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Updated on 4 March 2025

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Basic Shadow Builds – How to Build Shadow from Preparation into Seasons

Welcome to my guide on building Shadow teams in Infinity Kingdom! As a fellow player, I’ve gone through multiple seasons playing against different Shadow setups, and I’m here to share what I’ve learned.

Shadow is famously one of the most expensive elements to invest in, especially if you plan to unlock and level a Shadow Dragon. Yet, despite the higher costs, Shadow-based formations can be incredibly powerful from Preparation all the way into the late game.

Shadow Teams from Preparation to Season 1

Shadow is considered a “high-spender” setup because maxing out its key Immortals and dragon can be very costly. You’ll need 1 million VIP points to unlock the Shadow Dragon in the VIP shop, which is no small feat. However, there’s good news for those who don’t want to invest that heavily: you can still run Shadow Immortals with either a Fire Dragon or an Earth Dragon and see excellent results. See more info on all VIP levels here.

Throughout Preparation and going into Season 1, Shadow remains one of the strongest lineups, although some top spenders might pivot to Holy setups once Season 1 begins. Regardless, there are multiple ways to build a competitive Shadow team. Some people mix Shadow with Fire, others add Earth synergy, and some go pure Shadow, making the element versatile enough to carry you well into late-game content.

Early Shadow Setup

At the very start, you’ll likely rely on easier-to-obtain Immortals. Medb, Bathory, and Flavius are popular early picks for a Shadow team because they’re relatively cheap or even free:

  • Medb can be collected entirely free through the Marketplace.
  • Flavius is unlocked by spending 60 Daily Pearls in the Pearl Shop, then finishing him with gems in the Marketplace. He’s highly effective for his cost.
  • Bathory is commonly acquired as you progress through VIP levels and can also be bought for gems in the Marketplace.

As a fourth member, Hippolyta (Hippo) is a great option. She adds extra control and damage, fits well with Shadow-oriented teams, and remains useful even beyond the early game. With Medb, Bathory, Flavius, and Hippolyta, you have a solid initial lineup without needing to overspend on premium Immortals right away.

Transitioning to Late-Game Shadow

Once you move through the journey of Preperation Stage in your server, you’ll start seeing opportunities to pick up premium Immortals such as Himiko, Tomyris, and Tutankhamun. These three are often must-haves for competitive Shadow builds. Typically, you’ll replace Medb and Bathory with Himiko and Tomyris in your backline because they simply outclass the earlier picks.

For the frontline, you can run Bjorn alongside Tutankhamun, or you could experiment with combinations that include Hippolyta or Flavius in place of Bjorn. In some cases, players even form a Fire-Hybrid by running Bjorn + Hippo with a Fire Dragon. Read more here.

Whichever route you choose, you’ll find that a well-structured Shadow lineup is both flexible and powerful.

Here are three successful Shadow setups you might see used by end-of-preparation whales going into the new seasons:

Classic Shadow
Shadow Dragon, Tomyris, Himiko, Tutankhamun, Bjorn

Fire-Hybrid
Fire Dragon, Tomyris, Himiko, Hippolyta/Flavius, Bjorn/Tutankhamun (Bjorn is often included later for Tower of Knowledge synergy)

Earth-Drake-Shadow
Earth Dragon, Tomyris, Himiko, Tutankhamun, Bjorn

Tower of Knowledge Skills

Shadow Immortals thrive on strong Tower of Knowledge (ToK) skills. Entering Season 1, you might aim for something like:

  • Tomyris: Energy Suppression, Purification, Assist
  • Himiko: Annihilation, Concentration, Death Breath
  • Tutankhamun: Demonic Rage, Fighting Master, Spear Impale (or Duel Master if you expect to face Wound-based skills)
  • Bjorn: Malice, Oaken Guard, Vitality Touch or Weakness (depending on whether you prefer a defensive or offensive approach)

As you progress further and unlock late-game ToK skills, you’ll want to incorporate powerful abilities like No Escape, Blade Vortex, and Weakening Curse.

These advanced skills significantly boost your Immortals’ effectiveness against high-level opponents. Many players eventually reorganize their builds to accommodate Bjorn with Weakening Curse.

I also want to make a special mention of Player Yawgmoth whos shadow-earth dragon setup works extreemly well as it combined control, massive amounts of debuffs and an unstopable Tutankhamun (massive consistent heals and damage). See his brilliant conquest setup above.

My Opinions

In my experience, Shadow is one of the most rewarding yet demanding elements in Infinity Kingdom. The cost can be steep—especially if you’re pushing VIP 15 for the Shadow Dragon—but the payoff is huge. Even if you decide to skip the Shadow Dragon, using Shadow Immortals with Fire or Earth dragons can yield top-tier results in both PvP and PvE content. For budget-conscious players, sticking with Immortals like Medb, Flavius, and Hippolyta early on is both economical and surprisingly powerful. Moreover, later in the game Flavious can make a comeback due to his ability to turn holy setups massive healing on themselves, and he can carry the Weaknening Curse in place of Bjorn as a Defense immortal.

If you’re more of a spender, go all out and secure Himiko, Tomyris, Tutankhamun, and Bjorn/Flavious with the best possible ToK skills. Either way, Shadow teams remain competitive throughout multiple seasons of the game.

Summary

Building a successful Shadow team in Infinity Kingdom requires careful planning, especially if you aim to unlock the Shadow Dragon. You can start small with free or inexpensive Immortals like Medb, Bathory, and Flavius, then transition into the heavy-hitting trio of Himiko, Tomyris, and Tutankhamun once they become available. Whether you pair Shadow Immortals with a Shadow Dragon, a Fire Dragon, or an Earth Dragon, you’ll have a formidable force that can carry you from Preparation into later seasons.

If you’re worried about costs, remember that skipping the Shadow Dragon and focusing on the Immortals themselves is still viable. Whichever path you choose, mastering Tower of Knowledge skills like Purification, Demonic Rage, Weakening Curse, and so on will amplify your Shadow lineup’s power even further. Also, note that upgrading the shadow dragon will require massive amounts of crystals, especially in season 2 as Dragon Specializations are unlocked.

I hope this guide helps you navigate your Shadow journey. Good luck building your team, and may you dominate the battlefield with the most fearsome dark forces Infinity Kingdom has to offer!

Published: 04-03-2025