Add failing test for #4742

src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializerBase.java

@@ -645,7 +645,7 @@ public void resolve(DeserializationContext ctxt) throws JsonMappingException
         }
 
         // And now that we know CreatorProperty instances are also resolved can finally create the creator:
-        if (creatorProps != null) {
+        if (creatorProps != null && creatorProps.length > 0) {
             _propertyBasedCreator = PropertyBasedCreator.construct(ctxt, _valueInstantiator,
                     creatorProps, _beanProperties);
         }

src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/std/StdValueInstantiator.java

@@ -135,6 +135,9 @@ public void configureFromObjectSettings(AnnotatedWithParams defaultCreator,
         _delegateArguments = delegateArgs;
         _withArgsCreator = withArgsCreator;
         _constructorArguments = constructorArgs;
+        if (_defaultCreator == null) {
+            _defaultCreator = withArgsCreator;
+        }
     }
 
     public void configureFromArraySettings(

src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/creators/JacksonBuilderCreatorSubtype4742Test.java

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+package com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.deser.creators;
+
+import java.util.List;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonCreator;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonSubTypes;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonTypeInfo;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectReader;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.annotation.JsonDeserialize;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.json.JsonMapper;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
+
+public class JacksonBuilderCreatorSubtype4742Test {
+    public static class Animals {
+        @JsonProperty("animals")
+        public List<Animal> animals;
+    }
+
+    @JsonDeserialize(builder = Animal.Builder.class)
+    public static class Animal {
+        @JsonProperty("kind")
+        public String kind;
+
+        @JsonProperty("properties")
+        public AnimalProperties properties;
+
+        @Override
+        public String toString() {
+            return "Animal{kind='" + kind + '\'' + ", properties=" + properties + '}';
+        }
+
+        public static abstract class Builder {
+            @JsonProperty("kind")
+            public abstract Builder kind(String kind);
+
+            @JsonProperty("properties")
+            @JsonTypeInfo(use = JsonTypeInfo.Id.NAME, include = JsonTypeInfo.As.EXTERNAL_PROPERTY, property = "kind")
+            @JsonSubTypes({
+                    @JsonSubTypes.Type(name = "bird", value = BirdProperties.class),
+                    @JsonSubTypes.Type(name = "mammal", value = MammalProperties.class)
+            })
+            public abstract Builder properties(AnimalProperties properties);
+
+            @JsonCreator
+            public static BuilderImpl create() {
+                return new BuilderImpl();
+            }
+
+            public abstract Animal build();
+        }
+
+        public static class BuilderImpl extends Builder {
+            private String kind;
+            private AnimalProperties properties;
+
+            public BuilderImpl kind(String kind) {
+                this.kind = kind;
+                return this;
+            }
+
+            public BuilderImpl properties(AnimalProperties properties) {
+                this.properties = properties;
+                return this;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public Animal build() {
+                final Animal animal = new Animal();
+                animal.kind = kind;
+                animal.properties = properties;
+                return animal;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public interface AnimalProperties {
+    }
+
+    public static class MammalProperties implements AnimalProperties {
+        @JsonProperty("num_teeth")
+        public int teeth;
+
+        @Override
+        public String toString() {
+            return "MammalProperties{teeth=" + teeth + '}';
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static class BirdProperties implements AnimalProperties {
+        @JsonProperty("color")
+        public String color;
+
+        @Override
+        public String toString() {
+            return "BirdProperties{color='" + color + '\'' + '}';
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
+        final JsonMapper jsonMapper = JsonMapper.builder().build();
+
+        final Animals animals = jsonMapper.readValue("{\n" +
+                "                  \"animals\": [\n" +
+                "                    {\"kind\": \"bird\", \"properties\": {\"color\": \"yellow\"}},\n" +
+                "                    {\"kind\": \"mammal\", \"properties\": {\"num_teeth\": 2}}\n" +
+                "                  ]\n" +
+                "                }", Animals.class);
+
+        assertEquals(2, animals.animals.size());
+        assertInstanceOf(BirdProperties.class, animals.animals.get(0).properties);
+        assertInstanceOf(MammalProperties.class, animals.animals.get(1).properties);
+
+    }
+}