KARDS is a WWII collectible card game from Icelandic studio 1939 Games, built on 40 card decks that pair one major nation with up to 12 cards borrowed from a single ally. Both headquarters start at 20 defence and the match ends the moment one of them hits zero. What sets it apart from other digital card games is the frontline: your board is split into two lines, and which line a unit sits in decides what it is allowed to attack.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Kredit economy
You start with one kredit slot and gain another at the beginning of every turn, refilling to your full total each time. Unspent kredits disappear at end of turn, so floating two kredits is a real loss rather than saved value.
Deployment and operation costs
Every unit card carries two numbers: a deployment cost to put it on the board and a smaller operation cost paid each time it moves or attacks. A cheap unit with a heavy operation cost can sit idle for turns while your kredits are tight.
Frontline and support line
Units in your frontline can attack enemy support line units and the enemy HQ. Units in your support line can only attack if they are artillery, bombers or fighters, so infantry parked in the back is purely defensive.
Ally nation limit
A deck holds exactly 40 cards built around one major nation, and at most 12 of them may come from a single ally nation. That cap is the main deckbuilding constraint and pushes you to spend allied slots on a weakness rather than on generically good cards.
Combat keywords
Seven combat keywords do most of the work: Ambush, Blitz, Fury, Guard, Heavy Armor, Shock and Smokescreen. Blitz lets a unit operate the turn it lands, Guard shields adjacent units from direct attack, and Smokescreen makes a unit or HQ impossible for units to attack directly.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our KARDS - The WWII Card Game combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Soviet Union | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| United States | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Britain | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Japan | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our KARDS - The WWII Card Game builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Blitzkrieg | A German tactical order that hands a unit a large attack boost, which is why it turns up in aggressive lists hunting a single lethal turn. | German aggro decks closing a game from a life total the opponent thought was safe. |
| Katyusha | Soviet rocket artillery with a zero kredit deployment cost that adds a random point of extra damage when it attacks. | Soviet decks that want free board presence and chip damage without touching their kredit curve. |
| Mito Regiment | A 3 kredit Japanese infantry unit with 2 attack, 3 defence, an operation cost of 1 and Blitz. | Japan burn decks where even a losing trade still moves the enemy HQ 2 closer to zero. |
| The War Machine | An American economic order that grants an extra kredit slot, pulling your whole curve forward by a full turn. | USA ramp decks planning to land expensive bombers before the opponent can contest them. |
| Hawker Hurricane | A British fighter. | British control decks that need an answer to enemy bombers without giving up board position. |
Blitzkrieg: A German tactical order that hands a unit a large attack boost, which is why it turns up in aggressive lists hunting a single lethal turn.
Katyusha: Soviet rocket artillery with a zero kredit deployment cost that adds a random point of extra damage when it attacks. Artillery can fire from the support line at targets anywhere on the board.
Mito Regiment: A 3 kredit Japanese infantry unit with 2 attack, 3 defence, an operation cost of 1 and Blitz. When it is destroyed it deals 2 damage to the enemy HQ.
The War Machine: An American economic order that grants an extra kredit slot, pulling your whole curve forward by a full turn.
Hawker Hurricane: A British fighter. Fighters police the air, and because aircraft can attack from your own support line they do not need frontline control to be useful.
Full breakdowns in our KARDS - The WWII Card Game weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Ranked Battle | Any collection, best once you own one full deck | Rank rewards, ladder placement |
| Casual Battle | Any | Deck testing, matchup practice |
| Draft | Any, rewards raw card knowledge | Draft run payouts, card packs |
| Training | New players and untested decks | Safe testing, early currency |
| Theaters of War | New to intermediate players | Free 40 card nation decks, campaign rewards |
Ranked Battle: Matches you against players near your own rank using custom decks. You climb by winning stars up to rank 1, after which you enter the competitive ladder proper.
Casual Battle: Unranked games against other players. This is where a half finished brew gets tested without spending stars proving it does not work yet.
Draft: You build a deck from offered cards and play until 7 wins or 3 losses ends the run. Individual card evaluation matters far more here than knowing archetypes.
Training: Games against AI opponents at several difficulty settings. The right place to check whether a new curve actually functions before you take it to people.
Theaters of War: Hand crafted campaign missions across five WW2 scenarios, sitting alongside the Starter Campaigns that each hand you a complete 40 card deck for a major nation.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Read operation cost, not just deployment cost. A 2 kredit unit with an operation cost of 2 eats a third of your turn four economy every single time it swings, which is exactly how aggressive draws stall out with a full board.
- Frontline units can attack the enemy support line and the enemy HQ directly, while support line infantry cannot attack at all. Deciding which line a unit enters is therefore a bigger decision than which unit you deploy.
- Artillery, bombers and fighters ignore that restriction. Parking a Katyusha or a fighter in your support line still applies pressure on turns where contesting the frontline face to face would just donate you a unit.
- Unspent kredits vanish at end of turn. Plan the turn that leaves zero behind, even when that means deploying filler rather than holding a perfect card you cannot pay for anyway.
- Your 12 allied cards should patch a hole the main nation cannot fix, such as British removal inside a Japanese shell. Splashing allied cards that repeat what you already do throws the slots away.
- Guard protects the cards next to it from direct attack, so placement order inside the frontline is a genuine decision. Put the Guard between the enemy and whatever actually needs to survive the turn.
- Smokescreen blanks direct attacks from units entirely. Against a Smokescreen HQ your damage has to arrive through orders and effects, so hold a burn card back instead of throwing it at an empty board early.
- Both HQs start at 20 defence, which is a short clock. A card like Mito Regiment dealing 2 damage on death is worth 10 percent of the enemy HQ every time it trades, win or lose.
- In Draft a run ends at 7 games played or 3 losses taken, so value cheap removal and solid mid cost units over expensive bombs you may never get to cast.
- Run the Starter Campaigns before you spend money. Each one awards a complete 40 card deck for a major nation, which is five playable ladder decks for the price of some evenings.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Deploying every unit into the frontline and leaving nothing behind to retake it after a trade.
- Ending turns with 2 or 3 kredits floating because the hand had nothing cheap enough to spend them on.
- Filling all 12 allied slots with effects the main nation already does better.
- Attacking the enemy HQ with a unit that their frontline will kill for free on the swing back.
- Building a curve on deployment cost alone, then being unable to operate a full board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is KARDS free to play?
Yes, on Steam and mobile. The Starter Campaigns each award a complete 40 card deck for a major nation before you spend anything, so paid packs speed up collection rather than gate access to ranked play.
How does the frontline actually work?
Each side has a frontline and a support line. Frontline units may attack enemy support line units and the enemy HQ, while support line units can only attack if they are artillery, bombers or fighters. Guard and Smokescreen are what restrict targeting, not simply the presence of an enemy unit.
Which nation should a new player pick?
Germany, because frontline pressure teaches you what the two lines do faster than anything else. Britain is the strongest control nation but punishes badly timed removal, so it rewards more experience.
How many cards can I take from my ally nation?
Twelve out of your 40, and only from one ally nation. The cap is fixed, so treat those slots as answers to a specific weakness rather than a place to stack extra good cards.
Why did my attack do nothing to the enemy HQ?
The HQ almost certainly had Smokescreen, which stops units from attacking it directly. Orders and effect damage still get through, which is why control decks hold a burn card for exactly that turn.
More KARDS - The WWII Card Game Guides
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Best Builds
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Tier List
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Walkthrough
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Beginner's Guide
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Tips & Tricks
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Weapons Guide
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Combat Guide
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Boss Guide
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Maps & Locations
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Crafting Guide
- KARDS - The WWII Card Game Classes & Characters
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