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.
Starting KARDS - The WWII Card Game can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
KARDS - The WWII Card Game is a card-game game built around Kredit economy and Deployment and operation costs. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Soviet Union | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| United States | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Britain | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Japan | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Soviet Union. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Japan as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn 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.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Kredit economy works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to 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.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Katyusha: it's the most accessible early upgrade. 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.
Step 4: Understand 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.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to 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.
Essential Mechanics Explained
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.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Deploying every unit into the frontline and leaving nothing behind to retake it after a trade
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
2. Ending turns with 2 or 3 kredits floating because the hand had nothing cheap enough to spend them on
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
3. Filling all 12 allied slots with effects the main nation already does better
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
4. Attacking the enemy HQ with a unit that their frontline will kill for free on the swing back
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
5. Building a curve on deployment cost alone, then being unable to operate a full board
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Kredit economy and Deployment and operation costs
- Choose Soviet Union as starting build
- Clear Ranked Battle main content
- Acquire Katyusha or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Casual Battle
- 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.
Tips for New Players
- 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.
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 KARDS - The WWII Card Game Overview
- 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 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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