In 9 Kings, your kingdom's progress is tied to your skills in creating a perfect card deck. While you'll use cards from other factions, focusing on your faction cards and strategies is the first step towards success. This 9 Kings tier list will help you unlock maximum out of each ruler on your way to glory.
All Rulers Ranked - 9 Kings Tier List
9 Kings is a roguelike game, meaning you'll never feel like some king is OP. Having said that, some rulers are easier to play with, especially if you're a beginner. Until you master faction-specific synergies, focus on top-tiered rulers, like King of Spells. Don't be discouraged if enemies trounce you—it's all part of the process.
The game is still in the early access, so expect balancing changes, especially when new kings arrive.
| Tier | Kings |
|---|---|
| S | King of Spells +Offensive powerhouse -Limited defensive options King of Nature +Excellent unit buffs -Lacks melee units |
| A | King 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 |
| B | King 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 |
| C | King 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
Top-tier factions are offensively gifted, with some of the best cards in the game, especially for beginners.
King of Spells
Arguably the most potent ruler, King of Spells gives you the most firepower with a couple of nice defensive options. Because of its easy-to-understand card mechanics, you'll quickly master 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
King of Nature is arguably the best support faction in the game. It has some of the best cards you'll need, especially in the early game. It lacks real firepower, as it has only Elves (ranged) and Boars (support/melee) units.
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
Kings in A-tier require specific tactics to be efficient, as their lack of flexibility makes them harder to play with.
King of Greed
King of Greed is one of the more popular rulers, as almost all cards in this deck are useful. However, this comes at a price, meaning you must always consider the financial implications. The more gold you have, the stronger the buffs are for your offensive cards.
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
While it has some offensive limitations (basically no real units), you'll enjoy playing as King of Stone. It starts a bit slow, as this faction is best in later stages of the war when you have your defense up. To immerse yourself in medieval warfare, combine this faction with the King of Nothing cards.
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
B-tier kings offer interesting ways to win, but lack the real power of better-ranked kings. You'll often use some of their cards, but will seldom focus on their synergies.
King of Blood
The easiest way to explain King of Blood is to compare it with Zergs. Their units are weak, will die quickly, but are coming in large numbers, often overcoming stronger enemies. That said, this demon faction lacks real firepower and even support.
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
King of Nothing is a very solid option to play with, especially while you're still learning how to play. It is easiest to understand cards and excellent balance between towers, support buildings, and melee/ranged units. But that variety comes at a price, as neither card is especially strong. Simply put, almost every King of Nothing card has a stronger counterpart from another faction.
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 more kings arrive (two are missing at the moment), King of Progress will sit alone on his C-tier throne.
King of Progress
King of Progress has an SF theme, compared to the more classic high-fantasy concept of other kings. It comes with several great cards, but ultimately has too many weird options that simply don't work as well as other cards in the game. This makes playing as King of Progress challenging, unless you hit the jackpot with 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.
Nebojša Prijić is a Managing Editor at Pro Game Guides with over 25 years of experience in journalism, screenwriting, and copywriting. He previously worked as Editor-in-Chief of Maxim Serbia magazine and the IGN Adria website. Nebojša is an old-school gamer who loves real-time strategies, shooters, and RPGs, but most of all, he plays Roblox and mobile games with his son. He remembers the first Diablo, PC games on a single floppy disk, and playing Mortal Kombat on the keyboard.