Skip to content
Commander Nexus
  1. Commander Nexus
  2. Commanders
  3. Karn, Argent Defender

Command zone

Karn, Argent Defender

Karn, Argent Defender

Legendary Artifact Creature — Golem

Karn wants a deck that plays small creatures that make life hard for opponents. It also suits a deck that slows the whole table down with rules everyone must follow.

  • Mana cost2 generic
  • Colorless
  • Power / toughness1 / 3
  • RarityRare

Artifacts and creatures entering the battlefield don't cause abilities to trigger.

Build a deck with Karn Find it in the app

Archetypes

Cards That Fit Karn, Argent Defender

Picked for what they do in Karn's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Karn'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.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Karn, Argent Defender

explain how Karn 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 Coast 21 Aug 2026

If Karn, Argent Defender and another artifact or creature enter the battlefield at the same time, neither one will cause triggered abilities to trigger when they enter the battlefield.

Wizards of the Coast 21 Aug 2026

Look at the permanent as it exists on the battlefield, taking into account continuous effects, to determine whether any triggered abilities will trigger. For example, if you control Opalescence, which says, in part, "Each other non-Aura enchantment is a creature," each enchantment will be a creature at the time it enters the battlefield and will not cause triggered abilities to trigger.

Wizards of the Coast 21 Aug 2026

Replacement effects, such as a permanent entering the battlefield tapped or with counters on it, are unaffected. Abilities that apply "as [this permanent] enters" are replacement effects.

Wizards of the Coast 21 Aug 2026

The trigger event doesn't have to specify artifacts or creatures entering the battlefield. For example, Tireless Tracker has an ability that says "Whenever a land you control enters, investigate." If an artifact land or creature land you control enters, that ability won't trigger. If a nonartifact, noncreature land you control enters, the ability will trigger.

Wizards of the Coast 21 Aug 2026

Triggered abilities use the word "when," "whenever," or "at." They're often written as "[Trigger condition], [effect]." Some keyword abilities are triggered abilities and will have "when," "whenever," or "at the beginning of" in their reminder text.

5 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Karn, and what they share.

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 glossaryHatebearsHatebears decks play cheap creatures that each carry a rule making life harder for opponents, such as spells costing more. Each one is small, but together they slow the whole table down while they attack.Open the Hatebears pageAbility SuppressionSwitches abilities off instead of removing the permanent itself. It stops activated abilities from being used, stops triggers from firing, or stops library searching. Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Torpor OrbOpen the Ability Suppression pageHatebearA cheap creature, costing 3 mana or less, with a rule that slows everyone else down. Spells cost more, things enter tapped, or players cannot do something. It is the community's word for it, and a deck of them is a Hatebears deck. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Drannith Magistrate, Collector OupheOpen the Hatebear pageStax/TaxMakes the game more expensive or more restrictive for everyone: taxing spells and attacks, or stopping permanents from untapping. Propaganda, Ghostly Prison. Many groups dislike playing against it, so check what your table expects first.Open the Stax/Tax pageStaxStax decks slow the whole game down with cards that make spells cost more, stop lands from untapping, or limit what players can do each turn. The deck is built so those limits hurt it least. Many groups dislike playing against it, so check with your table first.Open the Stax page