Modern Horizons 3 brought a ton of absurdly powerful creatures to the forefront of the Modern format. From Ocelot Pride to Psychic Frog, there are a variety of different efficient creatures that can completely take over games if left unchecked.
One creature that fits this description that often doesn’t get the recognition it deserves is Emperor of Bones. Emperor of Bones is versatile, it hits hard, it messes with your opponent and can generate a ton of value in conjunction with good reanimate targets.
In recent weeks, the card has started see extensive play in Modern and beyond. It’s role in Orzhov blink shells is especially impressive. Let’s take a closer look at exactly what the card has to offer and different ways you can abuse it.
Emperor of Bones at its Core
At face value, Emperor of Bones provides a lot for just two mana. Assuming the opponent can’t kill it at instant speed, you at minimum get to mess with your opponent’s graveyard.
Given how popular Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury and Unearth are currently in Modern, using Emperor of Bones as a form of graveyard hate is an underrated aspect of the card. With this in mind, being able to tutor for Emperor of Bones with Recruiter of the Guard when playing Orzhov midrange is a nice luxury to have.
Where the card becomes an absolute beating, though, is when you can play it with two extra mana available. The goal is to exile an impactful creature at the beginning of combat, then adapt Emperor of Bones before declaring attackers. That way, you get to put that big threat directly into play and attack with it.
Obviously, it goes away at the end of the turn, but depending on what you resurrected, your opponent may be in a world of trouble regardless. For example, Esper Goryo’s Vengeance decks in Modern commonly utilize Emperor of Bones as an additional way to help you reanimate Atraxa, Grand Unifier.
The enters-the-battlefield trigger coupled with the massive life swing you get from connecting in combat with a 7/7 with Lifelink is usually enough to turn the tides in your favor. Afterwards, you’re still left behind with a beefy Emperor of Bones that can finish the game off.
Emperor and Blink Effects
Things get even more interesting when you factor in blink effects. Part of what makes Emperor of Bones such a house in Modern Orzhov midrange shells is how well it pairs with Phelia.
Once you’ve successfully adapted Emperor and brought back a creature from your graveyard to play, you’re free to attack with your creatures. Once Phelia attacks, you can now choose to target the creature that Emperor resurrected.
At the beginning of your end step, you’ll get to bring that creature back to the battlefield. But here’s the kicker: you no longer have to sacrifice it!
A similar play pattern works with Flickerwisp or Ephemerate. Say you’re playing Esper Goryo’s and return Atraxa with Emperor. After connecting in combat, just blink out your Atraxa, and now you get a whole new set of cards and have a 7/7 keyword monster back on blocking duty. In these scenarios, Emperor really pulls its weight.
Emperor Outside of Modern
While Emperor is primarily known for its role in Modern, the card does have some sweet uses outside of the format. In Commander, Emperor is especially excellent alongside cards that allow you to put additional counters on Emperor at will. See, Emperor lets you bring creatures back from graveyards whenever you put +1/+1 counters on it, even if that wasn’t through adapting it.
One of the easiest ways to abuse Emperor in EDH is alongside cards that proliferate. Take Xavier Sal, Infested Captain for instance. So long as you have sacrifice fodder at the ready and there’s enough food in graveyards, you can actually bring back a creature every turn cycle with Emperor.
Simply start by adapting emperor as normal. From there, Emperor will keep exiling creatures from graveyards turn after turn. Each time you proliferate, you put another +1/+1 counter on Emperor and reanimate one of the exiled creatures in the process. These synergies make Emperor a neat inclusion in decks with dedicated +1/+1 counter themes.
Additionally, Emperor does show up in Legacy from time to time. The card is at its best in mono-black Dark Ritual shells. Even without a dedicated reanimator package, cycling Troll of Khazad-dum gives you a beefy body to bring back and attack with at some point.
All in all, Emperor is a force to be reckoned with that often gets overlooked. Make sure you give it some respect, or you risk ending up on the wrong side of some nasty interactions.
