To start with you'll want to go all out with attack, and while that can sometimes work, protecting what you've got is a much more viable strategy. Leave the king alone and he's vulnerable to attack. Sacrifice two assassins in quick succession and you're open to defeat. But by the same token, you can feint an attack in order to draw out your assailants, or throw away two assassins in order to keep one of them safe and sound while the king flounders around trying to find them. Knowing who to keep alive and who to throw to the wolves is one of the key skills in the game. Knowing who your opponent is trying to keep alive is the first step to becoming a master.