Karn, Living Legacy MTG Card


Gain card advantage by accessing artifacts from outside the game with Karn, Living Legacy. Balancing resource acceleration with Karn’s demands for artifact sacrifices is crucial. Instant speed artifact fetching with Karn provides strategic flexibility in matches.
Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Karn
Loyalty 4

Text of card


+1: Create a tapped Powerstone token. (It's an artifact with ": Add . This mana can't be spent to cast a nonartifact spell.")
-1: Pay any amount of mana. Look at that many cards from the top of your library, then put one of those cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
-7: You get an emblem with "Tap an untapped artifact you control: This emblem deals 1 damage to any target."


Cards like Karn, Living Legacy

Karn, Living Legacy carves a unique space in the pantheon of powerful planeswalker cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its analogous counterparts include other Karn incarnations, such as Karn Liberated, which also showcases the ability to control the game albeit through a different form of board interaction. Karn, Living Legacy emphasizes a strategy that revolves around the utilization of artifacts, a trait shared with Karn, Scion of Urza. However, the Living Legacy stands out by offering consistent artifact synergy and creation, showcasing its standalone value in artifact-centric decks.

Looking across the MTG multiverse, Tezzeret, Artifice Master is a card that echoes some of the artifact themes of Karn, Living Legacy. Tezzeret’s ability to draw cards or create artifact tokens is akin to Karn’s traits though he leans more towards versatility. Another parallel can be drawn with Ugin, the Ineffable whose colorless cost reduction for artifacts can synergize well with the artifact-focused nature of Karn, Living Legacy.

While each card has its unique strengths and applications within an MTG strategy, Karn, Living Legacy offers a reliable option for players seeking to optimize their artifact game plan, affirming its distinct place among MTG’s iconic planeswalkers.

Karn Liberated - MTG Card versions
Karn, Scion of Urza - MTG Card versions
Tezzeret, Artifice Master - MTG Card versions
Ugin, the Ineffable - MTG Card versions
Karn Liberated - MTG Card versions
Karn, Scion of Urza - MTG Card versions
Tezzeret, Artifice Master - MTG Card versions
Ugin, the Ineffable - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Karn, Living Legacy by color, type and mana cost

Karn, the Great Creator - MTG Card versions
Karn, Scion of Urza - MTG Card versions
Karn, the Great Creator - MTG Card versions
Karn, Scion of Urza - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Karn, Living Legacy. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Azorius ArtifactsAzorius Artifacts StandardAzorius ArtifactsTraditional Standard Ranked Decklists: March 18, 2024
Jeskai MidrangeJeskai Midrange GladiatorGladiator Games: We're Back
Esper ComboEsper Combo GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Karn, Living Legacy grants access to a pool of artifacts from outside the game, offering an unparalleled level of card advantage by expanding your options beyond the usual deck constraints.

Resource Acceleration: This card can effectively accelerate your resources by allowing for the deployment of powerful artifacts early in the game, making it a key play in mana ramp strategies.

Instant Speed: Its ability to fetch artifacts at instant speed provides flexibility, letting players adapt to the shifting battlefield on the fly and disrupt opponents’ strategies at the most opportune moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Karn, Living Legacy necessitates a sacrifice of an artifact to activate one of its key abilities. This can be a setback for decks that don’t have expendable artifacts or rely heavily on their artifact synergy for success.

Specific Mana Cost: Deploying Karn, Living Legacy requires a dedicated mana base as it has colorless mana in its cost. This may prove to be restrictive in multicolored decks that can’t consistently produce the required mana types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a greater mana investment needed to bring Karn, Living Legacy onto the field, it may fall short when compared to other options. Aggressive decks especially might find this cost prohibitive as it could slow down their fast-paced strategy.


Reasons to Include Karn, Living Legacy in Your Collection

Versatility: Karn, Living Legacy is a dynamic tool in any deck, offering a range of utilities from card advantage to permanent control. Its ability to operate independently of color restrictions makes it adaptable to numerous deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: This card interacts well with numerous artifact-centric combos and synergies, amplifying strategies such as lockdown or resource acceleration, while its modular nature enables a variety of tactical plays that can adapt to evolving board states.

Meta-Relevance: Given that the competitive scene often fluctuates, the timelessness of Karn, Living Legacy ensures that it remains a valuable asset. Whether countering specific threats or simply providing consistent value, its presence can be a game-changer in various meta environments.


How to beat Karn, Living Legacy

Karn, Living Legacy has made a significant impact on deck strategies across the MTG universe. This powerful planeswalker can quickly alter the dynamics of a game with its versatile abilities. To counter Karn, focus on direct damage spells or creature abilities that can target planeswalkers. Spells like Dreadbore or Hero’s Downfall can remove Karn irrespective of his loyalty counters. It is also essential to apply pressure early on; as Karn hits the battlefield, the quicker you can diminish his loyalty, the less impact he will have.

Inclusion of counterspells such as Negate or Disallow can prevent Karn from ever being an issue, so keeping mana open when your opponent has enough resources to play him is crucial. Additionally, combine tempo plays to maintain board control while denying your opponent the advantage Karn provides. Always be aware of the meta-game; if Karn, Living Legacy decks are prominent, tweak your sideboard to include answers specifically for him.

Remember, Karn’s strength lies not only in his abilities but also in the deck built around him. Focus on disrupting your opponent’s strategy while executing yours effectively. Keeping Karn off the board or nullifying his influence is a key tactic in securing victory against decks that include this formidable planeswalker.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Karn, Living Legacy MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Dominaria United 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 Karn, Living Legacy and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Karn, Living Legacy Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2022-09-09 and 2022-09-09. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 1034742015NormalBlackrk post
22022-09-09Dominaria United Art SeriesADMU 12015Art seriesBorderless
32022-09-09Dominaria United Art SeriesADMU 22015Art seriesBorderless
42022-09-09Dominaria United PromosPDMU 1s2015NormalBlackChris Rahn
52022-09-09Dominaria UnitedDMU 3722015NormalBorderlessrk post
62022-09-09Dominaria United PromosPDMU 1p2015NormalBlackChris Rahn
72022-09-09Dominaria UnitedDMU 12015NormalBlackChris Rahn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Karn, Living Legacy has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-09-09 Although all the cards in the Dominaria United set that create Powerstone tokens create a tapped Powerstone token, entering the battlefield tapped isn’t part of the token’s definition. Notably, if you create a token that is a copy of a Powerstone token, the token copy won’t enter the battlefield tapped.
2022-09-09 For Karn’s second loyalty ability, you don’t choose how much mana to pay until the ability resolves. Once the ability begins to resolve and you have paid, no player may respond until you have finished all the steps of that ability.
2022-09-09 If you don’t pay any mana, you won’t look at any cards or put any into your hand.
2022-09-09 If you look at one or more cards this way, you must put a card into your hand. You can’t choose not to put one into your hand.
2022-09-09 Karn’s emblem has an activated ability that allows you to tap untapped artifacts to pay its cost. Notably, you may tap artifact creatures that entered the battlefield this turn to pay this cost, even if they don’t have haste.
2022-09-09 Powerstone tokens are a new kind of predefined token. Each one has the artifact subtype “Powerstone” and the ability “: Add . This mana can’t be spent to cast a nonartifact spell.”
2022-09-09 You can use the added by a Powerstone token on anything that isn’t a nonartifact spell. This includes paying costs to activate abilities of both artifact and nonartifact permanents, paying ward costs, and so on.