Choose Your King's Scaling Engine
Use Paladin support for Nothing, Wizard enchantments for Spells, treasury scaling for Greed, Bomber–Altar sacrifices for Blood, Boar riders for Nature, poison traps for Stone, Executioner upgrades for Progress, Dragon Den movement for Nomads, and Amplifier loops for Time.
The PC full release arrived on November 12, 2026. Ranked multiplayer rotates decree and Rainbow card pools by season, so check the available pool before committing. Choose an engine around the pieces offered in your run.
Core Cards, Board Positions, and Weaknesses
| King and Engine | Core, Placement, and Weakness |
|---|---|
| King of Nothing: Steel Paladins | Paladins with adjacent Blacksmith, Farm, and Library support. Castle supplies early damage; spreading buffs across extra troop plots weakens the core. |
| King of Spells: Enchanted Wizards | Wizards gain damage from enchantments. Libraries must touch their plot; Spire and Steel Coat help them survive. Burst damage punishes an unprotected opening. |
| King of Greed: Treasury Mercenaries | Dispenser, Vault, and Mercenary, with a Mob touching Mercenaries. Holding gold grows the army; purchases shrink it, and area damage punishes the crowd. |
| King of Blood: Bombers and Demon Altars | Bombers clear early while allied deaths grow Demon Altars. Keep Altars in corners and Cauldron beside Bombers. Enemy Steel Coat blocks the explosions. |
| King of Nature: Boar Riders | Elves beside Boars, with Forests touching the Boars. Boar HP strengthens riders; Progress Defenders can reflect their boosted damage back at them. |
| King of Stone: Poison Traps | Wallmaker protects Trappers while Cauldron supplies poison. Let Cauldron touch Stronghold too. Late Time summons can outlast the trap field. |
| King of Progress: Upgrade Chains | Use Lab Rat–Concabulator chains or Executioner–Overhaul–Futurism. Recycler offers a pit alternative. Keep an Overhaul board narrow to concentrate its random upgrades. |
| King of Nomads: Moving Dragon Dens | Dragon Dens beside Camp, with Dwarfs outside and free plots to enter. Movement feeds the engine; Steel Coat wastes a dragon's single strike. |
| King of Time: Amplifier Ring | Amplifiers support adjacent Orbiters and Portals, followed by Hourglass. Scattered placement wastes buffs, while an Hourglass without outside attack speed remains too slow. |
Budget for the Missing Engine Piece
Choose rival kings whose loot supplies cards your engine needs. At each merchant, the first purchase costs 30 gold and each subsequent purchase costs 15 gold more. Budget for the missing carry or support before buying unrelated cards.
Nothing: Let Paladins Hold for the Castle
- Place Paladins with a Farm and Blacksmith touching their plot. Upgrade the Castle so it can kill enemies the Paladins hold.
- Take Development while plots are empty; otherwise choose Overwork. Put Steel Coat on Paladins, add an adjacent Library, and save Balance until their HP has grown.
- If Development misses and the Castle remains weak, redirect Wildcards and Overhaul into Castle levels. Stack Steel Coat before facing Stone's piercing Ballistas.
Spells: Seed the Library Before Scaling
- Start Wizards beside a Spire and upgrade Citadel early. Add a Library touching the Wizards, then apply an enchantment so it has something to copy.
- Take Re-enchant when offered and feed enchantments to Wizards. Buy Steel Coat when available, then use Balance after damage has grown to raise their HP.
- If enchantments fail to arrive, prioritize Citadel and a protected tank. Warlocks offer another route: play tomes for HP growth and keep Libraries beside them.
Greed: Protect the Treasury
- Open with Dispenser and upgrade it first, then place Vaults and Mercenaries. Bank remaining gold, because spending immediately reduces your Mercenary force.
- Choose Speculation or Supplies early, then pursue Yield. Put a Mob beside Mercenaries to share their growth, and weigh every merchant purchase against lost troops.
- If survival demands constant spending, consider Hourglass with Camp instead. Commit after acquiring both; while Camp is missing, adjacent Beacons provide attack speed.
Blood: Grow Altars Behind the Bombers
- Put Bombers in the middle and Demon Altars in corners. Upgrade Bombers first; their deaths grow the Altars while explosions handle early waves.
- Take Fireworks when offered and buy Cauldron for the Bombers' adjacent plot. Shift upgrades toward Altars when explosions stop clearing the waves.
- Without Bombers by year 4, lean on Ghost Pagoda instead. Respect enemy Steel Coat; Mangler fed by adjacent Imps is another Blood engine when those pieces arrive.
Nature: Grow the Mount Before the Rider
- Place Boars beside Elves, with Forests touching the Boars. Only adjacent troops mount, and increasing Boar HP strengthens the riders.
- Take Feast before Overwork, use Procreate on Elves, and add Forests or Warehouse around Boars. Substitute another ranged rider if Elves arrive late.
- For a Treant alternative, finish normal levels before spending Patronage and buy further copies when offered. Without Patronage by the second merchant, keep developing Boar riders.
Stone: Turn Stalling Into Poison Damage
- Place Wallmaker early, then Trappers beside Cauldron. Where possible, let Cauldron also touch Stronghold so its towers apply poison.
- Stack Trapper copies together, choose Dynamites or Catharsis, and add surrounding Cauldrons. At level 3, use Regression before upgrading the Trappers again.
- If traps stall without killing, shift poison toward Stronghold and Ballistas. Add Beacons for Ballista support; prioritize Stronghold upgrades if the machines keep dying.
Progress: Concentrate the Random Upgrades
- Start Executioner near the base and keep other permanent plots scarce. Find Overhaul and take Futurism so the carry can continue gaining levels.
- Place a spare card, destroy it with Overhaul, and use Rewind to recover Overhauls when available. Buy Rewinds and cheap cards to place and destroy.
- If Overhaul misses by the second merchant, put Recycler beside Executioner and discard spare cards. Without discard fuel, return to direct Futurism upgrades.
Nomads: Keep Cards Moving Through Camp
- Place Camp beside Dragon Den and stack Den copies together. Keep outer plots free for Dwarfs to enter, with troops supporting the opening battles.
- Take Dismantling before Cryoflame when offered, and seek Dwarfs at Rainbow merchant offers. Place spare cards on empty plots to trigger Camp.
- Against stacked Steel Coat, add Hourglass or Converter beside the Camps. For a Warlord–Mob alternative, preserve an empty adjacent landing plot and use Migration on Warlord.
Time: Stabilize Orbiters Before Hourglass
- Start Amplifiers with Orbiters and Portals touching them. Hold Hourglass copies until Orbiters survive the opening clash, then give the tower adjacent Amplifiers.
- Upgrade Portals for replayed years. Take Big Bang once Hourglass is placed; reserve 30 gold per Over-invest and consider Osmosis or Temple at Rainbow offers.
- If troops collapse before Hourglass gains enough support, invest in Bastion and adjacent Beacons. Without Patronage for a base-focused route, keep developing the Amplifier engine.