A hidden Legends of Runeterra deck locked behind conditions maintains its value in the meta through solid design choices.
Ascended champions were first added to the Legends of Runeterra ranks via the Empires of the Ascended expansion. The expansion created a new design space around an Ascended champion via Azir and the Emperor’s Deck. And that design space branched out further with the release of the Forces from Beyond expansion via Glory’s Call.
Containing a total of 15 Legends of Runeterra cards, the Emperor’s Deck is achieved by Ascending Azir to level three. Upon hitting level three Azir, the Emperor’s Deck replaces all the cards in your existing deck. And if you only have a handful of cards left, due to Mill or Discard, the full Emperor’s Deck still replaces the existing deck. All cards that were in hand remain in hand.
Individually, there are nine cards in the Emperor’s Deck. Emperor’s Guard has the most copies at four, along with two copies of Eternal Gladiator, two copies of Golden Herald, and two copies of Emperor’s Prosperity. Ascended’s Call is always placed at the bottom of the deck but can get shuffled via Predict.
Here are the nine individual LoR cards within the Shurmima Emperor’s Deck:
- Golden Herald: Five-cost 6/6 that when you Play and at Round Start summons two Sand Soldiers and grants them +2/+2 stats.
- Crumbling Sands: Four-cost Fast speed spell that will Obliterate a follower and then draw one card from your deck.
- Shimmering Mirage: Three-cost Burst speed spell that summons an exact copy of an ally that is Ephemeral. You also get to draw one card from your deck.
- Eternal Gladiator: Seven-cost unit with Barrier and 10/7 stats. Upon getting summoned, you draw one card and at Round End, the strongest enemy and Eternal Gladiator strike each other.
- Emperor’s Prosperity: Two-cost Burst speed spell that draws two cards from your deck.
- General’s Palace: Five-cost Landmark makes all enemies Vulnerable and procs a Rally at Round Start.
- Emperor’s Guard: Two-cost unit with 5/4 stats and Fearsome. Upon getting summoned, draw one card from your deck.
- Sandstorm: Nine-cost Slow speed spell that will Obliterate three enemy units or Landmarks.
- Ascended’s Call: 10-cost Slow speed spell with Rally. It also summons Renekton and Nasus while immediately Ascending both champions to level three.
Players can also choose one of three Emperor’s Deck cards to play, except for Ascended’s Call, via the Shurima spell called Glory’s Call. The six-cost Burst speed spell has a cost reduction of two for every Ascended ally from that game. Allies that can Ascend are Azir, Renekton, Nasus, and Xerath.
Upon casting Glory’s Call, the spell will Manifest three possible cards from the Emperor’s Deck that cost nine or less. The only 10-cost card in the unique Azir deck is Ascended’s Call. Glory’s Call also allows players to have access to the Emperor’s Deck cards without running Azir as a champion. And even if Azir is included in the deck, having additional options to access high-level LoR cards is never a bad thing.
