Karn, Living Legacy

Karn, Living Legacy was released in the 2022 expansion set Dominaria United for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. As a central character in the long-running narrative of the Magic multiverse, Karn is an ancient silver golem created by the planeswalker Urza to serve as a vessel for time travel and a guardian of history. This card represents a specific iteration of the character during the return to the plane of Dominaria to defend it against the encroaching Phrexian threat, capturing his role as a weary but essential architect of the plane's survival.

The card’s illustration was crafted by artist Chase Stone, who has contributed extensively to the visual identity of the game for over a decade. Stone’s approach focuses on a sense of scale and materiality, emphasizing the metallic, weathered texture of Karn’s body against the backdrop of Dominaria’s shifting landscape. Upon its release, the card sparked nuanced debate among the player base, with many noting its departure from the high-power level of previous Karn planeswalker cards, leading to a focus on its utility within specific artifact-heavy strategies rather than its presence as a format-defining staple.