The short answer
Use immediate attacks and Block to get through early fights. Add Exhaust support when you can name the cards you want to remove and the cards that will keep winning afterward.
Before you start
- Ironclad is the starting character.
- Read the current card text; these are roles, not a fixed ranked deck.
Useful early card roles
| Card | Job |
|---|---|
| Pommel Strike | Attack with draw; helps find the next action. |
| Whirlwind | Damage against groups; benefits from more Energy. |
| Shrug It Off | Block with draw. |
| Bloodletting | Trade HP for Energy. |
| Burning Pact | Targeted Exhaust and draw. |
| Fiend Fire | A larger Exhaust action that changes later deck cycles. |
Sources for this section
Decide what must survive the Exhaust
Keep an attack, a defense plan and enough draw or Energy to repeat them. Removing most of the deck does not help if the remaining cards cannot finish the enemy. Burning Blood heals 6 HP after combat, but it cannot rescue a lethal self-damage turn.
Kingy planning example: label the current hand “must keep,” “use once,” and “safe to remove” before a mass Exhaust. If your only scalable attack sits in “use once,” change the plan. Count the next enemy attack after any HP cost.
Sources for this section
When to change direction
A Strength reward can improve repeated attacks; a Block engine can support a defensive damage plan. Let rewards fill the missing role. If ordinary fights are already costing too much HP, a narrow late-game payoff is a lower priority than a card that works immediately.
Sources for this section
Your checklist
0 of 3 ready · Stored only while this page is open.
Research checked 2026-09-12. This is a source-based guide; Kingy has not independently play-tested these steps. Evidence and coverage.