The swarm philosophy
Other kings build armies. The imp-raiser builds a weather system. Individual imps are weak, cheap, and expendable, and that is the entire point: in the 9 Kings Playdigious game, a force that can be fully replaced every few years does not need to win efficiently. It needs to never stop coming. Your job is not preserving troops. Your job is making sure the next wave is already marching.
Feeding the horde
The swarm eats gold, so the economy serves the hatcheries. Build income with the same discipline a Greed player uses, then convert it all into bodies. The key insight: imp production buildings are your most important cards, more than any single combat upgrade. Protect them like a capital, because a horde with destroyed production is just a mob waiting to die.
Composition and waves
In the game, never send one big wave. Send continuous pressure: small groups that force the enemy to respond everywhere, then the real push where their defense thins. Imps excel at exploiting weak points, so scout borders and hit where towers are few. Stack one cheap buff across the whole swarm rather than expensive buffs on a few units; multiplication favors the many. The combos guide has the best cheap mass-buffs in the game.
Beating the counters
Two things prey on numbers: area damage and chokepoints. Against area damage, spread out and accept losses; the math still favors you if production survives. Against fortified chokes, do not feed the grinder. Go around, hit the economy behind the walls, or loot a rival elsewhere and return with stolen answers. The looting guide is essential reading for swarm players, because foreign cards patch the horde's weaknesses.
Late-game swarm
Late game in the game, the horde's job changes from killing to drowning. You will not out-stat year 30 enemies; you will outlast their attention. Multiple simultaneous pressures, sacrificial waves on the strongest enemy stack, and relentless economic raiding win reigns that no fair fight could. It is the most joyful playstyle here, and the build on this site runs it beautifully on mobile.
