Its entirely possible that Karlov will be able to activate its second ability as soon as it hits the field, or can just get big on its own while you play any ol lifegain strategy around it
Alternatively, you can use mancala pebbles and add one pebble for each counter
From early tournament data and community discussion: Jessie - Lively Cowgirl (Enchanted, #223) and Woody - Jungle Guide (Legendary, #15) are top picks for Amber toy decks
This is a great card to cast late-game if youre about to be drained of your life total
Power Conduit, for example, is an artifact that can remove one counter from a single permanent
Cards like Ground Seal can protect your graveyard from targeted removal, assuming you dont want to target the cards yourself