Karn's Touch MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Instant |
| Released | 1999-10-04 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Mercadian Masques |
| Set code | MMQ |
| Number | 86 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Alan Pollack |
Key Takeaways
- Instant speed casting of Karn’s Touch allows for surprise defensive or offensive plays, enhancing in-game tactfulness.
- Requiring card discard to activate, Karn’s Touch can impact hand resources and game strategy negatively.
- The specific and higher mana cost of Karn’s Touch might restrict its use in various deck builds.
Text of card
Target noncreature artifact becomes an artifact creature with power and toughness each equal to its converted mana cost until end of turn. (It retains its abilities.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Karn’s Touch has the potential to tip the scales in your favor by enabling you to convert artifacts on the battlefield into dynamic threats, maximizing the value of each permanent you control.
Resource Acceleration: By transforming noncreature artifacts into creatures, this card can hasten your board presence, allowing you to apply pressure on opponents or fortify your defenses much quicker than usual.
Instant Speed: The ability to cast Karn’s Touch at instant speed offers considerable versatility. You can endow an artifact with sudden creature status as a blocker or an attacker in response to your opponent’s moves, making it a valuable surprise element during the heat of battle.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Karn’s Touch necessitates the disposal of a precious card to activate its effect. This can be particularly disruptive when your hand is running thin on cards, compelling you to forfeit potentially crucial gameplay options.
Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Karn’s Touch is locked into a specific mana combination which can pose a restriction. Decks that don’t operate within the color identity in which Karn’s Touch lies might find it unsuitable and ultimately incompatible.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When we consider the mana investment required to utilize Karn’s Touch, it’s apparent that its cost is on the higher side compared to other cards with similar abilities. This can slow down your game, especially when faster and less mana-intensive options are available in the game’s vast library of cards.
Reasons to Include Karn’s Touch in Your Collection
Versatility: Karn’s Touch has the ability to fit seamlessly into decks that focus on artifact strategies or those that need a surprise element to turn the game in their favor. Its unique interaction with artifacts gives it a flexible edge across multiple play styles.
Combo Potential: This card can be a key component in combinations that revolve around artifact manipulation. It has the potential to synergize with cards that thrive on artifact count or those that require artifact sacrifice, unlocking powerful plays on the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: Given its synergy with prevalent artifact decks and its capability to impact the board significantly, Karn’s Touch holds relevance in the current meta. It can be particularly effective against decks that don’t expect artifact-centric strategies, presenting it as a savvy addition for competitive play.
How to Beat Karn’s Touch
Karn’s Touch, a mystifying card from the world of Magic: The Gathering, offers players a chance to metamorphose noncreature artifacts into creatures for a turn. It’s a versatile maneuver that brings the inanimate to life, creating potential blockers or surprise attackers. While the transformation is temporary, it can significantly alter the battlefield dynamic.
To counter Karn’s Touch effectively, consider removing artifacts before they can be animated. Artifact destruction spells are a reliable method to thwart an opponent’s plans. Alternatively, hold onto instant speed removal to address the artifact-turned-creature during combat or before it can be utilized in a strategic move. Counterspells are also valuable tools, allowing players to prevent Karn’s Touch from resolving and maintaining control of the board.
Flexibility in response to Karn’s Touch will keep players a step ahead. Board wipes that clear multiple creatures can reset the field, or targeted removal can handle individual threats efficiently. A strategic defense against Karn’s Touch is essential, as it can quickly disrupt a carefully constructed game plan. Outsmarting this card involves anticipation and prepared timing, attributes of a seasoned Magic: The Gathering enthusiast.
Cards like Karn's Touch
Karn’s Touch, a unique artifact interaction card in MTG, invites comparison with other cards that manipulate artifact conditions. It shares conceptual space with cards like Mycosynth Lattice, which transforms all permanents into artifacts, essentially expanding the range of possible targets for Karn’s Touch. Unlike Karn’s Touch, Mycosynth Lattice has a global effect, changing the nature of the game for all players and creating widespread strategic implications.
Liquimetal Coating is another card that resonates with Karn’s Touch; it converts a single target to an artifact until the end of the turn. While the Coating lacks the permanence of Karn’s Touch’s effect, it is repeatable and can be applied flexibly each turn. In terms of accessibility, Argent Mutation provides a similar quick-fix artifact conversion and card draw, ensuring no loss in hand advantage, albeit without the lasting change Karn’s Touch introduces.
Within the spectrum of artifact synergy spells in MTG, Karn’s Touch offers a distinct advantage by creating new lines of play and permanently enhancing an artifact’s utility. Its singular transformative effect presents a more strategic option for players looking to leverage artifacts in new and impactful ways.
Cards similar to Karn's Touch by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Karn's Touch MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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's Touch 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Karn's Touch has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Karn's Touch card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-08-01 | A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature. |
