A deck based around Karn Liberated isn't going to work. The problem is the fastest you can expect to get Karn out, if you devote your entire deck to doing it, and you nut draw (well, a "reasonable" nut draw, not a "perfect" draw), you can have Karn on turn 4. At that point, Primeval Titan is just better (plus it's in the same theme of deck anyway), and you may as well play Valakut or Eldrazi Green.
Karn is better thrown in as a 1-of or 2-of in a deck that's already built to be able to cast him, such as Eldrazi Green or some sort of blue-based control deck, which is how he's so far been used already.
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Old terminology reference:
Play (noun): Battlefield
Play (verb): Cast/Play
RFG: Exile
CIP: Enters the Battlefield
Hoping to make a Karn Liberated deck, what cards should I use? I know proliferating stuff, but is there anything else I should try out, or add?
Karn Liberated doesn't do enough on it's own to build around. It's a very good singular card, but it doesn't lend itself to working an entire strategy around. It's a nice singleton in decks like W/U and B/U that plan on grinding into a long game and can trump Titans. Perhaps also in Eldrazi Green or Turboland strategy which has issues with certain permanents and can accelerate it out on turn five or so.
Outside of that, you shouldn't actively be trying to make Karn the focal point.
Testing against a white-red aggro opponent, it was consistently the final nail in the coffin: keeping ahead of the +4 means wasting many turns and cards, not always successfully: the end result being either that I win while they struggle or that Karn reaches 14 loyalty with a stash of awesome cards (e.g. a 2 turns clock: 2x Mirran Crusader, Plains, my excess Gideon Jura) because they don't keep up.
A bit of ramping and proliferation should make Karn even better, but obviously there must be other payloads: for example an UWR planeswalkers gangbang tapout control deck can play Everflowing Chalice and Tezzeret's Gambit to good effect.
Karn Liberated doesn't do enough on it's own to build around....
do you know anyone that's won after a restart? karn is good, not great, but i think he could be built around. ramp him out and protect for two turns, while exiling some spice, and you auto win after the restart.
do you know anyone that's won after a restart? karn is good, not great, but i think he could be built around. ramp him out and protect for two turns, while exiling some spice, and you auto win after the restart.
I have exactly 2 questions for you, and I want you to answer them, because it seems you're missing a very important piece of the puzzle:
1) How is this plan better than ramping into Primeval Titan -> Valakut?
2) How is this plan better than ramping into Primeval Titan -> Eye of Ugin?
The point is that you CAN ramp into Karn, but there are much better options.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Old terminology reference:
Play (noun): Battlefield
Play (verb): Cast/Play
RFG: Exile
CIP: Enters the Battlefield
I think the point is how to make Karn work in a deck. The OP didn't mention anything about Valakut or a comparison on what you can ramp into and how effective it is.
Back to OP, I play a monowhite artifact control deck with Karn/Gideon/Elspeth, and basic proliferation tactics (for contagion engine/clasp, overflowing chalice, and shrines). It works really well, and I've often turn 2 clasp at 1, turn 3 clasp at 2, and turn 4 karn
for proliferation, I run 4x tezz gambits and clasps. So far I've yet to go below 3-1 in FNMS (and the 1 loss was too cawblade :P)
Why not make a deck with Garruk 2.0 and Primeval Titans? Play Garruk on turn 4, make a blocker. Turn 5, play a Titan, draw 6. Chances are you now have a Karn and the mana to play him on turn 6 with a titan and planeswalker already on the field.
i put karn as a 1 of in a wuper friends deck(funny the one time i played him with Jace, Gideon and venser on the board the other guy was in wtf mode). i also took a mono green ramp/beaters deck and took out the 7 spots that had palaka wurm and put in Karn. it works pretty well. got to restart with an artisan of kozilek on the board.
edit: i was playing against some kind of aggro/control deck. my day of judgments and his control made for a rather long game.
Karn Liberated doesn't do enough on it's own to build around. It's a very good singular card, but it doesn't lend itself to working an entire strategy around. It's a nice singleton in decks like W/U and B/U that plan on grinding into a long game and can trump Titans. Perhaps also in Eldrazi Green or Turboland strategy which has issues with certain permanents and can accelerate it out on turn five or so.
Outside of that, you shouldn't actively be trying to make Karn the focal point.
I would agree that Karn isn't worth focusing an entire deck on. A deck that already has proliferating/ramp could easily use him for another bomb drop, though.
I run Karn in my no-colored-spells casual Myr deck, mostly for removal/disruption which the deck is otherwise fairly lacking. In my case, I don't care about the restart at all; If I do manage to get him to that many loyalty counters, a restart would just be win more, with a small chance at throwing the game away when I could just win with what I've already got on the field (such as a Battlesphere and 10 million Propagators)
Karn is better thrown in as a 1-of or 2-of in a deck that's already built to be able to cast him, such as Eldrazi Green or some sort of blue-based control deck, which is how he's so far been used already.
Play (verb): Cast/Play
RFG: Exile
CIP: Enters the Battlefield
Fetchland: Arid Mesa
Shockland: Watery Grave
M10 Dual: Glacial Fortress
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=863450
Karn Liberated doesn't do enough on it's own to build around. It's a very good singular card, but it doesn't lend itself to working an entire strategy around. It's a nice singleton in decks like W/U and B/U that plan on grinding into a long game and can trump Titans. Perhaps also in Eldrazi Green or Turboland strategy which has issues with certain permanents and can accelerate it out on turn five or so.
Outside of that, you shouldn't actively be trying to make Karn the focal point.
Testing against a white-red aggro opponent, it was consistently the final nail in the coffin: keeping ahead of the +4 means wasting many turns and cards, not always successfully: the end result being either that I win while they struggle or that Karn reaches 14 loyalty with a stash of awesome cards (e.g. a 2 turns clock: 2x Mirran Crusader, Plains, my excess Gideon Jura) because they don't keep up.
A bit of ramping and proliferation should make Karn even better, but obviously there must be other payloads: for example an UWR planeswalkers gangbang tapout control deck can play Everflowing Chalice and Tezzeret's Gambit to good effect.
T2
:symu::symb:Tezzeret Control:symb::symu:
:symr::symu::symg:Boar Control:symg::symu::symr:
Karn is an obvious choice for any control deck that runs Koth of the Hammer. What do you proliferate with and on? Volt Charge, planeswalkers, Everflowing Chalice, and what else?
Shrine, Sphere, Tumble Magnet, and Ratchet Bomb are the obvious ones. Maybe notsomuch bomb.
UW Delver Tempo
UWB Solar Flare
Legacy T1.5:
UWB Stoneblade
Modern:
UBW Teachings
EDH:
UWB Sharuum, the Combomon
1x Karn Liberated
4x Jace Beleren
2x Koth of the Hammer
3x Gideon Jura
do you know anyone that's won after a restart? karn is good, not great, but i think he could be built around. ramp him out and protect for two turns, while exiling some spice, and you auto win after the restart.
I have exactly 2 questions for you, and I want you to answer them, because it seems you're missing a very important piece of the puzzle:
1) How is this plan better than ramping into Primeval Titan -> Valakut?
2) How is this plan better than ramping into Primeval Titan -> Eye of Ugin?
The point is that you CAN ramp into Karn, but there are much better options.
Play (verb): Cast/Play
RFG: Exile
CIP: Enters the Battlefield
Fetchland: Arid Mesa
Shockland: Watery Grave
M10 Dual: Glacial Fortress
Back to OP, I play a monowhite artifact control deck with Karn/Gideon/Elspeth, and basic proliferation tactics (for contagion engine/clasp, overflowing chalice, and shrines). It works really well, and I've often turn 2 clasp at 1, turn 3 clasp at 2, and turn 4 karn
for proliferation, I run 4x tezz gambits and clasps. So far I've yet to go below 3-1 in FNMS (and the 1 loss was too cawblade :P)
good luck building!
edit: i was playing against some kind of aggro/control deck. my day of judgments and his control made for a rather long game.
Everytime he get outs its hard to lose.
Last PTQ i went 4-3 and 2 off those lost where due to mindscultor.
Anyway points is,play him hes fun
I run Karn in my no-colored-spells casual Myr deck, mostly for removal/disruption which the deck is otherwise fairly lacking. In my case, I don't care about the restart at all; If I do manage to get him to that many loyalty counters, a restart would just be win more, with a small chance at throwing the game away when I could just win with what I've already got on the field (such as a Battlesphere and 10 million Propagators)
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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