Guide
Block Tales How to Beat Cruel King Guide
Block Tales How to Beat Cruel King comes down to freeze control, summon cleanup, and not wasting SP before the throne room. Cruel King has 30 HP, hits with 5-damage freeze moves, and can call Loyal Knight or Crossbow Crony.
Last updated: 2026-04-27
Quick Facts
| Boss | Cruel King |
|---|---|
| HP | 30 |
| Location | Blackrock Castle throne room |
| Main threat | Frozen turns after Scepter Strike or Freezing Stab. |
| Party damage | Scepter Strike hits all players and allies for 5 damage. |
| Single-target damage | Freezing Stab hits one target for 5 damage. |
| Summons | Call for Help can add Loyal Knight or Crossbow Crony. |
| Heal | Refreshing Heal gives all enemies 1 HP and DEF Up for 2 turns. |
| Useful card | Power Stab for boss damage. |
| Useful card 2 | Linebounce for summon turns. |
| Pre-fight check | Use the throne room healing plate before starting. |
| Reward | Ice Dagger after the Chapter 1 clear. |
| Reviewed facts | Checked against current community wiki data on 2026-04-27. |
Block Tales How to Beat Cruel King quick plan
Do not walk into Cruel King after spending all SP in the castle. The fight is short on paper, but frozen turns and summons can make it feel longer if you have no recovery left.
The clean plan is simple: heal before the throne, use steady damage while he is alone, switch to row damage or summon cleanup when Call for Help lands, and never sit at low HP before a freeze move.
- Use the healing plate near the throne room entrance.
- Open with normal attacks or Power Stab only if you can afford the SP.
- Clear Loyal Knight or Crossbow Crony if they add too much pressure.
- Heal before Frozen can trap you on a losing turn.
Recommended cards and items
Power Stab is the best early single-target spend if you can land the action command. Linebounce is the answer when Cruel King calls a helper and the enemy row starts eating too many turns.
HP+ is better than it looks for a first clear because it gives more room for bad guard timing. SP Saver is only worth it if your build has enough SP-cost cards to justify the BP.
- Power Stab: boss damage.
- Linebounce: summon cleanup.
- HP+: more room for missed guards.
- Cheezburger or stronger food: emergency recovery after a freeze turn.
How to handle each Cruel King move
Scepter Strike hits the party and freezes, so treat the next turn as unsafe. Freezing Stab is single-target, but it can still break your plan if that target was supposed to heal or finish the boss.
Call for Help is the turn that decides whether you keep attacking Cruel King or clean the board. Refreshing Heal is not a huge heal, but the DEF Up can make weak attacks feel wasted.
- After Scepter Strike, check HP before spending SP.
- After Freezing Stab, do not assume the frozen player can fix the turn.
- After Call for Help, remove the summon unless the boss is already near defeat.
- After Refreshing Heal, use stronger hits or wait out the DEF Up if needed.
Common failed attempts
Most failed attempts are not caused by one bad card. They come from entering the throne room half-empty, spending all SP early, then getting frozen with no way to recover.
If the fight keeps failing, change one thing. Add HP+, bring one stronger item, or save Linebounce for the summon turn. Rebuilding the whole loadout usually hides the real mistake.
- Do not use Power Stab every turn just because it is available.
- Do not leave Crossbow Crony alive if it is stretching the fight.
- Do not wait until danger HP if the next freeze can steal your heal.
FAQ
What is the safest way to beat Cruel King?
Use the throne room healing plate, keep SP for planned attacks, clear summons when they add too many turns, and heal before Frozen can stop the recovery turn.
Should I attack Cruel King or the summoned enemy first?
Clear the summon if it will create several extra enemy turns. If Cruel King is close to defeat, finishing him can be safer.
Is Power Stab good against Cruel King?
Yes. Power Stab is a good single-target damage card for the fight, as long as you can land the timing and still keep SP for recovery.
Why do I lose after getting frozen?
Frozen turns remove control at the worst time. Heal earlier, keep HP above danger range, and do not count on a frozen player to fix the next turn.
Related Pages
Boss
Cruel King
Block Tales Cruel King is the Chapter 1 final boss in Blackrock Castle. He has 30 HP, uses freeze pressure, can summon Loyal Knight or Crossbow Crony, and punishes players who enter the throne room with no SP plan.
Chapter
Chapter 1
Block Tales Chapter 1, Storming the Castle, runs from the Caves into Roadtown, Snowy Thicket, and Blackrock Castle. The chapter teaches Ball, Dynamite, keys, dungeon routing, and ends with Cruel King and the Ice Dagger.
Location
Blackrock Castle
Block Tales Blackrock Castle is the Chapter 1 dungeon and Cruel King route. It uses keys, doors, Ball, Sword, Dynamite, Shrink, the 2605 prison code, Blackrock Key, Blackrock Diner Key, optional checks, and a healing plate before the throne room.
Card
Power Stab
Block Tales Power Stab is the first real SP check for sword builds. It costs 0 BP and 2 SP, adds 1 damage over a normal Sword hit, and rewards players who can land the tighter action command instead of spending turns on plain attacks.
Card
Linebounce
Block Tales Linebounce is the early Ball card for rooms with several enemies. It costs 1 BP and 2 SP, comes from the Caves, and keeps bouncing only if each action command lands, which makes it strong but easy to waste.
Card
HP+
Block Tales HP+ is a 3 BP passive card that raises current and maximum HP by 5. It is one of the best early safety cards because it gives more room for missed guards, bad enemy turns, and first-time boss learning. HP+ is found in Caves [1] and Dream Path D [2], and bought from Amber for 65 TIX. Pre-Demo 5 data listed a max stack of 4, with 3 obtainable copies. Use HP+ when dying is the problem. Do not equip it if the real failure is low damage or poor SP planning.
Item
Whole Pizza
Block Tales Whole Pizza is a Chapter 1 item that restores 50 HP, can be given by Accountant Jim in Roadtown after saving him, can be given by Skeleton in Vermillion Village, and can be randomly earned from Abu Baba camels. It is overkill for small mistakes and excellent before long boss attempts.
Guide
Boss Guide
Block Tales Boss Guide starts with preparation, because most failed attempts are decided before the first attack. Bring one reliable damage card, one recovery answer, and a plan for the boss's worst turn. Cruel King is the clean example: 30 HP, freeze moves, summons, and a heal plus DEF Up. Power Stab helps when the boss is alone. Linebounce helps when summons make the row messy. If the fight keeps failing, do not swap every card. Identify the exact failure: low HP, low SP, missed guards, enemy adds, or panic healing.