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Guides / Emperor of the Sands
Order / Calm Intermediate Aggro Token Spam

Emperor of the Sands

Token Swarm Strategy Guide

Flood the board with Sand Soldiers and Recruit tokens. Leverage Renata Glasc to make all tokens enter ready for immediate attacks and overwhelm your opponent.

In this guide
OVERVIEW
Emperor of the Sands is a token-spam deck that wins by flooding the board with Sand Soldiers and Recruits. Your legend creates 2-might Sand Soldiers whenever you play Equipment, while your units generate Recruit tokens on entry. Renata Glasc makes all tokens enter ready, letting you attack immediately.
EARLY GAME (Turns 1-3)
Play cheap gears (Seal of Focus, Symbol of the Solari) to trigger Azir's legend ability and create Sand Soldiers.
Drop Faithful Manufactor or Noxian Drummer to start generating Recruit tokens.
Use Poro Snax for card draw while also counting as a gear play for Azir.
Mulligan for: 1-2 cheap gears + 1-2 token generators. Keep Renata Glasc if in opening hand.
MID GAME (Turns 4-6)
Play Renata Glasc, Industrialist ASAP — all your tokens now enter ready, enabling immediate attacks.
Cast Arise! with Equipment on board to flood Sand Soldiers (one per Equipment you control!).
Use Vanguard Captain with Legion (play another card first) for 2 bonus Recruits.
Peak Guardian buffs your entire board at a battlefield. Drop him where your tokens are.
Azir, Sovereign lets you move ALL token units to his battlefield when he attacks — devastating swarm.
LATE GAME (Turns 7+)
Use Stand United to buff a unit and give all friendly units extra might this turn — massive with a wide board.
Imperial Decree as removal: any unit that takes damage this turn dies. Combine with your small tokens to trade up.
Forge of the Future's kill ability recycles up to 4 cards, extending the game if needed.
KEY COMBOS
1. Renata Glasc + Arise! = Multiple ready Sand Soldiers that can attack immediately
2. Azir Legend Ability + Any Equipment = Free 2-might Sand Soldier every turn
3. Azir, Sovereign attack + token swarm = Move all tokens to one battlefield for a massive push
4. Vanguard Captain + Legion trigger = 2 Recruit tokens (play a cheap gear first to trigger Legion)
5. Peak Guardian at a battlefield with tokens = Buff everything
MULLIGAN GUIDE
✓ KEEP: Seal of Focus, Poro Snax, Faithful Manufactor, Noxian Drummer, Renata Glasc
✗ SEND BACK: High-cost spells, Stand United (late game card), Imperial Decree (situational)
★ IDEAL HAND: 1 cheap gear + 1 token generator + 1 mid-game threat (Renata or Azir, Sovereign)
TIPS
Always play a gear/equipment before using Azir's legend ability each turn.
Don't overcommit tokens to one battlefield — spread out to score multiple points.
Wind Wall protects against removal spells that could wipe your token board.
Discipline is a combat trick AND draws a card — great value in token vs token trades.
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