Kards is an online Collectible Card Game (CCG) by developer and publisher 1939 Games that models its gameplay themes after World War II and offers a fresh new take on a genre of games with many alternatives. Players familiar with other CCGs will be able to jump right into the action, and many will appreciate the distinct take on the old formula of online card games.
Familiar Gameplay With A Few Notable Twists
Victory comes by bringing the opposing Headquarters of an opponent down to zero by using a combination of Military units and Orders, the latter resembling spells that have an effect and are then discarded from play. Resources consist of Kredits, which like Hearthstone, automatically grows by one each turn to a maximum of 12. Like most CCGs, there are ways to ramp up or temporarily add more resources to a pool for a limited duration.
Deploying military units on the board, or “Battlefield” as it is called, makes Kards unique in its execution. Players must not only consider how to spend resources first playing a military unit, but they must also keep in mind that there is an additional cost to moving or attacking with most units. This means that in the early and mid-game there is a significant focus on how to proceed with one’s units. Charging to an enemy instead of playing more cards may leave you at a disadvantage. On the other hand, it also ensures you are not left without cards to play later in the game.
Units that enter the Battlefield first occupy the support line next to the headquarters and must then advance to take the front line before being allowed an opportunity to attack units on the opposing support line or headquarters. Since only one player can control the front line at a time, and most units can only move or attack once per turn, players need to carefully consider when and where to play their military units, which consists of ground and air troops, further divided into infantry, tanks, artillery, and different kinds of planes. Each has its unique abilities, all of which make Kards a great game for strategists looking for a deep experience.
Deck Building Strategy
At first glance, the game appears to be a simple, tempo-based experience that rewards a mulligan to effectively use resources on each turn. During the tutorial, and then against AI and other new players with limited collections, this perception of the game holds true. However, tempo-based decks are but one of many strategies that one can employ, and the game feels rich and diverse in deckbuilding options, which means that there is something for everyone.
Flooding the board with infantry, which would be the equivalent of a Weenie deck in other games, is a perfectly viable strategy against slower decks who opt for far larger and more expensive units. Building a deck with stall tactics and a strong focus on massive, expensive war machines is equally viable, but how one chooses to build their deck is up to them.
At first, one might think that a player can build a deck using only the cards from their country or with the inclusion of allies during World War II, but they would be pleasantly surprised to see that a deck can include cards from any other country. While it might seem historically inaccurate to pair up the United States and Germany against the British and Soviet deck, that is exactly what one can do. It breaks a sense of immersion, but the benefits and combinations are too fantastic to pass up.
The Economy Of Crafting Cards
Like all online CCGs, acquiring every card in the game is going to be a marathon to accomplish, not a sprint. Players can craft cards using the in-game resources and will automatically see additional resources added if they unpack a card of which they already have the maximum number in their permanent collection.
The only way to get more resources for crafting is through achievements, daily missions, or when you unpack a duplicate card for your permanent collection. This means that building a collection will primarily come down to purchasing cards in packs, which may make it difficult for players who wish to experience Kards only as a free-to-play experience, unless of course, they enjoy drafting as a style of play.
Playing As A Free-To-Play
Draft mode is a great addition to the game and feels like Arena in Hearthstone, or sealed Draft in Magic: The Gathering Arena. Like it or not, Draft is one of the best ways to grow one’s collections of cards as a free-to-play player if they can perform at an above-average win rate. Free-to-play players who do not enjoy Draft may find the collection grows too slowly.
With that said, the price point for entry feels quite reasonable. There is a one-time promotion for new players that provides ten packs for $4.95. From there, bundles of packs, a pre-order for an expansion, and an “Equipment” tab which offers cosmetics like card backs also become available. Compared to all the other online card games out there, this feels perfectly average in asking price, but growing a collection as a free-to-play player feels somewhat slow by comparison.
The Future Of Kards
Kards looks to have a healthy future for those players who might be looking for a new CCG to dive into. The World Championship wrapped up only recently in mid-November, and the diversity of decks and play styles made it clear that there are many ways to play the game. In addition, there is a new expansion of cards right around the corner with Allegiance, and there do not seem to be any signs of slowing down from the developers.
If you are looking for a new online CCG, look no further than Kards by clicking here to head to the Steam page!
A PC code for 30 packs of cards was provided to TheGamer for this review. The reviewer spent a few days grinding solely with the resources of a free-to-play player before activating the code for packs to write about both experiences. Kards is available now for PC.
