KARDS - The WW2 Card Game: Boot Camp Combat Guide

To clear the Boot Camp combat missions in KARDS - The WW2 Card Game, secure the frontline and protect your headquarters before committing resources to damage the enemy base. Rushing the opposing headquarters while enemy troops control the battlefield leaves your defense open to lethal counter-attacks. Consistent victories in the introductory missions rely on budgeting Kredits for unit operations, establishing Guard lines, and executing trades where your units survive reciprocal damage.

Balancing Deployment and Operation Costs

Every unit in KARDS - The WW2 Card Game requires two distinct resource investments: an upfront deployment cost to play the card and an operation cost to move or attack. Newly played units enter your support line with movement suspended until your following turn.

Deployment costs appear in the top-left circle of a card, while operation costs are displayed inside the arrow icon. Spending all your available Kredits to deploy a unit leaves you with zero Kredits to activate existing units on that turn.

To maintain board control during early turns:

• Reserve at least one Kredit whenever an active unit needs to move into the frontline or attack an advancing enemy.
• Avoid deploying expensive units on curve if doing so prevents your established units from defending against incoming threats.
• Plan two turns ahead so a unit deployed this turn can afford its operation cost on the next turn.

Guard Positioning: Support Line vs. Frontline

Each player's headquarters begins the match with 20 defense points. Guard units create an active defense barrier, forcing enemy ground units to target them before they can deal damage to your headquarters or adjacent friendly forces.

A Guard unit deployed to the support line immediately shields your headquarters from standard ground attacks. Moving that Guard unit into the frontline changes its tactical role: it blocks enemy ground units from claiming the frontline, but it leaves your support line and headquarters vulnerable to enemy air units and direct-damage orders.

During early training scenarios, keep at least one Guard unit stationed in the support line until you have eliminated opposing frontline threats.

Calculating Counter-Damage Before Attacking

Ground combat resolves damage simultaneously. When your ground unit attacks an enemy ground card, it absorbs retaliatory counter-damage equal to the target's attack rating. Attacking an enemy unit with higher attack than your unit's remaining defense destroys your card, even if your attack successfully eliminates the target.

A favorable trade requires either destroying the enemy unit while your unit survives with remaining defense or trading a lower-cost unit to eliminate a high-cost enemy threat. For example, sending a 3-attack, 3-defense unit into an enemy 2-attack, 3-defense unit destroys the enemy while leaving your unit alive with 1 defense point.

Follow this sequence before initiating any ground attack:

1. Compare your unit's defense against the defender's attack to confirm your unit will survive the exchange.
2. Confirm you have sufficient remaining Kredits to pay the operation cost of the attack and any planned reinforcements.
3. Check if a friendly order or air unit can damage the target first to eliminate it without triggering retaliatory damage.
4. Target active enemy units rather than dealing unassisted chip damage to the enemy headquarters.

Neutralizing Armor with Air Units and Orders

Heavy armor units possess high defense ratings that quickly deplete ground forces through counter-damage. Air units and tactical orders bypass frontline blocking rules, giving you tools to remove heavy units efficiently.

• Bombers: Operate exclusively from your support line and strike any enemy target on the board without receiving retaliatory damage. Bombers cannot capture or occupy the frontline, so pair them with ground units to prevent the opponent from pushing forward.
• Fighters: Intercept incoming bombers, attack ground forces, and protect friendly air units from opposing air strikes.
• Tactical Orders: Provide instant-speed removal or disruption. Direct-damage orders eliminate weakened armor after skirmishes, while suppression or Pin effects disable an enemy unit for one turn. Pinning a high-attack tank neutralizes its threat temporarily, allowing you to establish a Guard unit or maneuver reinforcements into position.

Securing the Frontline to End the Mission

The frontline is the contested middle zone of the battlefield, and only one player can occupy it at a time. Taking the frontline forces your opponent to spend extra Kredits to dislodge your units or deploy specialized support-line cards.

Once you eliminate the enemy's forward units, advance your surviving ground troops into the frontline to lock out new opposing ground deployments. Maintain your support-line defenses while your frontline units systematically reduce the enemy headquarters from 20 defense to zero.