“There is a weakness in everything, even you.”

The second half of the Inhuman Royal Court is here and it does not disappoint. First up we have Karnak, the “Iron Fist” of Inhumans.

He has the basic stat line you see from a 3 threat, with an increased Mystic defence. Both sides of his card are the same, and he is on a small base.

The addition of more utility 3 threats is always welcome in Inhumans, and Karnak brings some interesting utility.

Abilities

Shattering Strike is a very solid builder. Although only range 2, it is a 5 dice Physical attack that pushes away (any size) on a Wild trigger. Great for clearing space, controlling enemies, and contesting Secures.

Let Me Show You Your Flaw is a range 3 spender. For 4 power you get a 7 dice Physical attack. You get to count all Failures in both attack and defence rolls in your successes. Being rewarded for Failures is good synergy with Inhuman rerolls, Maximus’s leadership, and even Recalibration Matrix (Failures are not rerolled)

Meditate lets you spend an Action gaining 2 power. Karnak has some pretty expensive abilities, and Inhumans can be very power hungry under Black Bolt. This ability opens up many interesting strategies; you can Meditate turn 2 to get go straight into your spender, or you can Meditate turn 1 to pass power to other characters with Black Bolt’s leadership.

Teachings of the Three Worlds is a very unique ability. At a whopping 4 power, you can use this during the Calculate Success step to let another ally within range 3 count 2 Failures as part of their successes.
This ability is expensive and has a quite specific trigger, so will be used rarely. However, when used it can turn absolute failure into a modicum of success.

Inhumans have the ability to roll some large dice pools and have access to several rerolls, this means you are very likely to see at least 1 Failure in most rolls (60%+ chance). When you are desperate to kill or survive, this extra 1-2 successes could make the difference.

Due to the timing you can also use this after Recalibration Matrix if you happen to see several failures. A very interesting ability that can create opportunities.

Pinpoint Weakness is a very useful ability. After an attack or defence, Karnak can spend 2 power to put a Weakness token on the opponent. Limited to 1 token in play at a time. It is not removed when Karnak is dazed.

Analyzing Strike is the second part of this superpower combo. When an opponent with a Weakness token attacks or is attacked by Karnak, Karnak adds 3 dice to his roll, and then removes the token.

If you are double tapping an opponent, Karnak can effectively add 3 dice to the second attack for 2 power. This is huge value compared to similar superpowers.

If Karnak is attacked, pay 2 power to put the token on the attacker. They now either attack again and give you +3 defence, or they do something else, and you can attack back on your turn for +3 dice. A real win-win situation!

The WONDERFUL thing is that after you resolve Analyzing Strike, you can immediately trigger Pinpoint Weakness again and replace the token. So every attack and defence against the target are at +3 dice, if you have the power.

Karnak is an Inhuman, so gets the default reroll, very nice. He is also a Martial Artist, letting him count Blanks when defending Physical or Energy attacks within range 2. This goes well with high Mystic defence to give solid coverage. He is sadly NOT Immune to Poison.

Strategy

Karnak is at his most dangerous when he is range 2-3. He uses Martial Artist and Weakness Tokens to dissuade attackers whilst setting up big attacks.

As mentioned above, turn 1 he either Mediates and feeds power to his allies, before walking to a back secure point, or double moves to a secure.

Turn 2 he can Meditate on the back point and get Teachings online to boost an ally.

Alternatively, if forward, he can Mediate into spender, or Shattering Strike, add a Weakness token, and hit a second Shattering Strike (re-adding token). Against a 4 defence character this averages 5 damage and good chances of a Push. This then gives you the power for all of his kit.

If opponent attacks him first, add a Weakness token and prepare to light them up with double 8 dice builders.

One vs one, Karnak can keep a Weakness token on a target and fight like a 7 threat. Against a group he can be whittled down, and his average health makes him very susceptible to being one-shot. But if you have a backstop on the opponent, you can treat them like a piñata.

Unlike other power batteries (looking at YOU Lockjaw) Karnak has stronger late game utility, punching power, and longevity from abusing Weakness tokens.

Expect your opponent to snipe and cycle attacks into him to mitigate the danger he represents. Keep a bodyguard nearby.

Overall

Karnak is an absolute beast against a lone opponent, and has great utility with power gain and failure manipulation.

If bodyguarded and repositioned by the rest of your team, he can absolutely destroy in a brawl. Alternatively he can sit on a Secure and just dare your opponent to come close.

Probably one of our strongest 3 threats, and I would not be surprised if he gets splashed in Avengers/X-Men/Cabal/SHIELD.

Be careful, or these two superpowers may be the last thing you see.