Karfell Harbinger MTG Card
2021-02-05 - Number 65
2021-02-05 - Number 17
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Zombie Wizard |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Provides card advantage by filtering the top deck, enhancing resource access for zombies or wizards.
- Reduces zombie and wizard spell costs, accelerating resource deployment for dominating play sooner.
- Enables instant speed plays by freeing up mana, fostering a flexible and responsive game strategy.
Text of card
: Add . Spend this mana only to foretell a card from your hand or cast an instant or sorcery spell.
"This is a realm of the living. King Narfi's legion is coming to change that."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Karfell Harbinger helps to sift through your deck by enabling you to look at the top two cards and potentially draw a relevant zombie or wizard card, thus providing a consistent flow of options.
Resource Acceleration: This card is key in decks that benefit from ramping up their mana. By reducing the cost of zombie and wizard spells, Karfell Harbinger allows for earlier deployment of your heavy hitters or the ability to cast multiple spells in a single turn.
Instant Speed: While Karfell Harbinger itself is not an instant, it promotes a strategy that includes instant speed interaction by freeing up mana. This could enable casting powerful instant spells while still developing your board.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Karfell Harbinger necessitates the discard of another card to activate certain abilities. This prerequisite can be detrimental to your hand, especially when you can’t afford to lose additional resources.
Specific Mana Cost: Another hurdle is the mana alignment of Karfell Harbinger. The necessity for specific mana types to summon this creature could restrict its integration, predominantly in multicolored decks that may not always have the needed mana readily available.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Weighing the mana cost against its abilities, this card falls on the higher end. For the same expenditure, players might be able to summon creatures with a greater impact or cards that offer more immediate and substantial benefits to their game strategy.
Reasons to Include Karfell Harbinger in Your Collection
Versatility: Karfell Harbinger serves multiple roles. As a mana dork, it’s perfect in decks that need a reliable source to ramp into their bigger threats. Its ability to tap for a colorless mana—or a blue when casting a Zombie spell—makes it a flexible addition to Zombie tribal or control decks.
Combo Potential: With Karfell Harbinger, you unlock synergies in a Zombie deck. The extra mana it provides can be the difference when chaining zombie spells or enabling combos with untap mechanics, making it a subtle yet impactful enabler.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where Zombies are popular or snow synergies are prevalent, Karfell Harbinger’s low casting cost and tribal ties make it a strategic early play. Its presence ensures you stay ahead of the curve, contributing to the overall effectiveness of your gameplay.
How to Beat Karfell Harbinger
Karfell Harbinger is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering that offers strategic advantages for zombie tribal decks. Its ability to tap and add mana is particularly useful in casting zombie spells or activating abilities that can sway the game. Moreover, the card enables a smoother mana flow and can set the pace early in the game.
When facing a deck featuring Karfell Harbinger, one strategy is applying removal spells swiftly to prevent your opponent from benefiting from its mana acceleration and deck synergies. Cards like Shock or Fatal Push can take it out before it becomes a larger threat. Additionally, since the card thrives in a tribal environment, disrupting the player’s tribal strategy with cards that exile or restrict graveyard interactions can also be effective. This could involve cards like Rest in Peace or Grafdigger’s Cage to neutralize the grave-based synergies that decks utilizing Karfell Harbinger may rely on.
Addressing a Karfell Harbinger requires both preemptive and reactive tactics. Cutting off the mana acceleration early on is crucial, as is limiting the tribal synergies that make zombie decks formidable. By incorporating these strategies, players can effectively mitigate the impact of Karfell Harbinger on the game.
Cards like Karfell Harbinger
Delving into the intriguing universe of Magic: The Gathering, Karfell Harbinger emerges as a unique component within the tribal synergy of zombies. It stands in parallel with cards like Dark Ritual by providing an acceleration in mana, yet this is specifically tailored for spells that are either zombie-themed or have foretell. This nuanced specialization contrasts with the broad mana utility that Dark Ritual brings to the table.
Further comparison can be drawn with cards like Risen Reef, which also has an affinity with a creature type, in this case, Elementals. While Risen Reef excels in card advantage by revealing and potentially putting lands into play, Karfell Harbinger shines by smoothing out mana curves for zombie aficionados. Additionally, Nirkana Revenant is another example of a mana acceleration creature. Nirkana Revenant doubles the mana of swamps, but unlike Karfell Harbinger, it lacks the tribal focus and comes with a significantly higher casting cost.
When evaluating the role of mana assets in Magic: The Gathering, Karfell Harbinger carves a niche spot, particularly for decks that capitalize on the synergy between zombies and foretell abilities, highlighting the importance of tailored mana generation in tribal deck strategies.
Cards similar to Karfell Harbinger by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Karfell Harbinger MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim and Kaldheim Art Series, 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 Karfell Harbinger and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Karfell Harbinger Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2021-02-05. Illustrated by Josh Hass.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim | KHM | 65 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Josh Hass | |
| 2 | Kaldheim Art Series | AKHM | 17 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Josh Hass |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Karfell Harbinger has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Karfell Harbinger card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-02-05 | Because exiling a card with foretell from your hand is a special action, you can do so any time you have priority during your turn, including in response to spells and abilities. Once you announce you’re taking the action, no other player can respond by trying to remove the card from your hand. |
| 2021-02-05 | Casting a foretold card from exile follows the timing rules for that card. If you foretell an instant card, you can cast it as soon as the next player’s turn. In most cases, if you foretell a card that isn’t an instant (or doesn’t have flash), you’ll have to wait until your next turn to cast it. |
| 2021-02-05 | If you’re casting a foretold card from exile for its foretell cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell. |
| 2021-02-05 | The mana can be spent to exile a card with foretell from your hand face down, not to cast the foretold card from exile (unless it’s an instant or sorcery spell). |
