This article breaks down the deck I used to climb to Summit rank during the Belgium Season, my first season playing Kickoff Tactics. It’s not necessarily the most powerful deck in the game, but it was the best I could build with the cards available to me at the time. For other newer players, I’ve also included the cards I was running before I upgraded, in case you’re working with a similar collection.
Goalkeeper & Defenders
I’m grouping these together because the defensive setup was built around a specific package designed to support my best Goalkeeper.
ZION SUZUKI is the cornerstone of this package, he gains +1 Power for each Defender in the same lane, so getting good, low-cost Defenders alongside him was a priority.
For the Defenders, I focused on cards that provide solid value in the early game:
NICOLAS TAGLIAFICO: Essential for securing an early lead when RENOVATION appears, since no cards can be played in that zone during the first half. Getting him in there before it locks is a free win in that lane.
KEVIN DANSO: In the first half, powerful zones like GOAL FEST can make your opponent’s intentions fairly predictable. Danso lets you punish those commitments before they pay off.
RICARDO RODRIGUEZ: Boosts an existing card’s Power while also contributing presence in a separate lane – solid dual-purpose value.
JOHN STONES: Strong on his own, and helps cycle to your next draw, which matters more than it might seem over the course of a match.
The core idea behind this defensive setup is to lock down at least one lane in the first half using only Goalkeeper and Defender cards, before the stronger midfield and forward options come online.
Midfield
DAICHI KAMADA: Arguably the weakest card in the deck alongside Saelemaekers, but when played early, he adds incremental value to every draw that follows. Worth including for the snowball potential.
ALEXIS SAELEMAEKERS: A tech pick aimed at opponents running Bellingham in their Wildcard slot. It doesn’t always work (roughly 30% success rate in my experience) but when it does pull Bellingham out of their loadout, it can be game-changing.
JUDE BELLINGHAM: I keep Bellingham in my Starting XI to ensure he’s drawn consistently (also helps against anyone else employing the Saelemaekers tech!). He’s a clutch card that almost always wins you a lane when played at the right moment.
Forwards
ANTONIO NUSA: A guaranteed Turn 1 play. Simple, reliable, gets something on the board immediately.
JARROD BOWEN: A key part of the early gameplan. Played well in the right lane, he can secure a first-half lead on the right side.
MARCO ARNAUTOVIC: Excellent value. With a little setup, he’s almost always worth 10 Power, making him one of the most reliable cards in the deck.
Wildcards
DF — WILLIAM SALIBA: If you’re going into the final turn with the lead, Saliba is your insurance policy. He can shut down the obvious lane your opponent is targeting, and if you’re acting last without the advantage, he still has enough raw Power to function as a strong base card.
MF — BRUNO FERNANDES: With three Forwards in the formation, Bruno becomes extremely dangerous in the late game. A +3 Power boost across all of them can completely overturn a lane an opponent thought was already won.
FW — HARRY KANE: Despite not benefiting from Bruno’s ability, Kane is a high-ceiling card. Played on the final turn, he can swing in at 16 or even 18 Power when the conditions are right.
ANY — NICOLÁS DE LA CRUZ: Not the flashiest Wildcard, and often the last to be played, but like Kane he can become comfortably predictable enough to contribute 7–8 Power when needed.
Budget Alternatives
Before cracking some of the stronger cards from packs, here’s what I was running in their place — useful if you’re earlier in your collection:
DEF — KRISTOFFER AJER: Excellent value at 2-cost, effectively worth 4 Power. Reducing an opponent’s card early can make a real difference in first-half lane fights.
MF — KOBBIE MAINOO: Dropped into an empty lane early, he can grow to 8 or even 10 Power by the time it matters. A strong budget mid.
FW — PEDRO NETO: My Kane replacement before I pulled him. Reliable late-game Power with no strings attached.
Gameplan
The core strategy is to build a half-time lead using the low-cost GK + Defender package alongside JARROD BOWEN, targeting Lanes 1 and 2 when Bowen is in hand. From there, it’s about reinforcing lanes where you’re ahead and setting up for the “finisher” Wildcards; Saliba to lock wins, Bruno to overturn close lanes, and Kane to close out.
As I said at the start, this isn’t a top-tier meta deck, but it’s the strongest I could build in the early stages as a collector. If you’re working with a similar card pool, hopefully this gives you a solid blueprint to work from.