Gambonanza Gambits Guide - Every Gambit Rated S/A/B/C - Gambonanza Guide - Complete Strategy, Gambits and Walkthrough

The Gambit System Rated, Ranked & Explained

150+ Gambits. Each one a rule-breaking chess power. But some are game-warping, and some are trap picks that look good but lose you the run. This guide tells you which is which. For Gambit combinations that work together, the Gambit Synergy Chains guide shows the top 5 proven pairings. The full Tier List ranks every Gambit from S to C for quick reference.

HOW TO READ THIS GUIDE
Every top Gambit gets a Meta Rating (S/A/B/C), Synergy Table (PieceTile combos), Phase Indicator (Early/Mid/Late), and Pro Tip (10+ hour insider knowledge).

S-Tier Game-Warping Gambits

These Gambits fundamentally change how you play. Build your run around them.

⚡ Quick nav: ⚡ Jump's Gambit ⚡ Throne's Gambit ⚡ Resurrection Stone's Gambit

see_also:

title: ‘Tier List - Every Gambit Ranked’ url: ‘/gambonanza-tier-list/’
title: ‘Deterministic Gambits Guide’ url: ‘/deterministic-gambits-guide/’
title: ‘Card Database’ url: ‘/cards/’

Jump’s Gambit

S EARLY GAME MID GAME LATE GAME

Rare, $8. Your pieces can hop over holes and empty squares - the single most versatile movement Gambit in the game.

♔

Best with King King leaps over a blocked rank to safety - a free escape route

♕

Best with Queen Queen ignores pawn walls and hole patterns that normally block her

♖

Best with Rook Rook keeps its full rail range even after Crumble punches holes in the board

Why it breaks the game: Jump's Gambit removes the one thing that normally limits your best pieces: blocked lines. A pawn wall, a hole left by Crumble, a friendly piece in the way - none of it stops you any more. On a board that has started to crumble, Jump's is the difference between a piece that is stranded and a piece that keeps working.

Throne’s Gambit

S EARLY GAME MID GAME LATE GAME

Common, $6. When you promote a pawn you also gain a King. Your board gets a second royal piece that the enemy must remove to end the game.

♟

Best with Pawn builds Every promotion is now also a second body - pure value on a Pawn-heavy board

♙

Best with Squirrel's / Race Flag's Pawns that pay you on promotion now also hand you a King for free

♔

Best with Wrecking Ball's Pair the two and nearly every promotion or Rook trade adds another King

Why it breaks the game: Remember the win condition: you lose only when all of your pieces are gone. A free King from every promotion makes your board much harder to wipe out, because one more piece has to be captured before the game can end. It is not flashy, it is simply more bodies, and more bodies win long games.

Resurrection Stone’s Gambit

S MID GAME LATE GAME

$6. Phantom Tiles may now produce a permanent default piece instead of a temporary copy - a slow but steady way to rebuild a broken board.

♘

Best with Phantom Tiles Every Phantom Tile becomes a possible permanent body instead of a fleeting one

♙

Best with tile-heavy builds More Phantom Tiles on the board means more chances for a permanent piece

♕

Best with Graal's Gambit Graal's keeps feeding tiles, Resurrection keeps converting them into bodies

Why it breaks the game: In a long run, losing pieces is the real boss. Resurrection Stone's turns your existing tile engine into a quiet recovery mechanic - every Phantom Tile that converts is a piece you did not have to buy from the shop. It scales with the tile count you already built, so the payoff grows the longer the run goes.

A-Tier Run-Defining Gambits

These define your build strategy. Prioritize them in every shop.

Makibishi’s Gambit

BDrops a Trap on adjacent squares. Punishes the enemy for closing in on your pieces.

Best Pieces	Best Tiles	Why It Works
Knight	Trap Tile clusters	A knight that walks away from a trap baits the enemy onto it
Bishop	Choke-point tiles	Trap the diagonal the enemy must cross to reach your back line
Rook	Lane tiles	Trap a lane and any piece that steps in loses its next turn

MID GAME Shines when the enemy has to funnel through a small number of squares to reach your pieces.

Pro tip:
Pro tip: Makibishi’s Gambit + Poacher’s Gambit on the same piece = a self-defending bait. Poacher’s drops a Trap Tile where your pawn dies, and Makibishi’s keeps adjacency pressure on, so a piece the enemy thinks it can trade for suddenly cannot move the following turn.

Silver Fork’s Gambit

ARare, $7. After a Knight moves, if it can capture 2 or more pieces, there is a 1/2 chance the enemy turn is skipped.

Best Pieces	Best Tiles	Why It Works
Knight	Center tiles	A knight in the middle often forks two pieces at once
Knight (2+)	Clustered tiles	Pack the enemy in and every knight move threatens a double
Rook	Open files	Rooks clear the lanes your knights need to fork through

EARLY GAME MID GAME Effective from turn 1 if pieces cluster. Diminishes on open boards where no knight can reach two targets at once.

Pro tip:
Pro tip: Silver Fork’s trigger checks all eight knight destinations, not just the one you land on. If any legal knight move from the new square would capture a second piece, the skip chance rolls. Move your knight to a square that keeps two capture lines open and you cash the coin flip for free.

Templar’s Gambit

AGaining a Rook also drops a random Protective Tile. A lasting way to shield your most important piece from a single capture.

Best Pieces	Best Tiles	Why It Works
Rook	Protective Tile squares	You collect the Rook and a fresh Protective Tile in one buy
Queen	Center tiles	Protects the piece the enemy most wants to trade for
Economy builds	Any tile	Your income engine is often your most valuable single piece

EARLY GAME MID GAME Safety net at all stages. A forgiving pick for new players who keep losing a key piece to an early trade.

Pro tip:
Pro tip: A Protective Tile only saves the piece on the turn it moves in, so pair Templar’s with a piece you advance every turn. Buy a Rook, land it on the fresh tile, then keep that Rook moving onto new Protective Tiles and it never stays exposed for the enemy turn.

War Horse’s Gambit

ACommon, $6. When a pawn promotes into a Knight, that Knight is protected. A clean way to keep your promoted pieces alive.

Best Pieces	Best Tiles	Why It Works
Pawn	Promotion squares	Promote straight into a protected Knight instead of a fragile Queen
Knight	Center tiles	A protected centre knight is very hard for the enemy to trade off
Rook	Open files	Rooks cover the lane your new Knight needs to operate in

MID GAME Best in any run where you expect to promote into Knights. Strong against bosses that punish your strongest piece.

Pro tip:
Pro tip: Combine War Horse’s with Skydiver’s Gambit and every pawn you land can promote on arrival AND come in protected. On Hikarul the Banished, who cuts off your Stock, a protected knight that appears from a Landing is worth two ordinary pieces.

Catapult’s Gambit

AA Rook capture launches diagonally. Turns a trade into board-wide pressure.

Best Pieces	Best Tiles	Why It Works
Rook	Open files	Every Rook capture becomes an attack from an unexpected diagonal
Queen	Center tiles	A Queen that also launches diagonally is almost impossible to fence in
Pawn walls	Board edges	Use the pawns to set up the capture, then let the Rook launch

LATE GAME Needs a board where the Rook can actually capture. Build toward this, it is not an early-game tool.

Pro tip:
Pro tip: Catapult’s launch still lands on a real square, so route your Rook so the diagonal capture ends on a Trap or Gold Tile. You get the kill, the board pressure, and the tile effect all from one move.

B-Tier Strong Situational Picks

These are excellent in the right build. Don’t force them into every deck.

Goddess’s Gambit B

Your Queen moves on Knight lines as well as her own. Wide reach, but you must keep the Queen alive to use it.

MID GAME

Best Pieces: Queen
Best Tiles: Center tiles
Weakness: Only helps while your Queen is on the board

💡 PRO TIP: A knight-moving Queen can threaten squares no ordinary Queen can defend. Use that to fork pieces the enemy believes are safe from your royal piece.

CEO’s Gambit B

Legendary, $10. Make a promotion permanent. Best used in long runs where you want your upgraded pieces to stay upgraded.

LATE GAME

Best Pieces: Pawns you intend to promote
Best Tiles: Any
Weakness: Does nothing until you actually promote a piece

💡 PRO TIP: CEO's Gambit pairs with Medal's Gambit and War Horse's. Promote one pawn, keep the upgrade permanent, and protect the result - that one piece can carry the back half of a run.

Beth’s Gambit B

Rare, $7. Capturing the last enemy with your Queen pays extra money. A clean reward for finishing the job with your strongest piece.

MID GAME

Best Pieces: Queen
Best Tiles: Gold Tile
Weakness: Only pays on the final capture of the game

💡 PRO TIP: Beth's pays on the last capture, so route the killing blow through your Queen on purpose. If the board lets you, keep one enemy piece alive until your Queen can take it.

Rear up’s Gambit B

A knight-flavoured Gambit that pays off while your Knights are on the board. Simple, reliable, always useful.

EARLY GAME MID GAME

Best Pieces: Knights
Best Tiles: Any
Weakness: Does nothing if your Knights have been traded off

💡 PRO TIP: Rear up's wants Knights alive and active. If you are running a Knight + Pawn wall, keep at least two Knights on the board at all times so the payoff never switches off. See the Knight and Pawn Meta guide.

C-Tier Niche/Filler Gambits

These have their place but shouldn’t be build priorities.

Makibishi’s Gambit C

Drops a Trap on adjacent squares. Punishing, but too position-dependent to build around. Only pick it if your other picks already run Trap Tile synergy.

EARLY GAME

Banana Peel’s Gambit C

Common, $6. A 1 in 10 chance each turn to skip the enemy turn. Fun, but you cannot plan around a coin flip. Take it as a cheap dice roll in an extra slot, not as a plan.

MID GAME

Lemming’s Gambit C

Epic, $5. Start the game with one extra pawn. A body is a body, but a lone pawn rarely changes a run. Fine value if you run pawn-payoff Gambits like Squirrel’s.

MID GAME

Squirrel’s Gambit C

Common, $6. Every pawn you gain pays $1. Small, steady income that only matters in pawn-heavy builds. Upgrade to A-tier the moment you commit to a pawn engine.

EARLY GAME

Gambit Tier List Quick Reference

Tier	Gambit	Category	Best Phase	Must-Have?
S	Jump’s Gambit	Movement	All	Yes, every build
S	Throne’s Gambit	Pieces	All	Yes, long runs
S	Resurrection Stone’s Gambit	Tiles	Mid-Late	Yes, tile builds
B	Makibishi’s Gambit	Tiles	Mid	No, position-dependent
A	Silver Fork’s Gambit	Attack	Early-Mid	Yes, Knight builds
A	Templar’s Gambit	Defense	All	Yes, Rook builds
A	War Horse’s Gambit	Pieces	Mid	Yes, promotion builds
A	Catapult’s Gambit	Movement	Late	Build-dependent
B	Goddess’s Gambit	Movement	Mid	Build-dependent
B	CEO’s Gambit	Pieces	Late	Promotion builds
B	Beth’s Gambit	Economy	Mid	Queen finishes
B	Rear up’s Gambit	Combat	All	Knight builds
B	Squirrel’s Gambit	Economy	Early-Mid	Pawn builds
B	Falling Crown’s Gambit	Pieces	Mid	Pawn promotion builds
B	Spy’s Gambit	Tiles	Mid	Trap-heavy builds
B	Poacher’s Gambit	Tiles	Mid	Pawn builds
B	Wrecking Ball’s Gambit	Pieces	Mid	Rook builds
C	Makibishi’s Gambit	Tiles	Mid	Trap synergy only
C	Banana Peel’s Gambit	Disruption	Mid	Fun but inconsistent
C	Lemming’s Gambit	Pieces	Early	Extra pawn only
C	Squirrel’s Gambit	Economy	Early	Pawn-payoff builds only
C	Chrysalis’s Gambit	Pieces	Mid	Situational only

Recommended Starter Deck

For your first 10 runs, prioritize these Gambits in this exact order:

Berserker’s Gambit A - cheap, and it pays on the capture you were making anyway
Bug Catcher’s Gambit A - $4, and every pawn capture pays you $2
Squirrel’s Gambit A - every pawn you gain pays you $1
Race Flag’s Gambit B - promotion pays $3
Jump’s Gambit S - flexible fifth pick that unsticks any board

Pro tip:
Pro tip: The boss preview sits in the bottom-left of every shop and shows the next boss mechanic before you spend. Buy your Gambits around the boss you can actually see, not around a generic tier list. A B-tier counter for the boss in front of you beats an S-tier pick that does nothing against it.

Two economy Gambits moved a long way in 1.4.0: Yin’s and Yang’s both went from a 1/3 trigger to a 1/2 trigger, and Rear Up’s doubled its promotion payout. The Yin, Yang and Rear Up buff guide covers the builds that use them.

Gambit database based on my runs and gameplay analysis. Around 200 Gambits exist in game, with the top picks rated in full here. Last reviewed September 26, 2026 for patch 1.5.x.