9 Kings Beginner's Guide: How a Run Works and 10 Tips to Win

How a run works

• You pick a king. Each of the nine kings has its own deck of buildings, troops and spells (see all 9 kings explained).
• You start small: your capital has a handful of empty plots, and your first hand holds your Kingdom card plus three cards from your king's deck.
• Every year brings one battle. A rival king attacks you with an army. You know which king is coming next, but not exactly what he brings.
• Three lives. You lose a life whenever an enemy unit reaches your Kingdom. Lose all three and the run is over.
• After each battle you get 9 gold and a new card: win, and you take a card from the defeated king's deck; lose, and you get one from your own king's deck. You also choose one of three randomly drawn cards.
• Special years bring events: Royal Councils (perks), merchant and diplomat visits, and new plots for your capital.
• You play or discard cards until two are left — then the next year's battle starts.
• Survive 33 years to win. After that you can keep going in an endless run.

10 tips for beginners

1. Start with a forgiving king

The King of Spells and the King of Nothing are the easiest to learn. Spells gives you reliable ranged damage backed by sturdy defenders; Nothing is a balanced, straightforward deck. Save the trickier kings for later.

2. Put your Kingdom as far from the enemy as possible

Placement decides more runs than card quality. Your Kingdom card belongs in a back corner, so enemies have to walk past your defences to reach it.

3. Level up, don't spread out

Playing a copy of a card on a plot that already has it makes that plot stronger. One well-levelled plot usually beats two weak new ones — especially in the first ten years.

4. Think in synergies, not in single cards

Buildings and spells that buff neighbouring plots multiply the value of everything around them. Before you place a card, ask: what does it make better?

5. Steal shamelessly

Do not stick to your own king's cards. If a card you took from a rival makes your best unit stronger, take it. Mixed decks are how the craziest builds happen.

6. Prepare for the king who is coming

You always know which king attacks next. If he brings swarms, invest in area damage; if he brings a few big units, focus damage on single targets.

7. Spend gold with a plan

You get gold after every battle. Spend it when it buys what your board needs right now — a duplicate, a support piece, the missing link of a combo — not just because you have it.

8. Do not panic after losing a life

Losing one battle is not the end: you still get a card and gold. Look at what broke through and fix that lane before the next year.

9. Pick perks that match your build

Royal Councils give you perks. Choose ones that strengthen what you already have instead of opening a new direction mid-run.

10. Use Casual Play to learn

If the difficulty spikes too early, the Casual Play option lets you learn the kings and cards without the pressure. Switch back once the combos click.

Can you play 9 Kings offline?

Yes — runs against the rival kings, Quest Mode and Endless Mode are single-player and work in Steam offline mode. Online features such as asynchronous multiplayer need a connection.

Practice before 1.0

Version 1.0 launches on 12 November 2026 with custom decks, daily quests and new Decrees (everything we know about 9 Kings 1.0). The best time to learn the basics is now: play 9 Kings on a shared Steam account for a couple of dollars, offline, with login details right after payment.