Emperor rules
Emperor is an official multiplayer variant (rule 809 of the Comprehensive Rules): two teams of three, each protecting its emperor. SlingLab plays it with two teams at a six-seat table. Where SlingLab adds something (lane names, the war map, Hybrid decks), this page says so.
Two teams of three. Protect your emperor.
Each team seats an emperor between two generals. The generals hold the front lines; when a team's emperor falls, that whole team loses.
Three lanes
Your team sits along the bottom, the enemy along the top. Each column is a lane with its own name: Sun, Throne and Moon. Both teams use the same names, so "they're pushing the Sun lane" means the same thing to everyone.
Attack across a bridge
You can only attack an opponent seated right next to you. On the board, a gold battle bridge joins every pair that can attack each other. At the start that's the two outer lanes; the emperors face each other across the Throne but are sealed off.
Reach
Your spells and abilities reach players up to 1 seat away as a general, 2 as an emperor. That is separate from attacking: you can still only attack the opponent right next to you. Use "Show my reach" in game to dim everyone outside your reach.
When a general falls
Boards never move, but the table closes the gap. Here the bottom-left general has fallen, so their emperor now faces the enemy general diagonally, and the bridge moves to match. The two emperors are now within each other's spell range, but still can't attack each other: a general stands between them.
The Throne breaks
If both generals in one lane fall, the two emperors end up next to each other and can attack each other directly.
Crossing fronts
If one general falls on each side in different lanes, both emperors are exposed and the two new bridges cross.
Turns
A random emperor goes first and turns pass to the left, one player at a time. That means a team takes its three turns back to back, then the other team takes theirs.
Deploy creatures
Any creature has "Tap: a teammate within your reach gains control of this creature", at sorcery speed. Generals can deploy to their emperor; the emperor can deploy to either general.
Deck rules
Standard: everyone plays Standard at 20 life. Commander: everyone plays Commander at 40 life. Hybrid: the emperors play Commander decks at 40 life and the generals Standard decks at 20 life.
Winning
Your team wins when the enemy emperor falls, even if some of your generals already have. Leaving the game as an emperor concedes for your whole team.
The table
Each team sits together: the emperor in the middle, a general on each side. Each team picks its own seats in the lobby (or the host deals them at random). On the board, your team runs along the bottom and the enemy along the top, in true seat order, so each column is a lane:
- Sun Lane: the first team's left general against the second team's right general.
- Throne: the two emperors, face to face.
- Moon Lane: the other two generals.
Lane names are the same for both teams, even though each team sees the table from its own side. A lane belongs to board positions, not to whoever is fighting in it, so it keeps its name all game.
Attacking
You can attack only an opponent seated immediately next to you, along with the planeswalkers they control and the battles they protect (rule 809.3c). At the start that means each general can attack exactly one enemy, the general they face across their lane, and neither emperor can attack at all.
Reach (range of influence)
Emperors reach 2 seats and generals 1 (rule 809.3a). Your spells and abilities can target and affect only players within your reach, and the things they control. At the start each emperor reaches both enemy generals but not the other emperor.
SlingLab works reach out from whoever is still in, and updates it the moment someone leaves. (The Comprehensive Rules fix it as each turn begins; showing the new table right away is what players expect.)
When players fall
Boards never move when a player leaves, but the seats close up around the empty one, so the front lines move. These are every table you can reach by generals falling (an emperor falling ends the game):
Turns
A random emperor goes first, and turns pass to the left, one player at a time (rule 809.4). So a team takes its three turns back to back, then the other team takes theirs. Teammates don't share turns, life totals, mana or cards, but may look at each other's hands and talk strategy at any time (rule 809.7).
Deploying creatures
Every creature has "Tap: target teammate gains control of this creature. Activate only as a sorcery." (rule 804.2). The teammate has to be within your reach, so a general can deploy only to their emperor, while the emperor can deploy to either general. On SlingLab, right-click a creature you control and pick "Deploy to"; it taps the creature and hands it over.
Deck rules
- Standard: everyone plays a Standard deck, at 20 life.
- Commander: everyone plays a Commander deck, at 40 life, with commander damage tracked per player.
- Hybrid (a SlingLab option): the emperors play Commander decks at 40 life, the generals Standard decks at 20 life. Only the emperors have commanders, so only they can deal commander damage.
Winning
A team wins when its emperor wins, and loses when its emperor loses (rule 809.5), even if every general is still standing. Your fallen generals share in the win if your emperor survives. An emperor who leaves the game concedes for the whole team.
On the board
- Each board is tinted in its lane's color, with the lane's glyph behind the cards.
- A gold battle bridge joins every pair of opponents who can attack each other. A grey shield seals a lane whose two players face each other but can't.
- Each player's header says their role, reach, and who they can attack right now.
- The war map, at the side of the board, shows the whole table at a glance. Hover a seat to see that player's reach; "Show my reach" dims everyone outside yours.
- When a player falls, the new front line is announced and drawn in, and an exposed emperor glows red.
- An arrow at someone you can't attack or reach turns amber and says why. These are reminders, never blocks.