Build Around Paladins and Keep the Castle Strong
Build the King of Nothing around a Paladin plot with an adjacent Farm and Blacksmiths, then stack Steel Coat on the Paladins. Keep upgrading the Castle early: the Paladins hold enemies while the base supplies the damage.
Core Cards and Their Jobs
| Card | Job in the Build |
|---|---|
| Paladin | Your main tank. Damage buffs also increase its HP, so concentrating Blacksmith support here improves both its attacks and its ability to survive. |
| Farm | Adds +1 unit per level each year to one adjacent troop. Keep it touching the Paladins so their troop count grows alongside their individual strength. |
| Blacksmith | Adds +2% damage to adjacent plots every year. Paladins also gain HP from that damage buff; a position that reaches the Castle helps your early damage too. |
| Steel Coat | Each stack cancels an opening hit on each Paladin every battle. Concentrate these enchantments on the main plot to buy the Castle more time to kill enemies. |
| Castle | Supplies the early killing power behind the Paladins. Spend flexible upgrades here when enemies survive too long, instead of continuing to strengthen an already durable front line. |
| Library | Has a 50% yearly chance to duplicate an enchantment from an adjacent troop. Put Steel Coat on the Paladins first, then place the Library beside them. |
| Balance | Sets the target's HP and damage to whichever is higher. Use it after building Paladin HP so their damage catches up with their durability. |
Opening Placement and Upgrade Order
- Start with Paladins in your opening hand. If you are committing to this build and they are missing, reroll the start rather than investing your opening support around a different troop.
- Choose a Paladin position with room for adjacent support. Place a Farm and Blacksmiths against it, ideally letting the same Blacksmiths reach the Castle. Reserve another neighboring position for a Library when you acquire one.
- Upgrade the Farm and Paladins as the board develops, while keeping the Castle's damage useful. If the Paladins survive but enemies linger, direct your Wildcards into Castle levels before adding more investment to the troop plot.
- At the first decree pick in year 5, take Development while plots are still empty; otherwise favor Overwork. Development gives a Wildcard for each empty plot, and those flexible cards can strengthen the Castle.
- Put your Steel Coat cards on the Paladins. Add a Library beside that plot so it can copy the enchantment, and keep your Farms and Blacksmiths feeding the same troop rather than splitting support across new attackers.
- For later decree picks, continue taking Overwork up to its three takes, then seek Feast. Once the Paladins have accumulated HP, use Balance on their plot to turn that durability into stronger attacks.
Why Castle Levels Come Before More Defense
At level 1, a Paladin attacks every 4 seconds for 8 damage, so the opening formation depends on the Castle to finish enemies. Steel Coat extends the time available for that damage; it does not kill anything itself. If your front line holds but battles drag on, improve the Castle before adding more protection.
Overwork makes support buildings apply their effects an extra time, which suits the Farm and Blacksmith formation. Feast doubles troop HP and prepares the Paladins for a later Balance. Apply Balance after their HP has grown so the higher value becomes their damage as well.
Benevolent is a useful perk for keeping flexible upgrades available: it gives +1 Wildcard after every Rainbow Army battle. Spend those cards according to what the formation lacks. A durable Paladin plot with a weak Castle needs damage before another defensive investment.
Rival Decks Worth Taking for Support
You can loot rival kings to gain cards from their decks. Choose wars around the support your Paladins need, particularly enchantment copying and useful upgrade tools. Make peace with rivals whose cards do little for the formation you are building.
| Rival | Useful Support |
|---|---|
| King of Spells | Look for a Library to copy the Paladins' Steel Coat. Static and Offering are additional useful pickups from this deck for a scaling Paladin setup. |
| King of Nature | Clone supplies card duplication, while Procreate adds +9 units to the target troop. These give you further ways to expand the Paladin setup beyond yearly Farm growth. |
| King of Time | Regression lowers a plot by 1 level while retaining its stats and effects. Rewind replaces your hand with copies of your last played cards when thrown into the pit, letting you replay useful tools. |
| King of Progress | Overhaul destroys a target plot to level random plots, with its effect increasing as it is used. Spare Farms can provide targets without sacrificing the support your Paladins still need. |
Enemies and Choices That Break the Setup
The King of Stone's Ballistas threaten the formation with piercing volleys that can pass through the Paladin plot. Stack Steel Coat before facing that pressure. Keep the Castle strong enough to kill the attackers while the Paladins absorb their opening hits.
Many fast, small hits can burn through Steel Coat quickly because each blocked hit consumes a stack regardless of its size. Heavy area damage and powerful champions also reduce the value of simply adding more small units. Keep building the main Paladins' stats and protection rather than relying on troop count alone.
Spreading your support is another way to lose the build's strength. Extra troop plots compete for the Farms, Blacksmiths and Steel Coats that should be reinforcing the main Paladins. Before expanding, check whether the next card would do more for the existing formation or the Castle behind it.