Herald of Kozilek MTG Card


Herald of Kozilek - Battle for Zendikar
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Eldrazi Drone
Abilities Devoid
Released2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set nameBattle for Zendikar
Set codeBFZ
Power 2
Toughness 4
Number205
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJohannes Voss

Key Takeaways

    null

Text of card

Devoid (This card has no color.) Colorless spells you cast cost less to cast.

"Some Eldrazi, their purpose is obvious: suck the life out of the land, birth new Eldrazi. Others aren't so obvious, and those are the ones that make me really nervous." —Chadir the Navigator


Card Pros

Card Advantage: By reducing the colorless mana cost of your Devoid spells, Herald of Kozilek can effectively increase your hand’s power as you’re able to deploy more threats with the same resources, potentially giving you a stronger board presence and maintaining pressure on your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Notably enhancing your mana efficiency, this creature’s cost-reduction ability plays a pivotal role in accelerating your resource allocation, enabling faster casting of your Devoid spells and thereby outpacing opponents who are reliant on standard mana curves.

Instant Speed: While the Herald of Kozilek itself isn’t an instant, this card synergizes seamlessly with spells of instant speed, allowing you to optimize mana and potentially cast multiple spells in a single turn cycle. This opens up strategic plays, keeping opponents guessing and always on the defensive.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Herald of Kozilek mandates color-specific conditions, requiring a blend of colorless and colored mana which could be challenging in decks not fine-tuned for such requirements.

Specific Mana Cost: As a creature that costs one colorless and two red mana, it demands a commitment to these colors, potentially limiting its integration in multicolored decks that don’t heavily feature red or colorless spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana including one generic, its impact on the game must be weighed against other three-drop options that could offer immediate value or higher power and toughness.


Reasons to Include Herald of Kozilek in Your Collection

Versatility: Herald of Kozilek is not confined to a single strategy. This card can seamlessly integrate into various decks, specifically those capitalizing on colorless spells and artifacts. The cost-reducing ability provides a consistent advantage throughout the game.

Combo Potential: By reducing the casting cost of colorless spells, Herald of Kozilek can be pivotal in setting up explosive turns where you chain multiple spells together. In combination with other cost-reducers or payoff cards, the Herald can become the linchpin of sophisticated and highly synergistic plays.

Meta-Relevance: Given that certain competitive environments favour artifact and Eldrazi decks, Herald of Kozilek’s ability to make your colorless spells cheaper can give you a competitive edge. It dovetails well with the ever-shifting landscape of the game, where being able to adapt and redefine deck construction is critical.


How to Beat Herald of Kozilek

Herald of Kozilek can be a tricky adversary on the battlefield, reducing the cost of your opponent’s colorless spells. When facing this formidable card, the key is to disrupt its synergy quickly. One effective strategy is to target and eliminate it before its cost-reduction ability can be fully utilized. Instant speed removal like Fatal Push or Path to Exile are prime choices to swift eliminate Herald of Kozilek before your opponent reaps significant advantages.

Maintaining a strong board presence is crucial as well. Deploy creatures that can overpower Herald of Kozilek in combat, ensuring that it’s a short-lived threat. Lastly, counteracting the reduced spell costs with effects that increase the cost of your opponent’s spells can also be an excellent countermeasure, tilting the economic battle back in your favor. Cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben serve this purpose beautifully, and pad your defense against a range of strategies.

Ultimately, dealing with Herald of Kozilek is about staying one step ahead and neutralizing it before it becomes the linchpin of your opponent’s game plan. With appropriate removal, board control, and cost-increment effects, you can mitigate its impact and maintain dominance in your MTG matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the dynamics of Herald of Kozilek goes beyond its immediate board impact. This unique creature, with its knack for reducing the casting cost of colorless spells, opens up a myriad of strategic possibilities for players looking to optimize their MTG gameplay. As you mull over its pros and cons, ponder on how it could serve as the cornerstone in a color-heavy deck, or simply as a versatile sidekick in a variety of MTG strategies. Eager to explore these depths and discover how Herald of Kozilek can bring a competitive edge to your collection? We invite you to walk through the intricacies of deck building and game plans with us. Enhance your MTG prowess today and redefine what it means to be victorious on the battlefield.


Cards like Herald of Kozilek

Herald of Kozilek stands out in the realm of cost reduction creatures within Magic: The Gathering. It shares characteristics with renown cards like Foundry Inspector, which also grants a casting cost reduction. Herald of Kozilek is distinct with its color-specific advantage, reducing costs of colorless spells—perfect for decks filled with Eldrazi or artifacts.

The resemblance to Etherium Sculptor is undeniable, given that both creatures make your artifact spells cheaper to cast. Nonetheless, Etherium Sculptor is more restrictive, benefiting only artifacts, whereas Herald of Kozilek extends its reduction to all colorless spells, offering a broader scope for deck synergy. In this arena, we also encounter Goblin Electromancer. Although it specifically lowers the cost of instant and sorcery spells, its inclusion in spell-heavy decks is influential, akin to the role Herald of Kozilek plays in a colorless strategy.

Ultimately, Herald of Kozilek has its niche within Magic: The Gathering as a versatile enabler for colorless spells. Its unique cost-reduction feature potentially accelerates gameplay and provides a tactical advantage for players utilizing colorless-heavy decks.

Foundry Inspector - MTG Card versions
Etherium Sculptor - MTG Card versions
Goblin Electromancer - MTG Card versions
Foundry Inspector - MTG Card versions
Etherium Sculptor - MTG Card versions
Goblin Electromancer - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Herald of Kozilek by color, type and mana cost

Frenetic Efreet - MTG Card versions
Whirlpool Warrior - MTG Card versions
Yusri, Fortune's Flame - MTG Card versions
Aegar, the Freezing Flame - MTG Card versions
Veyran, Voice of Duality - MTG Card versions
Jori En, Ruin Diver - MTG Card versions
Wee Dragonauts - MTG Card versions
Gelectrode - MTG Card versions
Frenetic Sliver - MTG Card versions
Noggle Hedge-Mage - MTG Card versions
Crackleburr - MTG Card versions
Noggle Ransacker - MTG Card versions
Izzet Staticaster - MTG Card versions
Jhoira of the Ghitu - MTG Card versions
Spellheart Chimera - MTG Card versions
Whirler Virtuoso - MTG Card versions
Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist - MTG Card versions
Nivix Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Enigma Drake - MTG Card versions
Protean Raider - MTG Card versions
Frenetic Efreet - MTG Card versions
Whirlpool Warrior - MTG Card versions
Yusri, Fortune's Flame - MTG Card versions
Aegar, the Freezing Flame - MTG Card versions
Veyran, Voice of Duality - MTG Card versions
Jori En, Ruin Diver - MTG Card versions
Wee Dragonauts - MTG Card versions
Gelectrode - MTG Card versions
Frenetic Sliver - MTG Card versions
Noggle Hedge-Mage - MTG Card versions
Crackleburr - MTG Card versions
Noggle Ransacker - MTG Card versions
Izzet Staticaster - MTG Card versions
Jhoira of the Ghitu - MTG Card versions
Spellheart Chimera - MTG Card versions
Whirler Virtuoso - MTG Card versions
Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist - MTG Card versions
Nivix Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Enigma Drake - MTG Card versions
Protean Raider - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Herald of Kozilek MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Herald of Kozilek and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Herald of Kozilek has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Herald of Kozilek card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2015-08-25 A card with devoid is just colorless. It’s not colorless and the colors of mana in its mana cost.
2015-08-25 Cards with devoid use frames that are variations of the transparent frame traditionally used for Eldrazi. The top part of the card features some color over a background based on the texture of the hedrons that once imprisoned the Eldrazi. This coloration is intended to aid deckbuilding and game play.
2015-08-25 Devoid works in all zones, not just on the battlefield.
2015-08-25 Herald of Kozilek’s last ability can’t reduce the amount of colored mana you pay for a spell. It reduces only the generic component of that mana cost.
2015-08-25 Herald of Kozilek’s last ability doesn’t change the mana cost or converted mana cost of any spell. It changes only the total cost you actually pay.
2015-08-25 If a card loses devoid, it will still be colorless. This is because effects that change an object’s color (like the one created by devoid) are considered before the object loses devoid.
2015-08-25 If a colorless spell you cast has in its mana cost, you choose the value of X before calculating the spell’s total cost. For example, if that spell’s mana cost is , you could choose 5 as the value of X and pay to cast the spell.
2015-08-25 If there are additional costs to cast a spell, or if the cost to cast a spell is increased by an effect, apply those increases before applying cost reductions.
2015-08-25 Other cards and abilities can give a card with devoid color. If that happens, it’s just the new color, not that color and colorless.
2015-08-25 The cost reduction can apply to alternative costs.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
See more decks