Home / Builds & policies
Builds & policies
Six builds that work, plus tier ratings for 62 policies. Every row explains why it works instead of just asserting it.
Evidence boundary. Starter slots, card fields and stats are extracted from the local client. Build combinations and policy ratings are editorial judgement, not an official guide. The wiki.gg policy page is from 2026-07; renamed or rebalanced entries are flagged below.
Six builds
1Blood imp swarm
Blood kingValues verifiableStarter slots
- Pagoda (castle)
- Imp
- Bomber
- Demon's Altar
Core pieces
- Transmutation (all troops become level-3 imps)
- Freshmen (level-1 stats x2)
- Catharsis (align to highest damage)
- Armory (+3 steel coat)
- Evil Pact (summon cap x8)
- Populate (+1 extra unit)
Why it works
- Imp L1: 13 units x (5 attack / 1.4s) x crit expectation ≈ 48.8 DPS, 24.4 DPS per gold — the best in the game.
- Growth: units 13→26→39 (x level), attack 5→10→20 (x2 per level), interval 1.4→1.16s (÷1.1 per level).
- So L3 total DPS ≈ 707.9, 14.5x L1; no other card reaches that at the same cost.
- Catharsis aligns every unit to the highest damage; 13 units each get the full benefit → value = unit count x gap.
Weakness: Single-unit HP is only 13 and does not scale; dies to AOE and burst. Bombers/flame towers are the counter.
2Greed gold snowball
Greed kingValues verifiableStarter slots
- Palace (castle)
- Beacon
- Vault
- Dispenser
- Thief
- Mercenary
Core pieces
- Bargain (merchant half price x2)
- Burglary (+2 Midas Touch)
- Salvage (3x pit refund x3)
- Loan (+99 gold)
Why it works
- Base yearly income is 9 gold; Vault gives +3 gold/year per level → level-3 Vault = +9/year, doubling income.
- Merchant: first card 30 gold, +15 per purchase → nth card = 30 + 15(n−1); Bargain x2 leaves 1/4 price.
- Dispenser gives +0.5% attack speed per gold received (boostPerCoin = 1.005); income becomes combat power.
- Mercenary goldPerTroop = 9: 9 gold = 1 unit, so gold stock is its unit count — refill before spending.
Weakness: Spending gold lowers mercenary unit count; Vault payback is 10 years (30 / 3), so it needs Overwork or a discount.
3Nothing archer crit
Nothing kingValues verifiableStarter slots
- Castle
- Farm
- Blacksmith
- Soldier
- Archer
- Paladin
Core pieces
- Eyeglass (+20% crit x5)
- Iron Fist (crit damage x2 x3)
- Twinshot (+1 arrow)
- Catharsis
- Freshmen
Why it works
- Archer L1 is only 12.4 DPS, 3.09 per gold — one of the worst raw values.
- But MCritChanceBoost = 1.05 means +5 percentage points per level: 10%→15%→20%, additive not multiplicative.
- Eyeglass x5 adds +100 points → guaranteed crit; Iron Fist (x2^3 = x8) → about 8x expected damage.
- Unit count also grows 9→18→27, so max-level DPS rises from 12.4 to 98.9 (8.0x), one of the highest multipliers.
Weakness: All value sits in the crit multiplier; without Eyeglass/Iron Fist it does no damage and folds to armor/reflect.
4Stone tower grid
Stone kingValues verifiableStarter slots
- Stronghold (castle)
- Quarry
- Cauldron
- Wall Maker
- Trebuchet
Core pieces
- Engineering (tower damage x2)
- Bunker (tower attack speed +50% x20)
- Trebuchet (+1 projectile per building)
- Bargain + Loan (buy towers)
Why it works
- Quarry gives all towers +2% damage per level for only 9 gold (costPerLevel = 9), the cheapest global growth.
- Trebuchet gives +1 projectile per building (projectilesPerBuilding = 1) → tower count itself is a multiplier.
- Stronghold caps at 45 towers and gains +10% range per level.
- Engineering doubles all tower damage, multiplicative with Quarry +2%/year.
Weakness: Slow to set up, weak to demolition (Pillage / destroy plot) and ranged poke; underbuilt it is far worse than swarms.
5Limitless level
Progress kingDirectionalStarter slots
- Mothership (castle)
- Concabulator
- Converter
- Recycler
- Lab Rat
Core pieces
- Splicing (lab rat level x2 x2)
- Gentrify (all plots +1 level)
- Overhaul (extra plot level-up)
- Frankensteinian
Why it works
- Lab Rat is the only troop with LimitlessLevels = 1; the normal level-3 ceiling does not apply.
- Unit count = MTroopCount x level, so "limitless level" means "limitless units" — the only way past the multiplier ceiling.
- Concabulator triggers a board-wide level-up at level 3; Splicing doubles lab rat levels (stackable 2x = x4).
- Cost: Lab Rat L1 is only 3.37 DPS, 1.68 per gold; very weak early, carried by the upgrade curve.
Weakness: Slow start: almost no power for the first 3–5 years; fast aggro or burst ends the run.
6Spell / tome
Spells kingDirectionalStarter slots
- Citadel (castle)
- Library
- Spire
- Wizard
- Warlock
Core pieces
- Glass Staffs (wizard 100 attack / 1 HP)
- Re-enchant (enchantments x2 x2)
- Catharsis
- Static Fields (castle lightning x2)
Why it works
- Wizard damageBoostPerSpell = 0.05: each spell in hand gives +5% damage — "card count = damage".
- Warlock hpBoostPerTome = 1.05: each tome gives +5% HP, keeping it alive.
- Library has a 50% chance to copy an adjacent enchantment, dropping to 20% after 3 successes.
- Glass Staffs makes wizards 100 attack / 1 HP, the highest-damage unit, perfect for Catharsis alignment.
Weakness: Wizard has 1 HP and Warlock DPS is only 0.67 (0.11 per gold, the lowest); one AOE or dive collapses the board.
Policies (62)
S 9 entriesA 25 entriesB 21 entriesC 7 entries
General（18）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | SwiftfireBunker | Tower attack speed +50% | 20 | Increases the attack speed of your towers by X. | The only tower attack-speed source, stackable 20 times; does nothing for troops, so the lane is narrow. |
| S | CatharsisCatharsis | All troops deal the damage of your highest-damage troop | 1 | All troops on the field now have the same damage as your strongest troop's current damage. | The only "align to max" effect. Swarm value = unit count x gap to the top; small units get the full benefit. |
| S | ExplorationExploration | Unlock 3 random plots | 20 | Allows you to pick X new plots to unlock. | Plots are a hard resource: one more plot is one more building/troop slot, the largest long-term gain. |
| S | EyeglassEyeglass | All units and towers +20% crit chance | 5 | All your plots get X raw chance to deal critical damage. | Crit chance is additive: 10% base + 5 stacks = 110%, effectively guaranteed crits before crit damage. |
| S | ResilienceFeast | All troop max HP x2 | 20 | Doubles the maximum HP of all troops. | The cheapest way to make troops survive, and it stacks. |
| B | GunpowderGunpowder | Area damage radius +30% | 5 | Increases the area of AoE attacks by X. | Only affects AOE, and radius is not damage. Matters for bomber builds. |
| A | Iron FistIron Fist | Crit damage x2 | 3 | Doubles critical damage. | Multiplicative but narrow: you need crit chance first. Pairs with Eyeglass. |
| C | BlitzhasteLeatherworks | All unit movement speed x2 | 20 | Doubles the movement speed of all troops. | Movement only changes time-to-contact, not DPS or survival; a feel-good pick. |
| A | LoanLoan | Gain 99 gold | 20 | Gives you X gold multiplied by the year you're in. | 99 gold is about 11 years of base income; 20 stacks = 1980 gold, the largest cash injection. |
| B | OutsourcingOutsourcing | Gain 9 free rerolls | 20 | Receive X free re-rolls. | Saves reroll gold (10, then +10 each); strong early, diluted late. |
| S | AugurOverwork | Support buildings trigger their effect once more | 2 | Your support buildings apply their effects one more time. | Doubles farm/vault/blacksmith/beacon output; two stacks = x3. Better with more support buildings. |
| B | 毒刺 | Enemies gain 1 poison stack whenever they attack your units | 20 | — | Poison snowballs, but needs Venom for damage; value depends on how often you are hit. |
| A | RebirthRebirth | Restore all lost lives | — | Gives you X lives. | Pushes the loss condition back; equivalent to several extra years. |
| A | EmpowerSharp Blades | All units and towers +30% attack | 20 | Increases the damage of all your units and towers by X. | Linear but 20 stacks (+600%), the largest additive attack source. |
| A | SuppliesSupplies | Gain one copy of every card your king owns | — | Replaces your hand with one copy of each of your king's cards. | Cards are opportunities; a full deck is a free round of upgrades and board presence. |
| B | VenomVenom | All poison effects resolve twice | 3 | Unit's attacks apply X poison stack to the enemy. | The poison multiplier (x2^3), but only if you have a stable poison source. |
| B | War HornsWar Horns | Summons +50% strength | 20 | Summons are X stronger. | Summon-build only: pagoda/cemetery/converter systems benefit. |
| A | WeakspotWeakspot | Frozen/stunned/poisoned units take +50% damage | — | Frozen, stunned, or poisoned units take X damage. | Converts control into damage; pure multiplier with trapper/cauldron/orchard. |
Rainbow（5）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | GamblingGambling | Gain two cards after every battle, but no longer choose loot | 1 | Gives you two cards after every battle. You can no longer choose your loot. | Doubles card volume at the cost of control; bad for stable comps, great for swarm/curve. |
| A | LongtermismLongtermism | The next Royal Council offers three policies | — | You can choose X decrees in the next Royal Council. | Three policies = three multipliers; it snowballs once online. |
| B | PayrollPayroll | The first reroll of each encounter gives +10 gold | — | Your first re-roll in every encounter gives you X gold instead of taking it. | Turns a cost into income; small but free. |
| C | RefractionRefraction | Replace your hand with random rainbow cards | — | Replaces your cards in hand with random Rainbow cards. | High variance; only rainbow/reactor builds take it. |
| A | Wishing WellWishing well | The next card thrown into the pit gains 3 copies | — | Gives you X copies of the next card you throw into the pit. | With Salvage, one trash card becomes several resources. |
Nothing（5）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | ArmoryArmory | All troops gain +3 steel coat stacks | — | All troops gain X stacks of Steel Coat. | Steel coat is damage reduction; swarm + steel coat is a double multiplier. |
| S | DevelopmentDevelopment | Each empty plot gains 1 wildcard | — | Gives you X Wildcard card for each empty plot you have. | Trades empty plots for cards; better the more you want to expand. |
| B | FireballFireball | Castle hits leave a burning area on the ground | — | Castle hits now leave a trail of fire on the ground that deals X damage per tick. | Castle-build ground coverage; no direct stat boost. |
| S | FreshmenFreshmen | All level-1 troops gain x2 all stats | — | Triples all stats of all level X troops. | Fixes cheap units: imps/skeletons at level 1 double immediately, effectively two free levels. |
| A | TwinshotTwinshot | Archers fire +1 arrow per attack | — | Doubles the number of arrows shot by Archers per hit. | Double hit count is roughly double damage; the first must-pick for archer builds. |
Spells（5）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | AbrakadabraAbracadabra | 10% of enemies turn into frogs | 1 | X of all enemies turn into frogs. | Probabilistic clear with high variance and a high ceiling (10% become useless). |
| A | Arcane PinnacleGlass Staffs | Wizards become 100 attack / 1 HP | 1 | All Wizards gain X damage and their HP is set to X. | Turns wizards into glass cannons; with multipliers they become the highest-damage unit, perfect for Catharsis. |
| A | EnrichmentRe-enchant | All deployed troops double their enchantments | 2 | Doubles all enchantments of all your active troops. | The only enchantment multiplier (x4); useless without enchantments. |
| B | SpiremaniaSpiremania | Spire healing rays x2 | 20 | Doubles the amount of healing rays of your Spires. | Spire-build sustain core, but you need spires first. |
| A | TempestStatic Fields | Castle lightning attack speed x2 | 20 | Doubles the attack speed of your Citadel's lightning bolts. | Castles are free damage; doubling their speed doubles castle DPS and makes them a main carry. |
Greed（5）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | BargainBargain | Merchant card prices halved | 2 | Merchant's cards cost half the price. | Two stacks = 1/4 price; the merchant is the only buy-cards channel, so this saves 75%. |
| A | BurglaryBurglary | All deployed troops gain 2 Midas Touch stacks | 20 | All troops gain X stacks of Midas Touch. | Midas Touch turns kills into gold, converting combat into economy; stacks 20 times. |
| B | 保险 | Gain 1 gold for every 9 allied units that die | 20 | — | Free cash for swarm builds, but it scales with losing units, which feels awkward. |
| A | SalvageSalvage | Cards thrown into the pit refund 3x gold | 3 | Cards thrown into the pit give you triple gold. | Three stacks = 27x refund; with trash/trashmaker it prints money. |
| B | ScimitarScimitars | Thief attacks always crit | 1 | Thief attacks are always critical strikes. | Maxes thief crit chance, freeing the Eyeglass slot. |
Blood（5）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | CovenantCovenant | All demon altars x2 stats | — | Doubles the stats of all active Demon Altars. | Altars snowball permanently; doubling them raises the starting point. |
| A | EmbalmingEmbalming | 10% of killed enemies revive as your units | 1 | Enemies killed have a X chance to be summoned back to life as allies. | Stronger against stronger enemies; the only "use their numbers against them" mechanic. |
| A | ImplicationEvil Pact | Pagoda imp summon cap x2 | 3 | Doubles the maximum quantity of Pagoda's summoned Ghosts. | Three stacks = x8 cap; fills the board with imps. |
| B | FireworksFireworks | Bomber attack radius x2 | 2 | Bombers have their attack range area doubled. | Bombers already have high single-hit damage; doubling radius fixes accuracy. |
| S | TransmutationTransmutation | All deployed troops become level-3 imps | 1 | All active troops become Imps with twice as many units. | The only direct level + unit-count jump: level-3 imps are 39 units at x4 attack, for the whole board. |
Nature（5）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 丰饶 | Immediately gain 3 Procreate cards | 3 | — | Procreate adds units, a multiplier, but one-shot cards are worse than persistent Populate. |
| C | NettleNettle | Treant attacks now deal damage | 1 | — | Turns the castle from pure defense into damage, but Treant is not a damage slot. |
| A | PopulatePopulate | Whenever any unit is added to a plot, add 1 more | 2 | Whenever any unit is added to any plot, adds X extra unit. | Unit count +1 is a multiplier; with Farm (+1/year) it is a double multiplier. |
| C | RevitalizeRevitalize | All healing x2 | — | Doubles every heal effect you receive. | Healing multiplier with no healing source is a dead card. |
| B | WildernessWilderness | Unlock 3 new plots, each with a forest | — | Unlocks X new random plots, with level X Forests on each of them. | Plot + forest in one; one more layer than Exploration. |
Stone（4）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | BarricadeBarricade | Walls reflect 10% of damage taken | — | Walls reflect X of damage taken. | Reflect ratio is too low; only pure wall builds use it. |
| C | DynamitesDynamites | Trap damage x2 | — | Each trap is now triggered X time in battle. | Trap-build multiplier, extremely narrow. |
| A | EngineeringEngineering | All tower damage x2 | — | Doubles the damage of all towers. | The tower-build master switch: doubles all tower output, better the more towers you have. |
| B | TowerdomeTowerdome | Stronghold builds towers x2 speed | 3 | Stronghold can now build towers twice as fast. | Faster tower construction = faster coverage; a tempo piece. |
Progress（5）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 弗兰肯斯坦式 | Converter summons bombers instead of lab rats | 1 | — | Changes the limitless build from refill to AOE refill; a direction change, not a pure buff. |
| S | 士绅化 | All plots on the board +1 level | — | — | One level for every plot; levels are the main multiplier, so this upgrades everything at once. |
| B | ScopesScopes | Add 9 Precision cards to your hand | — | — | 9 cards = 9 multiplication chances, but Precision itself adds no power. |
| A | SplicingSplicing | All deployed lab rats double their level | 2 | Doubles the level of all active Lab Rats. | Lab rats have no level cap; x2 level is the only legitimate way past the level-3 ceiling. |
| B | UltragravityUltragravity | Mothership attack range x2 | 3 | Doubles the attack range of your Mothership. | Doubles range to fix coverage; an efficiency piece for mothership builds. |
Nomads（5）
| Tier | Policy | Old wiki effect | Limit | Current game text | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 冰焰 | Dragons breathe blue fire and attack one extra time per battle | — | — | Dragons are Nomad-only; value only inside dragon builds. |
| B | FrostbiteFrostbite | Frost deals damage per second, +1 per stack | — | Frost now deals damage per second. X damage per stack. | Converts control into damage over time; multiplicative with Weakspot. |
| B | PillagePillage | All "destroy plot" card effects resolve one extra time | — | The effect of all plot destroying cards is applied X time. | Demolition amplifier; value depends on how many destroy-plot cards you have. |
| A | SettlementSettlement | New troops and towers placed on empty plots start with double stats | — | All new troops and towers placed on empty plots start with triple stats. | Empty plot = double starting point; encourages clear-then-build and pairs with expansion. |
| B | SmithySmithy | Sword and shield effects x2 | — | Doubles Swords and Shields effects. | The Nomad starter includes both enchantments, so doubling is effectively a free level. |
Old wiki name mapping
The wiki.gg policy page is from 2026-07; 6 entries have no same-name current field. The table below lists the mappings we can confirm.
| Old wiki name | Current entry | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Bunker | 迅火 Swiftfire | Same "tower attack speed" buff; old wiki +50%, current local value +20% |
| Feast | 韧性 Resilience | Description matches (max HP x2) |
| Leatherworks | 闪电急速 Blitzhaste | Description matches (movement speed +100%) |
| Overwork | 占卜者 Augur | Description matches (building effects trigger once more) |
| Sharp Blades | 增强 Empower | Same "all attack" buff; old wiki +30%, current local +20% |
| Glass Staffs | 奥秘之巅 Arcane Pinnacle | Description matches exactly (wizard 100 attack / 1 HP) |
| Evil Pact | 涵义 Implication | Description matches (imp summon cap doubled) |
| Re-enchant | 丰富 Enrichment | Description matches exactly (enchantments doubled) |
| Static Fields | 风暴 Tempest | Same "castle lightning frequency" buff |
| Gentrify | 未找到（wiki 为「全场 +1 级」，当前版本疑似由「超越 Ascendancy」承担，但该条目不在本机数据中） | Not found (old wiki: all plots +1 level; likely Ascendancy now, but that entry is absent from local data) |
| Abracadabra | 阿布拉卡达布拉 Abrakadabra | Spelling difference (c/k) |
| Scimitars | 弯刀 Scimitar | Singular/plural difference |
Three takeaways
- Power comes from levels, not rarity. Growth is written as explicit multipliers (MHPBoost / MAttackStrengthBoost / MAttackDelayBoost), and unit count scales with level. A common troop gains roughly 4.7–8x by level 3; high-growth units such as imps reach 14.5x.
- Stackable multipliers beat additive stats. Every S-tier entry is multiplicative or rule-changing: align to max (Catharsis), trigger again (Overwork), double (Feast / Twinshot), or grant levels (Transmutation / Gentrify). Plain +30% / +2% is A or below.
- Scarce resources first. Plots (Exploration), unit count (Farm / Populate), hand size (Codex / Scopes) and gold (Loan / Vault) are multiplied by everything else; +2% stats only multiplies itself.