It's been a couple years since I last posted an idea for a card depicting Karn during his stint as New Phyrexia's Father of Machines. Now I'm bringing it back with a new iteration.
Karn, Father of Machines6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender (W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain infect, vigilance, and trample. Untap those creatures.
Sacrifice a planeswalker, Exile ~: Search your library for a Karn planeswalker card and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
0/8
The main goal of course is to create a viable leader for the New Phyrexians. That would require having a WUBRG identity, preferably using phyrexian mana. For a while, I'd struggled with how to implement a (W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P) ability on FoM's card, but I think I've finally found an option I like. Since FoM is welded to his throne, he has defender, but he's able to strengthen his followers while also granting them infect and other keywords. To represent how Venserliberates Karn by sacrificing himself, FoM allows you to sacrifice a planeswalker and exile FoM to tutor a Karn planeswalker card straight onto the battlefield from your library, effectively turning FoM into a planeswalker himself.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Personally, I think that this card is a bit self-sabotaging in its themes.
On the one hand, a five-color infect general certainly allows you to stick every infect creature and praetor into an awesome theme deck...but not really.
Because this card gives infect for the low low cost of 10 life (commander is weird), it makes far more sense to play more efficient tokens or evasive creaturs without infect than it does to play inefficient creatures that already have infect. Further, that phyrexian mana means that few decks running this card would actually be going for a full WUBRG. This card is probably best when helming a Selesnya token decks, for example.
While the color identity limits where this card can be played, I also have concerns that this is a "win out of nowhere" card in the same vein as Craterhoof Behemoth... The ability to activate a planeswalker, toss this down from your hand, trigger it 2-3 times, and sac both planeswalkers to get big karn and remove a blocker is... a bit much.
You got points, there. I can remove the infect part of Karn's WUBRG ability and the planeswalker tutor, then. How about adding haste since the +2/+1 already feels black?
Karn, Father of Machines6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender (W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain vigilance, trample, and haste. Untap those creatures.
0/8
My only concern here is that, without the Karn planeswalker tutor, I feel like the card might be a touch bland for a WUBRG. There's gotta be something else it can do, an extra bit of spice we can add that says "this is the new master of Phyrexia".
Karn, Father of Machines6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender
Treat colored mana symbols in the mana costs of creature cards you own with infect as though they were phyrexian mana. (For example, W becomes (W/P).) (W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain vigilance, trample, and haste. Untap those creatures.
0/8
That's kinda spicy. Now you can cast any creature spell with infect without having to pay any colored mana, and they trigger cards like Rage Extractor to boot. A shame to lose the tutor, but better gameplay trumps better flavor.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Another possible alternative for the extra text may be.
"Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, proliferate."
It effectively gives all of your infect creatures +1/+0 and lets your non-infect phyrexians assist with the infect strategy... in addition to making this card a fascinating superfriends commander.
If we want to risk getting really crazy bananas, we can expand the phyrexian mana effect to all colored symbols in mana costs of cards you own.
Karn, Father of Machines6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender
Treat colored mana symbols in the mana costs of cards you own as though they were phyrexian mana. (For example, W becomes (W/P).) (W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain vigilance, trample, and haste. Untap those creatures.
0/8
Though ironically that discourages playing colorless cards, a lot of which are artifacts, a good deal of which are Phyrexian. How about this:
Karn, Father of Machines6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender
Pay 2 life, Tap an untapped creature you control: Add one mana of any color. (W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain vigilance, trample, and haste. Untap those creatures.
0/8
Now Karn has become a glorified mana rock. Creatures you tap to "worship" him produce colored mana, but each activation costs 2 life, effectively making it phyrexian mana.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
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Karn, Father of Machines 6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender
(W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain infect, vigilance, and trample. Untap those creatures.
Sacrifice a planeswalker, Exile ~: Search your library for a Karn planeswalker card and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
0/8
The main goal of course is to create a viable leader for the New Phyrexians. That would require having a WUBRG identity, preferably using phyrexian mana. For a while, I'd struggled with how to implement a (W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P) ability on FoM's card, but I think I've finally found an option I like. Since FoM is welded to his throne, he has defender, but he's able to strengthen his followers while also granting them infect and other keywords. To represent how Venser liberates Karn by sacrificing himself, FoM allows you to sacrifice a planeswalker and exile FoM to tutor a Karn planeswalker card straight onto the battlefield from your library, effectively turning FoM into a planeswalker himself.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
On the one hand, a five-color infect general certainly allows you to stick every infect creature and praetor into an awesome theme deck...but not really.
Because this card gives infect for the low low cost of 10 life (commander is weird), it makes far more sense to play more efficient tokens or evasive creaturs without infect than it does to play inefficient creatures that already have infect. Further, that phyrexian mana means that few decks running this card would actually be going for a full WUBRG. This card is probably best when helming a Selesnya token decks, for example.
While the color identity limits where this card can be played, I also have concerns that this is a "win out of nowhere" card in the same vein as Craterhoof Behemoth... The ability to activate a planeswalker, toss this down from your hand, trigger it 2-3 times, and sac both planeswalkers to get big karn and remove a blocker is... a bit much.
Karn, Father of Machines 6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender
(W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain vigilance, trample, and haste. Untap those creatures.
0/8
My only concern here is that, without the Karn planeswalker tutor, I feel like the card might be a touch bland for a WUBRG. There's gotta be something else it can do, an extra bit of spice we can add that says "this is the new master of Phyrexia".
Karn, Father of Machines 6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender
Treat colored mana symbols in the mana costs of creature cards you own with infect as though they were phyrexian mana. (For example, W becomes (W/P).)
(W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain vigilance, trample, and haste. Untap those creatures.
0/8
That's kinda spicy. Now you can cast any creature spell with infect without having to pay any colored mana, and they trigger cards like Rage Extractor to boot. A shame to lose the tutor, but better gameplay trumps better flavor.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Another possible alternative for the extra text may be.
"Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, proliferate."
It effectively gives all of your infect creatures +1/+0 and lets your non-infect phyrexians assist with the infect strategy... in addition to making this card a fascinating superfriends commander.
Karn, Father of Machines 6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender
Treat colored mana symbols in the mana costs of cards you own as though they were phyrexian mana. (For example, W becomes (W/P).)
(W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain vigilance, trample, and haste. Untap those creatures.
0/8
Though ironically that discourages playing colorless cards, a lot of which are artifacts, a good deal of which are Phyrexian. How about this:
Karn, Father of Machines 6
Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem
Defender
Pay 2 life, Tap an untapped creature you control: Add one mana of any color.
(W/P)(U/P)(B/P)(R/P)(G/P): Until end of turn, other creatures you control get +2/+1 and gain vigilance, trample, and haste. Untap those creatures.
0/8
Now Karn has become a glorified mana rock. Creatures you tap to "worship" him produce colored mana, but each activation costs 2 life, effectively making it phyrexian mana.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.