Reserve Card Rework September 2024

Hello friends!

A new release is around the corner and we want to continue our experiment from last spring in bringing back reserved cards in a completely reworked form. Like last time, we are focusing on cards that would not normally be returned to active duty, either because they no longer fit what we want that nation to be doing or simply because they are bad. Some of the reworked cards this time around do have a tie into what will happen later this winter with the next expansion, but should be fine as is for playing around with. Our main goal is to provide a batch of cards that support some minor existing theme or take an old archetype into a new direction, rather than to act as a huge meta-shaker - more diversity and allowing creative juices to flow is the name of the game.

            A total of 18 cards are being returned this time around, 3 for each major nation, plus 1 for France, Italy and Poland (there are no Finnish cards in reserve). All of them will become part of the Core pool and will drop from Core and Covert Ops packs. Note that some of them can also be found in the new Battle Ready decks, so look into those if you want quick access. Some of these returning cards only recently entered the reserved ranks, but some have lingered there for a long time until they mothballed. But finally they can emerge from their cocoon and shine as the beautiful butterflies they now are. Alright, enough hyperbole, let’s dig in.

TACTICAL WITHDRAWAL

This new version has a very similar concept as the old one, with one important difference - it resets the operation of the unit, meaning it can move and/or attack again this turn. As a baseline, this card allows, for instance, your big infantry in the frontline to attack an enemy unit, be retreated and repaired with Tactical Withdrawal and then return to the frontline again. Decent value, but nothing earth shattering. But now imagine you have a lone Humber Mk II in your support line with Blitzkrieg and Tactical Withdrawal in hand. For 5 kredits you can deal 16 damage to the enemy HQ - yes, Tactical Withdrawal allows a tank with Fury to attack 4 times in a turn. Welcome to the Fury Road: Tactical Withdrawal version.

CROMWELL Mk IV

We are keeping the pin matters theme of this card, but in a much stronger way. While we generally want to be careful with how much Suppress we add to the game, we wanted to broaden a little bit what nations have access to the effect, even in a fairly niche manner as we see here. In the right deck, this card can be a real menace and it now having Guard is the icing on the cake. Put a pin in it.

ROYAL WEST KENTS

There are many What Ifs to ponder when it comes to World War II, What if Chamberlain stood up to Hitler? What if Rommel won at El Alamein? And one of the popular ones - what would happen if Guards suddenly and spontaneously turned into crazed Zombies? Well, now we can play out this exciting alternative history with aid from the Royal West Kents, zombie-makers extraordinaire.

SUPPRESSION

For some of the returning cards it took us a long time to figure out what to do with them. This card was one of the harder ones, we spent countless brainstorming sessions searching for solutions. Finally it struck us that making it suppress a unit might work due to the name and there is an air unit in the art so lets throw in a reference to that. Voila! This is why we are paid the big bucks.

BREAKTHROUGH

Speaking of names fitting the card’s concept, here is one that is very much on the nose. This card can at the same time be devastatingly effective in the right deck (think decks that like to run cards like Blitzkrieg and Pursuit) and it is very thematic. Sometimes being on noses is a good thing and this one smells like success.

PAK 40

Germany hates cheap stuff and here is one more proof if you need one. This iconic anti-tank artillery saw little play in its first iteration, but we hope this new and improved version sees more 40-cards decks packed with Pak 40s. It does cost one more than the versatile Nebelwerfer, but the potential draw and Ambush does give this unit a higher ceiling.

MEN OF STEEL

Alright, let’s get the sexual innuendos out of the way - Hard Men Like to Hammer. Happy now? Can we go back to talking about cards? Thank you. With the childish horseplay out of the way we can finally start to dig into the dry, technical nitty gritty of this card: It makes your units hard or it allows you to hammer. There we go.

SU-85

Last time around we gave SU 152 a facelift and hinted at a potential tank-themed Soviet deck. It worked well then, so we are going for the same trick a second time. The deck still needs a few key pieces, but who knows what the (near) future will bring? In the meantime, this unit can help midrange or slower Soviet decks stay afloat against very aggressive decks. Stick a couple of these on the battlefield and you will soon be out of reach of most aggro decks.

KV-2

The KV-2 was always a meme-card, a borderline laughing stock. It now has some important stat tweaks (one less operation cost, one more attack), but the main attraction lies in its brand new ability. Note that this ability works for all of your units with Heavy Armor, including itself. Furthermore, it works on order damage from any source, including yourself. With this on board you can play Men of Steel to protect your squad, then fire off a Winter Warfare and see only the enemy units go up in flames. Even Winter Offensive can now be tanked a lot easier.

B-26 MARAUDER

Recent meta has been teeming with bomber-heavy US decks. So what do we do? Rework a US bomber into something super exciting for people to play with. Classic 1939. The wording may seem a little strange, but is a requirement as otherwise we would run into all sorts of technical and UI issues. It also limits the power level a little bit, which is needed, as this unit is quite potent as is. B-17 Flying Fortress now becomes High Altitude Bombing, 332nd Engineer Regiment now gives +4 HQ defense and 2 kredit slots, etc. The sky’s the limit, which is why this is on a bomber. Note that this effect does not stack, so printer shenanigans will not work with it.

OVERWHELMING FORCE

Sometimes regular force is just too meh and mundane. Sometimes you just need that extra bit of oomph. Sometimes you just want to go grr and go all out. Sometimes, uh, one should stop writing out interjections and just go on with things. This card buff may seem expensive, but it is not that hard to give a unit +8+8 with it, which is quite potent. Chances of OTK attempts in the near future: Overwhelming.

A-24 BANSHEE

Unspent kredits are like free candy lying around, just waiting to be hoovered up on a first-come-first-serve basis. The Banshee is now insanely versatile and bound to show up regularly. Especially as it can be grabbed by the Bomber Mafia. Late game the Banshee can come down like an angel of wrath, but you still retain the option of dropping it early if you really need that body. I mean, just look at that sleek, slim figure. Yummy. Don’t worry, the bomber fetish quota has now officially been reached for this blog and you can read on stress-free.

SHIBATA REGIMENT

Raise your hand if you are tired of watching your opponent spam endless orders while you twiddle your thumbs. Well, now you have a new best buddy. It remains to be seen how big an impact this card will have on the meta, but you should prepare for its presence. The best way to deal with the Shibata is with units like the Flammpanzer or the M18 Hellcat, so take this into account when adjusting your decks.

OUTMANEUVER

The Smokescreen deck has been a weak meme-deck for a long time, but it only requires a few new key cards to really put the deck on the map. Getting a +2+2 buff for mere 1 kredit is very strong, so let’s see if this change sees the Smokescreen deck maneuver its way into the meta.

144th INFANTRY REGIMENT

The Self-Kredit Denial deck (SKD) has been quite popular and performs well. But we still feel that in the wake of the nerfs in the last patch there is room for one more tool for the deck to play with. The stats have been adjusted slightly to fit better with a deck running tight on kredits, but having a couple of these can give you important reach to close out games in drawn-out games.

SABOTAGE

Finally we come to a card that people will love to hate and hate to love. The cost may be high with this one, but the effect may (and will) bring grown men to their knees crying when their beloved win-con is stolen. What a nice Manhattan Project you have there, good sir. Yoink! Note that Sabotage can only be played if the enemy has at least 3 cards in hand and will show you random 3 cards if more are held by the enemy, so time your sabotage with care!

SAVOIA-MARCHETTI SM.79

This bomber is like the little brother of the B-26 Marauder. Italy may not be known for their non-targeting deployment effects, but that could change in the future. In the meantime, you can have fun copying various juicy effects on your main nation units, be it draw, random removal, HQ defense or something else. Leopold anyone?

HEL

Hel did not have to spend eternity in purgatory, having only been reserved with Covert Ops, but Hel found a highway for a quick return to active duty. It can make one of your Legions a real problem to deal with, especially if backed up with protection and lots of intel. Also, don’t discount the option of self-inflicted harm now being harmless. Five-year plans work best in Hel, after all.

That’s it. We hope some of these cards get you all excited to try out some new and fun things in Kards, we know we are really excited to see what you guys will cook up. We also have a balance patch, which we will cover in another blog.

All these updates will drop on September 19th, so prepare yourself. See you on the battlefield, commander!