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I am a family of kings
But I am the worst of my brothers
I connect 5 to 13, but only if 9 is added to 4
To some I am the first thing discarded
To others I am the last, most valuable possession

What am I?

Edit: I came up with this myself, and made it a bit too cryptic, I think. Here's an expanded version as a hint:

I have 6 brothers, but I am the worst of them all
I am what connects 5 and 13 and more, but only if 9 is added to 4

More hints! Everyone loves hints!

Line 1: There is some wordplay here, but the word family can be taken almost literally.
Line 2: By worst, I mean best. Not everyone would agree that we even have a ranking, but it's my nature to think this way.
Line 3: ...and 4,973...and more
Line 4 and 5: These lines are true, but really only a mediocre match to the puzzle solution. Don't bother thinking too deeply about them.

A final round of hints that should hopefully get someone to the answer I intended. Thanks to everyone who answered or attempted the riddle!

Line 1: A _____ is a family of "kings",
Line 2: but _____ is one of a well known group of seven things.
Line 3: With a small manipulation, this word can change into another.

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4 Answers 4

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You are

PRIDE.

I am a family of kings

More literally, of lions.

But I am the worst of my brothers

The seven deadly sins. Christian theologians commonly consider pride the worst of them. Obviously Pride itself would consider itself the best.

I connect 5 to 13, but only if 9 is added to 4

Turn D (letter #4) into M (letter #(4+9)) to get PRIME. 5 and 13 are both prime numbers.

To some I am the first thing discarded
To others I am the last, most valuable possession

I'm not sure exactly what the first of those lines is about, though some people do indeed attempt to get rid of their pride. The second line is probably thinking of the phrase "one's pride and joy" meaning a most treasured possession.

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I think you're:

the four kings in playing cards.

"Worst of my brothers", that is because

we play the kings (and the other figures) differently than the numbers. They are more powerful cards and thus worst means the best.

I connect 5 to 13, but only if 9 is added to 4. That is because:

in cards we have 13 different cards; from A to King. A, 2 - 10, J, Q, K. Which makes them 9 numbers, 3 figures and the Ace.

To some I am the first thing discarded To others I am the last, most valuable possession.

That I think depends on the game. In some games you might want to get rid of the King as soon as possible, while in others you keep it as much as possible, because is the most powerful card.

Nice riddle!

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    $\begingroup$ This is a great answer for the original riddle, that almost perfectly fits. You could say it's a failure on my part that this is not the intended answer. This was a riddle I made up myself, and I realized only some time after posting it that in my efforts to obscure the answer, I had made it too ambiguous and opened up to a well fitting alternative interpretation like this. By allowing this rather straightforward answer, it makes my rather roundabout "real" answer feel not as correct in comparison. I'll be more careful next time. ;) $\endgroup$
    – windblade
    Apr 25, 2019 at 7:41
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    $\begingroup$ @EftychiaThomaidou Ace is usually not counted as a figure (court card) because it hasn't any person depicted (actually (and historically), an ace is a numeral 1) $\endgroup$
    – trolley813
    Apr 25, 2019 at 10:56
  • $\begingroup$ Indeed, you're absolutely right! $\endgroup$
    – Eftychia Thomaidou
    Apr 25, 2019 at 19:41
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Is it the

joker?

because:

To some I am the first thing discarded; To others I am the last, most valuable possession.

The joker is not loved equally by all and is used differently in different games and situations.

Hint 1:

Two jokers and 4 kings.

I connect 5 to 13, but only if 9 is added to 4.

This might be for the games where the 4 JQKA are added to the pack and played. There, the 5 categories JQKA and joker are added to the game.

I am a family of kings But I am the worst of my brothers

As you said, Jokers are despised sometimes.

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I hope that this is indeed the answer:

Pawn (in chess)

I am a family of kings

Chess was introduced to Persia from India. Players started calling "Shāh!" (Persian for "King!") When attacking the opponent's king, and "Shāh Māt!" (Persian for "the king is helpless" - see checkmate) when the king was attacked and could not escape from attack. In some countries, even today, chess is called "The Kings' Game"

But I am the worst of my brothers

The pawn (♙,♟) is the most numerous piece in the game of chess, and in most circumstances, also the weakest.

I connect 5 to 13, but only if 9 is added to 4

I'm not sure about this line but it probably hints at moves he can only make in certain cases (sorry, I do not have much knowledge of this game)

To some I am the first thing discarded To others I am the last, most valuable possession

Is the last in the hierarchy and if you lose a tool it is better to lose it but it has one advantage over the other tools: if it reaches the last line of the board it becomes any other tool, except the king, the same color, according to the player's choice

Hint #1

Except for the 8 Pawns and the king and the queen there are 6 more pieces per player(two rooks, two bishops, two knights).

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