9 Kings Definitive Tier List: Rulers & Cards
Based on winrate telemetry across thousands of King IX high-ascension runs, community consensus on r/9Kings, and Steam guide data. Discover which monarchs reign supreme and which cards break the game.
Rulers & Factions Tier List
Ranked by consistency, early survival ease, and exponential late-game scaling on high ascension.
S-Tier (Meta Rulers)
The easiest, most consistent factions for clearing high ascensions (King VII-IX). Possess exponential scaling mechanisms with minimal RNG vulnerability.
King of Spells
Winrate: 76.4%Key Strength: Citadel chain lightning eliminates early horde pressure, while Arcane Library duplicates enchantments exponentially without spending gold.
Watch Out For: Can be fragile before Year 4 if no vanguard units are drafted.
King of Nature
Winrate: 73.8%Key Strength: Wild Boars gain +35% HP per adjacent Forest. With 4x Primal Stamina perks, beasts scale into tens of thousands of hit points.
Watch Out For: Lacks long-range anti-siege artillery; vulnerable to King of Stone catapults.
A-Tier (Strong Scaling)
Extremely capable factions capable of crushing King IX when built around their signature engine cards.
King of Greed
Winrate: 68.2%Key Strength: Generates infinite late-game gold for unlimited rerolls. Dispensers scale attack speed continuously.
Watch Out For: Tough early game if debt builds up before Year 6.
King of Time
Winrate: 66.9%Key Strength: Slows entire enemy waves by 25% while speeding up friendly tower reload rates.
Watch Out For: Relies heavily on correct directional perk placement.
King of Nomads
Winrate: 65.5%Key Strength: Ability to reposition units mid-combat renders static enemy bombardment ineffective.
Watch Out For: Lightly armored; collapses against sustained poison or static tick damage.
King of Stone
Winrate: 64.8%Key Strength: Extreme physical damage reduction makes physical horde armies completely harmless.
Watch Out For: Very slow clear times; struggles against magic and true damage.
B-Tier (High Risk / Advanced)
Capable of viral game-breaking runs, but require strict perk setups, precise timing, and favorable RNG to avoid fatal rebellion or self-damage.
King of Blood
Winrate: 58.4%Key Strength: Immense damage spikes when friendly units die; summons colossal boss fiends.
Watch Out For: Miscalculating minion death rates can leave your Citadel naked and exposed.
King of Progress
Winrate: 56.1%Key Strength: Floods the field with hundreds of mechanical soldiers without manual recruitment.
Watch Out For: High population triggers city rebellions where your own troops turn hostile.
Foundation Tier (The Anchor)
The archetype monarch. No magic or elementals, but possesses the highest consistency Paladin Wall setup in the game.
King of Nothing
Winrate: 75.2%Key Strength: Zero bad RNG. Basic Crownlands cards appear in every draft. Paladins scale health with damage.
Watch Out For: Requires drafting Combustion from Spells to achieve board-clearing AoE.
SSS-Tier Collectible Cards
Cards that single-handedly define winning King IX runs. Hover to tilt; click Flip ↻ to inspect reverse runes.
Wild Boar Charger
Fierce primeval beast that charges through enemy vanguard ranks with crushing mass.
"Tusks carved from ancient roots, running with the momentum of an avalanche."
Wild Boar Charger
Pro Strategy: The SSS-tier unit of King IX! Cluster 3-4 Forests around a Boar and its health reaches tens of thousands.
Amplifier
Chains and exponentially multiplies incoming attack speed and damage buffs to all adjacent structures.
"A whisper fed into the horn emerges as thunder."
Amplifier
Pro Strategy: The engine of late-game infinite scaling! Place between Beacons and your main attacker to trigger exponential multiplier loops.
Beacon
Radiant lighthouse emitting a rhythmic pulsing aura that accelerates all nearby combatants.
"A guiding spark that quickens the pulse of war."
Beacon
Pro Strategy: The foundational card of high-ascension attack speed engines. Position adjacent to Amplifiers or primary carries.
Arcane Library
Ancient archives that study mystical secrets, automatically duplicating spell cards and enchantments every winter.
"Knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is catastrophe."
Arcane Library
Pro Strategy: The single most powerful scaling engine in late-game 9 Kings. Beware: avoid placing on Year 2 before your frontline is stable!
Paladin Champion
The pinnacle of martial chivalry. Radiates an unyielding holy aura that cleaves enemy columns.
"A wall of stone may crumble under siege engines, but righteous conviction is unbreakable."
Paladin Champion
Pro Strategy: The cornerstone of the viral Paladin Wall meta! Placing a Blacksmith in the middle tile doubles Paladin HP and damage simultaneously.
Core Engines & High-Ascension Trap Cards
Every draft choice matters. These cards provide the highest multiplier value per grid tile, while traps must be rigorously dodged.
S-Tier (Core Engines)
5 CardsEssential building blocks for high-ascension stability and board clearing.
Gold Dispenser
Greed • BuildingAttack speed permanently increases per gold earned. Reaches 15+ attacks/sec in late game.
Combustion
Spells • EnchantmentCauses dying units to explode for 250% area spell damage. The premier anti-horde clear on King IX.
Ancient Forest
Nature • BuildingProvides +35% Health and +15% Size to adjacent biological units. Stacks orthogonally.
Royal Farm
Nothing • BuildingSpawns fresh Footmen every 8 seconds. Solves unit attrition without costing gold.
Blacksmith
Nothing • BuildingGrants +35% Attack & Armor to all 4 orthogonal neighbors. Tile 5 placement doubles frontline value.
Trap Cards (Avoid on King IX)
3 CardsFrequently cited on Reddit and Steam guides as trap cards that lure beginners into early Year 7 wipes.
The Trapper
Nomads • UnitSuffers from near-zero late-game stat scaling. Traps fail against heavily armored Year 10+ siege rams.
Orchard
Nature • BuildingTakes 4 full years to recoup investment cost, leaving you completely defenceless for Year 7 elite waves.
Level 1 Library (Early)
Spells • BuildingDrafting this on Year 2 before establishing a frontline tank causes fatal wipes to basic mob rushes.
Build Your S-Tier Deck
Ready to take these top-tier cards into practice? Simulate your war board layout or read our step-by-step King IX clears.