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Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

Legendary Creature — Eldrazi

When you cast this spell, draw four cards.
Annihilator 4 (Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices four permanents of their choice.)
When Kozilek is put into a graveyard from anywhere, its owner shuffles their graveyard into their library.

CMC
10
Mana cost
{10}
Color identity
C
Rarity
mythic
Set
Double Masters 2022
Price
$42.76
EDHREC rank
#1081
Buy on TCGplayer
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth card art
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth hits the board as a 12/12 with annihilator 4 and immediately replaces itself with four cards — that combination of threat, hand refuel, and graveyard-shuffle clause is why it's a staple from Atla Palani, Nest Tender eggs to Herigast, Erupting Nullkite cast-from-exile builds. Ten mana is the cost, and in Commander that cost gets paid.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Herigast, Erupting Nullkite

Herigast, Erupting Nullkite

43.3% of decks · synergy 0.42

Herigast, Erupting Nullkite exiles cards from the top of your library and lets you cast them, so landing Kozilek, Butcher of Truth off that exile trigger means you're casting a 12/12 annihilator 4 without ever drawing it — and still drawing four when it resolves.

02
Ulalek, Fused Atrocity

Ulalek, Fused Atrocity

37.6% of decks · synergy 0.35

Ulalek, Fused Atrocity copies every Eldrazi spell cast, and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth is exactly the kind of high-impact cast trigger you want doubled — annihilator 4 twice in one turn ends games.

03
Jhoira of the Ghitu

Jhoira of the Ghitu

36.3% of decks · synergy 0.35

Jhoira of the Ghitu suspends Kozilek, Butcher of Truth for two mana, letting you set up the four-card draw and annihilator swing on a predictable clock without ever needing ten lands in play.

04
Zhulodok, Void Gorger

Zhulodok, Void Gorger

70.6% of decks · synergy 0.34

Zhulodok, Void Gorger gives colorless spells with mana value seven or greater cascade twice, so casting Kozilek, Butcher of Truth nets two free spells on top of the four-card draw — 70% of Zhulodok decks run it for exactly that reason.

05
Kruphix, God of Horizons

Kruphix, God of Horizons

34.1% of decks · synergy 0.32

Kruphix, God of Horizons converts unused mana each turn into a colorless reservoir, which is the most reliable way to accumulate ten mana without a dedicated ramp package and then slam Kozilek, Butcher of Truth on curve.

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 the natural home for Kozilek, Butcher of Truth — the format's ramp density makes ten mana achievable by turn five or six, and the card-draw trigger plus annihilator 4 are both disproportionately powerful in a multiplayer game where forcing three opponents to sacrifice permanents simultaneously is often a near-lethal swing. In Legacy and Vintage, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth sees fringe play in Eldrazi Stompy shells and Show and Tell lists that want a game-ending threat with a built-in shuffle clause to dodge mill or graveyard hate, though neither format has made it a staple. Oathbreaker supports it as a spell, but ten mana is harder to justify in a 60-card, 20-life format.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Kozilek, the Great Distortion costs roughly half as much, draws cards on cast as well, and adds a counterspell engine — it's the closest functional replacement, though it trades annihilator 4 for annihilator 2 and a different suite of abilities. If the draw trigger is the main appeal and the annihilator count matters less, Ulamog's Crusher gives you annihilator 2 at eight mana for under a dollar, though you give up the hand refuel entirely.

Price Context

Current price

$42.76 premium tier

At $42.76, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth sits firmly in the premium tier — justified by its unique combination of cast-trigger draw, annihilator 4, and graveyard-shuffle on a single card with no close analog at a lower price point. Reprint history has kept copies available, but demand across multiple formats and Commander archetypes means the price floor rarely moves far.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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