Part of me just really wishes Karn, Scion was an Artifact Planeswalker. I know, he's already good enough as he is, but man, it would be pretty amazing both thematically and utility-wise.
My current maindeck stands like this:
22 Creatures
4x Mimic, Scourge, TKS, Smasher, SSG
2x Endless One
14 Spells
4x Chalice, Serum Powder
3x Dismember
2x Karn, the Great Creator
1x Warping Wail
24 Land (listed above)
I cut other little Karn to try KtGC in the maindeck and trimmed some of the more numerous removal from the side to add "wish targets." It's been functioning fairly well so far, but as I listed above I have a minimal number of matches so my sample size isn't significant. I have never had issues with Death Shadow, Esper/Jeskai Control, Phoenix, or Dredge though...so that is a fair swathe of most of Modern's players.
I am currently running 2, with a spread of utility tutor targets in the sideboard. In game ones it's been Stony Silence against Affinity that has an upside of de-equipping Cranial Plating and killing Mox Opals to shrink Master of Etherium. I have killed an Ensnaring Bridge by using the Animate-Dismember trick you mentioned, but that wouldn't be the primary reason I would have for it, just a niche benefit or upside.
I'll be bringing this to battle in Louisville at the SCG Open unless disaster strikes. The saddest part of it all is Hareruya backlogged a lot of their shipping because of oversales (at least, that's what I've heard), my remaining Jpn Foils won't be in before the event, so I'll have to suffer with English Karns, Blast Zones, and SB wish targets.
I know, a troubled life I lead, definitely.
Regardless, the next 9 days or so will be testing with various wishboard targets and land configurations, I'm still not sure if I want to hold on 24 lands or trim to 23 like Jordan is running, and a few of the spots in the SB still need to be shored up, but as long as I get to dodge UW at the Open I feel very positive about the matches.
I've only played 10 rounds with it so far, but I never felt like there was an issue arising from the spread of utility lands, at most I've considered cutting one Blinkmoth for a third Blast Zone.
Protip, if you are in post-board games against Bogles, and they manage a 1-drop before you put down Chalice, naming Gryf's Boon with Sorcerous Spyglass can result in a hilariously fun time where they don't have a 2drop enchantment outside of Cornet and can never get their chain started. Then an additional Chalice on 1, or one on 2 to shut off Seal of Primordium, makes clean-up easy peasy.
I knocked the dust off of my pile and took it to a Legacy monthly with a terrible sideboard (3x Boil for the love of pete), and squeaked into the T8 at 8th after losses in the Swiss to Burn and Dredge. The T8 was a cakewalk of easy matches with 4c Loam, DnT (an inexperienced pilot), and Miracles. It almost felt like I was just taking their money away and only took 1 game loss in the elimination versus Miracles when they had 2 Mentors I wasnt able to knock early enough. I still love the pile, and may actually start bringing it out more often locally.
I like Karn in the SB to use instead of Smuggler's Copter against UW. Currently I'm playing Endless Ones in the main because all of the removal heavy matchups locally have dried up. A 4th Ghost Quarter in the SB rounds out the slots Ratchet Bomb used to fill to help shore up games against Big Mana strategies because, as frequently mentioned, you generally just lost to Ensnaring Bridge plans regardless.
On a side note, my final package came in from overseas this weekend, I'll be running games with a fully foiled Japanese print 75 in prep for SCG Regionals when it rolls around. If anyone is interested, you can check it out here:
I have a pile of additional Spatial Contortions if Humans picks up that will go in, and some Endbringers are on the designated hitter deck in case a go-big is needed. But, for now, thisb75 has been serving me rather well.
I've been playing it as a one-of for a while now. It's never 'terrible' and occasionally can provide a win theb4tf Reshaper wouldnt be able to by turning itself into a 5th TKS or Smasher. I have also won a few very non-standard games by docking a Whir opponent after copying their Witchbane Orb. I didnt draw/cast it all day at the tournament though, so it was a non-factor.
I like it, but I'm also considering cutting it for a new Karn.
Last Saturday I went to a "Fetch a Set" tournament for playsets of fetchlands to the Top 8. 55 people and the TO decided to extend prizes down to Shocklands for 9-16. My intent was to just end up 5th and get the Arid Mesa's I've been missing since forever, but I did too well and came in 3rd after a 5-1 Swiss and win against Rock in the Top 8.
I'll go into more detail tonight, but the matches I played were:
Top 8
Rock (Not Sol Malka, 2-0)
Rock (Sol Malka, 1-2)
After some lumpy beats in Round 1, I tore through the rest of the Swiss with merciless abandon, gleefully playing against decks that are bad vs Chalice the entire way.
22 Creatures
4x Mimic, Scourge, TKS, Smasher, SSG
2x Endless One
14 Spells
4x Chalice, Serum Powder
3x Dismember
2x Karn, the Great Creator
1x Warping Wail
24 Land (listed above)
I cut other little Karn to try KtGC in the maindeck and trimmed some of the more numerous removal from the side to add "wish targets." It's been functioning fairly well so far, but as I listed above I have a minimal number of matches so my sample size isn't significant. I have never had issues with Death Shadow, Esper/Jeskai Control, Phoenix, or Dredge though...so that is a fair swathe of most of Modern's players.
I know, a troubled life I lead, definitely.
Regardless, the next 9 days or so will be testing with various wishboard targets and land configurations, I'm still not sure if I want to hold on 24 lands or trim to 23 like Jordan is running, and a few of the spots in the SB still need to be shored up, but as long as I get to dodge UW at the Open I feel very positive about the matches.
4: Ghost Quarter
4: Eldrazi Temple
4: Zhalfirin Void
3: Mutavault
3: Blinkmoth Nexus
2: Blast Zone
2: Wastes
2: Gemstone Caverns
I've only played 10 rounds with it so far, but I never felt like there was an issue arising from the spread of utility lands, at most I've considered cutting one Blinkmoth for a third Blast Zone.
Protip, if you are in post-board games against Bogles, and they manage a 1-drop before you put down Chalice, naming Gryf's Boon with Sorcerous Spyglass can result in a hilariously fun time where they don't have a 2drop enchantment outside of Cornet and can never get their chain started. Then an additional Chalice on 1, or one on 2 to shut off Seal of Primordium, makes clean-up easy peasy.
List
15 Mountain, 4 Port, 4 Wasteland
4 Lackey, Gempalm, Matron, Warchief, Vial, Ringleader
2x War Marshal, Siege Gang, Cratermaker
1x KikiJiki, Prospector, Piledriver, Stingscourger, Sharpshooter, Chainwhirler, Trashmaster
SB:
3x Boil, Piledriver
2x Surgical, Cratermaker
1x Stingscourger, Revoker, Needle, Chainwhirler, Sharpshooter,
On a side note, my final package came in from overseas this weekend, I'll be running games with a fully foiled Japanese print 75 in prep for SCG Regionals when it rolls around. If anyone is interested, you can check it out here:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156974720479291&id=755584290
I have a pile of additional Spatial Contortions if Humans picks up that will go in, and some Endbringers are on the designated hitter deck in case a go-big is needed. But, for now, thisb75 has been serving me rather well.
http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/126816
I like it, but I'm also considering cutting it for a new Karn.
I was just trying out the Amulet for the weekend. I only brought it in once, against Mardu, and discarded it to a Liliana.
I'll go into more detail tonight, but the matches I played were:
Swiss
Humans (1-2)
BR Burn (2-0)
UR Phoenix (2-1)
Grixis Death's Shadow (2-0)
Mardu Pyromancer (2-0)
Infect (2-0)
Top 8
Rock (Not Sol Malka, 2-0)
Rock (Sol Malka, 1-2)
After some lumpy beats in Round 1, I tore through the rest of the Swiss with merciless abandon, gleefully playing against decks that are bad vs Chalice the entire way.
Link to my FB with pics of my list:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156893178749291&id=755584290