Team Composition and Positioning
Throwing random high-rarity units onto the board stops working around Day 10. To survive the mid-game boss waves, you need a balanced team with defined roles: tanking, crowd control (CC), and single-target damage.
The Frontline
You need one dedicated tank. The Knight and the Swordsman are your best options. Both have reliable taunt mechanics and predictable area-of-effect attacks that intercept enemy aggro.
- Placement: Front-center tile. This forces melee enemies to cluster around your tank.
- Upgrades: Prioritize health and block chance. Damage is irrelevant for this role.
Avoid the Paladin as your primary tank. Its attack alternates in strict left and right diagonal patterns with a tiny arc. It routinely misses enemies standing right next to it. The community treats it as a sacrificial unit, not a frontline anchor. Stick with the Knight or Swordsman instead.
Crowd Control
Swarm waves will overwhelm your tank if you do not thin them out. You need a dedicated CC unit positioned directly behind the tank.
The Flamewalker hits hard, but the Frost Mage is safer. The Frost Mage applies a freeze/chill effect that slows enemies, drastically increasing your tank's survivability.
Single-Target DPS
You need an answer for high-health elites and bosses. The Marksman or the Ranger fills this slot.
- Marksman: The premier single-target damage dealer. Benefits heavily from Cooldown Reduction relics to maximize its active ability uptime. Its raw damage scaling was significantly increased in Patch 15.
- Ranger: Safe, consistent damage from the backline. Benefits from attack speed items.
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Unit Trap Warnings
Some units look great on paper but fall apart in practice. Before you invest resources:
- Paladin: Broken targeting arc. Misses constantly. Do not rely on it for tanking.
- Miner: Lacks combat scaling. Useful for economy, terrible in dense waves.
- Angel: Criticized since launch for poor late-game scaling. Draft with caution.
Faction Traits
Drafting multiple units of the same faction unlocks passive bonuses at 2, 4, and 6 unit thresholds. Only standard "eating units" (drafted heroes and mercenaries) count toward the threshold, but once activated, the buff applies to all friendly units on the field, including siege engines.
Always check your current faction pairings before picking a new unit from the draft screen. A lower-tier unit that hits a faction threshold is often better than a standalone legendary.
Full Faction Trait Table
| Faction | 2-Unit Bonus | 4-Unit Bonus | 6-Unit Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Pierce +1 | Burn immunity | Health +30% |
| Demon | Applies burn | Power +3 | Rage generation +30% |
| Desert | +1 gold per day | Applies wetness | Ability cooldowns -10% |
| Dwarven | Applies shock | Overshield +5 every 10s | Range +30% |
| Elven | Applies freeze | +1 Faith per day | Max mana +30% |
| Human | Applies radiance | Unit enters Tavern last | Shield strength +30% |
| Nature | 50% damage return (Thorns) | Rejuvenate 3 every 10s | Movement speed +20% |
| Swamp | Courage (melee on towers) | Poison immunity | AoE radius +15% |
| Undead | Applies fatigue | Barrier every 10s | Effect duration +20% |
Human traits activate only when playing as the Undead Kingdom, and Undead traits activate only when playing as the Human Kingdom. This is intentional cross-kingdom design.
Faction Drafting Tips
- Nature is the go-to if you skip a dedicated healer. The Thorns effect and Rejuvenate aura together keep your frontline alive through mid-game.
- Desert is the faction the old guides mistakenly called "Arcane." If you want cooldown reduction for a mage-heavy backline, draft Desert units.
- Dwarven pairs well with shield-stacking tanks. The Overshield refresh every 10 seconds turns your Knight into a wall.
- Swamp's Courage bonus is uniquely powerful. It lets melee units occupy tower positions, opening up defensive lane configurations that are otherwise impossible.