It doesnt count separately from the creature itself, nor is it some other spell you have to cast
As the catalogue of powerful artifacts in Magic continues to grow, Karns viability will grow alongside it.
Even withotu Flurry this would be a card you play 100% of the time because it generates such a nice 2-for-1, and when this has double strike it'll be incredibly difficult to block
If they cast a creatures thats 3/3 or smaller, you have a choice you can either use Okos second ability to go up to seven loyalty and turn your Food token into a creature that beats or trades with theirs in combat, or you can use Okos third ability to give your opponent your Food and take their creature, leaving your Oko at one loyalty, and then you also get to cast another spell
Tower over the rest of the food chain with Ghalta and let high-power creatures run wild on the battlefield
Play a land after you've animated a Forest and bestowed it with Springheart Nantuko