Kards Guide for Frustrated New Players

[Sudhir]

A Bit About Me

Like you, I'm a big WW2 buff who has never played a CCG. I picked up this game out of passing interest and got smashed by an endless stream of veterans. I'm now an "infinite" Draft player, meaning I turn a profit playing Draft and am also in the Officer's Club. I don't claim to be an expert in the game, but I have managed to succeed despite having no CCG experience and not spending any money on the game.

Expectations

This is a pay-to-win game. All CCGs are by nature P2W. You'll need to get used to this fact. There are also very few junior players to cut your teeth on. The Beta and Early Access were very long and players (inexplicably) got to keep their collections they amassed during that period. The developers also have no interest in supporting/encouraging new players. After all, frustrated players will open their wallets to pay with money rather than time. Try not to reward them for that decision and endeavor to build your collection for free. It can be done.

This is a card game. Card games are random. You can play perfectly and lose to a moron who either got lucky or who has a stacked deck. It happens. Often. Skill will not guarantee you victory. Like poker, skill will just tip the (long-term) odds in your favour. Card games like this are also not balanced. There will always be crazy card combinations that are "game-breaking".

Honestly, if you just like WW2 stuff, I'd recommend that you save yourself the frustration and play something else.

Perhaps you're a masochist like me, however. If so, read on.

So How Can Someone Like Me Have Fun?

You play Draft. Draft at least eliminates the P2W aspect of the game. Luck is still very much a factor, but you can tip the odds in your favour with enough skill. Personally, I find Draft more fun than regular Battle (as it's more fair), but even if you don't feel the same way, there's no denying that Draft is a great way to build your collection.

You do NOT want to just hop into Draft right away though. While it's more fair, it's quite competitive. You do need to learn the game first. This means playing regular battles and taking your lumps. Get a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of each nation. Learn which cards are strong and when. Learn how to make good decisions quickly and evaluate the risk/reward of your moves.

You also want to build up a war chest of ~150g. This is necessary for the same reason you don't want to invest with your life savings. You need a cushion if luck isn't on your side. I've been "down" ~50g before eventually turning it around to be up again. Especially at the start, you will likely struggle a bit in the Draft. Do not spend gold on packs. You should be able to save up some pretty quickly. Certain achievements can give a good chunk on their own.

I've Learned the Game and Have my War Chest

Great! You're ready to enter the Draft. Generally, you'll want to focus on whatever nation you're most comfortable with. If you don't have a strong preference, I'd recommend Japan. They have a lot of individually strong cards that don't require a lot of thought/planning. It's very difficult to do poorly as Japan. That doesn't make them the best though. I've personally had the most 7-win Drafts with the USA. Many people say Germany is the best and UK is the weakest. I will say though, some of the most unbeatable decks I've seen are UK ones, though they have to get very lucky at the card selection stage.

Picking your Cards

This is the most important part. There are tier lists you can use. Gearbot's is popular: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R2p0staCj_Y50f3qeUYiFZnpD9L33E8iFtPqUf6Fqs8/edit#gid=0. Remember though that any tier list is just some guy's opinion. DO NOT just always pick the higher tier card. I frequently pick options that are significantly "worse". While this isn't regular Battle Mode, you still want to build your deck as best you can. 40 Leopolds aren't going to win you many games. I'd recommend using the tier list as a bit of tie-breaker if you're in a toss-up. It's also good to reflect on the value of cards. If you think a card is amazing, but others think it's trash, that's at least worth thinking about.

I don't have any hard data, but I'd recommend picking an actual ally rather than going "pure" Nation X. Make sure you aren't picking up too many orders or expensive cards. Momentum is hard to win back in this game, so you'll want to make sure you have enough early-game cards to seize it. That said, you don't want that momentum to fizzle out in the end-game because all you have is 1-3k cards.

Playing the Draft

Remember that this is not regular Battle Mode with a deck you built yourself. Don't rely as much on getting that critical card. You don't have 4 Bloody Sickles, you may only have 1 (or none). Also remember that your opponent is in the same boat. The game is generally a little more unpredictable and tends to be more about this turn than thinking about 5 turns from now. That said, if you got lucky in the card picking stage and were able to build a deck with great synergy, make sure you leverage that- your opponent will likely not be in the same boat.

That's it really. With some practice, you'll start racking up wins. Really, all you need is to hit 5 wins. the 9g plus bonuses, 3-win rewards, daily missions, and achievements is enough to keep you "infinite". Once you hit 6-7 wins you'll really be making bank. In time, you'll have a decent collection and much better skills with which to return to Battle Mode and get your vengeance.

Somewhere along the way you'll hopefully have had some *gasp* fun. If so, THAT's the time to put some money in the game, not because you "need" cards, but because you want to support a game you've enjoyed.

Happy Hunting.

[Hisendam]

There are some really good pieces of advice here :-). As a ccg veteran I'd like to add one thing: Not every ccg is p2w by the wiki definition. Only the ftp ones are. Having said that, there were several ccgs out there coming and going with different business models, e.g. like pay once for the game and you could unlock all of the cards for free just by playing, BUT all of them failed to build a large enough playerbase to be maintained over time. So if you like this game it is certainly not a mistake to pay a few $ to support the devs to further improve and maintain this great ftp-ccg.

[Sudhir]

Escrito originalmente por Hisendam:

There are some really good pieces of advice here :-). As a ccg veteran I'd like to add one thing: Not every ccg is p2w by the wiki definition. Only the ftp ones are. Having said that, there were several ccgs out there coming and going with different business models, e.g. like pay once for the game and you could unlock all of the cards for free just by playing, BUT all of them failed to build a large enough playerbase to be maintained over time. So if you like this game it is certainly not a mistake to pay a few $ to support the devs to further improve and maintain this great ftp-ccg.

For sure, will edit the post.

To clarify- I definitely believe anyone who enjoys any FTP game should try to spend some money to support the developers that are making the game you enjoy.

When I said try not to spend money, I meant more try not to spend money because you're frustrated. You'll most likely stay frustrated, just with less money and generally I think it's best for money to be exchanged in a positive way, i.e. players put in money because they're having fun, not because they're been driven to the edge of sanity.

[Flavalicious]

Your missing the part where you rage quit out of a winning game, add the player to friends and then start ranting about how they had so many P2W cards (Ive spent $9 on this game. And again, he was totally winning the game he raged out of)

Please correct your guide :D