Last weekend the KARDS World Championships took place and the the top 4 are the following players,

1. Spoker
   
2. guorq123456
   
3. Dandelion
   
4. Azi

Congratulations!

We will be taking a closer look at their decks and play in the New Year. Looking at the finals is a great way to get ideas and improve your gameplay.

We are continuing our development of the tournament mode that was first introduced with the fall update last September. We envision a tournament mode that caters to all players and that is regarded as a fun and rewarding experience on the whole. We can all agree that we still have some way to go to achieve that and that it will be a journey, but that only means the sooner we start the sooner we get to something good!


We have now put into place three types of tournaments that are active at different times throughout the week. One is the old Blitz Tournaments, the others are Boot Camp and Iron. Each of them has a different structure in terms of how much it costs to enter them and what rewards they give out. The Boot Camp Tournaments cost the least to enter, the Iron Tournaments the most, with Blitz the middle of the road:

• Boot Camp - 25 Gold OR 3 Diamonds.
  
  
• Blitz - 150 Gold OR 20 Diamonds.
  
  
• Iron - 300 Gold OR 40 Diamonds.

The reward structure for each is then set up slightly differently. Boot Camp and Blitz Tournaments have a fairly ‘flat’ reward structure, meaning that every participant gets something and the difference between the first and last place is not that great in terms of reward difference. The Iron Tournaments however have a much more top-heavy reward structure, with the bulk of the rewards going to the finalists, with those that lose immediately not getting anything back. Here is an overview:

• 0 wins: 15 Gold
  
  
• 1 win: 15 Gold, 1x Limited Wildcard
  
  
• 2 wins: 20 Gold, 2x Limited Wildcards
  
  
• 3 wins: 25 Gold, 3x Limited Wildcard

• 0 wins: 75 Gold
  
  
• 1 win: 100 Gold, 1x Base Pack
  
  
• 2 wins: 125 Gold, 1x Base Pack
  
  
• 3 wins: 175 Gold, 1x Base Pack, 1x Trophy

• 0 wins: Nothing
  
  
• 1 win: 150 Gold
  
  
• 2 wins: 300 Gold, 1x Officer Pack, 1x Random Special Gold Card
  
  
• 3 wins: 450 Gold, 2x Officer Packs, 2x Random Special Gold Cards, 3 Trophies

So what is the reason for 3 different tournament types, with different reward structures? The answer is that we want to offer tournaments for players at different stages in their Kards journey. Boot Camp tournaments are aimed at newer players, Iron tournaments at more hardcore players and the Blitz tournaments bridging the two.

Boot Camp tournaments are easy to enter for starting players, you will never lose too much for joining and can even get your hands on a few limited wildcards, which can be very important in building your early collection.

Iron tournaments however offer a lot more risk, but also juicier rewards. You may end up winning nothing, but doing well means solid rewards. It is intended for veteran players with significant resources that they are willing to risk for great rewards if they believe their skills are good enough.

One final thing to mention here is that with the Blood & Iron update you can now leave the tournament bracket screen while waiting for the queue to fill or the next round to start. You cannot start any other matches while you are participating in a tournament, but you can edit your decks, browse the shop or chat while you wait. You will be notified when the next round is about to start. Note that the deck you are using in the tournament is locked for the whole duration - any edits you make to the deck will not impact the version you are using in the tournament.


This is our starting point - to have these 3 tournaments, that offer something to the majority of the player base, as a baseline. The goal is to get them into a healthy state. A healthy state means participation is high enough that wait times are not a serious issue and we can open the tournaments to a wider audience schedule wise.

In order to achieve this healthy state we must be sure that we have optimized the entry cost and reward structure for each of the three tournaments correctly. In the next few weeks we will be iterating on the structure, aiming to make it attractive enough to drive up participation. We will analyze the data every week, make some adjustments and repeat this until we reach a satisfying result.

While we are focused on getting the entry cost & reward structure right, it is important that other variables are touched as little as possible, so that the data we gather from week to week remains comparable. For this reason, we will refrain from touching the tournament schedule for the time being.

The current schedule, with one or more tournaments active every day between 12am and 6pm UTC time, is based on the times when we have the highest number of players playing. The 6 hours between 6pm and 12am tends to see significantly fewer players online, which can result in excessively long wait times for tournaments until the overall participation numbers have grown. Once the entry cost/reward structure is in a good place, we will start to adjust the schedule, aiming to open it up some, but this is most likely some weeks away. This schedule applies to the three baseline tournaments only, stay tuned for details on the Christmas tournament below.


We are planning various additions to the tournament mode, which we will start to implement once the tournament mode is in a healthy state.

On one hand we want to add more special types of tournaments on a regular basis, like Classic Tournaments and Pauper Tournaments. On the other hand we also want to add more tournament rules. The priority of these rules depends a little bit on how the tournament develops over the next few months, but among the things we are looking at are:

• Rank Limitations - Only players above/below a certain rank can join a specific tournament.
  
  
• Best of 3 or 5 matches - Lengthens tournaments, but also reduces the times a player loses because of being unlucky, possible with multidecks and/or sideboard feature.
  
  
• Bigger tournaments - Support 16 and 32 player tournaments.
  
  
• Player created tournaments - Allow players to set up their own tournaments dictating entry fee which is then used for reward structure.
  
  
• Qualifier Point Rewards - Players can gain Qualifier Points as rewards (for instance for winning a tournament or finishing in the top X of the OC leaderboard), which can then be spent as entry cost for special tournaments.

These things are all in the future though, until then, we can enjoy the Boot Camp, Blitz and Iron tournaments.

There is one tournament we are going to sneak in there though - a Christmas Special tournament. This will be active over the Christmas period. It will be open to all and best of all - it will be free to enter!

It should be noted that while we do want to offer exclusive tournaments that require skill and effort to enter down the road, the in-game tournament system is not intended to replace the e-sport competitive tournament scene. It can complement it though.

• You can now enter three different types of tournaments, each with their own entry cost and reward structure.
  
  
• These will be offered on a fixed weekly schedule for the foreseeable future, focused around the peak player count periods.
  
  
• You can expect to see some adjustments to the entry cost and reward structure for the three tournaments in the next few weeks, as we search for the optimal structure.
  
  
• You can now leave the tournament bracket screen while waiting for the queue to fill or the next round to start.
  
  
• There will be a free-to-enter tournament over the Christmas period.
  
  
• Later we want to add more types of tournaments, with more expansive rules.

We would love to hear your feedback on these changes, especially the entry cost/reward structure. Remember that the rewards for Boot Camp tournaments should be something of greatest interest to new players and the rewards for Iron tournaments should be something of greatest interest to veteran players. So let us know your thoughts and what changes or additions you would like to see to the tournament system.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

KARDS 2024 World Championships this weekend!

Follow the KARDS World Championship live.

TUNE IN ON TWITCH[www.twitch.tv]

Saturday 14 December 13:00 GMT

16 qualifiers battle for the final 4.

Sunday 15 December 13:00 GMT

The final 4 battle to the finish!

Good day KARDS players.

The KARDS World Championship, the biggest eSports event of the year is now coming to a close and we have the top 16 qualifiers who will battle until there is only one!

During the weekend of 23rd and 24th of November there was a 128 player knockout stage and we have the final 16 who enter the Grand Finals will contend to be the winner of the KARDS World Championships 2024.

We here at 1939 Games congratulate these 16 players for making it to the finals!

• Azi 变成光守护阿梓公主
  
• CalinBZ
  
• Dandelion882691
  
• Guest
  
• Guorq123456
  
• Henry449856878
  
• Hqt18
  
• Intradiction
  
• Juan
  
• Killswitch
  
• Spoker
  
• Stanislav
  
• Takao
  
• TreePipit
  
• Winnerwillwin
  
• Xyloser

On December 14th, the finalists will play in a single-elimination, best-of-five knockout tournament. The finalists need to bring four decks, all from different nations; with one deck ban. The first day has two rounds to determine the final four.

The second day, December 15th, is fully dedicated to the final four players fighting for the crown and top spot.

This two-day event will be live streamed on the KARDS Twitch, YouTube and Huya channels, as well as Bilibili.

With the latest KARDS expansion Blood & Iron we will take a look at our new battle ready decks that will accompany the expansions. The battle ready Decks will offer players a chance to go straight into battle with Blood and Iron.

The battle ready decks are hand-built by our designers and this time will come in two categories, 200 diamonds and 350 diamonds.

The three 200 diamond decks as for the Allies,


Major power Soviet with Germany as allies.

How many tanks do you need? If your answer is Yes, then this is the deck for you! Flood the board with tanks, especially endless hoards of T-34s. You have various toys to get extra value out of your tanks, like 12th GUARDS MECHANISED providing draw, 57th RIFLES pitting your T-34s against enemy units, and the trusted 214th AMUR orchestrating things in the back. Your enemy will be hard put dealing with all your threats, as your mechanised army rolls forward inexorably.


Major power USA with France as allies.

Having to pay 3 or more kredits to operate your units may seem like a major downside, but in this deck it is turned into an upside. Whether it is growing in strength with 1st CAVALRY TROOP, drawing a card with LES TERRIBLES or improving the defenses of your HQ with 8e MAROCAINS, you will quickly shoot ahead with all the synergy found here. And then you can quickly turn your ponderous units into an overwhelming force through PONTOON BRIDGE and BOLSTER THE RANKS for the final VICTORY MARCH.


Major power Britain with Poland as allies.

Your deck is full of units that grow stronger through adversity, with plenty of ways to help them survive, like ENTANGLEMENT, STUBBORN DEFENSE and THE RANGERS. This makes it a nightmare for your enemy to figure out when and where to strike, compounded with cards like 70th BRIGADE, 1st GRENADIER REGIMENT and ECHELON, which can punish any wrong moves. Your Polish ally excels at surviving scraps on the battlefield. And when you manage to live another day, that gives you another day to defeat your enemy.

The two 350 diamond decks feature the Axis: Germany and Japan,


Major power Japan with Soviets as allies.

Your cheap Shock units like 9th INFANTRY REGIMENT, 77th REGIMENT and 654th RIFLES can often trade 2 for 1, giving you card advantage in the late game to take over and win through a combination of big removal and big units. Your Soviet ally complements your strategy with additional Shock units before helping close out the game with big threats.


Major power Germany with Italy as allies.

Go big with beefy units. Cards like FELDHERRNHALLE RIFLES and PANZER IV-H give benefits from or to you playing big units. Duke it out with enemy units in the early game until you can take it over with LEOPOLD or the fearsome MAUS. Your Italian allies add strong units to the mix, with 49th INFANTRY REGIMENT helping to keep you alive and SPRING OFFENSIVE ready to replenish your hand.

The wait is over—Blood & Iron, the 8th major expansion for KARDS, has officially arrived on November 28, 2024!

This winter expansion brings bold new ways to dominate the battlefield, featuring 87 new cards, the groundbreaking Shock mechanic, and a thematic focus on the might of armored warfare. Whether you're a seasoned commander or a new recruit, this expansion is packed with opportunities to reshape your strategy and write history.



Each nation receives fresh reinforcements, with 15 cards per major nation and 3 for minor nations, delivering powerful units, game-changing mechanics, and exciting new strategies. Iconic additions like the Sherman tanks and legendary T-34s are ready to take center stage in your battles.


Introduce a tactical edge to your gameplay with the new Shock mechanic. Units with Shock can attack without taking return damage on their first strike, enabling players to execute devastatingly precise maneuvers.


Inspired by the monumental clashes of WWII, Blood & Iron puts a spotlight on heavy tanks, unit-to-unit combat, and game changing units that can tip the tide of war.


Each major nation gains a new battlefield with visuals inspired by the expansion's gritty theme, immersing players in the historical settings of the battles.


With 12 balance changes—7 buffs and 5 nerfs—the expansion further reshapes the KARDS meta, ensuring a fresh and dynamic battlefield even for existing cards. Alongside these changes, 107 cards rotate out, and 20 reworked cards return from the Reserve Pool, aligning perfectly with the themes of the expansion.


Each nation receives tailored reinforcements to align with its strategic identity:


Britain receives infantry support and strategic defenses, with garrison troops punishing enemies for hesitation or poor attacks. New tanks like the Black Prince and Humber add armored strength, while units with the new Shock mechanic bring tactical depth to the battlefield.


Germany dominates armored warfare with high-attack units, new Shock and Fight cards, and the monumental Maus, the heaviest tank ever built. With Heavy Armor 3 and a crushing attack of 12, the Maus ensures Germany’s position as a tank powerhouse in this expansion.


The Soviets harness the power of Shock units, legendary T-34 tanks, and formations that reward bold, aggressive strategies. Combined with Fight mechanics and bonuses for units with attack 4 or higher, the Soviet deck reflects the might of its historical armored forces.


The USA emphasizes synergy with its iconic Sherman tanks, thriving on strength in numbers. New three-operation cost cards add precision to their tactics, while big units and the return of General Patton ensure commanders have the tools for decisive victories.


Japan’s deck focuses on fast, tactical Shock units and high-risk, high-reward strategies. Infantry dominates, while select large units bring powerful stats with unique challenges for opponents, ensuring Japan maintains its aggressive and unpredictable playstyle.




Blood & Iron delivers bold new strategies through:

• Shock mechanics: Devastating first strikes for pivotal plays.
  
  
• Iconic synergies: Build your strategy around legendary units like Sherman tanks or T-34s.
  
  
• Additional Veterans: Rewarded resilience for units that withstand the test of battle.
  
  
• Lure and Survive: Clever plays to bait opponents or hold steadfast defenses.

This expansion isn’t just about new cards—it’s about shaping the future of KARDS:

• New archetypes: Secure key positions with fortified garrisons, lead the charge with Sherman tank supremacy or revive the legendary T-34 tanks.
  
  
• Enhanced classics: Iconic strategies like Combined Arms and Smokescreen return stronger and with a fresh take.

The time to act is now!

Engage with military strategies rooted in history with Blood & Iron as KARDS enters its most powerful chapter yet. Whether you're building a new deck or perfecting an old favorite, this expansion offers exciting new opportunities for epic battles and victories to remember!

For all the thrilling details, check out the [Blood & Iron patch notes].

Play now and take command—history is yours in KARDS: Blood & Iron!

The British have their tanks! A new Humber with a twist and the Black Prince, an upgraded Churchill tank with a 17-pounder gun. However, as before it is the infantry which is at the core of the British Army. Here we will see units that will punish the enemy if they are not engaged and you will have garrison troops to help guard your HQ and assets. There will also be a few units that make use of the new shock mechanic.

So become the best with the British. With the new cards you can make a deck that can help you reach the top!

Selection of spoiler cards:

The Japanese will be a bit different than the other 4 major nations. Historically the Japanese were not as focused on tank development as other nations. That being said, they will receive a few tanks. Mostly it will be new infantry, small units with shock, large units that will have strength and weaknesses. All in the theme of previous Japanese releases, with a bit of a new flavor.

The Japanese will continue their fast attacking aggro style, incorporating the new Shock mechanic along with their older abilities to make an unstoppable deck.

Selection of spoiler cards:

Like all the other nations the focus is on armored warfare. For the Soviets the focus is on the legendary T-34. There are rules that benefit formations of T-34 making historical play competitive as you build up an unstoppable onslaught! The new Shock mechanic will also be incorporated into Soviet options as well as attack 4 or higher and Fight.

The Soviets will enjoy their new historically themed deck, with the focus on T-34, Shock tactics and Fight you will have all you need to reach the top, but it is for you, commander, to succeed!

Selection of spoiler cards: