I could go either way on this issue however I did come up with a solution that I think would not take away from the king but would give you a bit more of a chance. I beleve that if the king applied his effect after the shield phase but before the driller phase then he would be more balanced. Here is a thread I posted that explains the idea better.
viewtopic.php?
f=5&t=1473
I think this is a fair balance for a few reasons. It gives you a few more ways to fight the king by making your shields more valuable. It is not a perfect stratagy but it is at least an option. I also think this is a good compromise the players who want a nerf and those that don't can agree on. It doesn't change the amount he can destroy but it changes when he destroyes that can make all of the difference. He is not turned into an underpowered specialist under my method so that is why I feel that this is the best solution to the king problem.