Karlov of the Ghost Council wants a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn. It also suits a deck that gains life over and over and gets rewarded for it.
Mana cost
White, Black ()
Power / toughness2 / 2
RarityMythic
Whenever you gain life, put two +1/+1 counters on Karlov.
, Remove six +1/+1 counters from Karlov: Exile target creature.
Picked for what they do in Karlov of the Ghost Council's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Karlov of the Ghost Council's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Karlov of the Ghost Council works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast4 Nov 2015
A creature with lifelink dealing combat damage is a single life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, the ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple players or permanents at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.
Wizards of the Coast4 Nov 2015
In a Two-Headed Giant game, life gained by your teammate won't cause the ability to trigger, even though it causes your team's life total to increase.
Wizards of the Coast4 Nov 2015
The ability triggers just once for each life-gaining event, whether it's 1 life from an attacking creature with lifelink or 4 life from Faith's Fetters.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWBPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, B for black.+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters pageCounter ManipulationAdds, moves or multiplies counters already on permanents. It works on any kind (+1/+1, loyalty, charge), so the same card can serve very different decks. Karn's Bastion, Doubling SeasonOpen the Counter Manipulation pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine pageLifegainLifegain decks gain life over and over and use cards that reward each gain with extra cards, creatures or damage to opponents. Everyone starts at 40 life in Commander, so the extra life also keeps you safe while you set up.Open the Lifegain pageLifegain PayoffTurns life gain into an actual effect: draining opponents, drawing cards, or growing creatures each time you gain life. Without one of these, gaining life mostly just delays things. Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Sanguine BondOpen the Lifegain Payoff pageMana SinkGives you somewhere useful to spend spare mana, usually through an ability you can activate again and again. Rogue's Passage, Mind StoneOpen the Mana Sink page
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