Artisan of Kozilek MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 14 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost9
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Eldrazi
Abilities Annihilator
Power 10
Toughness 9

Key Takeaways

  1. Summoning Artisan of Kozilek provides powerful card advantage by reanimating creatures from your graveyard.
  2. Its massive presence demands an immediate answer, making it a formidable finisher in games.
  3. The casting cost is steep, but resource acceleration methods can facilitate an earlier play.

Text of card

When you cast Artisan of Kozilek, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Annihilator 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices two permanents.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When summoning Artisan of Kozilek, you harness a powerful ability to retrieve a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. This not only strengthens your board presence but also potentially swings the game by reanimating high-value targets without paying their mana cost.

Resource Acceleration: With its formidable might, Artisan of Kozilek can be a game-ender in its own right. Though its casting cost is steep, the presence of this behemoth provides an innate deterrent, pressuring opponents to deal with it swiftly or face overwhelming defeat. Additionally, include this card in decks that ease the mana burden through resource acceleration tactics, such as Urza’s Incubator or Eldrazi Temple, to deploy it ahead of the curve.

Instant Speed: While Artisan of Kozilek does not operate at instant speed, its Annihilator ability triggers upon attacking, forcing your opponent to sacrifice a number of permanents, which can be devastating during their upkeep or before their draw phase. This can create immediate ripple effects in your favor, disrupting opponents’ strategies and tipping the scales with a profound impact on the board state.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Being an Eldrazi, Artisan of Kozilek demands a significant number of resources to play, which might entail sacrificing precious cards or other resources to make room on the board or in your mana pool.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a substantial colorless mana investment, which can be restrictive for decks not heavily invested in producing large amounts of generic mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of nine mana to cast, Artisan of Kozilek can be a challenging card to play early or even mid-game, often requiring an entire turn’s resources or specific ramp strategies.


Reasons to Include Artisan of Kozilek in Your Collection

Versatility: Artisan of Kozilek’s presence in a deck may not only act as a solid late-game threat but also brings the utility of recurring any creature from the graveyard when it’s cast. This added dimension can significantly change the board state, regardless of the deck archetype you’re running.

Combo Potential: This Eldrazi giant leans heavily into the combo potential, pairing seamlessly with cards that facilitate cheating creatures onto the battlefield or generate extensive mana to cast it outright. The Annihilator mechanic—forcing opponents to sacrifice permanents—works wonders with numerous strategies emphasizing board control and attrition.

Meta-Relevance: In Commander and other eternal formats where games may extend into longer battles, Artisan of Kozilek shines. Its relevance ticks up as the meta-game shifts to include bulky creatures and more control-based strategies where an impactful late-game card makes a definitive difference.


How to beat

The Artisan of Kozilek is a daunting presence on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. With its massive body and the ability to bring back a creature from your graveyard when cast, this powerhouse can certainly turn the tables. However, there are effective strategies to keep this behemoth in check. One traditional approach is countering it upon casting. Since it’s a creature with a high mana cost, spells like Essence Scatter can work wonders without putting a dent in your mana pool.

Another tactic is to employ exile removal cards, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, which can bypass the Artisan’s graveyard reanimation ability. Additionally, board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation ensure that even if the Artisan has entered the battlefield, it can be swiftly removed along with other threats. Always keeping mana open for these responses when your opponent reaches the late game mana needed for Artisan could be the difference between victory and defeat.

Ultimately, planning ahead and reserving the necessary answers for when the Artisan makes its move is key to overcoming this colossal force. Resilience and thoughtful play will guide you to success against the might of the Artisan of Kozilek.


BurnMana Recommendations

Revving up your MTG arsenal with a card like Artisan of Kozilek can swing the momentum of any match. With its reanimation ability and the disruptive power of Annihilator, this Eldrazi titan presents more than just a colossal force on the battlefield—it offers strategic depth to your late-game. Adapting your deck to welcome such a behemoth could signal the birth of a new tactical dynasty. Keen to unearth more insights on integrating this powerhouse into your deck, or finding cunning ways to maneuver around it? Delve deeper into our cache of game-changing content that empowers players like you to conquer the tables with flair.


Cards like Artisan of Kozilek

Artisan of Kozilek stands out as a formidable creature in Magic: The Gathering due to its sheer size and impactful abilities. It shares some similarities with other large Eldrazi creatures, like Ulamog’s Crusher, which also presents a significant threat with its built-in Annihilator ability. Nevertheless, Ulamog’s Crusher lacks the ability to bring back a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield, a feature that gives Artisan of Kozilek an added layer of utility and its unique resurrection twist.

Looking at It That Betrays, another Eldrazi with an Annihilator, it has a similar formidable presence. However, It That Betrays distinguishes itself with the ability to control permanents sacrificed by opponents, rather than reviving your own creatures from the graveyard. Moreover, Pathrazer of Ulamog offers Annihilator 3 and can’t be blocked except by three or more creatures, but does not have the reanimation ability that makes Artisan so multifaceted.

While there are other powerful creatures within this family, Artisan of Kozilek holds a strategic advantage due to its balance between a high power level and reanimating capabilities, offering both offensive presence and value recovery in the late game.

Ulamog's Crusher - MTG Card versions
It That Betrays - MTG Card versions
Pathrazer of Ulamog - MTG Card versions
Ulamog's Crusher - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
It That Betrays - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Pathrazer of Ulamog - Wizards Play Network 2010 (PWP10)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Artisan of Kozilek MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Rise of the Eldrazi, 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 Artisan of Kozilek and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Artisan of Kozilek Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 396732003normalblackNils Hamm
22010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 22003normalblackJason Felix
32010-06-18ArchenemyARC 1232003normalblackJason Felix
42011-01-01Friday Night Magic 2011F11 42003normalblackNils Hamm
52011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 12003normalblackJason Felix
62014-11-07Commander 2014C14 622015normalblackJason Felix
72015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 22015normalblackJason Felix
82015-08-28Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. EldraziDDP 422015normalblackJason Felix
92018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 142015normalblackJason Felix
102018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 22015normalblackJason Felix
112019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 22015normalblackJason Felix
122020-09-26The ListPLST CM2-142015normalblackJason Felix
132022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 1912015normalblackJason Felix
142023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 8012015normalblackJason Felix

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Artisan of Kozilek has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-06-15 Annihilator abilities trigger and resolve during the declare attackers step. The defending player chooses and sacrifices the required number of permanents before they declare blockers. Any creatures sacrificed this way won't be able to block.
2010-06-15 If a creature with annihilator is attacking a planeswalker, and the defending player chooses to sacrifice that planeswalker, the attacking creature continues to attack. It may be blocked. If it isn't blocked, it simply won't deal combat damage to anything.

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