B · Engine & Sequencing · §11

Battlefield Roles

The Dais as a value loop, the Waste as an anti-tall lane that cuts both ways, and Star Spring as the symmetrical default.

Emperor’s Dais

The proactive value battlefield. After conquering it, its controller may pay one Energy, return a unit there to hand, and replace part of that presence with a two-Might Sand Soldier token.^◆src

The premium returns are , , , Brynhir, a damaged unit, or any unit whose replay creates a better Legend allocation than leaving it in play. One conquest becomes a token that keeps the presence, a unit back in hand, another future Legend trigger, and protection from removal.

⚠ WarningDo not return the unit if the two-Might token will not keep control, if you need the larger body for the next Hold, if replaying it consumes Power you need for interaction, or if they can clear the token immediately.

Forbidding Waste

The tall-lane battlefield: a unit defending alone there has −2 Might. It punishes one Master Yi defender, one Irelia defender, one equipped unit, one large control stabilizer, or simply the single body left standing after a combat.^◆src

It rewards your ability to add attackers at reaction speed through Trophy Hunter, and .

⚠ WarningThe effect is symmetrical. Do not leave , Kinkou, Ferrous, Trophy Hunter or anything else defending alone there unless the −2 does not change whether they can conquer.

Star Spring

The default flexible battlefield. The first non-token unit each player plays there each turn may move another of their units back to base, and both players get the same opportunity.^◆src

Your uses are re-staging or Kinkou, protecting a damaged unit, pulling a unit out before it loses combat, setting up or Twilight targets, rescuing an expensive unit from an exposed battlefield, and reusing a play ability later.

Rules note cannot move to base, so cannot rescue it. It can still be returned to hand by something that is not a move, such as the Dais.

Because is symmetrical, playing the first non-token unit there can hand the opponent a valuable reposition on their own turn.

Choosing a battlefield

Blind: . Least matchup-dependent, and it supports the most play-ability loops.
Going first: . You are likelier to take the first conquest and convert it.
Against lone-defender decks: . It turns their preferred structure into a liability.
Against control and grind: consider Seat of Power in place of the Waste, at the cost of your best anti-tall effect.