9 Kings Opening Strategy: The First 12 Years
A repeatable 9 Kings opening for the 1.0 build: the first card picks, the year-4 council, the year-12 merchant, and the board you want by year 15.
Quick answer: In the first 12 years of 9 Kings, take one carry, one support building, and one defensive enchantment. Skip early rerolls, save 30 gold for the year-12 merchant, and take a decree at year 4 that matches your carry. A clean opening beats a lucky one.
The opening is the part of a 9 Kings run you can practice. The cards are random, but the decisions are not. You always face the same early years, the same year-4 council, and the same year-12 merchant.
That makes the first 12 years a script you can learn. This guide gives you one.
The opening in one paragraph
Pick a carry from your first few cards. Put it next to your base. Add one support building that buffs it. Take a defensive or damage decree at year 4. Do not reroll before year 8. Save 30 gold for the merchant at year 12. By year 15, you should have a carry with two support buildings and one defensive layer.
Years 1–3: choose a carry
Your first three card choices decide the run. You are looking for one of three things:
- A scaling troop (Paladin, Boar, Lab Rat).
- A scaling building (Farm, Blacksmith, Vault).
- A defensive enchantment (Steel Coat).
Take the troop first if it appears. A carry with no support is still a carry; support with no carry is nothing. If no troop appears, take Farm or Blacksmith and wait for a troop.
Do not take a second carry in the first three years. You cannot support two.
Year 4: the first council
The council offers a decree. Take one that matches your carry:
- Melee carry: Sharp Blades or Feast.
- Caster carry: Sharp Blades or Gunpowder.
- Tower build: Bunker.
- Economy build: Loan or Exploration.
If none of those appear, take Exploration. Extra plots are never wasted.
Do not take a decree for a build you are not playing. A tower decree on a troop board is a wasted year.
Years 5–7: build the engine
Now you have a carry and a decree. The next three years are about support.
Put one support building next to the carry. Farm is the default for troops; Blacksmith is better for damage; Vault is better if you are playing Greed.
Add one defensive layer. Steel Coat is the best, but a wall or a tank works. The goal is to survive the first difficult battle without losing lives.
Do not spread. Every plot you spend on a second engine is a plot not spent on the first.
Years 8–11: save gold
The merchant arrives at year 12. You want at least 30 gold, ideally 60.
That means years 8–11 are a saving period. Do not reroll. Do not buy a marginal card. Do not upgrade a plot unless it directly helps your carry.
If you are winning comfortably, this is easy. If you are losing, it is tempting to spend. Resist. A card at year 12 is worth more than a reroll at year 9.
Year 12: the merchant
Buy one card that completes your build. If your carry has no defensive enchantment, buy one. If your carry has no support building, buy one. If your build is complete, buy a card that scales (Farm, Vault, Library).
Reroll once if the stock is bad. Do not reroll twice unless you have 100+ gold.
Leave the merchant with gold in your pocket. The next merchant is not far away, and the Final Battle is expensive.
Years 13–15: stabilize
By year 15, your board should look like this:
- Base in a corner.
- Carry next to the base.
- Two support buildings adjacent to the carry.
- One defensive layer.
- One tower or ranged unit covering the kill zone.
- One open plot.
If you have that, you are on curve. If you are missing a piece, spend the next few years fixing it before you take another risk.
The three opening traps
Trap 1: the early reroll
A reroll at year 2 costs 10 gold and gives you another random card. It feels like control, but it delays your first support building. Skip it.
Trap 2: the wide board
New players spread units across every plot because it looks strong. A wide board with no buffs loses to a single stacked carry. Stay narrow until year 15.
Trap 3: the greedy merchant
Buying three cards at year 12 leaves you with no gold for the next merchant and no room to adapt. Buy one, maybe two.
Opening checklist
- Year 3: one carry chosen.
- Year 4: decree taken, matches carry.
- Year 7: one support building and one defensive layer.
- Year 11: 30+ gold saved.
- Year 12: one card bought, gold remaining.
- Year 15: carry + two support + one defense + one tower.
The beginner tips→ page covers the mistakes that break this script, and the kingdom layout→ page shows where everything goes.
Play five runs with the same opening. You will learn which cards are worth breaking it for.
FAQ
What is the best first card in 9 Kings? A scaling troop, usually Paladin for Nothing. If no troop appears, take Farm.
Should I reroll in the first 10 years? No. Save the gold for the year-12 merchant.
What decree should I take at year 4? One that matches your carry. Sharp Blades is the safest general pick.
How much gold should I have at year 12? At least 30, ideally 60.
Sources
Official source: 9 Kings Steam store page ↗