Choose a Core That Fits the Matchup
Camp Hourglass, Library Wizards, Steel Paladins, Elves riding Boars, Defenders with a Converter, and Executioner level engines offer distinct ranked plans; choose the core your available cards can support. Steel Coat checks large single hits, rapid attacks strip its protection, area damage punishes swarms, and Defenders threaten heavily boosted Elf shots.
Check the Season Before Choosing a Build
Ranked battles use previously recorded human builds, and multiplayer-specific perks replace Rainbow perks. Rainbow cards and decree pools rotate by season; check the current options at the bottom-left of the multiplayer lobby before committing to a setup that depends on particular cards. The full release on November 12, 2026 added multiplayer and universal perks and refreshed the multiplayer season, so adapt older singleplayer builds to the options your lobby actually lists.
Ranked Cores, Placement, and Weak Matchups
| Core and Placement | Counters and Pivots |
|---|---|
| Camp Hourglass: place the Hourglass between Camps and keep empty plots available for Dwarfs or returned cards. Camp triggers supply the attack speed the tower needs. | Steel Coat absorbs its charged hits; in a mirror, the faster Hourglass threatens first. Without a Camp, use adjacent Beacons while saving for another merchant. |
| Library Wizards: surround the Wizard plot with Libraries, seed an enchantment from your hand, and keep other troops away from the Libraries' outer sides. Prioritize Steel Coat for copied protection. | Fast armies with many small hits burn through the coats. If Steel Coat never appears, move your enchantments and Library support toward a tougher troop. |
| Steel Paladins: put Blacksmith, Farm, and Library support against the same Paladin plot. Stack Steel Coat there while keeping the Castle strong enough to kill what the Paladins hold. | Piercing Ballista volleys threaten the formation. If damage stalls, invest Wildcards and Overhaul into Castle levels before adding more Paladin protection. |
| Elves riding Boars: place Elves beside Boars and Forests against the Boar plot. Increase Boar HP to strengthen the riders, then add Elf units with Procreate. | Progress Defenders reflect the boosted shots, and strong walls can outlast the snipers. If Elves arrive late, use another ranged troop beside the Boars. |
| Defenders and Converter: use Defenders as the front line, a Recycler beside the Mothership, and Beacons against the Converter. Steel Coat buys time for conversions. | A rapidly firing Hourglass eventually strips the coats; enemy Carnage also punishes reflection kills. If Steel Coat is missing, Reinforce offers in-battle HP growth. |
| Executioner levels: keep the kingdom compact, then place expendable cards and destroy them with Overhaul. Futurism enables extended levelling, and Rewind recovers the Overhaul loop. | Early rushes punish the setup before its levels build. If Overhaul stops arriving, put a Recycler beside the Executioner so spare cards still become buffs. |
Keep Your Build Growing Through the Run
- Secure the pieces before committing. An Hourglass needs outside attack speed, with Camps providing its main scaling engine; Library Wizards need an enchantment already on their troop plot. Keep the opening army functional while you wait for those pieces.
- Place support where it actually reaches. For Paladins, concentrate the Blacksmith, Farm, and Library around the same plot; for Elves, grow the Boars with adjacent Forests. For Hourglass, keep free plots available so Camp-triggering placements can continue.
- Repeat the action that grows your chosen core. Place cards on empty plots for Camps, feed enchantments to Wizards for Library copying, or place and Overhaul expendable plots for the Executioner. Keep those resources concentrated on the troops and towers doing the work.
- Choose decrees for the engine you already have. Feast supports Boar HP, Futurism enables the Executioner's extended levelling, and Overwork supports the Paladin support setup. Check that the decree is in the current seasonal pool before building your whole plan around it.
- Review the board that beat you after the run. Post-match kingdom inspection lets you visit opponents' kingdoms and review your own setup, with plot stats shown in the review screen. Use that to decide whether the next attempt needs faster hits, more protection, or a different damage source.
How Ranked Placement and Perks Change the Plan
Library Wizards change how you spend the plots beside your main damage dealer. The singleplayer Enchanted Wizards plan uses Spire healing and Balance, while its multiplayer counterpart fills the surrounding sides with Libraries and uses copied Steel Coat for defence. Keep those Libraries focused on the Wizard plot so their copies do not drift onto another troop.
Multiplayer perks replace Rainbow perks, and the full release introduced multiplayer choices including Vigilant, Vain, and Ambitious. Check their displayed effects against the core you are building before locking in a layout. Card stats are available in the Compendium, so use those alongside the season pool when adapting a solo setup.