Throne of Empires MTG Card


Throne of Empires - Magic 2012
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeArtifact
Released2011-07-15
Set symbol
Set nameMagic 2012
Set codeM12
Number221
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJohn Avon

Key Takeaways

  1. Generates Soldier tokens, enhancing board presence and offering potential for overwhelming armies.
  2. Combos with Crown and Scepter of Empires, creating synergy and control over opponents’ creatures.
  3. Finds a niche in casual and commander formats where it can become a slow-building powerhouse.

Text of card

, : Put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token onto the battlefield. Put five of those tokens onto the battlefield instead if you control artifacts named Crown of Empires and Scepter of Empires.

"With this throne, unite your nation." —Throne inscription


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Throne of Empires presents a unique opportunity for generating multiple creature tokens, enhancing your board presence and potentially overwhelming your opponents with a swelling army of Soldiers.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly ramping your mana pool, the power to churn out Soldier tokens can function as an indirect form of resource acceleration. These tokens can be utilized with other cards to convoke, sacrificing for alternate costs, or simply to bolster your defenses while deploying more costly spells.

Instant Speed: Although this artifact operates at sorcery speed, its ability to create tokens each turn maximizes your mana usage efficiently across the phases of your game. It also aligns effortlessly with instant speed support cards, allowing you to fortify your strategies and adapt to developing game states with a steady stream of troops.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Throne of Empires doesn’t directly require you to discard cards, it necessitates a significant card investment to realize its full potential. To leverage the synergy and power of the throne, you often need to include other specific cards in your deck, which can effectively pinch your resources just as a discard requirement would.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Throne of Empires demands a commitment to three colorless mana, which can be challenging in multicolored decks that need mana flexibility for their various spells. This specific mana cost can bottleneck your plays, especially when you’re trying to maintain a diverse and flexible mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing four mana to hit the battlefield, Throne of Empires competes with other impactful four-mana spells or creatures that might offer more immediate value upon casting. Especially in formats where the pace is quicker, the mana investment might seem too steep before it starts generating any real advantage.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Throne of Empires stands out because it can seamlessly integrate into various styles of play. Not only does it provide a steady stream of Soldier tokens for token-based strategies, but it can also serve as a standalone threat in decks that may not focus on creature generation.

Combo Potential: When paired with its counterparts, Crown of Empires and Scepter of Empires, Throne of Empires reveals its true power, enabling players to summon a formidable army and control opponents’ creatures. This synergy unlocks new levels of gameplay and can tip the scales in your favor during complex board states.

Meta-Relevance: Although not always a mainstay in the most competitive decks, the unpredictability of casual and commander scenes means that Throne of Empires can find a niche. It’s particularly impactful in environments where games go longer, allowing the true strength of the Throne to become evident over time.


How to beat

Throne of Empires stands out in MTG as an artifact capable of consistently producing creature tokens, hence being a slow but potent engine for board presence. But like any powerful card, tactics exist to dismantle this empire. The key is to target the artifact directly, preventing the token swarm from ever developing.

Artifact removal spells are the straightforward solution –a Shatter or Naturalize will do the trick efficiently. When these aren’t available, countering Throne of Empires upon casting with spells like Negate is equally effective. For decks that can’t destroy or counter, minimizing the artifact’s impact through board wipes like Wrath of God, which cleans up the tokens, disrupts any momentum the Throne might otherwise generate.

Moreover, edict effects that force sacrifices (think Diabolic Edict or Liliana of the Veil) can pressure opponents to sacrifice the important creature tokens derived from the Throne. This can be especially crippling when they’re relying on those tokens for defense or as win conditions. In essence, to beat Throne of Empires, prioritizing direct removal or board control is crucial, stunting its ability to dominate games over time.


Cards like Throne of Empires

Throne of Empires is an intriguing artifact in the sprawling world of Magic: The Gathering that brings a unique aspect of token generation to a player’s deck. When considering parallels, one might look at Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII. While both artifacts have the capability of creating creature tokens, Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII demands varying mana types for different creature tokens, unlike Throne of Empires which consistently produces vanilla 1/1 Soldier creature tokens.

Mobilization serves as another card in a similar category, offering an alternative way to create Soldier tokens. However, while Throne of Empires requires a tap action, Mobilization allows for the creation of tokens at instant speed, providing strategic flexibility. Furthermore, it grants all Soldier creatures vigilance, whether they are tokens or not, which Throne of Empires does not. Then there is Myr Turbine, another artifact that excels at churning out Myr tokens. It stands apart with its additional utility of fetching any Myr card from thedeck, enriching the synergy within specific Myr-centric builds.

As players evaluate their choices, it becomes evident that Throne of Empires’ straightforward soldier production and potential to be part of a powerful combo with Crown of Empires and Scepter of Empires, certainly places it as a significant contender amongst token-producing artifacts in Magic: The Gathering.

Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII - MTG Card versions
Mobilization - MTG Card versions
Myr Turbine - MTG Card versions
Crown of Empires - MTG Card versions
Scepter of Empires - MTG Card versions
Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII - Time Spiral (TSP)
Mobilization - Onslaught (ONS)
Myr Turbine - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Crown of Empires - Magic 2012 (M12)
Scepter of Empires - Magic 2012 (M12)

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Rod of Ruin - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Gnarled Effigy - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Scrapbasket - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Magnetic Mine - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Icy Manipulator - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Eye of Doom - Commander 2013 (C13)
Well of Lost Dreams - The List (PLST)
Tower of Fortunes - Commander 2013 (C13)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Throne of Empires MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2012, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Throne of Empires and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Throne of Empires has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Throne of Empires card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2011-09-22 If any of the named cards stops being an artifact, it won’t be considered by these abilities.
2011-09-22 Whether or not you control the correct artifacts is determined when the ability resolves.

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