---
title: "ROUNDS: Beginner-to-Advanced Guide"
game: "ROUNDS"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/rounds"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Builds", "Beginners", "Achievements", "Mods"]
summary: "A guide to Landfall's noodle-armed 1v1 card duel shooter: how matches work, controls, blocking, how to draft cards, builds that work, counter-picking, and multiplayer and modding setup in 2026. Researched September…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/rounds-beginner-to-advanced-guide-90535c99"
published: "2026-09-27T17:25:36.980Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T17:25:36.980Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# ROUNDS: Beginner-to-Advanced Guide

A guide to Landfall's noodle-armed 1v1 card duel shooter: how matches work, controls, blocking, how to draft cards, builds that work, counter-picking, and multiplayer and modding setup in 2026.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of the October 2025 Mac release (the Switch port launched alongside it); the last gameplay patch was the November 2024 update that added PlayStation crossplay and more achievements. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **The loser picks a card.** After each round, the player who lost chooses one card from a hand of offered cards (Landfall: "The losing player of each round unlocks clever upgrades"). The game is built around catching up, so a losing streak isn't the end.
2. **Block is your most important button.** A well-timed block negates a bullet and triggers many card effects. It has a cooldown, so don't spam it.
3. **Pick cards that counter your opponent,** not just ones that sound strong. Read what they took.
4. **Stay on the map.** Falling out kills you instantly (there's even an achievement for winning 10 rounds by your opponent falling out).
5. **Jump and wall-cling constantly.** A moving target is much harder to hit, especially vs slow bullets.
6. **Reloading happens automatically** when your magazine empties or after you stop firing. Watch your ammo counter.
7. **Take match-changing cards.** Cards like Phoenix, Saw and Demonic Pact change the whole match; rare cards (the card frame shows rarity) are usually worth taking unless they wreck your build.
8. **Local play and room codes** are the easiest way to play with friends; crossplay works with Xbox and PlayStation.

## How a Match Works

| Element | Rules |
|---|---|
| Players | 1v1 online, local multiplayer on one PC |
| Match | First to 5 round wins (a 5-0 win earns the **Ace** achievement; losing 0-5 earns **Joker**) |
| Rounds | Each round is a short series of duels on a random map; the round's progress shows as pips at the top of the screen |
| Card draft | The loser of each round picks one card from a hand of offered cards |
| Maps | 70+ maps with platforms, walls, moving parts, and hazards |

Because the loser drafts, games are self-balancing. The winner of a set of rounds has to deal with an opponent who has just gotten stronger specifically against them.

## Controls

| Action | Keyboard and mouse | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Move | A / D | Left stick |
| Jump / wall jump | Space | A (bottom face button) |
| Aim | Mouse | Right stick |
| Shoot | Left mouse | Right trigger |
| Block | Right mouse | Left trigger |

Check **Options** for rebinding. The pause menu got an options menu in the November 2024 update.

## Movement and Blocking Fundamentals

- **Wall clinging:** you can stick to walls and jump off them. This is how you dodge and reposition.
- **Block timing:** block right when a bullet is about to hit, not preemptively. After a block, you're vulnerable until the cooldown ends.
- **Ammo:** each gun has a magazine; a reload takes time, and cards change both. Firing everything wildly gives the opponent a reload window to punish.
- **Knockback:** bullets push you. Near edges, this is what kills people.

## Card Categories

ROUNDS has 65+ cards. They fall into rough categories. Descriptions below are summaries; hover a card in-game to see its exact numbers.

### Gun cards (change your bullets)

| Card | What it does (in short) |
|---|---|
| Big Bullet | Larger bullets that are easier to land |
| Buckshot | Shotgun spread: several weaker bullets per shot |
| Spray | Very high fire rate, low damage per bullet |
| Barrage | Fires more bullets per shot |
| Bouncy | Bullets bounce off surfaces |
| Homing | Bullets curve toward the enemy |
| Explosive Bullet | Bullets explode on impact |
| Poison | Bullets deal damage over time |
| Cold Bullets | Bullets slow the target |
| Glass Cannon | Huge damage boost, but big HP loss |
| Remote | You steer your bullets after firing |
| Trickster | Bullets get stronger after bouncing |
| Quick Reload | Faster reload |

### Block cards (trigger when you block)

| Card | What it does (in short) |
|---|---|
| Teleport | Blocking teleports you in the direction you're aiming |
| Frost Slam | Blocking creates a slowing blast |
| Healing Field | Blocking creates a healing area |
| Empower | Blocking makes your next shot stronger |
| Shields Up | Adds block utility tied to your gun (triggers the **Shield Up** achievement) |
| Supernova | Blocking unleashes a big area effect |
| Radiance | Blocking triggers a damaging effect around you |
| Echo | Doubles up on your block (hover it in-game for the exact effect) |

The **Shieldmastery** achievement is for holding 4 cards that interact with block, so block-focused builds are a legitimate strategy.

### Character cards (stats and passives)

| Card | What it does (in short) |
|---|---|
| Huge | More max HP |
| Tank | Much more HP, slower attack |
| Pristine Perseverance | Extra HP while you're near full health |
| Decay | Damage you take is dealt to you slowly over time instead of all at once |
| Leech | Heal from damage dealt |
| Chilling Presence | Slows enemies near you |
| Phoenix | Come back once after dying (weaker) |
| Saw | A damaging saw around you punishes close range |
| Demonic Pact | Trades your health for firepower |

## Builds That Work

### Bouncy Homing (the "can't dodge" build)

**Core:** Bouncy, Homing, Trickster, Big Bullet.
Bullets curve, bounce and grow deadlier after bouncing. Great on maps with many walls. Weak against fast Teleport players who block well.

### Tank Brawler

**Core:** Huge, Tank, Pristine Perseverance, Leech, Decay.
Outlast your opponent. Pair with a reliable damage card (Big Bullet or Explosive Bullet). The **Titan** achievement (reach 1000 HP) comes naturally from this.

### Glass Cannon Sniper

**Core:** Glass Cannon, Big Bullet, Quick Reload.
Huge single-shot damage. Destroyer of Worlds (500 damage with one bullet) is an achievement goal here. Very fragile, so this build needs good aim and good blocking.

### Spray and Pray

**Core:** Spray, Buckshot, Barrage, Poison.
Huge bullet counts that overwhelm blocks. Watch reload times. Beekeeper achievement (30 of your bullets on screen) comes from this.

### Block Master

**Core:** Teleport, Frost Slam, Healing Field, Empower, Echo.
Every block becomes an attack or escape. Excellent against slow, heavy bullets.

## Counter-Picking Guide

| Opponent has | Take |
|---|---|
| Homing / Bouncy spam | Block cards (Teleport, Echo), Huge |
| Glass Cannon | Huge/Tank, Healing Field, Decay |
| Tank / high HP | Poison, Explosive Bullet, Spray |
| Spray / high bullet count | Big HP, Decay, Healing Field |
| Teleport blockers | Homing, Spray (overload the block) |
| Saw / close-range builds | Keep distance: Big Bullet, Homing |
| Phoenix | Burst damage to finish both lives |

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Blocking too early.** You waste the cooldown; the second bullet hits.
- **Picking random cards.** Each pick should either build your synergy or counter the opponent.
- **Standing still.** Constant jumping and wall-clinging makes you hard to hit.
- **Ignoring Glass Cannon's HP penalty.** Without defense, you get one-shot.
- **Stacking reload-heavy cards.** Slow reloads leave long punish windows.
- **Fighting near edges.** Knockback kills more players than damage does.

## Advanced Tips

- **Bait blocks.** Fire one shot to bait the block, then follow up during cooldown.
- **Use map geometry:** bounce shots off ceilings over cover.
- **Read your opponent's picks.** If they take Poison, don't stay in long fights; if they take Homing, block timing matters more than dodging.
- **Card count matters late.** At 4-4, the loser has many cards; don't underestimate a comeback.
- **Save Teleport for escape**, not just aggression.

## Multiplayer and Crossplay

- **Online:** quick match against random opponents, or private matches via **room codes**.
- **Crossplay:** Steam, Xbox (since February 2024), and PlayStation (since November 2024). The Switch and Mac versions launched in 2025.
- **Twitch matchmaking:** streamers can play with viewers.
- **Local multiplayer:** controllers on one PC.

## Mods

- The community modding scene (Thunderstore mods via mod managers) is big: extra cards, more players, and rule tweaks.
- The 2024 updates broke many mods. Landfall made a **beta branch** with the older pre-Xbox-patch build available because it's the most mod-compatible. Select it in Steam, Properties, Betas.
- The modding Discord (community-run) is the place for up-to-date mod compatibility.

## Achievements Worth Chasing

| Achievement | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Victory | Win a match |
| Ace | Win 5-0 |
| Hypersonic | Fire a bullet with over 350% projectile speed |
| Healer | Heal 500 HP in one round |
| Titan | Reach 1000 HP |
| Destroyer of worlds | Deal 500 DMG with one bullet |
| Beekeeper | Have 30 of your own bullets on screen at the same time |
| Impenetrable | Block 10 times in 10 seconds |
| Expensive taste | Pick 3 or more rare cards in one match |
| Shieldmastery | Have 4 cards that interact with your block |
| Accidental Winner | Win 10 rounds by your opponent falling out |
| Three in a row! | Win 3 matches in a row |
| Frosty | Use Frost Slam 20 times |
| Card-use set | Use Remote (In Control), Teleport (Teleporter), Supernova (Star), Demonic Pact (Demon) or Radiance (Radient) 3 times in a single match; use Phoenix (Phoenix) and Saw (Sharp) once |
| Winner / Champion | Win 20 / 50 matches |

There are 24 achievements in total; most of the card-use ones came with the November 2024 update, so a block-focused build knocks out several at once.

## FAQ

**Is ROUNDS single-player?**
No campaign, but you can play local multiplayer or online. It's designed as a 1v1 duel game.

**Can I play with friends on Xbox or PlayStation?**
Yes. Use room codes; crossplay with Xbox and PlayStation is supported.

**Why don't my mods work?**
Updates in 2024 broke many mods. Switch to the older beta branch that Landfall provided for mod compatibility.

**Are there more than two players?**
The base game is built around 1v1. Mods add more players and teams.

**Is it on Mac?**
Yes, since October 2025.

**What's the best card?**
It depends on the opponent. Strong picks include Homing, Bouncy, Big Bullet, and Teleport, but the best card is often the one that counters what your opponent took.

## Sources

- [Landfall — ROUNDS](https://landfall.se/rounds)
- [Steam — ROUNDS achievements](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/1557740/achievements)
- [Steam store — ROUNDS](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557740/ROUNDS/)
- [Steam news — ROUNDS patch notes (1.1.1, November 2024 update, Mac release)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1557740)