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Kokusho, the Evening Star

Legendary Creature — Dragon Spirit

Flying
When Kokusho dies, each opponent loses 5 life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.

CMC
6
Mana cost
{4}{B}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
From the Vault: Dragons
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#2283
Buy on TCGplayer
Kokusho, the Evening Star card art
When Kokusho, the Evening Star dies, every opponent loses 5 life and you gain that much back — in a four-player pod, that's a 15-life swing before you've cast a second spell. The six-mana body is the cost of admission, and it's worth it every time, especially in shells like Mikaeus, the Unhallowed that bounce it back for encore performances or Sivitri, Dragon Master that tutor it on demand.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Sivitri, Dragon Master

Sivitri, Dragon Master

53.5% of decks · synergy 0.53

Sivitri, Dragon Master tutors Kokusho, the Evening Star directly onto the battlefield, turning a search effect into a guaranteed death-trigger threat the moment Kokusho is removed or sacrificed.

02
Henzie "Toolbox" Torre

Henzie "Toolbox" Torre

33.4% of decks · synergy 0.29

Henzie "Toolbox" Torre's blitz ability lets you cast Kokusho, the Evening Star ahead of curve and get the drain trigger for free when it dies at end of turn — you pay less mana and still collect the life swing.

03
Ratadrabik of Urborg

Ratadrabik of Urborg

28.5% of decks · synergy 0.26

Ratadrabik of Urborg creates a nonlegendary token copy of Kokusho, the Evening Star when it dies, meaning the drain trigger fires and you still have a body on board ready to die again.

04
Rivaz of the Claw

Rivaz of the Claw

26.6% of decks · synergy 0.25

Rivaz of the Claw recasts Kokusho, the Evening Star from the graveyard for free once per turn, transforming a single copy into a recurring drain engine without needing extra setup.

05
Meren of Clan Nel Toth

Meren of Clan Nel Toth

25.5% of decks · synergy 0.24

Meren of Clan Nel Toth returns Kokusho, the Evening Star from the graveyard to the battlefield at end of combat, letting you chain death triggers across multiple turns as long as you keep accumulating experience counters.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Kokusho, the Evening Star earns its reputation — three opponents means three separate 5-life drains on death, and any sacrifice outlet or blink effect turns that into a repeatable win condition. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but rarely played; the format speed and the existence of more broken six-drops means Kokusho, the Evening Star is a Commander card wearing competitive-format clothes. Oathbreaker is a reasonable home for the same reasons as Commander, though the compressed life totals make the drain even more punishing relative to the game's length.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Pricing data for Kokusho, the Evening Star isn't currently available in this listing, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the most accurate market price before buying. It has seen multiple printings, which historically keeps the floor accessible, but foil and older-border versions command a significant premium.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.