Soccards lets you pick a formation and a style before kickoff. The formation sets your base zone points; the style decides what kind of deck you'll draw from. This page is your reference for both.
The formation distributes your zone strength across defence, midfield, and attack. Stronger numbers in one zone mean higher base points (and a more reliable margin) every time the round plays there. The trade-off is whatever you steal from elsewhere.
| Formation | Defence | Midfield | Attack | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Balanced default. No weak zone. |
| 4-3-3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | Attack-leaning sides happy to fight for midfield. |
| 5-3-2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | Sit deep, soak pressure, hit on counters. |
| 3-5-2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | Win the midfield, dictate where the round plays. |
| 4-5-1 | 6 | 6 | 3 | Defensive cup-tie shape, hard to break, light up top. |
| 3-4-3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Aggressive: thin at the back, dangerous everywhere else. |
Your opponent's formation matters as much as yours: their defence points become the wall you're shooting through, and vice versa. A 4-3-3 versus a 5-3-2 puts 6 attack vs 6 defence on that side of the field, a margin of zero before any cards.
Mid-match you can swap formation with the Tactical Change event card. It takes effect next round, not this one, so plan a turn ahead.
Where the formation shapes the field, the style shapes your deck. Every style ships 75 primary + 75 support cards. Same total, different mix. A balanced deck draws evenly; tiki-taka leans on Structured Play and Creativity; route-one stuffs in Long Balls and Finishers.
You'll never run out: when a sub-pile is exhausted (typically only mid-extra-time), it reshuffles deterministically and the hand keeps flowing.
Even distribution across attack, defence, and support. Nothing shines, nothing is missing. The forgiving choice for new players and the neutral baseline for testing tactics.
In the deck
Possession football. Builds patiently from the back, presses high to win the ball, and punishes opponents who try to absorb.
In the deck
Defend first, hurt fast. Soak pressure, win the ball back, then strike with a long pass into a finisher before the opponent recovers their shape.
In the deck
Suffocate the build-up. Flow forward through the wings, recover high up the pitch, and never let the opponent settle into possession.
In the deck
Direct football. Sit deep, hit long, finish from crosses. The shortest path from your defensive third to the opponent's goal.
In the deck
Win games 4-3, not 1-0. Flood the attacking third and trade rounds before the opponent can climb out of their half.
In the deck
A few combinations that play well together:
There's no dominant pairing. Every shape has a counter. The most common mistake is picking a style whose strengths don't match the formation's: a 4-5-1 + All-out Attack has nowhere to put all those Finishers.