So I see an opponent just send a king to be captured at my outpost. What is the role of the king besides the description?

pitarex wrote:So I see an opponent just send a king to be captured at my outpost. What is the role of the king besides the description?

He has no role. He is just an ordinary specialist and does not carry the importance of the queen

If he turns it into a gift at the last moment, all your outposts lose 20 shields (except for the outpost the king arrives at). The king takes 1/3 of the drillers that the attacker uses, away from the victim sub/outpost, so that would be your bonus. But a king could be gifted to an opponent if the lower shields help an upcoming attack.
For example, a king cancels two security chiefs when it comes to shields.

So if it looks like he's sending a king out of the blue, and prepare to be gifted a king. Your response could be to send it back. Or enjoy it, if you have a large sub/outpost with many drillers those will be even stronger now. If you have a Hypnotist you can promote that for a second king, stacking them makes a really strong combo.