[kianduatha]

Dwarf kings would be nice recruit-anywhere, but they really would have to be more expensive/somehow worse if so. Slayers would still be your anti-SC(with some King support for the brutal Cursed Luck). If Kings were 150 gold base, Journeymen Runesmiths would be more efficient researchers no matter the scales--and better thugs, besides. Being able to cast Invulnerability goes a long way. If you were planning on just doing Fire Brand/Shield of Gleaming Gold, you'd go with Slayers(for the luck) or Runesmiths(for the 30 prot/reinvig). Clan Kings are used with their default weapon(and shapechanged for defense) for the Cursed Luck. Otherwise it's just not worth it(excluding the possibility of a high bless).

It gives you a bit more flexibility, which is nice. Now I have to try like an E9N4 blessed thug strategy and see how it works(it won't).