enemy unit and its adjacent units.
We have been pondering on how to improve Pin decks and Japan control decks for a long time. This version of D4Y SUISEI could be the solution. The positions of units will matter more, with the advent of more cards affecting adjacent cards. So will the number of units in the support line. For example, you probably want to move more units into the frontline if possible, instead of fulfilling the whole support line.
ZHUKOV
Old: Draw a random Soviet infantry from your deck. It costs 3 less this turn.
New: Draw a random Soviet infantry. It gets +1+1 and Blitz when deployed.
ZHUKOV is a very powerful order. However, it is mostly used in the combo with 4TH KUBAN COSSACKS, with the unit being the only infantry in the deck. Otherwise, it is much less reliable, not even in the T34 deck with the purpose of drawing 214TH AMUR. This new version is expected to be more diverse, as players can include different infantry units into the deck and get to choose when to deploy the drawn infantry to maximize its value.
That is all, these changes will be live soon. Please continue giving us your feedback, which is very valuable to us. We are checking your feedback, as always.
Thanks and see you on the battlefield, commanders!
D-Day in Europe - Commemoration event
D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion and started with the Normandy landings on Tuesday, June 6th, 1944. D-Day began the liberation of France (and later western Europe) and laid the foundation for the Allied victory on the Western Front.
Commemorate this historical event in KARDS with free double XP every day and a special wildcard!
This in-game event starts on June 3rd with a free Medkit booster, continues over the weekend, and culminates on the 6th with a free special wildcard.
Before we go into further details, let’s refresh a bit the historical background of D-Day.
Historical background
D-Day, June 6th, 1944, represents the most immense sea, land, and air operation ever undertaken in the history of mankind. It marked the beginning of the end of Nazi tyranny across Europe, the victorious turning point of the Allies in the Second World War.
One 160,000 soldiers landed in Normandy during D-Day. 200,000 naval personnel, 7,000 ships, 24,000 airborne troops, and 12,000 aircraft were involved.
The Normandy beaches were chosen by planners because they lay within the range of air cover and were less heavily defended than the obvious objective of the Pas de Calais, the shortest distance between Great Britain and the Continent. Airborne drops at both ends of the beachheads were to protect the flanks and open up roadways to the interior. Approximately 156,000 Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy's beaches by day's end.
Less than a week later, on June 11th, the beaches were fully secured, and over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles, and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy.
By the end of August 1944, all of northern France was liberated. The invading forces reorganized for the drive into Germany, where they would eventually meet with Soviet forces advancing from the east to end the Nazi Reich.
D-Day in KARDS
Commemorate this historical event in KARDS! Leading from June 3rd to the day of the invasion, you can ramp up your forces every day with free double XP.
Then, on D-Day itself, you are ready to hammer down your opponents and take the victory with a free Special Wildcard.
👉 To get the free XP booster, go to the in-game KARDS Shop and get the D-Day XP booster there. You can get one for free per day!
To get the free Special Wildcard, on June 6th, the actual D-Day, go to the in-game KARDS Shop and claim your free wildcard there!
⚠️
The free daily D-Day items are available each only for one day, so make sure that you log in every day and claim your item from the KARDS shop!
200 free cards for everyone - May update in KARDS
Best KARDS community,
With great delight, we released a new patch on May 27, 2022, to bring introduce the new KARDS Medkits (Double XP boosters), prebuilt decks that become available for free to everyone at level 12 of the national progression tracks, and bug fixes.
All feedback is appreciated and most welcome. Please use the comments below or join us on the KARDS Discord.
IMPROVEMENTS & CHANGES
Medkits, the KARDS Double XP Boosters, are now available in game. Read more about the Medkits in our recent blog.
Prebuilt decks have been introduced. Five free prebuilt decks, one per each major nation, will unlock for everyone who has reached level 12 in the according national progression track. Read more about Prebuilt decks in the latest dev blog.
As part of the new free prebuilt decks, everyone who has already reached level 12 in the national progression tracks, have received almost 200 cards all for free! If you already own some of these cards to the maximum amount, then the excess has added to your crate. If you already own all of the free cards, the crate has been insta-filled up to 175%. Each full crate contains 1 elite wildcard, 1 special wildcard, a draft ticket and several limited and standard wildcards.
BUG FIXES
General bug fixes
In rare cases 85 PIONEER COMPANY would not update the Kredit cost of orders in hand when more than one of them were destroyed with AoE effects. Fixed.
Marder III H doesn't draw cards when it is destroyed by enemy Akita Regiment's destruction effect. Fixed.
YAMATO and GREATER PURPOSE are not working with 114TH INFANTRY REGIMENT. Fixed.
The game history bar didn't show cards that have been affected by set/gain defense. Fixed.
We welcome your feedback! Please use the comments below or join us on the KARDS Discord.
Prebuilt decks available in KARDS
Are you having a bit of a hard time getting your first deck together? Do you want to go beyond the starter decks but don’t know how to take the initial steps? Have you ever wanted to get a good, cohesive deck but lacked one specific card and ran out of wildcards?
Then our latest feature might interest you! On May 27th, prebuilt decks arrive in KARDS.
WHAT PREBUILT DECKS ARE
Prebuilt decks are precisely what the name suggests they are. Decks that are prebuilt and ready to use.
When you acquire a prebuilt deck, all cards of this deck are automatically added to your collection. That means you can immediately use the deck after you have obtained it. All cards coming with prebuilt decks can be used for other decks, too, as they become part of your collection.
No more fiddling around with missing cards! The prebuilt deck is battle-ready!
Prebuilt decks are a fantastic way to get you deeper into KARDS and the exciting world of deck building; they are a great stepping stone, especially for players that are thrilled about the WW2 and strategic setting of KARDS but have limited CCG or deck-building experience.
HOW TO USE PREBUILT DECKS
A new tab in the deck builder lists all the prebuilt decks you currently own. Your decklist will not be cluttered, and valuable deck slots not blocked.
You can click on each prebuilt deck in this new window to get more information about them, key aspects, and valuable gameplay hints.
You also can copy your prebuilt decks to your decklist. From there, you can use it like any other deck when you start a match (PVP, AI, Challenge, etc.).
When you have copied the prebuilt deck to your decklist, you can also modify and fine-tune it to your liking.
Regardless of whether you change the deck in your decklist, the original prebuilt deck always stays the same; you can always copy this original version back into your decklist. So, don’t worry; you can’t mess up prebuilt decks!
FREE PREBUILT DECKS
Prebuilt decks are great for everyone, but especially in the early days, you can benefit from a helping hand in the form of guidance and hints on strategy.
Therefore we have added a new reward to the National Progression system at Level 12.
There are five premade decks, each with 39 cards (plus one HQ), entirely for free!
Ranging from aggro to control playstyles, these decks are well-suited for new players who would like to explore more of KARDS while receiving some guidance. Those decks can be finetuned and improved as you collect more cards and refine your skills.
Prebuilt decks become available on May 27th, 2022. We really would like to hear your feedback on this and what you think about prebuilt decks.
Announcing KARDS Open XII
Get ready for some more KARDS Open action as it returns this May with KARDS Open XII!
The previous KARDS Open saw a large and competitive pool of players and after three tournament stages we saw the Chinese player Noein5 defend his championship title by defeating his countryman TangTang in a nail biting finals that went all 5 games.
You can catch all the action in the VOD here: https://youtu.be/FcVNIhV-Qo4
In this coming Open tournament, players will have two chances to make it into the top 16 through one of the two Swiss Qualifiers held on May 28th and June 4th.
The KARDS Open is all about gathering together, meeting new people, having fun, and playing KARDS. To that end, we will be doing a random giveaway between all those that sign up and play in the KARDS Open XII qualifiers, where three lucky players will receive 4 officer packs once the qualifiers are complete.
Read on for a detailed breakdown of the different tournament stages.
STAGE ONE
Starting Saturday, May 28th, with the swiss qualifiers, you will compete in a best of 3 free-for-all deck format. This means you can bring any deck you want and play it as many times as you'd like. No deck submissions and no deck restrictions! If you make the top 8 in this stage, you will advance to stage two.
The second chance qualifier will be Saturday, June 4th. This swiss bracket is open to any player who has not already made the top 8 cuts, so make sure to maximize your chances of making the top 16 by playing in both qualifiers.
This time the qualifiers will have two different start times to better serve different time zones. The first qualifier on May 28th will start at 09:00 GMT and the second qualifier on June 4th will start at our usual start time of 13:00 GMT.
STAGE TWO
If you finish in the Top 8 from either of the stage one weekends, you will be qualified for the next stage - Saturday, June 25th to compete in the single-elimination best of 3 conquest. You will submit four of your best decks from four different main nations in this stage. (you will only use three of these decks for the first half of this bracket) You will ban one deck from your opponent and play a best of 3.
STAGE THREE
If you've made it to the Top 4 during stage 2, you've made it to stage 3! In this stage, you will break out your 4th submitted deck and play in a best of 5 single elimination with one ban. These games will be broadcast live on Sunday, June 26th.
For all questions about participating in the Open and all things related to KARDS Tournaments, please join our KARDS competitive Discord: https://discord.gg/288DQexmng
FORMAT & SCHEDULE
Swiss Qualifiers
Compete in one or both qualifier swiss bracket weekends.
Top 8 from each weekend bracket moves on to Top - Cuts weekend
Closed deck lists with no deck restrictions! Play whatever you want, whenever you want!
Best of Three matchups
Swiss Bracket with 128 player maximum (7 swiss rounds)
Swiss Qualifier Bracket A May 28th @ 0900 GMT
Swiss Qualifier Bracket B June 4th @ 1300 GMT
Top Cuts
Bring three decks from three different main nations
A fourth deck must be submitted, which will only be used if you make it to top 4
Top 16 Conquest format best of 3 with open deck lists and one ban
Top 4 conquest format best of 5 with open deck lists and one ban
Top 16 Bracket June 25th @ 1300 GMT
DECK LIST SUBMISSION DEADLINE: June 25th @ 1200 GMT
Top 4 Bracket & Live Stream June 26th @ 1400 GMT
Prizes
The KARDS Open has a prize pool of $1500 that is split the following way:
Have you ever wanted more free stuff in KARDS? Thought you were not progressing fast enough? Be in control and trigger a boost of extra rewards?
Then rejoice and celebrate the arrival of the brand new KARDS Medkit on May 26th to help you out of this plight!
Read on and explore the exciting details of these new items, what they are and how to get them.
MEDKITS - WHAT ARE THEY?
Medkits are consumable in-game items that, once activated, will double the national XP you receive at the end of a match. Medkits have a specific duration, after which they expire and become void.
The duration of the current Medkits is set to 2 hours. We have decided to go with 2 hours because it matches pretty well with a good session length and because we don’t want to encourage some unhealthy grind.
HOW TO USE MEDKITS
Using Medkits couldn’t be easier! Simply go to your progression window to find the new Medkit Booster tab.
There you see the amount of Medkits you own and a big “activate” button if you have any available. This will activate the Medkit and start the 2-hour boost period. And that’s all you need to do!
Once a booster is active, a large countdown will appear on the main screen, showing you when the booster expires.
A few more details about Medkits:
Boosting effects don’t stack. You can’t activate two Medkits simultaneously to get a 4x XP boost. You can only have one Medkit active at any given time.
Countdowns don’t stack. You also can’t activate two Medkits at the same time to get 4 hours continuously. You need to activate them one after the other.
No cooldown period between Medkit activations. Once an active Medkit runs out of time, you can activate another one.
No expiry date. Medkits don’t expire (similar to draft tickets); you keep them on your account. You can own as many Medkits as you want.
HOW TO GET MEDKITS
With all that being said, you might wonder where you can get the KARDS Medkits. There are several ways to get them.
Medkits are available in the KARDS Shop for 10 Diamonds. You can also quick-purchase them directly from the progression tab for your convenience.
In-game events and special rewards will provide free Medkits from time to time. As mentioned above, you can either use them right away then or collect them for a later date if that would be more convenient for you (a major advantage over our traditional double XP events that left quite some people losing out because they lacked time to play during that specific event - no more!).
The next event is right around the corner, and it will provide free Medkits for everyone. Can you guess which event that will be?
Medkits will become available in KARDS with the next patch on May 26th.
We are looking forward to your feedback and possible questions which we gladly will answer!
