Karn's Sylex

Legendary Artifact

Karn's Sylex enters the battlefield tapped.

Players can't pay life to cast spells or to activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.

{X}, {T}, Exile Karn's Sylex: Destroy each nonland permanent with converted mana cost/mana value X or less. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Pre-release	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Standard	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (8)

Madhava on Mardu control

9 months ago

Also, very recommend an Engineered Explosives in Karn's toolbox. I've heard some say Karn's Sylex is better for Karn than EE. I'm on the fence as to this. Turnning off fetchlands is always funny, but it really comes down to how much you need your Chalices to stick around.

thefiresoflurve on WIP Control Deck

1 year ago

Hey, there!

First, what's your budget like? 'til I know that, I'll keep suggestions "standard".

Second: Cuts.

Sleep + River's Rebuke - not really an EDH card, since you usually have more than one opponent.

Martial Law - similarly, this is just one creature, and there are bound to be so many more problems than just one on the field at a time.

Invisibility - There are better sources of evasion (getting damage through to other players). Also, getting damage through is something Augustin isn't the best at, so that might not make for a strong win-con.

Robe of Mirrors isn't bad to protect your commander, but for 1 more mana you can use Curator's Ward (because Augustin reduces it) and then get 2 cards if someone uses a boardwipe later. I call that a deal. Diplomatic Immunity is another equally costed option as well, if you find your playgroup runs an obnoxious amount of enchantment removal, since it itself is also untargetable.

Consulate Crackdown - Kind of mediocre for what it does. For just one more mana, you can instead run Farewell or Austere Command, which both produce a much better effect.

Some things traditionally run in Augustin are used to basically slow the game to a crawl, and others are used to tax your opponents while this is going on to create advantages for you while you draw into your win conditions: Cursed Totem, Hushbringer, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Vryn Wingmare, Containment Priest, Reidane, God of the Worthy  ^Flip, Hushwing Gryff, Silent Arbiter, Ethersworn Canonist, Wandering Archaic  ^Flip, Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Sphere of Resistance, Torpor Orb, Damping Sphere, Static Orb, Karn's Sylex, Meekstone, Crawlspace... not quite an exhaustive list, but it's a really good start, and gets the point across.

There are some weird cards that you can use as win conditions to go with the "stax" style, like Azor's Elocutors.

If you're interested, https://edhrec.com/commanders/grand-arbiter-augustin-iv has some more suggestions as well - in my opinion, it's not a terrible place to start as a new player, although I'd encourage you to switch it up as you and your wallet like from what's listed there.

https://scryfall.com/ can also be a really good tool if you like to go full nerd and search for alternative cards with similar effects to really expensive cards - I've stumbled across a few hidden gems over time by using it.

Hope that helps, and Happy building!

nbarry223 on why is birthing pod banned

1 year ago

I don't see Deathrite Shaman getting unbanned anytime soon. It's just way too versatile of a card with little investment. If solid fetch hate was ever printed, then I could see it getting unbanned, but until then, I just don't see it.

We'd need something like Karn's Sylex with split second for Deathrite Shaman to see an unban. I think the banlist is pretty fair right now, and everything on it is justified for one reason or another.

The only one that isn't on there for a power reason and could potentially be unbanned (in my opinion) is Sensei's Divining Top, but that card is such a time-waste, that I don't think anyone actually wants it unbanned.

nbarry223 on Viga-BOOM! (better mana)

1 year ago

This is the best I could come up with. Bring to Light is a little awkward game 1, but in games 2/3 when I can find a silver bullet of some kind, it is much better. I wish it worked with Mosswort Bridge, but we can't have everything. I ended up cutting Karn's Sylex + Chalice of the Void to make space for the "Bring to Light silver bullets" as they were my two weakest links in the sideboard.

Surprisingly, with Threats Undetected I've found myself going for:

Elvish Reclaimer
Omnath, Locus of Creation
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
Primeval Titan

instead of Cultivator Colossus in a lot of situations, since Elvish Reclaimer almost always manafixes me into Omnath, Locus of Creation with something like Boros Garrison when I know they are going to avoid Dryad of the Ilysian Grove and Primeval Titan.

Honestly, I think I am trying to accomplish too much and should pick Bring to Light or Threats Undetected to run, but I like the idea of both and they have decent enough synergy with the other cards I need to include.

I did come up with some other "options" for Bring to Light, the best of which is The Gitrog Monster, followed closely by Nicol Bolas, the Ravager  ^Flip (Phyrexian Obliterator + Arena or sneaky tech like Sower of Temptation being honorable mentions).

I'm a little lighter on basic Forests than I would like, so I'll probably end up cutting something to add them back in a little, as 2 is the bare minimum I am comfortable with.

I think Omnath, Locus of Creation with Threats Undetected or The Gitrog Monster with Bring to Light is the correct answer, but I'm going to keep trying to squeeze in both paths for now.

Kiyomei on 京 An illusion? What are you hiding? (cEDH-$T4KS) 京

1 year ago

@ProminenceToBlack

Hey, To get back at your Addition from newer sets, there haven't been any great cEDH hate cards lately :'( Cards from Dominaria United that come to mind are not too great either and very specific.

Karn's Sylex : Disk but you need to put mana into it and is way too narrow...

Gerrard's Hourglass Pendant : Perhaps if you face a load of Edric turns or extra turn effect decks in your meta.

Shanna, Purifying Blade : A worse version of Tymna for bant as you need to spend mana on it... but it could be a decent drawing tool.

Other than that;

Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant is funny with rule of law effects.

Now for,

Anointed Peacekeeper ( Pithing Needle )

These cards are way too narrow in a cEDH meta stopping only one of your opponents isn't going to make the cut for me. They are generally great 1v1 cards but don't fit a multiplayer setting.

Neotrup on Is Terror of the Peaks' …

1 year ago

Terror of the Peaks does add an additional cost to opponent's spells, and that cost will be unpayable if there is a Karn's Sylex in play. Note that this only makes the Terror untargetable by spells, abilities will still be able to target it as there is no additional cost for those.

Delphen7 on Is Terror of the Peaks' …

1 year ago

Say I control Terror of the Peaks and Karn's Sylex. My opponent wants to cast something targeting Terror.

Is the three life wanted by Terror an additional cost prevented by Sylex (ie is Terror now "untargetable")?

TypicalTimmy on Jodah legend

1 year ago

I actually pulled Jodah as well as Karn's Sylex and Ajani, Sleeper Agent today, with KS being the 2022 prerelease foil from the pack