Command an Army Best Starter Troops (2026)

The best starter troops in Command an Army ranked. Which early units to field first, which evolve into endgame powerhouses, and which to bench.

The best starter troops in Command an Army are Archer, Shieldman, Spearman, and Scout Rider — in that priority order. None of them look impressive on day one, but each one either anchors a core role immediately or evolves into an S-tier unit, which matters far more than starting stats. This guide ranks every early-game unit, explains why starting stars are a trap, and shows the exact order to invest your first gems and unit XP.

Why Starting Stars Don't Decide Your Starters

Helpful resources: full unit tier list, unit evolution guide, and recruitment guide.

The single biggest mistake new commanders make is judging units by their starting star tier. In Command an Army, evolution permanently upgrades a unit's star tier, and many of the game's best endgame units sit at the end of lines that start as cheap commons. A one-star Archer you pulled in your first match eventually becomes a Flame Archer — the best ranged unit in the game. A cheap Scout Rider climbs all the way to a four-star Lancer.

Star Tier	Examples	Evolves?	Long-Term Value
1-Star	Archer, Shieldman, Spearman, Mercenary	Yes — several up to 3-star	High — evolution lines start here
2-Star	Scout Rider, Halberder, Spear Militia	Yes — Scout Rider reaches 4-star	High — cheapest path to elite units
3-Star	Flame Archer, Imperial Wall	Sometimes	Strong out of the box
4-Star	Samurai, Lancer, Spartan	Rarely	Endgame banner pulls

So when ranking starter troops, we weigh three things: how well the unit performs right now, whether it has an evolution path worth finishing, and how cheaply it fills a role your comp needs. Raw starting power is only one-third of the score.

Best Starter Troops, Ranked

1. Archer — The Best Long-Term Investment

The Archer is the clear number one. Right now it provides ranged pressure from safety, and it is the first stage of the only ranged evolution line: Archer → Longbowman → Flame Archer. Community testing consistently places Flame Archer at the top of the ranged rankings because its burn damage over time ignores shields entirely — the natural answer to Spartan and Imperial Wall spam.

Keep Archers behind your melee line, focus fire the biggest enemy threat, and pull them back the moment cavalry closes. Every match you field them earns unit XP toward the evolution. The archer units guide covers positioning in depth.

2. Shieldman — The Frontline That Scales

Shieldman is your answer to the question "who stands in front?" Cheap, tanky for its cost, and the first stage of Shieldman → Sentinel → Imperial Wall. Imperial Wall locks down chokepoints in Hold Formation mode and anchors late-game castle fights.

A cheap shield wall is often the difference between your Archers living or dying, so this unit multiplies the value of everything behind it. The shield units guide breaks down the wall mechanics.

3. Spearman — The Cheap Anti-Cavalry Answer

Cavalry-heavy lobbies are common, and nothing punishes a new player like a Lancer charge into an unprotected backline. The Spearman costs almost nothing, holds the counter-triangle edge against cavalry, and evolves into the Pikeman — a stronger anti-cavalry specialist.

It is a two-stage line (Spearman → Pikeman), shorter than the elite lines, but the role it fills is one no comp can go without. The spear units guide covers spearwall timing.

4. Scout Rider — The Cheapest Path to an S-Tier Unit

The Scout Rider line is the standout of the entire evolution system: Scout Rider → Cavalryman → Lancer. It is the only evolution path in the game that ends in an S-tier unit, which makes it the free-to-play route to the strongest mounted unit available — no banner luck required.

Scout Rider itself is the fastest unit in the roster and the best flanker: use it to rush capture points, punish overextended enemies, and chase retreating players. Its downside is fragility — hold formations and spear units counter it hard, so never let it solo a frontline. The cavalry units guide covers the full mounted playbook.

5. Mercenary — The Filler That Becomes a Line Breaker

The Mercenary rounds out the priority list because of its three-stage path: Mercenary → Squire → Knight. Knight is the dedicated line breaker of the game — no other unit charges as cleanly — and getting one through evolution costs gems you would otherwise gamble on banners.

As a starter, Mercenary is a serviceable melee body that fills a slot and earns XP. Field it, level it, evolve it when convenient. The melee fundamentals apply across all your infantry — see the melee units guide.

Starter Troops Comparison Table

Starter	Starting Cost	Immediate Value	Evolution Path	Priority
Archer	1-star	Solid ranged pressure	→ Longbowman → Flame Archer	1st
Shieldman	1-star	Frontline anchor	→ Sentinel → Imperial Wall	2nd
Spearman	1-star	Anti-cavalry specialist	→ Pikeman	3rd
Scout Rider	2-star	Fastest flanker in the game	→ Cavalryman → Lancer	4th
Mercenary	1-star	Melee slot filler	→ Squire → Knight	5th
Halberder	2-star	Premier cavalry counter with block	→ Imperial Halberdier	situational

Halberder deserves a mention: it is a top spirit-type unit, packs meaningful Block Damage, and is worth grabbing as soon as you can afford a two-star unit if the lobbies you face are cavalry-heavy.

Best Starter Troop Loadout for Your First Matches

Your Star Limit — the cap on the combined star value of equipped units — is tiny at the start, so you cannot field elite units even if you pull one. The best starter loadout simply fills all four slots cheaply:

Mercenary + Archer + Shieldman + Spearman

This comp covers every role: a melee body, ranged damage, a frontline, and anti-cavalry. It also levels four evolution lines in parallel, which is the real point — every match improves your long-term roster.

Investment Order for Your First Gems

Archer first — the Flame Archer payoff at the end of the line is the biggest in the game.
Shieldman second — an upgraded frontline benefits every other unit you own.
Scout Rider third — it climbs all the way to four stars, the cheapest elite in the game.
Halberder when affordable — insurance against cavalry-heavy lobbies.
Your first four-star: Samurai — when you finally pull one, Samurai beats Spartan in the current meta because Block Damage units (Mace, Halberder, Javeliner) have made pure shield stacking risky.

Common Starter Mistakes to Avoid

Selling low-star units as "fodder" before checking evolution paths. That one-star Archer is a future Flame Archer.
Dumping all gems into the summon banner early. Evolution is the cheaper path to power; banners are for filling gaps later. The recruitment guide explains the odds.
Leveling ten units to level 12 instead of three to level 20. Unit XP is per unit, not account-wide. Pick your evolution targets and stick with them.
Ignoring the counter triangle. Even a perfect starter comp loses to a bad matchup — melee beats ranged, ranged beats cavalry, cavalry beats melee.
Skipping daily quests. They are the biggest steady source of gems and XP, and they fund both summons and leveling.

Once your starters are leveled and evolving, transition using the stage-by-stage comps in the best loadout guide, grab active codes from the codes list for free gems, and check the beginner guide for the control scheme and battle basics.

More Command An Army Guides

Command an Army Beginner Guide — controls, keybinds, and first-week priorities
Command an Army Best Loadout Guide — the comps to graduate into once your starters evolve
Command an Army Troop Recruitment Guide — summon odds, gem farming, and banner strategy
Command an Army Unit Evolution Guide — the full evolution chart and podium walkthrough
Command an Army Tier List — every unit ranked from S to C tier
Command an Army Codes — free gems to fund your starter investments
How to Win Battles — turning a good comp into actual wins