Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM) Limited Primer — Red

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM) prerelease events run on February 2, 2024, and the set is officially released one week later on February 9, 2024. Want to know more about how each card rates in Limited, plus some potentially fun interactions? Then check out this series of MKM Limited primers!

For the mechanics, see this article: Murders at Karlov Manor Mechanics Explained

Rating Scale

5.0: An unconditional first pick
4.0: Worth a first pick
3.5: Strong enough, but not necessarily a first pick
3.0: Above average (you will really want it in your final deck)
2.5: Average, maybe around the 6th or 7th pick in a draft
2.0–1.0: Below average (you would rather not play it than play it)
0.5–0.0: Unplayable (basically do not play it; playing it will only help you lose)

Red

cephille: 1.0

Because MKM is not an artifact environment, this is basically used to destroy your opponent’s Clues, and occasionally you can hit a few decent artifact creatures or Vehicles. After destroying some of your opponent’s artifacts you also have to exile X cards from the top of your library. Although there is a chance to gain a creature’s ETB and an attack, this unstable card advantage can also make your library suddenly three to five cards smaller, so it may not be a good choice. If I want to destroy artifacts, I would rather play a single-target removal.

I do not think this is a card that belongs in the main deck in this set’s Limited.

cephille: 2.0

A six-mana 3/2 with double strike and trample is probably still not good without an Aura or Equipment, but you can first cast it face down for three mana and turn it face up for five, which is much more flexible. However, it fails the Shock test, so I will not give it too high a score.

cephille: 3.5

Three mana to deal 3 to a creature is a solid, steady play, and the condition to solve the Case should not be hard in red: after it enters and deals 3, you just attack with two creatures. After solving it, you can sacrifice it at any time to impulse-draw by looking at three and choosing one you can play this turn, which is very flexible and should deserve this score.

cephille: 4.0

Entering for three mana, it first does a Tormenting Voice, which is ordinary, but once you empty your hand and solve this Case, you get two extra cards at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. Although you cannot keep those cards past your next upkeep, as long as the deck is built well, the board advantage you gain will quickly and powerfully drown your opponent!

cephille: 4.0

Being able to arrest at instant speed has endless uses, and after taking the creature you can also suspect it. Not only do you get an extra evasive attacker that turn, but when it goes back next turn, it cannot block either!

Let’s briefly go over what happens when you take it at instant speed:

• If your opponent attacks on their turn and you take it, it is removed from combat (your opponent no longer controls it), but unfortunately this card also suspects the creature, so you cannot use it to block and make a 2-for-1 trade.
• If you take it after the beginning of your opponent’s end step, you untap and then attack, and saving mana can even catch your opponent off guard.

cephille: 2.0

+3/+0 and first strike for three mana can win you a favorable combat, and giving you a Clue is fine.

cephille: 3.0

An Equipment that costs two to cast and two to attach, giving +3/+0, is actually quite strong. With your creatures that have evasion (menace, flying, and so on) it can attack very quickly. Cast it face down early on, and in the mid game when it is about to die, turn it face up and attach it to another creature to hit even harder and faster!

cephille: 3.5

I would call it an evolved version of Bomat Courier. As long as your creatures keep attacking and you empty your hand, paying four mana in installments to draw four cards back should not be a big problem.

Hajime Kindaichi: 「謎はすべて解けた。」 (“I’ve solved all the mysteries.”)

cephille: 3.0

An Aura that combines a stat boost and evasion for just one mana! It can suspect the enchanted creature and give it +1/+1, which will be a very important card in a low-curve Rakdos suspect aggro deck. In the mid game, when you need more suspected creatures, you can also bounce it and attach it again. Everyone is very suspicious!

cephille: 3.5

Although red may not be especially good at making Clues, there are quite a few opportunities to team up with the Izzet League to make 1/1 Thopters. As long as you see it early, take it without hesitation. A five-mana 5/4 body is no loss, but if you sacrifice an artifact on entry, dealing 3 is truly too strong!

cephille: 3.0

Red in MKM pays special attention to the payoffs of sacrificing artifacts, and this three-mana Goblin is also a payoff card. As long as it triggers once and becomes a 2/4, it is worth its cost, and the extra red mana it gives lets your deck run faster and more stably!

cephille: 2.5

An evolved version of Thrill of Possibility, which can instead choose to sacrifice an artifact and ties in with this set’s red mechanics. Play it if you need it!

cephille: 1.0

It is terrible that your opponent can also gain value. I recommend not playing it in Limited.

cephille: 2.5

Your deck will basically always have some disguise cards, and with a reasonable build this card could earn another 0.5 points. For two mana at instant speed, you can turn a face-down creature face up to save on the disguise turn-up cost, and if needed you can put one or more already face-up disguise creatures back face down, giving you a chance to get the turn-up effect again later.

cephille: 2.0

A one-mana +2/+0 and haste trick is mediocre, but dying and becoming a 2/2 Detective creature may be worth more.

cephille: 2.5

This is exactly the kind of talent a red-based suspect aggro deck needs! Entering early, it can hit a few times with menace, and later when stronger creatures arrive, you can toss the suspicion over to keep up the pressure. If you play it on curve, you should be able to build a very strong attack.

cephille: 3.5

A two-mana 2/1 with prowess and haste attacks quickly early on, and if you draw it in the mid to late game and it cannot get through, that is fine: cast it face down to see which way the wind blows, then turn it face up after emptying your hand to draw three cards.

cephille: 3.5

An instant that deals 3 to a creature is simply a good card, and if you draw two or more cards that turn it can even deal 5, which should not be too hard in a Clue-heavy environment.

cephille: 3.0

A three-mana 2/2 reach that destroys an artifact on entry, or sacrifices an artifact to become a 4/4 reach, is a very favorable trade either way.

cephille: 1.0

On turn one it summons, and on turn two it attacks and then casts a disguise creature spell, but it is not New Year every day. Often it attacks and just hands over its head.

cephille: 3.0

A four-mana 2/3 body is not very attractive, but at least it can block the common 2/2 creatures of MKM. Also, at the start of combat it sends out a 1/1 Thopter to hit once; although the Thopter cannot stay to block, as long as you have other red cards that sacrifice artifacts, you keep earning payoffs!

cephille: 5.0

The only Dragon whose base stats can duel Rakdos, Patron of Chaos in the sky. When it deals combat damage to a player, you can collect evidence X, and that basically wipes your opponent’s board. An absolute bomb.

cephille: 1.5

It will not survive 3 or more damage, and you do not even need that much to deal with it; you can basically treat it as a two-mana 2/1 vanilla creature, so only use it if you really have no two-drop for your curve!

cephille: 2.5

An Equipment for two mana that gives +1/+0 and first strike is pretty good, and if needed it can also be eaten like a Clue to draw a card.

cephille: 4.0

A three-mana 3/3 with haste can attack, and if it cannot get through, it blows up one of your own artifacts to grow and waits for an opportunity. It pairs well with Crime Novelist, and the only thing to worry about may be not having enough artifacts for them to blow up.

cephille: 4.0

A four-mana 4/4 with flying and trample earns this score, and if there is a nonbasic land to blow up, that is extra value. Worth noting is that it is worded without targeting, so hexproof cannot protect that land.

cephille: 4.0

A three-mana 3/3 flying Phoenix that can collect evidence 4 to crawl back when it dies is really hard to kill. I did not give it 4.5 because in this set there are not too few fliers or reach creatures with toughness greater than 4, but there is always a way.

cephille: 2.5

A five-mana 5/4 that gives +2/+0 on entry is acceptable, and being able to pay in installments with disguise is also quite good.

cephille: 2.5

Four mana for two 2/2s, one a Detective and one a suspect. It may not be that easy to attack with, but sending out two creatures with power 2 or less at once may tie in with this theme.

cephille: 3.5

A two-mana 3/2 Assassin can attack, and with a bit of patience, disguising it and then turning it face up to deal 3 first is very aggressive. Paired with more disguise/cloak creatures, flipping alone may be enough to kill someone.

cephille: 1.5

Triggering on attack to sacrifice an artifact to draw a card and gain power is nice, but not coming with an artifact of its own is still a problem. Although there are many Clues, there are not necessarily that many to feed it.

cephille: 2.5

A two-mana haste live fish that can attack or be eaten to draw a card, one fish with two meals, is pretty good. If it cannot get through, eat it! Red has a bunch of hungry creatures waiting to be fed!

cephille: 3.0

A five-mana 5/5 body is quite supreme, and when attacking you can choose whether to suspect it, making it more flexible to use.

cephille: 3.0

Three mana, destroy target face-down creature. Other creatures with toughness 2 getting killed by accident is just a bonus.

The MKM Limited environment should fit the Shock test quite well, with a large number of disguise/cloak creatures as targets. Conversely, creatures with toughness 2 or less should be scored a bit lower unless their own ETB or abilities are really strong.

cephille: 2.5

A five-mana sorcery that deals 4; when you lack removal, you will play it. Sacrificing an artifact should not be uncommon in red, and being able to cast it for two mana now and then is of course better, but it is fine if you cannot.

cephille: 4.0

A very efficient Fireball that can deal double X damage, and excess damage lets you investigate, so it should be the best removal in MKM red.

cephille: 3.0

As a very good hate bear, standing there and dealing your opponent 2 to 4 life through its ability should not be hard. Of course your opponent will not be a pushover either, but if it can force the opponent to spend a removal spell on it, that would be great, and the bombs that come down later will be an even bigger nightmare for your opponent.

Afterword

The red cards of MKM look like a rather fast color. If you want to play a fast draft deck and you see a red signal, commit decisively! I hope everyone has fun!