Karn, Gilded GuardianKarn, Gilded Guardian | Art by Scott M. Fischer

Karn, Gilded GuardianKarn, Gilded Guardian can be pretty strong, but I honestly would've been ecstatic if he was even slightly better than O-Kagachi, Vengeful KamiO-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami, because that's my current five-color artifacts commander.

Yeah, the archetype is a bit starved.

Every since I discovered Bringer of the White DawnBringer of the White Dawn, a five color artifact reanimator, I've been obsessed with five-color artifacts, but there hasn't been a single five-color commander that genuinely cares about them. All I needed was for Karn to name the card type and I would've been happy, but he goes above and beyond and focuses on colors too!

Between Auntie Ool, CursewretchAuntie Ool, Cursewretch making Jund -1/-1 counters a thing and Karn, Gilded GuardianKarn, Gilded Guardian, 2026 has been the year of my deckbuilding dreams being fulfilled.

So now we have to explore some options for Karn, Gilded GuardianKarn, Gilded Guardian/Bringer of the White DawnBringer of the White Dawn, because I'm obviously about to rebuild my O-Kagachi deck.

First things first, I want to check out every artifact with a color identity. Of course, Karn only cares about colors, not color identity, so most of these don't do a lot for him, but I'm building this deck for the cool factor, and man, there are a lot of cool cards in this list.

Chamber Sentry

This card is super cool in concept, a sort of color hydra that can pay to ping stuff, but it's super mana-hungry for a pretty mediocre payoff.

I like that it's theoretically repeatable, but if we pay to cast it, another five to activate it, and then again to return it, we've paid fifteen mana for five damage.

We can only do it once per turn too, so it's not even an outlet for infinite mana! Neat card, but it's far too expensive, especially when Walking BallistaWalking Ballista or Stonecoil SerpentStonecoil Serpent exist.

Tier: C

Codie, Ravenous Codex

A brand new commander from the same set as Karn, this Codie seems strong, but only for one theme: prepared spells.

So the question is, are there enough prepared creatures to make Codie, Ravenous CodexCodie, Ravenous Codex playable? Surprisingly, yes.

Despite debuting earlier this year in Secrets of Strixhaven, there are already 69 creatures that can be prepared, more than enough to make a decent deck. I'm kind of shocked, because it usually takes a few years worth of sets to make a brand new mechanic worth building around.

Codie, however, is ready to go, and it's only gonna get better with age.

Tier: A

Codie, Vociferous Codex

Oh, this one's a favorite of mine, for all the wrong reasons.

Codie's a very strong Spellslinger commander and shouldn't be much else, because it restricts us from casting permanents. But my version of the deck runs 27 creatures.

I took inspiration from a cEDH build of Codie that casts one mana spells to "cascade" into Profane TutorProfane Tutor, the only zero-mana nonland in the deck. My build runs HypergenesisHypergenesis instead, and boy does it take the table by surprise when I pull it off.

I will say, HypergenesisHypergenesis is not a very good card in Commander, because I almost always instantly die, but it's such a blast to watch the look on people's faces when they figure out what my deck's about. Any commander that lets me have that much fun is an easy S Tier.

Tier: S

Composite Golem

Composite GolemComposite Golem seems pretty useless at first, sacrificing for less than its mana value, but it's got a pretty snug home in Kenrith, the Returned KingKenrith, the Returned King.

With any cost-reducer like Biomancer's FamiliarBiomancer's Familiar, Kenrith and Composite Golem make infinite mana. Honestly I think this card would see a ton of play if it wasn't for its color identity.

Henzie "Toolbox" TorreHenzie "Toolbox" Torre and Herigast, Erupting NullkiteHerigast, Erupting Nullkite would love Composite GolemComposite Golem if they could run it. As it is though, I'm just glad it has one good home.

Tier: B

Door to Nothingness

Now here's a card that turns heads.

Door to NothingnessDoor to Nothingness is not efficient, it's fifteen mana to end one player, and it takes a turn cycle to do so, assuming we have perfect mana.

It's obviously gonna get destroyed, probably exiled. But it's not about that, it's about sending a message.

It's about being extremely, extremely intimidating for one turn cycle. Has it ever made it to the untap step? Not that I've seen. But it's been quite the event every time it's gotten close. It's like the apocalypse in a superhero universe.

It never actually happens, but it makes a great movie when it almost does.

Tier: A

Etched Monstrosity

Five mana for a 5/5, or ten mana for a 10/10 and three cards. That's a pretty fair price, but it takes a lot more than a fair price for a card to be good nowadays.

Etched MonstrosityEtched Monstrosity is a mediocre card, but man the art is gorgeous. That hulking mechanical silhouette against the five brightly colored suns has crazy aura.

Tier: C

Everything Pizza

I don't have a lot to say about Everything PizzaEverything Pizza; it's just a land fetch with an underwhelming bonus ability, so I'll take this opportunity to talk about the art.

I think the reason I originally got into Magic was because of the amazing illustrations. It had this dark fantasy feel, gloomy and and brutal or soft and beautiful. Cards like Mogis's MarauderMogis's Marauder and the aforementioned Etched MonstrosityEtched Monstrosity had such an menacing mood to them, dramatic and intimidating, while AbundanceAbundance was soft and relaxing.

In a lot of ways that Magic art reminded me of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal, with the twisted Skeksis and the docile Mystics. Nowadays, Magic reminds me more of comics and floating head movie posters, with super saturated colors and bright lighting.

Emeritus of AbundanceEmeritus of Abundance is a great example of this, as the name and mechanics are seemingly a callback to the old AbundanceAbundance, but the art, while beautiful, is oversaturated and overstimulating, abandoning the vision of AbundanceAbundance's art.

In the same way, Everything PizzaEverything Pizza is lit as brightly as possible and flooded with an exaggerated yellow glow that seems artificial.

In no way is this a criticism of Magic's current art direction or any of the artists, it's simply a preference on my part, and a lament for the reason I originally fell in love with Magic.

Luckily though, that art still exists for all of our enjoyment, on the copies of Mogis's MarauderMogis's Marauder and AbundanceAbundance that I still own. What's your preference?

Tier: C

Fist of Suns

Jodah, Archmage EternalJodah, Archmage Eternal on a stick. Anyone who's every played against that Jodah knows this is a strong effect, especially if we're building around it.

Of course, Fist of SunsFist of Suns can't be our commander, so it mostly serves the purpose of being a backup in the Jodah deck. But really, any five color commander casting big spells can take advantage of it, and it goes nuts with Morophon, the BoundlessMorophon, the Boundless.

Sick card, it's just slightly overshadowed by the legendary version.

Tier: B

Golos, Tireless Pilgrim

Is it fair to say that Golos is the most iconic card of this decade?

A commander banned not just because it was too good, but because it was too ubiquitous. Golos saw play everywhere, and it was in charge of everything. Even commanders dedicated to their archetype were replaced with Golos, just because he was that generically strong.

If there was ever a question as to what commander to play, the answer was Golos.

Is it fair to ban a commander because it's too common? Maybe not, but four years later I don't think anyone is still mad. One of the best parts of this format is the variety, and Golos was hurting that, so it had to go.

Tier: B for Banned

Haunted Screen

Haunted ScreenHaunted Screen is just worse than Commander's SphereCommander's Sphere, but the flavor is awesome.

A black-and-white TV that turns colored? Great concept, almost cool enough to make it worth playing.

Tier: C

Infinite Guideline Station

I love multicolored typal, but none of the commanders made for it have really worked for me.

Rienne, Angel of RebirthRienne, Angel of Rebirth just wasn't good enough. The deck is already handicapped by having to play multicolored cards, so a mediocre ability doesn't cut it. Same with Niv-Mizzet RebornNiv-Mizzet Reborn. Then there's General Ferrous RokiricGeneral Ferrous Rokiric, who didn't have enough colors, and Jenson Carthalion, Druid ExileJenson Carthalion, Druid Exile, who demanded five-color spells.

So did Infinite Guideline StationInfinite Guideline Station do the trick? Absolutely, yes! It offers a huge reward for playing multicolored cards, but doesn't restrict the deck so harshly that it can't function. The only downside is that it doesn't support multicolored nonpermanents, but as someone who's tried to play a Charm deck, I think that space is better left untouched.

Tier: A

Jack-in-the-Mox

If

All things considered, it's not that weird for a "un" card, and it's one of the better Moxes, just with a 1/6 chance of sacrificing itself. I bet it's a ton of fun in silver-bordered games, a crazy boost with a slight risk.

Tier: B

Karn, Gilded Guardian

Heyyy, here's the card I'm writing this article about. If you couldn't tell already, I'm quite a big fan of Karn, Gilded GuardianKarn, Gilded Guardian.

First things first, he's hella powerful. Drawing five cards on entry is no joke, especially because we have white mana and can blink him with CloudshiftCloudshift. But I also love the Reaper KingReaper King mana cost that urges us to have a good land base but is forgiving if we don't.

Finally, I just love the art of his Reality Fractured self. The Silver Golem has become Gold! He's so pretty! This one's just checking all the boxes for me.

Tier: A

Legacy Weapon

The disparity between how cool this card seems and how badly it plays always disappoints me.

It looks like it's gotta be an awesome card, this ultimate laser that can delete anything for five mana. Unfortunately though, it's just not terribly strong, only removing one card per turn cycle while attracting all the removal possible.

Even if we do get it to stick, it's kind of annoying as well. Like, why are we spending all of our mana just to delete our opponent's cool stuff? It's not like Door to NothingnessDoor to Nothingness that has a spectacular, game-altering effect. It's just dull and frustrating. That Apocalypse art is beautiful though.

Tier: D

Naked Singularity

This card seems hilarious, but it really just screws the monocolor players while barely touching the multicolor players and their nonbasics.

Unless they're running Baral, Chief of ComplianceBaral, Chief of Compliance, monocolor players don't deserve that kind of treatment. They've already got it hard enough when every new commander is multicolored. Give them a break!

Tier: D

Ramos, Dragon Engine

Well if there was ever a deck to abuse Door to NothingnessDoor to Nothingness in, this would be the one.

Honestly, Ramos, Dragon EngineRamos, Dragon Engine is a pretty cool commander for both five-color artifacts and multicolor typal, two archetypes I was lamenting the lack of a commander for. Makes me think I've been overlooking this dragon!

It's basically just mana acceleration, but it's quite strong and definitely has that cool factor. Ten mana is no joke, especially when it only takes one five color spell to get there. There are a lot of neat interactions in the deck too, with Corpsejack MenaceCorpsejack Menace doubling the counters and Fallaji WayfarerFallaji Wayfarer charging Ramos up for only three mana. I'm sorry I didn't give this commander the attention it deserved!

Tier: S

Reaper King

Generally, I like Changelings. I think they're a cool part of Magic and can definitely help out some under-supported types. But here, it just makes me sad.

Unfortunately, Scarecrows are so horrendously bad that it makes more sense to play only Changelings. It sucks too, because the Reaper KingReaper King was meant to be overpowered in order to help out an underpowered creature type, but Scarecrows still get left behind and the Reaper King is appropriated by Shapeshifters.

I'm equally guilty though. I did in fact build a Praetor Typal Deck and use a bunch of ConspiracyConspiracy effects to change them all into scarecrows. (Yes, that deck was horrendous to play against.)

But the point is, I really want to see Scarecrows get a redemption, and it's clear that just giving them a busted commander won't do the trick. We need good Scarecrows, and good Scarecrow anthems. Then, maybe we can redeem the Reaper King, who's a really cool card, just in an unfortunate situation.

Tier: B

Timeless Lotus

I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I think Timeless LotusTimeless Lotus is better than Gilded LotusGilded Lotus.

It enters tapped, but the two extra mana will more than make up for it on future turns. Besides, in every deck that I run Gilded LotusGilded Lotus I'm also running Kelpie GuideKelpie Guide, so it might as well enter untapped anyways.

And of course, it taps for more than one color of mana, which has always been a pain for me with Gilded Lotus. With the Lorwyn Eclipsed reprint, it's down to two dollars, so it's clear upgrade in my opinion.

Tier: A

Transguild Courier

I almost skipped over Transguild CourierTransguild Courier, but I have to note that it's pretty good with Karn, Gilded GuardianKarn, Gilded Guardian.

Play it turn four, and on turn five Karn draws five cards! I have more than five copies of this card for some reason, so I'm grateful it has a real home now.

Tier: B

Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch

It took way too long for us to get a Myr typal commander, but now that we have one it's perfect.

Urtet synergizes with the Myr in every way. It untaps them when they want to produce mana, it creates tokens to help them swarm even more than they already do, and once there's a ton of them, Urtet buffs them by a lot.

I love that this commander touches on every aspect of the Myr and is strong enough to make a competent deck. No notes!

Tier: S

Conclusion

That's my ranking of every artifact with a color identity.

There are some strong commanders, some terrifying items, and some stuff that's just plain weird. Which of these cards do you play with the most?