9 Kings: 3 Best Early-Game Units to Pick and Deploy

The three best units to draft during the early years of a 9 Kings run are the Paladin, Executioner, and Ballista. Each unit delivers immediate standalone value on the grid without requiring specific monarch perks or established card synergies. Drafting at least one of these units during Years 1 to 3 stops enemy swarms, neutralizes dangerous mini-bosses, and prevents early castle damage that can ruin your economy.

Why Standalone Units Matter in Years 1–3

Early 9 Kings rounds heavily penalize greedy deckbuilding. Drafting specialized combo pieces or economy structures before securing combat stability leaves your castle open to basic enemy rushes. When early waves breach your defenses, you permanently lose life totals and waste gold on emergency blockers instead of planned upgrades.

Picking self-sufficient combat units removes RNG dependency from your opening rounds. The Paladin, Executioner, and Ballista operate effectively at base stats, giving you the time and safety to bank gold and draft synergistic win conditions for the mid-game.

Paladin: Frontline Tank and Wave Control

The Paladin is the premier defensive anchor in the early game due to heavy innate armor and high damage mitigation. Incoming waves in early rounds often feature swift melee swarms that overwhelm basic Soldiers and Peasants. The Paladin absorbs these attacks without folding.

Grid Placement: Deploy the Paladin on the center frontline choke tile, directly ahead of your castle entrance or primary lane.
Role: Stalls incoming waves on a single tile, creating clustered targets for your damage dealers.
Limitation: Slow movement and modest single-target damage output mean the Paladin cannot clear waves alone before the combat timer expires.

Drafting a single Paladin lets you skip low-tier defensive filler, saving board space and card picks for offensive scaling.

Executioner: Elite and Mini-Boss Removal

The Executioner provides concentrated burst damage to quickly eliminate early high-health threats, armored brutes, and mini-bosses before they reach your castle walls. Low-cost starter units lack the burst needed to crack durable champions, giving enemy elites time to cut down your frontline.

Grid Placement: Position the Executioner one tile behind or directly beside your frontline tank so he avoids initial wave aggro.
Role: Engages high-health targets once they lock onto your tank, delivering lethal strikes that rapidly drop elite health pools.
Limitation: A slow attack cadence leaves the Executioner vulnerable to wide swarms of weak enemies. Never deploy him as an isolated solo defender on an open lane.

Ballista: Full-Grid Backline Range

The Ballista provides consistent, safe physical damage across long distances, softening or finishing off incoming enemies before they make contact with your melee line. Striking from a distance prevents counterattacks and keeps your damage output constant throughout the wave.

Grid Placement: Position the Ballista in the back row, nestled behind your castle wall or defensive bastions.
Role: Snipes approaching champions, flyers, and siege units across full-grid travel paths.
Limitation: The Ballista possesses zero close-quarters defense and falls quickly if enemies bypass the frontline.

As the run continues, flat damage bonuses and attack speed upgrades scale the Ballista into a primary boss killer for later years.

Early-Game Unit Comparison

Unit	Primary Role	Ideal Grid Position	Key Strength	Main Weakness
Paladin	Frontline tank	Front-row choke tile	High armor and damage sponge	Low DPS; risks stalling wave timers
Executioner	Elite target removal	Second row or off-tank flank	Massive single-target burst	Slow attack rate; struggles against swarms
Ballista	Long-range backline carry	Back row behind fortifications	Safe full-grid firing range	Helpless if enemies reach melee range

Next Actions: Balancing Your Opening Draft

When choosing among these three units, base your pick on what your opening hand lacks:

Pick the Paladin if your opening cards feature fragile ranged damage or if your base lacks a durable blocker.
Pick the Executioner if your defense can hold basic swarms but lacks the single-target punch to kill mini-bosses.
Pick the Ballista if your frontline is already stable and you need safe damage projection to thin incoming waves.

Once you draft your first anchor unit, spend subsequent picks shoring up its specific weakness—pair the Paladin with backline firepower, protect the Ballista with basic blockers, or supply the Executioner with swarm control.