9 Kings: Warlord Endless Mode Build and Strategy Guide

To survive and scale deeply into Endless Mode with the Warlord in 9 Kings, draft durable frontline anchors, stack continuous combat buffs, and aggressively trim low-tier cards from your deck. The Warlord excels in prolonged battles where passive stat buffs accumulate over time, allowing your army to outscale the exponential health and damage spikes of late Endless Mode waves.

How the Warlord Scales in Endless Mode

Enemy health pools in Endless Mode eventually surpass the damage output of standard burst spells and swarm compositions. The Warlord counters this scaling by turning protracted engagements into steady statistical advantages. Because the Warlord's toolkit gains value the longer a round lasts, your primary objective is surviving the initial enemy assault so your passive buff triggers have time to ramp up.

Draft picks must reflect this endurance requirement:

• Prioritize recurring triggers: Choose cards that activate on hit, on kill, or per second of survival over cards that offer flat, one-time value.
• Draft for defense early: Secure high-health units in the early rounds so your scaling engines have a reliable frontline to support.
• Rely on buffs for late damage: Allow accumulated stat bonuses to carry your damage output rather than filling your deck with flat-damage cards that fall off in late waves.

Early-Game Setup and Frontline Anchors

Continuous buffs provide no value if your board collapses in the first few seconds of a wave. In the early cycles, establish two to three dependable anchor units before drafting greedy buff cards.

Place heavy melee brawlers and shielded defenders directly on the frontline grid tiles. Keep utility and buffer units positioned behind this primary defensive wall to prevent them from drawing initial enemy aggro. Avoid picking low-impact, unupgraded damage units during these opening stages, as they consume board space and dilute buff distribution without offering the durability needed to survive enemy charges.

Deck Refinement and Removal Priorities

A compact deck guarantees that your core buff engines appear consistently in your opening hand. As rounds advance, use card removal and transformation options to eliminate starter cards and low-impact spells that slow down your setup.

Unit Positioning and Buff Adjacency

Because the Warlord frequently relies on proximity-based and aura buffs, unit placement determines how effectively your bonuses apply across your army.

Cluster your primary damage carries closely around your buff sources so multiple units receive stat boosts simultaneously. To protect this tightly packed core from enemy splash damage or piercing attacks, place a dedicated off-tank one tile forward. This forward unit intercepts initial cleaves and directional abilities, keeping your primary cluster safe while their combat stats multiply.

Transitioning into Late Endless Waves

Flat numerical stat increases eventually lose effectiveness against the extreme scaling of high Endless Mode waves. To maintain parity, shift your build toward percentage-based stat multipliers and defensive sustain:

1. Target percentage perks: Prioritize upgrades and treasures granting percentage-based attack speed, health regeneration, and damage reduction.
2. Duplicate key enablers: Use shop resources and duplication events on your strongest buff-stacking engines rather than buying minor horizontal upgrades.
3. Conserve reroll gold: Avoid spending gold on aggressive rerolls for basic stats; save your economy to afford high-tier cards and final deck purges.