Karn, Legacy Reforged is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Karn's power and toughness are each equal to the greatest mana value among artifacts you control. At the beginning of your upkeep, addfor each artifact you control. This mana can't be spent to cast nonartifact spells. Until end of turn, you don't lose this mana as steps and phases end.
Complete guide
Karn, Legacy Reforged is a powerhouse for artifact-heavy decks, serving as both a massive threat and a significant mana source. As a legendary Golem, he scales in size based on your most expensive artifacts and rewards you for filling your board with metal. Whether you are looking to ramp or beat down, Karn provides a unique colorless engine for your strategy.
Scaling Power and Toughness
Karn's power and toughness are dynamic, equal to the highest mana value among all artifacts you control. This characteristic-defining ability functions in all zones, including your library and graveyard. Because Karn himself is an artifact with a mana value of 5, he will be at least a 5/5 creature as long as he is on the battlefield and you control him, unless you control an artifact with an even higher cost.
A Unique Upkeep Trigger
At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn triggers to add one colorless mana for each artifact you control. Unlike many mana-producing effects, this is a triggered ability that uses the stack, meaning opponents can respond to it before you receive the mana. The number of artifacts you control is checked only as the ability resolves. Most importantly, this mana persists through all steps and phases of your turn, allowing you to use it during your combat phase or second main phase.
Spending the Reforged Mana
There is a specific restriction: you cannot spend this mana to cast nonartifact spells. However, this restriction is narrower than it looks. You can freely spend the mana to cast artifact spells, activate abilities of any permanent (even nonartifact ones), or pay for costs like Ward. If a spell is both an artifact and another type, such as an artifact creature, you can use Karn's mana to cast it.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is thinking you lose the mana when you move from your upkeep to your draw step. Karn's ability specifically prevents this loss until the end of the turn. Another error is assuming you can't use the mana for abilities; you absolutely can use it to activate a land or a planeswalker, as those are not 'casting a nonartifact spell.'
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneWith Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Golem,' Karn's upkeep ability triggers twice. If you control only these two artifacts, the first trigger resolves and adds two colorless mana. Then, the second trigger resolves and adds another two, giving you four mana total to spend on artifact spells or abilities throughout the turn.
Solemn SimulacrumIf you control Karn and Solemn Simulacrum during your upkeep, Karn's ability resolves and adds two colorless mana (one for each artifact). Since Solemn Simulacrum has a mana value of 4 and Karn has a mana value of 5, Karn remains a 5/5. You can then use that persistent mana to pay for the activated ability of a card or save it to help cast a larger artifact later in the turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Karn, Legacy Reforged
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The ability that defines Karn's power and toughness works in all zones, not just the battlefield. As long as Karn is under your control and still an artifact, its own mana value will count. In most cases, it'll be at least 5/5.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Karn's last ability isn't a mana ability, even though it adds mana. It uses the stack and it can be responded to. Use the number of artifacts you control as the ability resolves to determine how much mana to add.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The mana produced by Karn's last ability can be spent on anything that isn't a nonartifact spell. This includes casting artifact spells, paying costs to activate abilities of both artifact and nonartifact permanents, paying ward costs, and so on.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Karn, Legacy Reforged + Voltaic Construct + The Peregrine Dynamo
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate The Peregrine Dynamo by paying
, copying Karn's ability. - 3Resolve the copy of Karn's ability, adding at least that cannot be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
- 4Activate Voltaic Construct by paying
, untapping The Peregrine Dynamo. - 5Repeat from step 2.
Karn, Legacy Reforged + Lithoform Engine + Clock of Omens + Staff of Domination
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate Lithoform Engine's first ability by paying and tapping it, copying Karn's ability.
- 3Resolve the copy of Karn's ability, adding for each artifact you control that cannot be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping Staff of Domination and Basalt Monolith, untapping Lithoform Engine.
- 5Activate Staff of Domination's first ability by paying , untapping it.
- 6Activate Basalt Monolith's second ability by paying
, untapping it. - 7Repeat from step 2.
Karn, Legacy Reforged + Strionic Resonator + Clock of Omens + Staff of Domination
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate Strionic Resonator by paying and tapping it, copying Karn's ability.
- 3Resolve the copy of Karn's ability, adding for each artifact you control that cannot be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping Staff of Domination and Basalt Monolith, untapping Strionic Resonator.
- 5Activate Staff of Domination's first ability by paying , untapping it.
- 6Activate Basalt Monolith's second ability by paying , untapping it.
- 7Repeat from step 2.
Karn, Legacy Reforged + Lithoform Engine + Clock of Omens + Basalt Monolith
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate Lithoform Engine's first ability by paying and tapping it, copying Karn's ability.
- 3Resolve the copy of Karn's ability, adding for each artifact you control that cannot be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping Basalt Monolith and Grim Monolith, untapping Lithoform Engine.
- 5Activate Basalt Monolith's second ability by paying , untapping it.
- 6Activate Grim Monolith's second ability by paying
, untapping it. - 7Repeat from step 2.
Karn, Legacy Reforged + Karn, Silver Golem + Lithoform Engine + Voltaic Construct
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn, Legacy Reforged triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate Karn, Silver Golem by paying , causing Lithoform Engine to become an artifact creature until end of turn.
- 3Activate Lithoform Engine's first ability by paying and tapping it, copying Karn, Legacy Reforged's ability.
- 4Resolve the copy of Karn, Legacy Reforged's ability, adding for each artifact you control that cannot be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
- 5Activate Voltaic Construct by paying , untapping Lithoform Engine.
- 6Repeat from step 3.
Karn, Legacy Reforged + Strionic Resonator + Clock of Omens + Basalt Monolith
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate Strionic Resonator by paying and tapping it, copying Karn's ability.
- 3Resolve the copy of Karn's ability, adding for each artifact you control that cannot be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping Basalt Monolith and Grim Monolith, untapping Strionic Resonator.
- 5Activate Basalt Monolith's second ability by paying , untapping it.
- 6Activate Grim Monolith's second ability by paying , untapping it.
- 7Repeat from step 2.
Karn, Legacy Reforged + Lithoform Engine + Clock of Omens + Staff of Domination
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate Lithoform Engine's first ability by paying and tapping it, copying Karn's ability.
- 3Resolve the copy of Karn's ability, adding for each artifact you control that cannot be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping Staff of Domination and Grim Monolith, untapping Lithoform Engine.
- 5Activate Staff of Domination's first ability by paying , untapping it.
- 6Activate Grim Monolith's second ability by paying , untapping it.
- 7Repeat from step 2.
Karn, Legacy Reforged + Strionic Resonator + Clock of Omens + Staff of Domination
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Karn triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate Strionic Resonator by paying and tapping it, copying Karn's ability.
- 3Resolve the copy of Karn's ability, adding for each artifact you control that cannot be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping Staff of Domination and Grim Monolith, untapping Strionic Resonator.
- 5Activate Staff of Domination's first ability by paying , untapping it.
- 6Activate Grim Monolith's second ability by paying , untapping it.
- 7Repeat from step 2.
Legal formats
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