9 Kings Patch 20 Non-Rainbow Card Drafting Priority Guide

To draft non-Rainbow cards effectively in Patch 20 of 9 Kings, prioritize cards that provide immediate board tempo, cheap frontline durability, or reliable gold acceleration. Draft self-sufficient S-tier baseline cards first to stabilize your early defenses, and reserve high-cost archetype enablers for when your economy and monarch synergies are already established.

Prioritizing S-Tier Universal Tempo Picks

S-tier non-Rainbow cards function independently of specific monarch perks. These cards resolve early swarm pressure without requiring setup turns, making them safe picks in any run.

• Low-cost frontline defenders: Cheap units with rapid attack cycles or built-in sustain hold outer lanes, preventing early kingdom damage and preserving gold for infrastructure.
• Active economy generators: Gold-accelerating cards that do not sacrifice your current board presence let you ramp toward milestone years safely.
• Versatile chip damage: Units that provide consistent baseline damage keep pace with scaling waves regardless of your overall deck archetype.

Draft these cards whenever they appear in the early game. Securing S-tier staples buys time to find your win condition without bleeding health.

Drafting A-Tier Synergy Enablers

A-tier cards rival S-tier power once their requirements are met, but they rely on existing board setups or monarch mechanics. Only commit to these cards when your deck already supports their resource or positioning needs.

• Frontline anchors: High-durability walling units absorb heavy boss attacks to protect vulnerable artillery and ranged carries.
• Engine multipliers: Support structures and aura cards boost the attack speed, range, or physical armor of adjacent allies. Position these next to established clusters rather than isolated units.
• Splash clear tools: Spell-based and kinetic area-of-effect cards eliminate low-health swarms before they overwhelm single-target defenders.

Watch your resource curve closely when drafting A-tier picks. Many enablers carry higher deployment or maintenance costs. Drafting them before your gold engine is stable risks stalling deployments during heavy assault waves.

Using B-Tier Fillers to Stabilize

B-tier cards offer direct stats that help clear early and mid-tier milestone years, but they lack late-game utility.

1. Draft B-tier units only when a draft round offers no primary synergy tools and your defenses cannot handle an imminent elite wave.
2. Deploy them as disposable frontline or basic damage dealers to absorb pressure.
3. Avoid investing gold upgrades into B-tier units, as their effectiveness drops sharply against armored elites and scaling bosses.
4. Replace or phase them out once your primary scaling engine is fully assembled.

Avoiding Low-Tier Traps and Deck Bloat

Low-tier cards in Patch 20 slow down your deck rotation and waste gold. Bypassing these cards keeps your deck lean and ensures consistent draws.

• Pure stat sticks: Avoid expensive units that lack crowd control, armor piercing, or mobility, as high-density swarm waves easily overwhelm them.
• Slow ramp engines: Skip cards that require multiple rounds of survival to break even on their initial investment.
• Narrow counter cards: Pass on defensive options designed solely for rare enemy types, as they turn into dead draws during standard waves.

If forced to take low-tier options in card rewards, use deck-thinning mechanics at the earliest opportunity to remove them before reaching high-pressure late-game years.