KARDS - The WW2 Card Game: Frontline and Kredit Economy Guide

In KARDS - The WW2 Card Game, securing the contested frontline and budgeting Kredits for turn-by-turn operation costs are your primary tactical priorities. To establish board control, advance ground units to seize the frontline as early as possible, execute all unit movements and attacks before summoning reinforcements, and hold back enough Kredits so your forces do not become immobilized.

Frontline Control and Board Positioning

The battlefield in KARDS - The WW2 Card Game is divided into three distinct zones: your support line, the central frontline, and the enemy support line. All newly deployed ground units arrive directly in your support line. To strike enemy support units or threaten the enemy Headquarters with regular ground forces, those units must first advance into the frontline.

The frontline is mutually exclusive: only one player can occupy it at a time. Seizing the frontline establishes an immediate strategic advantage:

Movement Denial: While you occupy the frontline, your opponent cannot advance ground units into the center. They must destroy your forward units before they can move forward.
Direct Pressure: Units stationed on the frontline can attack enemy support units and target the enemy Headquarters directly.
Headquarters Shielding: Controlling the frontline keeps opposing ground forces locked in their own support line, preventing standard ground strikes against your Headquarters.

If you lose control of the frontline, your opponent gains the freedom to dictate combat trades and march within striking distance of your base.

Managing the Kredit Economy: Deployment vs. Operation Costs

Your resource pool starts at one Kredit on turn one and grows by one each round up to a cap of twelve. Unlike many card games where resources are spent solely to play cards from hand, units in KARDS require an Operation Cost (Op Cost) every time they attack or change rows.

Spending all of your Kredits to summon units leaves your board immobilized. A unit that enters play without Kredits left to maneuver cannot respond to emerging threats or execute trades. Budget your turns so that deployed assets have sufficient resources to act when needed.

Unit Class	Kredit Profile	Tactical Role	Primary Vulnerability
Light Infantry	Low deployment, low Op Cost	Rapid frontline capture and early screening	Low health pool; easily eliminated by cheap Orders
Tanks / Armor	Moderate-to-high deployment, varied Op Cost	Breakthrough assaults; immediate line entry with Blitz	High Kredit drain if pinned in the support line
Artillery	Moderate deployment, high Op Cost	Direct support strikes without taking retaliation damage	High vulnerability if the frontline collapses
Bombers	Varied deployment, moderate Op Cost	Overflies the frontline to hit high-priority targets	Susceptible to Fighter interception and pin mechanics

Minimizing Combat Attrition

Standard combat between ground units features mutual retaliation: both the attacker and defender deal their attack values simultaneously to each other's defense pool. Relying exclusively on standard trades rapidly depletes your board. To minimize attrition, incorporate unit types that bypass mutual retaliation:

Artillery: Fires directly from your support line into the frontline or the enemy backline without suffering counterattacks. Use Artillery to soften high-defense armor or pick off wounded troops.
Bombers: Strike targets without taking return fire and fly over the frontline to strike the enemy Headquarters or backline units.
Blitz Armor: Tanks with the Blitz keyword can move into the frontline and attack on the same turn they are deployed, allowing you to reclaim an empty line or eliminate a damaged enemy instantly.

Protecting the Headquarters with Guard Units

Each Headquarters starts with a base pool of 20 defense. When the enemy occupies the frontline, your Headquarters becomes an open target for standard ground attacks.

Deploying units with the Guard keyword mitigates this threat. A Guard unit protects both the friendly Headquarters and adjacent friendly units from standard ground attacks until that Guard unit is removed. Position Guard units in your support line to shield your Headquarters and safeguard vulnerable, high-value backline assets such as Artillery batteries. Guard units buy time to draw removal Orders or prepare a counteroffensive, but reclaiming the frontline remains the only permanent way to neutralize enemy pressure.

Recommended Turn Sequencing

Executing attacks and repositioning before spending resources on new cards maximizes tactical flexibility. Deploying cards at the start of a turn locks your Kredits, leaving no margin to react if combat trades reveal unexpected requirements.

Follow this sequence each turn:

Assess the Board: Check enemy attack values on the frontline and calculate whether your Headquarters or backline units sit within lethal range.
Execute Attacks and Movement: Spend Kredits to attack, trade, or march units into the frontline while your full Kredit pool is available.
Calculate Remaining Kredits: Tally your residual Kredits after paying all required operation costs.
Deploy Units or Orders: Spend your remaining Kredits to deploy fresh reinforcements into your support line or play targeted Orders to cement your position before passing the turn.