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Kozilek, the Great Distortion

Legendary Creature — Eldrazi

When you cast this spell, if you have fewer than seven cards in hand, draw cards equal to the difference.
Menace
Discard a card with mana value X: Counter target spell with mana value X.

CMC
10
Mana cost
{8}{C}{C}
Color identity
C
Rarity
mythic
Set
Commander Masters
Price
$5.77
EDHREC rank
#1478
Buy on TCGplayer
Kozilek, the Great Distortion card art
Kozilek, the Great Distortion hits the table as a 12/12 with menace that refills your hand to seven and counters any spell by discarding a card of matching mana value — an on-board threat, a counterspell engine, and a draw spell stapled together for ten mana. The cost is real, but shells like Herigast, Erupting Nullkite that specialize in cheating Eldrazi into play treat that ten as a suggestion, and even honest ramp decks that reach ten find Mind Over Matter turning the full hand into an untap machine that closes games on the spot.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Herigast, Erupting Nullkite

Herigast, Erupting Nullkite

55.3% of decks · synergy 0.54

Herigast, Erupting Nullkite's ninjutsu-style ability puts Eldrazi directly onto the battlefield, meaning Kozilek, the Great Distortion enters without paying its ten-mana cost and immediately refills the hand it was discarded from to enable the counterspell suite.

02
Ulalek, Fused Atrocity

Ulalek, Fused Atrocity

50.9% of decks · synergy 0.48

Ulalek, Fused Atrocity copies triggered abilities whenever you cast an Eldrazi, so Kozilek, the Great Distortion's cast trigger — refill your hand to seven — can fire multiple times in a single turn chain, burying opponents in cards and counters.

03
Zhulodok, Void Gorger

Zhulodok, Void Gorger

92.5% of decks · synergy 0.47

Zhulodok, Void Gorger gives every colorless spell with mana value seven or greater cascade twice, which means casting Kozilek, the Great Distortion also digs two spells deep for free — making the 92% inclusion rate in Zhulodok decks essentially a given.

04
Belbe, Corrupted Observer

Belbe, Corrupted Observer

45.4% of decks · synergy 0.45

Belbe, Corrupted Observer generates two colorless mana per opponent who took damage, routinely producing enough mana on turn three or four to hard-cast Kozilek, the Great Distortion several turns ahead of schedule.

05
Kruphix, God of Horizons

Kruphix, God of Horizons

36.4% of decks · synergy 0.35

Kruphix, God of Horizons banks unused mana across turns as colorless, so the ten required for Kozilek, the Great Distortion accumulates naturally without any dedicated ramp — just patience and a full mana pool.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Kozilek, the Great Distortion lives; the singleton format's slower clock and multiplayer politics give ramp decks time to hit ten mana, and the hand-refill trigger converts a topdecked finisher into a full grip of interaction. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but never played — ten mana is a non-starter against the fastest formats in the game, and Eldrazi shells there prefer cheaper Emrakul or Thought-Knot variants. Modern is the same story: the Eldrazi Winter taught that format to fear cheaper Eldrazi, not ones that cost ten. Oathbreaker could work in a colorless big-mana shell, but the twenty starting life and generally faster pace make it a fringe choice compared to Commander's longer games.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Kozilek, Butcher of Truth sits in the same mana slot, refills four cards on cast instead of topping up to seven, and lacks the counterspell mode — but it's a comparable reset button that often costs less depending on the market. If the hand-refill is the main draw, Sandstone Oracle and Thought Distorter cost a fraction and slot into colorless decks, though neither brings the 12/12 menace body or the discard-to-counter protection that makes Kozilek, the Great Distortion worth the extra investment.

Price Context

Current price

$5.77 mid tier

At $5.77, Kozilek, the Great Distortion sits in mid-tier territory — affordable enough that colorless ramp players have no reason to skip it, especially given what comparable finishers with built-in interaction tend to cost. It's a staple in a popular archetype at a price that reflects steady demand without the spike you'd expect from a narrower chase rare.

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Sources

Mentioned

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