EDH Optimizer
Karn, Gilded Guardian
Legendary Artifact Creature — Golem · 2W2U2B2R2G
Color identity: Black · Green · Red · Blue · White
Karn, Gilded Guardian is black, green, red, blue and white: its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Vigilance, trample
When Karn enters, draw a card for each color among other artifacts you control.
Reference price of the card: €0.08
Average lands in decks for Karn, Gilded Guardian: 36
ArtifactsBlinkComboHistoricTokensAffinityCard DrawMulticolor Matters
Build your Karn, Gilded Guardian deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Karn, Gilded Guardian 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Karn, Gilded Guardian deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C (56/100)
- Consistency54
- Speed54
- Interaction38
- Resilience82
- Closing57
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 3 Plains, 3 Island, 1 Swamp, 2 Mountain, 1 Forest)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Enthusiastic Mechanaut · Etherium Sculptor · Baleful Strix · Chromatic Lantern · Alibou, Ancient Witness · Infinite Guideline Station · Leyline of the Guildpact · Phyrexian Metamorph · Breya, Etherium Shaper · Inspirit, Flagship Vessel · Swords to Plowshares · Mendicant Core, Guidelight · Simulacrum Synthesizer · Craterclaw Colossus · Organic Extinction · Riptide Gearhulk · Thought Monitor · Cyberdrive Awakener · Dispatch · Pinnacle Emissary · Transguild Courier · Voyager Quickwelder · Conjurer's Closet · Esper Sentinel · Ephemerate · Uthros Research Craft · Cursed Mirror · Fellwar Stone · Foundry Inspector · Noxious Gearhulk · Pyrewood Gearhulk · Wake the Past · Path to Exile · Brightglass Gearhulk · Kappa Cannoneer · Twitching Doll · Sharuum the Hegemon · Farseek · The Mind Stone · Unwinding Clock · Ancient Cornucopia · Coalstoke Gearhulk · Counterspell · Cranial Ram · Cloudshift · Sculpting Steel · Teleportation Circle · Urza, Lord High Artificer · Fateful Discovery · Ghostly Flicker · Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain · Karn, Legacy Reforged · Krang, Utrom Warlord · Mystic Forge · Fabricate · Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge · Thought Vessel · Timeless Lotus · Bronze Guardian · Combustible Gearhulk · Displacer Kitten · Command Tower · Exotic Orchard · Seat of the Synod · Ancient Den · Great Furnace · Vault of Whispers · Tree of Tales · Hallowed Fountain · Breeding Pool · Steam Vents · Reliquary Tower · Watery Grave · Flooded Strand · Godless Shrine · Sacred Foundry · Stomping Ground · Temple Garden · Misty Rainforest · Polluted Delta · Spire of Industry · Scalding Tarn · Uthros, Titanic Godcore · City of Brass · Overgrown Tomb · Mana Confluence · Arid Mesa
🃏 Recommended cards for Karn, Gilded Guardian
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Karn, Gilded Guardian, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Enthusiastic Mechanaut | 70% | +69% |
| Etherium Sculptor | 66% | +64% |
| Baleful Strix | 61% | +59% |
| Alibou, Ancient Witness | 52% | +51% |
| Infinite Guideline Station | 52% | +50% |
| Phyrexian Metamorph | 51% | +50% |
| Seat of the Synod | 51% | +49% |
| Breya, Etherium Shaper | 49% | +48% |
| Ancient Den | 50% | +48% |
| Great Furnace | 50% | +47% |
| Inspirit, Flagship Vessel | 48% | +46% |
| Mendicant Core, Guidelight | 46% | +46% |
| Vault of Whispers | 47% | +45% |
| Tree of Tales | 46% | +44% |
| Simulacrum Synthesizer | 44% | +44% |
| Thought Monitor | 42% | +42% |
| Craterclaw Colossus | 42% | +42% |
| Riptide Gearhulk | 42% | +42% |
| Transguild Courier | 41% | +41% |
| Organic Extinction | 42% | +41% |
| Voyager Quickwelder | 41% | +41% |
| Cyberdrive Awakener | 41% | +40% |
| Pinnacle Emissary | 41% | +40% |
| Dispatch | 41% | +39% |
💰 The best cards for your Karn, Gilded Guardian deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Enthusiastic Mechanaut
- Etherium Sculptor
- Alibou, Ancient Witness
- Infinite Guideline Station
- Seat of the Synod
- Breya, Etherium Shaper
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Baleful Strix
- Phyrexian Metamorph
- Great Furnace
- Craterclaw Colossus
- Riptide Gearhulk
- Cyberdrive Awakener
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Simulacrum Synthesizer
- Esper Sentinel
- Uthros, Titanic Godcore
- Unwinding Clock
- The Mind Stone
- Urza, Lord High Artificer
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Karn, Gilded Guardian
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- Underworld Breach + Lotus Petal + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite colored mana, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill, Near-infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Karn, Gilded Guardian's color identity?
Karn, Gilded Guardian is black, green, red, blue and white: its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Karn, Gilded Guardian come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Karn, Gilded Guardian deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 8.8 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 20 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 26 % of the time and floods 14 %. Deck health: C (56/100).
How many lands should a Karn, Gilded Guardian deck run?
Real Karn, Gilded Guardian decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Karn, Gilded Guardian?
The three highest-synergy cards are Enthusiastic Mechanaut, Etherium Sculptor, Baleful Strix. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Karn, Gilded Guardian decks.
What combos does Karn, Gilded Guardian have?
Karn, Gilded Guardian has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Karn, Gilded Guardian deck cost?
You can start cheap: Enthusiastic Mechanaut, Etherium Sculptor, Alibou, Ancient Witness are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.