Winning a King difficulty run with no perks in 9 Kings — the “Self-Sufficient” achievement — can be daunting, especially since you’re giving up all the usual power perks. This guide breaks the process down step-by-step with a clean, logical structure so you can replicate the strategy consistently.
9 Kings Self-Sufficient Achievement (King of Nothing) Guide
Achievement Goal: Self-Sufficient — Win a run on King difficulty with no perks enabled.
This guide uses the King of Nothing start and focuses on early economy, safe scaling, and minimal RNG exposure. With proper setup and positioning, you can clear this challenge even without luck-based perks.
Ideal Starting Setup
Starting setup determines 80% of your success. Restart until the first enemy and decree line up with this plan.
Starting Options
- King: King of Nothing
- Perks: None
- Preferred First Enemy: Nomad
- Enemies to Avoid: Greed and Stone (both have early pressure that can ruin your scaling)
- First Decree: Development or Supplies
Why This Setup Works
- Nomads allow you to stabilize early since their waves are manageable and their units don’t overwhelm your front line too fast.
- Development Decree grants Wildcards for empty plots — an amazing early ramp option that scales your cards naturally.
- Supplies Decree resets your hand and gives you one of each King card, ensuring consistency early on.
If you don’t see either of these decrees or the Nomad matchup, restart until you do.
The Plan (Main Strategy)
Once you have the ideal setup, use this exact placement and expansion sequence:
1. Core Setup
| Position | Building/Unit | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Back-Middle | Castle | Central base for production and defense. |
| Middle-Middle | Blacksmith | Boosts all melee damage and helps Paladins scale. |
| Front-Middle | Paladins | Tanking & main damage unit. |
| Front Row (Left/Right) | Farm | Generates Paladins over time and synergizes with Mob scaling later. |
Tip: If you get a Farm early, always place it next to your Paladins in the front row — synergy is crucial.
2. Early Game Progression
After establishing the Castle → Blacksmith → Paladins → Farm combo:
- Push for your first Royal Council.
- If you get “Development”, take it — Wildcards from empty plots can level your cards quickly.
- If not, use “Supplies” to cycle your hand and guarantee both a Farm and Blacksmith appear.
- Don’t worry about Blessings early — they’re rarely worth it unless you get them naturally through random rewards.
3. Midgame Board Expansion
By now, you should have:
- Castle (back)
- Blacksmith (middle)
- Paladins (front)
- Farm (front side)
Now it’s time to fill out your board smartly.
Add a Mob Early
- If you haven’t received a Mob card yet, reroll and try to get one.
- Place it front row, opposite side of your Farm.
- This creates a steady Mob + Paladin synergy loop — the Farm feeds Paladins, and Paladins feed Mob units through recruitment synergy.
Plot Extension
- Extend in front of your Paladins during your first Plot Extension.
- The goal is to place another Farm out front later — this doubles Paladin feeding and rapidly scales your army.
Optional Ranged Support
- If you draw Archers or Elves, place them in the middle row beside the first Farm.
- This provides steady ranged DPS that benefits from both Farm and Blacksmith buffs.
- Archers are safer; Elves have slightly higher burst but depend on survival.
Additional Notes & Unit Choices
Enchantments
- Put all Enchantments on your Paladins.
They’re your main frontline and will always benefit the most from stat scaling.
Recommended Rainbow Event Choices
| Event | Effect | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Gigantify | Increases HP & size | Best pick — place on Paladin. Save until you hit a rough patch. |
| Temple | Healing effect | Decent for long sustain runs but not critical. |
| Echoform | Duplicates spell | Works well once your plot expands and you need utility scaling. |
| Razing | Boosts attack | Great for breaking stalemates or tough elites. |
Other Unit Additions
- Raptors (Middle Row) — Place them above the Mob for aerial synergy and secondary damage pressure.
- Additional Blacksmith — Add another beside the Castle to further boost your entire frontline.
- Catharsis Decree — Excellent choice later on; it catches newer units up to your Paladins’ level.
- Demon’s Altar — Great placement for your second plot extension, ideally in the corner between two Farms. It supports both Paladin and Mob recruitment scaling.
Example Board Layout (Simplified)
[ Raptor ] [ Blacksmith ] [ Farm ]
[ Mob ] [ Paladin ] [ Farm ]
[ --- ] [ Blacksmith ] [ Castle ]
- Double Farm synergy feeds Paladins.
- Blacksmiths boost both melee and ranged.
- Mob + Raptor provides scaling DPS.
- Castle and Blacksmith remain protected in the back.
Once set up, the army scales on its own. The Paladins become unstoppable tanks, Mobs and Raptors provide pressure, and ranged support cleans up. As long as you keep adding incremental boosts instead of diversifying too much, the run becomes smooth and self-sufficient — exactly what the achievement’s name implies.