Order Automatica Unit Merging and 3x3 Grid Guide

To survive the scaling difficulty in Order Automatica, combine duplicate unit cards from your queue or grid to create higher-tier versions. Merging increases unit combat stats, improves damage output, and frees up precious board capacity on your small grid.

Because combat takes place on a limited 3x3 grid with only nine total slots, holding onto basic, unmerged units quickly creates a bottleneck. Compressing the strength of multiple lower-tier cards into a single high-tier unit leaves open space for supporting utility items and passive relics.

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Grid Management and Unit Positioning

Managing your 3x3 grid requires constant evaluation of which cards provide active value versus those taking up space. Unmerged basic units fall off in effectiveness as waves progress, making active grid pruning necessary.

Follow these rules to manage your nine grid slots effectively:

• Central Placement: Position your strongest high-tier units in central grid squares to maximize their attack reach or active aura effects across surrounding tiles.
• Temporary Storage: Reserve empty grid tiles to hold unmerged duplicate cards while waiting for a matching partner to drop.
• Roster Pruning: Sell low-tier units that lack synergy with your passive relics to clear space for higher-value cards.

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Phase Progression Milestones

Adjust your board structure based on the stage of your run. Shifting from broad unit placement early on to consolidated, high-tier units later prevents stat falloff against boss waves.

1. Early Game: Execute any available unit merge immediately to stabilize your damage output and survive initial waves.
2. Mid-Game: Sell unmerged, low-impact cards and transition your core board to one or two maxed unit tiers supported by complementary relics.
3. Late Game: Consolidate your grid into elite high-tier units capable of enduring dense enemy formations and heavy boss damage.

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Balancing Unit Merges and Relics

Upgrading unit tiers must be balanced against purchasing relics from the shop. Relics grant passive buffs, such as defensive shields or damage multipliers, that complement unit roles. However, re-rolling the shop excessively for unit duplicates drains gold that could otherwise buy essential relic utility.

To maintain a healthy board economy, establish early whether your current run requires raw unit stats ("tall" progression) or passive relic bonuses ("wide" synergy) to pass the upcoming wave.