All 9 Kings Explained: Which King Should You Pick in 9 Kings?
· 4 min read
Choosing your king is the first and most important decision in 9 Kings: it decides your starting deck, your perks and the way your whole run plays. Here are all nine playable kings explained — what each one does, how hard it is and who it suits — plus the two kings you can only fight.
All 9 kings at a glance
| King | Playstyle | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| King of Nothing | Balanced, straightforward | Easy |
| King of Spells | Spells, enchantments, ranged damage | Easy |
| King of Nature | Big armies, lots of HP, late-game scaling | Medium |
| King of Stone | Tower defense with buildings | Medium |
| King of Progress | Upgrading units and buildings | Medium |
| King of Greed | Gold economy | Hard |
| King of Blood | Sacrifice and death effects | Hard |
| King of Nomads | Plot-based scaling | Hard |
| King of Time | Time manipulation, magic and steampunk tech | Hard |
Difficulty is our rough guide for new players — every king can win once you know its cards.
King of Nothing — the balanced starter
A straightforward set of cards with dependable troops such as Soldiers and Paladins. There are no tricks to learn, which makes it the best king for understanding placement, levelling and timing.
Pick it if: this is your first run.
King of Spells — ranged damage and synergy
Spells, enchantments and reliable ranged units like Wizards and Warlocks, backed by sturdy frontline defenders. Its capital deals lightning damage on its own, which helps clear chaotic early waves. Getting the most out of it takes an understanding of timing and of synergies — for example with the Library.
Pick it if: you want an easy start that still rewards clever combos.
King of Nature — the army that keeps growing
All about high HP and large troop counts. Cards like Procreate add whole groups of troops at once, and the deck scales exponentially the longer a run lasts.
Pick it if: you like slow, unstoppable snowballs.
King of Stone — the tower defense king
Instead of armies, the King of Stone spams and empowers structures. Your buildings do the fighting, and units play a supporting role at best.
Pick it if: you love classic tower defense.
King of Progress — upgrade everything
Built around enhancing units and buildings, with strong options in both the early and the late game.
Pick it if: you enjoy watching numbers grow year after year.
King of Greed — gold is power
Generates large amounts of gold and turns it into benefits. It rewards long-term planning and saving, but can struggle early against big enemy waves.
Pick it if: you like economy games and patient planning.
King of Blood — death is a resource
Has the widest range of summon effects: units dying empowers the rest of your kingdom. Strong, but it requires thinking about which units you want to lose.
Pick it if: you like sacrifice mechanics and risky builds.
King of Nomads — the plot specialist
Uses mechanics tied to occupying plots. Its cards give linear benefits early and scale exponentially later.
Pick it if: you are comfortable with 9 Kings and want a different puzzle.
King of Time — the newest king
The latest addition to the roster, blending magic, sci-fi and steampunk technology with time-manipulation mechanics.
Pick it if: you have seen the other kings and want something new.
The kings you only fight: Rainbow and Chaos
Two kings are not playable: the Rainbow King and the Chaos King appear only as opponents and give special rewards when you defeat them. Version 1.0 adds more Rainbow Cards and the Champions of Chaos boss fights.
What changes for kings in 9 Kings 1.0
From 12 November 2026, version 1.0 lets you build custom decks by mixing cards from all nine kings, adds daily quests, more than 27 new Decrees and new Rainbow Cards (everything we know about 9 Kings 1.0). Learning what each king does now will pay off once you can combine them.
Which king should you start with?
- King of Nothing or King of Spells for your first runs.
- Nature, Stone or Progress once you understand levelling and placement.
- Greed, Blood, Nomads and Time when you want a real challenge.
For basics such as placement and levelling, read our 9 Kings beginner's guide. Ready to try all nine? Play 9 Kings on a shared Steam account for a couple of dollars — offline, with login details right after payment.
Ready to play 9 Kings?
Shared Steam accounts with instant delivery — one payment, no subscription, no expiry.
