Blitz

Blitz is a gametype introduced in Halo Wars 2. The game revolves around the use of cards that can deploy units or abilities onto the battlefield at the expense of energy. The mode was first trialled in the Halo Wars 2 - Blitz Beta and was the subject of the ViDoc Strategy.

Gameplay
Players enter the game with a deck that consists of a leader and 12 cards, where you will have 4 cards in one hand at all times. After deploying a card, a new card will takes it's place. After cycling through all other cards players will draw this card again and be able to use it. Energy is scattered throughout the map and requires players to find and collect. Spawning units not only costs energy, but there is also a health penalty for spawning units outside a player's home base. This system is known as "Fatigue", which some units are able to avoid (see Card keywords).

Blitz can only be played on The Proving Grounds multiplayer level, though the map has several themes.

Blitz cards


The Blitz cards take the form of units (or variations thereupon) and leader powers found in the regular multiplayer, with some exclusive to the mode. The UNSC and Banished each have access to nineteen base units, covering all the basic infantry, vehicles, aircraft and leader powers. Each leader (including DLC leaders such as Morgan Kinsano or Halo Wars 2 Open Beta on the cards can be viewed here.

Card keywords
Due to the unique gameplay of Blitz, Blitz cards have "Keywords" associated with them, which define the unique abilities a given unit has compared to its base game counterpart. A full list of keywords can be found below;
 * Blast: This unit explodes violently on death, damaging enemy troops in its radius.
 * Cloak: This unit is hidden and cannot be targeted for a short period, unless revealed by an enemy with Detect.
 * Detect: This unit detects and reveals nearby Cloaked enemies.
 * Guard: This unit covers nearby allies, receiving all damage they would normally take.
 * Last Stand: When this unit falls in battle, a number of infantry troops jump out to continue the fight.
 * Rally: This unit inspires nearby troops to deal increased damage.
 * Reflect: Half of the damage this unit takes is automatically dealt back to an enemy attacker.
 * Rush: This unit ignores Fatigue when deployed, charging into battle at full strength.
 * Shield: This unit has energy shield protection that absorbs damage and regenerates when out of combat.
 * Shock: This unit intimidates nearby enemy troops, significantly reducing their armor.
 * Siphon: This unit has special weaponry that steals health from its enemies equal to the damage dealt.
 * Support: This unit cannot attack and instead focuses on support or healing skills to boost your army.

Card naming
The names of Blitz card variants can help give insight into the card's unique abilities.
 * Cards with names such as Veteran (Such as the Veteran Cyclops, Veteran Hellbringer, Veteran Jackrabbit, Veteran Flame Warthog, Veteran Mantis) or Scarred (such as Scarred Hunters and Scarred Grenadiers) start with the upgrade that would be available to that unit in the regular multiplayer. For example, a Cyclops in Skirmish can be upgraded to fire shock rounds, whereas the Veteran Cyclops has this upgrade by default.
 * Cards with names such as Prowling (such as the Prowling Reaver) and Stealth (such as the Stealth Kodiak) have the Cloak keyword assigned.
 * Cards with names such as Unstable and Wild have the Blast keyword assigned.
 * Cards with names such as Bloodfuel and Extractor have the Siphon keyword assigned.

The above list covers the majority of common names, though some cards may have multiple keywords or have wholly unique name prefixes.

Blitz packs
Cards can be unlocked via Blitz Packs, rewarded for achieving ranks, completing campaign missions and challenges, microtransaction purchases and other miscellaneous means.

Blitz Firefight
Aside from the regular PvP Blitz mode, a PvE co-operative mode called Blitz Firefight can be played on The Proving Grounds, using the same mechanics as the base gamemode to fight off waves of AI hordes.