9 Kings Tier List – All Factions Ranked [Early Access]

In the game of 9 Kings, the advancement of your kingdom depends on your ability to craft a flawless deck of cards. Although you’ll utilize cards from various factions, prioritizing your own faction’s cards and strategies is essential for achieving victory. Utilize this 9 Kings tier list to optimally leverage each leader as you strive for greatness.

All Rulers Ranked – 9 Kings Tier List

9 Kings is a game that follows the roguelike style, ensuring no king appears overly powerful (OP). While some monarchs may seem easier to manage, particularly for beginners, mastering faction-specific strategies is key. In the early stages, focus on superior rulers such as the King of Spells. Remember, even if opponents defeat you, it’s all part of the learning curve.

The game is currently in its pre-release stage, so be prepared for adjustments to the balance, particularly when new rulers come into play.

TierKings
SKing of Spells
+Offensive powerhouse
Limited defensive options
King of Nature
+Excellent unit buffs
Lacks melee units
AKing of Greed
+If you have money, you have power
If you’re short on money, you’re done
King of Stone
+Best defensive faction
Worst offensive option
BKing of Blood
+Attacks in swarms
Weak units
Slow to build efficient army
King of Nothing
+Easy to play with
All-round faction but average in everything
CKing of Progress
+Excellent at upgrading plots
Hard to play with
Lacks offensive firepower
Requires great card synergy

S Tier – It’s a Kind of Magic

Elite groups excel in offensive strategies, boasting many of the strongest cards available within the game, making them particularly beneficial for newcomers.

King of Spells

Without a doubt, this kingly figure, the Master of Magic, offers an impressive arsenal, coupled with some tactical defense strategies. Due to its straightforward gameplay dynamics, you’ll find it easy to grasp and excel in this faction.

Best Cards:

  • Wizard – one of the best ranged units. Combine with Static buff for maximum effect.
  • Warlock – Tank units with AoE damage.
  • Citadel – Excellent chain lightning damage
  • Offering – Clears one target plot for three random cards.

Best Perks:

  • Ruthless – Castle attack has a chance to insta-kill (maximize this perk).
  • Ingenious – Additional castle upgrades.

King of Nature

Among the factions in the game, the King of Nature is undoubtedly one of the strongest support groups. It boasts some incredibly useful cards, particularly during the initial stages of play. However, it should be noted that this faction isn’t as powerful offensively, with its only ranged and melee units being Elves and Boars respectively.

Best Cards:

  • Clone – Duplicate the card from the selected plot.
  • Procreate – Adds nine units to the selected troop. Fantastic option for the early game.
  • Mycelium – mushrooms that shoot at enemies, acting as a tower.
  • Forest – Adds 2% HP to adjacent units each year.

Best Perks:

  • Pollinator – Starts with Mycelium at a random plot (maximize this perk).
  • Nurturer – Units start with +10% health per rank.

A Tier – Building Blocks

Monarchs at the top level necessitate particular strategies for effectiveness, since their inflexibility poses a challenge during gameplay.

King of Greed

Among the notable monarchs, the Greedy King stands out as a favorite, due to the majority of his deck’s cards proving useful. Yet, this favorable position comes with a cost – constant vigilance regarding financial matters is required. The more wealth you amass, the greater the boosts to your attacking card abilities will be.

Best Cards:

  • Beacon – excellent support building that adds 2% attack speed to adjacent units each turn.
  • Dispenser – one of the best towers in the game. Requires a significant gold income to be efficient.
  • Mercenary – great melee card, if you’re rich, as it gives you one unit for each 15 you have.
  • Overinvest – Improves unit stats by 15% for 30 gold. While this is great, don’t use it often if you rely on Mercenaries and Dispenser cards.

Best Perks:

  • Peddler – Free shop purchase.
  • Persistent – Two free card rerolls per rank.

King of Stone

Although it lacks certain offensive features (specifically, no real units), you’ll find playing as King of Stone quite enjoyable. Initially, it may seem sluggish since this faction truly shines during later phases of conflict when your defenses are well-established. To fully experience medieval warfare, pair the King of Stone with cards from the King of Nothing faction.

Best Cards:

  • Flametower – Needs time to reach enemies, but is unstoppable when it starts burning enemies. Upgrade it as soon as possible, as it’s the best offensive card in Stone’s arsenal.
  • Trapper – While not very useful at start, you’ll appreciate all those traps they build when push comes to shove in later stages of the run.
  • Earthworks – Removes a card from a plot, returns it to your hand, and unlocks adjacent plots. One of the most useful cards in the game.
  • Wallmaker – Creates walls around your kingdom, giving you more time to defend.

Best Perks:

  • Fortifier – Towers deal 10% more damage per rank.
  • Tactician – Start with one random tower card per rank.

B Tier – Nothing but Blood

Second-rate kings provide intriguing strategies for victory, however, they don’t possess the true might of higher-ranked kings. You’ll frequently employ a few of their cards, but you won’t usually concentrate on maximizing their combinations.

King of Blood

To put it simply, King of Blood can be likened to a swarm of Zergs. Similar to them, these units may be individually weak and have short lifespans, but they appear in massive numbers, frequently outmatching opponents who seem stronger on an individual level. However, unlike the Zergs, this demon faction seems to lack significant offensive power or support capabilities.

Best Cards:

  • Pagoda – Summons imps to the battlefield. You’ll need as many units as possible there, so make sure to upgrade your castle.
  • Vampirism – Heals units for 25% of damage dealt.
  • Imp – Basically Zerglings, meaning they’re fast, weak, and coming in large numbers.
  • Demon’s Altar – Summons demons that grow 0.5% stronger with each ally dead.

Best Perks:

  • Pagan – Start with the Demon’s Altar on a random plot.
  • Cultist – Starts with +1 Imp card in your hand, allowing you to build your Demons faster.

King of Nothing

The “King of Nothing” deck is a great choice for beginners, offering clear understanding of cards and a well-balanced mix of tower structures, support buildings, and both melee and ranged units. However, the versatility comes with a trade-off, as most cards from this faction tend to have stronger alternatives from other decks. In essence, for every King of Nothing card, there’s usually a stronger counterpart elsewhere.

Best Cards:

  • Paladin – Good defensive melee unit.
  • Wildcard – Can level up any plot. Acts as a universal upgrade card.
  • Blacksmith – Adds 2% attack damage to adjacent units.
  • Steel Coat – Cancels the first hit unit receives.

Best Perk:

  • Nurturer – All troops start with +10% HP per rank.
  • Hoarder – Starts with +1 faction card per rank.

C Tier – Hard to Progress

Until my fellow kings join us, I’ll find myself ruling the C-tier realm all by my lonesome, King of Progress.

King of Progress

The “Progress Monarch” is distinctively set in a Science Fiction backdrop rather than the traditional high-fantasy realm associated with other kings. Despite boasting several powerful cards, its gameplay is complicated by an excess of unconventional choices that underperform compared to other cards in the game. Consequently, playing as the “Progress Monarch” can be difficult unless you’re fortunate enough to draw supportive cards from other factions.

Best Cards:

  • Concabulator – Upgrades ALL plots once it’s upgraded to level 3. After that, you can remove it and repeat the process.
  • Executioner – Attacks enemy units with the lowest health.
  • Overhaul – Continuing on the upgrade philosophy, Overhaul upgrades two random plots by destroying one. Upgrades one more plot after each use.

Best Perks:

  • Expansionist – Starts with one extra plot per rank.
  • Persistent – Gets two free rerolls per rank.

Now that you know more about the best factions in 9 Kings, check out Best Card Games on PC.

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2025-05-28 16:22