Artisan of Kozilek

Creature — Eldrazi

When you cast this spell, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Annihilator 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices two permanents.)

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Penny Dreadful	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (49)

Spirits on Morph :D

2 weeks ago

Hey Zorke,

Ok based on your comment about the combo, I'm basing these recommendations on a:

Tuned tier - Power level 5 (6 usually has a combo) - Win before Turn 14 - "Upgraded Precon". Visual Guide to Power Levels in EDH.

-- Land Base -- Prioritize untapped, Mana colors, Target 33: +Shivan Reef -Island +Yavimaya Coast -Forest +City of Brass -Aether Hub +Mana Confluence -Mountain Valley +Riverglide Pathway  ^Flip -Simic Growth Chamber +Rootbound Crag -Mountain +Hinterland Harbor -Forest +Sulfur Falls -Mountain +Rejuvenating Springs -Path of Ancestry +Training Center -Rogue's Passage +Spire Garden -Ancient Ziggurat +Boseiju, Who Endures -Island

--Ramp-- Creature preferred +Birds of Paradise -Thought Vessel +Three Visits -Heraldic Banner +The Great Henge -Gilded Lotus (Also important for draw) +Farseek -Harvest Season

--Morph-- +Kadena's Silencer -Stuffy Doll +Icefeather Aven -Keep Safe (Morph flavor) +Echo Tracer -Omnath, Locus of Mana (Morph flavor) +Mistfire Weaver -Forsaken Monument (Morph flavor) +Jeering Instigator -Shaleskin Plower (Morph flavor less salt)

--Draw-- +Fathom Seer -Zendikar Resurgent +Temur Ascendancy -Tomb of the Spirit Dragon +Tishana, Voice of Thunder -Ashcloud Phoenix +Guardian Project -Tidespout Tyrant +Toski, Bearer of Secrets -Fabricate +Garruk's Uprising -Creeping Renaissance

--Offense other than Animar-- +Garruk's Horde -Forest +Artisan of Kozilek -Island +Bane of Bala Ged -Trophy Mage (Pulls 1 unneeded artifact!) +Shrieking Drake -Temur Sabertooth (Non-Infinite Ancestral Statue) +Decimator of the Provinces -Temur War Shaman

--Control-- +Beast Within -Fog

I've left out some salty card for this power level: Cyclonic Rift Ancestral Statue Craterhoof Behemoth Rhystic Study Mystic Remora Dockside Extortionist

Special mention (would need to playtest): Secret Plans (Draw) Solemn Simulacrum (Ramp & Draw) Mulldrifter (Draw) Trail of Mystery (Ramp) Rhythm of the Wild (Don't think you'll see heavy counterspell in power 5)

Could go more {G} less {R} if needed Theres other stuff I didn't suggest because of the morph theme, like Cloud of Faeries, Hullbreaker Horror, Fierce Empath etc.

Hopefully you find some useful ideas here.

DreadKhan on Rakdos

2 months ago

It's not really a great card, but Shivan Gorge can deal some damage to each opponent, which can let you shave mana off of spells for a turn. There is also stuff like Spear Spewer that pings each player, that's a much better way to achieve that goal I suppose. There are also Kessig Flamebreather and Firebrand Archer that can turn any non-creature spell into damage, not sure you have enough stuff to justify them, but felt they were worth a mention. There is also good old Pyrohemia/Pestilence, which can ping each opponent (and it clears out x/1s if tokens are an issue in your area). Not sure if you will be able to get in for damage consistently, but Rite of the Raging Storm tokens usually suck to block, so you might get 5 damage per turn in some metas.

I feel like it's worth throwing in something like Carrion Feeder or Viscera Seer if you want a sac outlet that can clear out lots of bodies and derive value from it, Feeder even works with Pitiless Plunderer (or another 'mana from dead creature' card, Pawn of Ulamog and Bog Initiate will work on a budget) and Gravecrawler to go infinite.

Final point, maybe a few Annihilator creatures that have high MV as their drawback, they tend to be colourless anyways, so can give a full discount and be free sometimes. Artisan of Kozilek and Pathrazer of Ulamog are good examples that aren't too pricey, but Titans are obviously more expensive/powerful, it's worth noting you'll always get cast triggers, even if you're casting them for nothing/very little. Some of these can also let you run cards that care about high MV, like Protection Racket and Timesifter, both are very strong in some metas. Heck, I think I'd just run Protection Racket either way now that I think about it, I'm not sure there is a drawback to that card in this deck, it's big drawback is that it's bad in combo decks because people won't give you combo pieces, but in a deck that isn't attached to any one card you can run it safely. There is also Meteor Golem, Platinum Emperion and even Platinum Angel to offer some value if stuff like Darksteel Colossus or Blightsteel Colossus are over the budget, and there are big old utility beaters like Tsabo Tavoc that are worth a look, you can shave 5 mana off still.

Rakdos is a pretty nifty Commander, hope you're having fun with him!

AllergicToHumans on Eldrazi Budget

4 months ago

Batman18 Hangarback Walker is interesting, I'm not quite sure that it would have a lot of symmetry with my deck but it seems to be pretty strong. As for Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger I'm on a strict budget of $200 and Artisan of Kozilek works well enough for me when being $70 cheaper.

AllergicToHumans on Eldrazi Budget

4 months ago

wallisface Hi, thanks so much for the feedback.

This makes a lot of sense, but is it really necessary to remove all the larger creatures with higher mana costs? Yes, it can be hard to play them, but otherwise I'm not sure how to reliably win if my opponent is able to quickly defend against the "main 3" eldrazi. Karn is obviously going to help out a lot, and I can see Emrakul, the Aeons Torn being excessive, but Artisan of Kozilek and Sundering Titan often win the game when I can play them. Still, perhaps that's just the wrong playstyle altogether.

I will seriously consider these suggestions and I really appreciate it.

wallisface on Eldrazi Budget

4 months ago

Eldrazi-tron usually plays a mana curve which is less reliant on assembling Tron, because they have no real way to reliably get it going. To that end, i'd suggest ditching Artisan of Kozilek, Sundering Titan, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn (Emrakul isn't viable to cast in even the most efficient of Tron builds, 15 mana is insane), and Conduit of Ruin.

I'm really not sure what Jester's Scepter is doing here, especially mainboard - it's just soo useless soo often in games.

I know you're on a budget, but getting 4-of Karn, the Great Creator will power this deck up a LOT. It should be pretty easy to find room for him after ditching the abovementioned cards.

I'd suggest playing full playsets of the "main 3" eldrazi also (Thought-Knot Seer, Matter Reshaper Reality Smasher).

Wickked on Henzie "Toolbox" Torre

4 months ago

Sweet deck and I enjoyed watching your video. I took some ideas from yours and added it to my Henzie List. Few cards I would love to ask about are Myth Unbound doesn't seem as efficient compared to a normal ramp spell. Artisan of Kozilek seems a bit underwhelming for the cost. Atarka, World Render and Gray Merchant of Asphodel both seem very situational in a multicolored non dragon deck. Overall the deck looks like a ton of fun. Please check out my Henzie deck and please let me know how I can improve it.

---

Gangsta's Paradise - Henzie "Toolbox" Torre

Commander / EDH Wickked

SCORE: 6 | 8 COMMENTS | 509 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

---

montanaflash23 on Toolbox PreCon

8 months ago

First round of updates is on a 25$ budget. Swaps I am testing and in no particular order of swapping:
Kodama's Reach --> Daemogoth Woe-Eater
Thriving Grove --> Demonlord Belzenlok
Lifecrafter's Bestiary --> Gamekeeper
The Beamtown Bullies --> Elemental Bond
Bellowing Mauler --> Greater Good
Artisan of Kozilek --> Riveteers Ascendancy
Deathbringer Regent --> Feldon of the Third Path
Migration Path --> Hornet Queen
Mosswort Bridge --> Jaxis, the Troublemaker
Spinerock Knoll --> Workshop Warchief
Dodgy Jalopy --> Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
Swamp --> Ognis, the Dragon's Lash
Thriving Moor --> Professional Face-Breaker
Thriving Bluff --> Rampant Rejuvenator
Commander's Sphere --> Cultivate
Woodfall Primus --> Junji, the Midnight Sky
Caldaia Guardian --> Underworld Sentinel
Mezzio Mugger --> Kardur, Doomscourge
Turf War --> Ravenous Chupacabra
Next of Kin --> Blessed Respite
Wave of Rats --> Kazuul's Fury  ^Flip
Grime Gorger --> Acidic Slime
Stalking Vengeance --> Llanowar Wastes

Guerric on Fish are friends

11 months ago

Hi Anabasis! Since you asked for some feedback on the list prior to committing, I'll comment here since I can link cards easily. Let's begin with the archetype you are going for here, how it plays out with Braids, Conjurer Adept, how to make it run a bit smoothly. The archetype for this deck is "group hug," which is a bit of a misunderstood archetype that has gotten unnecessary bad rep in the past. Basically, a group hug deck built properly is one that has effects which benefit everyone, but benefit the player the most. The idea is that there is little incentive to target the group hug player because they are giving free stuff, and the free stuff nonetheless keeps every player more competitive, which takes more pressure off of the group hug player, who is then ahead in the value race. The most iconic group hug commander, for example, is Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis. This commander lets every player either draw an extra card or play an extra land each end step, whereas the Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis player gets to do both. Oftentimes what makes game uneven are some players encountering ramp or draw problems, and this evens things out and keeps them competitive. Usually players won't target Kynaios and Tiro because it is benefitting them, and because it is not inherently threatening. Nonetheless, the Kynaios player is ahead in the value race, and usually plans to win with some sort of alternate win condition like Approach of the Second Sun. Braids, Conjurer Adept plays out similarly, in that every player benefits from Braids, but unlike your opponents your deck is built to exploit it, and you will have scarier things to cheat out than they will. The difference with this deck, however, and this is the critical part, is that your deck will be inherently threatenting. People will soon figure out that you are dropping scary things and have plenty of incentive to kill braids. What's worse is that the way Braids works inherently gives them added incentive to do so. The scariest words on the card are "at the beginning of each player's upkeep" are ones you will come to loathe if you don't build this right. These words mean that if you play Braids normally, each of your opponents will get to use Braids before you do. This is bad, because after three opponents have used it, the third could kill Braids before you ever get to use her. This is the nightmare that should ever be in your mind when planning or playing this deck, but if you are mindful of it, it can be overcome. So let's think first about Braids' abilities and how to best protect and exploit her to your benefit over your opponents.'

The first is to do lots and lots of what blue does best, namely, countering spells. Whereas Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis are a pillowfort group hug deck, you should think of your deck as a control group hug deck. Forget the crappy boardwipes like AEtherize and Aetherspouts. You probably included them because you've sensed they won't hit your board, but you'll find that smart players never attack with their most important pieces, and that they won't generally do what you want them to. Spectral Deluge and Whelming Wave are probably fine, but leave the rest out- you're better off just stopping things from happening to begin with than wiping a board that will probably be in your favor. Counterspells are good here for two reasons. First and foremost, they protect Braids from removal, which will be their most important duty. Beyond that, since you're getting a free permanent every turn, you have the luxury of holding your mana open, so you might as well have stuff to do with it! I'd think about playing up to ten different counterspells along with premium blue targeted removal like Reality Shift, Ravenform, etc.

Since the weakness of Braids is that our opponents' get to use her first if we cast her at sorcery speed, we might as well rewrite the script and try to play her at instant speed where feasible. Leyline of Anticipation and Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir can help with this. You'll enjoy much more playing Braids on your opponent's end step and getting to use her first than the reverse. This will also aid and abet your counterspell game, in that if you don't need to counter anything you can cast other spells on your opponent's end step rather than wasting your mana. I see that you included these spells, but I wanted to make sure that you realize how critical they are to your game, and that if you can find more of this effect it will be worthwhile to include it.

A third implication is that, in the true spirit of group hug, you should get to use Braids more than your opponents. It's only fair after all! Therefore cards that copy triggered abilities like Strionic Resonator are at a premium here. Braids is far better if you get to use her twice and your opponents only get to use her once.

You also need to rework your ramp section entirely. The general rule of commanders and ramp applies here, namely, that you mostly want to play ramp that can get your commander out a turn early. This means one and two mana rocks primarily, unless it can get extra lands out. Dreamstone Hedron and Hedron Archive are traps and will make you cry. I know the theory is that you can play them for free with Braids, but keep in mind that they will never help you cast Braids. Also, they tend to be removal targets, and you'd probably be putting out something threatening over a mana rock anyway. Caged Sun is definitely worth it though because of the overall value, and because it will be worth it even to double your mana for one turn in order to cast a massive x-spell. Armillary Sphere is just bad here. Importantly, it is not a ramp spell since it doesn't put anything onto the battlefield. When people do play it, it is just for color fixing in multi-colored decks, and you don't need that. It'd be better to just play more card draw so that you can draw into your land drops normally. Sol Ring, Mind Stone, and Thought Vessel are fine, but you want to add Wayfarer's Bauble, Sky Diamond, and Coldsteel Heart at least. Sword of the Animist and Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip are also fabulously repeatable ramp that always makes me smile. Dreamscape Artist is also a sleeper blue card that can repeatedly ramp lands onto the battlefield which is often overlooked. You'll be far happy with these efficient options that can either get Braids out early or get her out on time with mana to spare for counterspells than with the big splashy cards.

Also, as far as card draw goes, I wouldn't take group hug to far here. You are already giving your opponents free permanents, and you are in the best card draw color and don't need their help in that. Personally I'd recommend skipping Kami of the Crescent Moon and the like entirely, and play more personal draw spells like Gadwick, the Wizened and Blue Sun's Zenith. Seriously. One advantage of Braids is that they will play spells for free and run out of stuff to cast, whereas you can keep drawing into it. If you help them out too much, you're just hurting yourself in the long run. I'd honestly replace all the reciprocal draw spells with spells which draw you cards. The only one that might be ok is Well of Ideas, but that one is benefiting you more and you first, so it fits the bill.

Some more cautions. While casting free haymakers is the reason for this deck, don't overdo it. You want to be able to afford to hard cast stuff sometimes, both in case Braids dies or just to amass more of a board presence. The power curve in magic has been getting lower in recent years, and there are many devastating spells that cost four and five mana, so don't sleep on those. Your average cmc here is 4.5, and while some high cmc haymakers are what you want, you also want lots of castable creatures.

I'm also not sure why we are playing the "creatures become every creature type" cards. Is this for better board wiping with Whelming Wave or synergy with Spawning Kraken? In my experience these synergies won't work out enough to justify the card slots, which might be better filled with counterspells or other creatures. Honestly, if I were to pick another theme to support this archetype I'd pick blink, since you doubling ETB counters can be great, but that's just me. Blinking is the sort of thing where you don't need to do a lot of it for it to be good.

A few other card choice matters. Reflections of Littjara only works on cast, so it won't copy creatures played with Braids. Definitely consider this before including a five mana enchantment that doesn't affect the board right away. Also, yes, absolutely play High Tide. It is so worth it in a mono-blue deck. Yes, Frozen Aether is amazing here. this is absolutely how to play group hug. Your opponents get free stuff, but it is only fair that you get to use your stuff first. Personally, I feel like Ominous Seas is one of the most overrated commander cards in recent years. It seems like you get a great rate on a vanilla 8/8, but often the enchantment will get blown up first, and it takes forever to come out. That's just my opinion thought.

One final thought, don't prejudice yourself too much in favor of sea monsters over against, say, eldrazi. I know the chase eldrazi are expensive, but Artisan of Kozilek is under one dollar in real world money and a wonderful thing to play with Braids, and to make copies of with your copy spells, and to give haste to with Crashing Drawbridge. You will have so much fun.

I think this will be a great deck and you have a lot of good ideas going here. I'd just refocus it a bit and then wreak some havoc!