Kokusho, the Evening Star: A Late-Game Finishing Move

In Commander, Kokusho excels as a late-game threat that can swing the game in your favor. Its 5/5 power and toughness make it a formidable creature on the battlefield. When it dies, each opponent loses 5 life, which can be devastating if left unchecked.

Key Benefits:

• Life Drain: Kokusho's death triggers a significant life drain effect, allowing you to gain life equal to the amount lost. • Flying: Its flying ability makes it a strong attacker and evader. • Legitimacy: As a legendary creature, it can be a game-changing inclusion in many Commander decks.

Deck Interactions:

• Combine with cards like Anafenza, the Foremost to amplify your life gain.
• Use Sanguine Bond to increase Kokusho's power and toughness further.
• Take advantage of its flying ability by pairing it with cards like Wing Shards or Aether Vial.

Commander Considerations:

• Be cautious when playing Kokusho in decks that rely heavily on creature removal, as it can be vulnerable to instant-speed exile effects.
• Use your sideboard to bring in additional life gain and removal to counter opponents' strategies.

In Commander, Kokusho, the Evening Star is a reliable late-game threat that can provide a significant advantage with its life drain effect. Its flying ability and 5/5 power/toughness make it a valuable addition to many decks.

Kokusho, the Evening Star is a rare, legendary dragon spirit that demands attention in Commander games due to its unique death trigger. When it dies, each opponent loses 5 life, and you gain life equal to the amount lost.

Death Trigger

The most critical aspect of Kokusho's abilities is its death trigger. When it dies, not just by being destroyed or killed directly, but also by effects like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile, each opponent loses 5 life. This trigger fires immediately when the creature dies, making it essential to consider in multiplayer games.

Life Gain

The Oracle Text states that you gain life equal to the life lost this way. If one opponent loses 5 life, you gain 5 life. However, if multiple opponents lose life due to Kokusho's death trigger, you'll only gain life once for a total amount of life lost among all opponents. For example:

You'll gain 15 life (5 + 10) due to the combined loss.

Interactions and Edge Cases

• Doomsday or other sacrifice spells can trigger Kokusho's death, but since it's a legendary creature, you won't get to cast it again.
• If Kokusho is exiled by an effect like Abbot of Keral Keep, its death trigger doesn't fire because it wasn't "destroyed."
• In a multiplayer game with multiple opponents, the life loss and gain will still occur for each opponent individually. For instance:
  • Opponent 1 loses 5 life.
  • Opponent 2 loses another 10 life (totaling 15). You'll gain 15 life.

Commander Considerations

When building a Commander deck around Kokusho, consider the following:

• Include cards that can protect Kokusho from being destroyed or killed. Batterskull and Serra Avenger are good options.
• Be cautious of sacrificing creatures, as it might trigger Kokusho's death prematurely.
• Consider including life-gaining cards like Apostle of the Moon to maximize your life gain when Kokusho dies.

In a deck featuring Kokusho, it's essential to balance its aggressive nature with card advantage and protection. By carefully selecting supporting cards and considering Commander rules interactions, you can unlock powerful synergies and take advantage of this legendary dragon spirit's unique ability.

Kokusho, the Evening Star is a powerful Legendary Creature that fits into several Commander archetypes. Its ability to drain life from opponents when it dies makes it a valuable addition to midrange and control decks.

Role on the Battlefield

As a 5/5 creature with flying, Kokusho can serve as a formidable beater in its own right. However, its true value lies in its ability to disrupt opponents' plans by draining their life total. This effect is particularly potent when combined with other cards that trigger when a creature dies, such as Doomsday or Rampage of the Clans. When Kokusho dies, it creates a cascade of effects that can help turn the tide of the game in its controller's favor.

Common Archetypes

Kokusho is commonly found in:

• Midrange decks focused on controlling the board and generating card advantage.
• Control decks that rely on creatures with built-in triggers to disrupt opponents' plans.
• Commander decks featuring Griselbrand or other value-oriented Legends.

Decks That Benefit Most

Kokusho excels in decks that can generate value from its death trigger, such as:

• Decks with a high number of creatures that die frequently (e.g. Carrion Feeder, [Grave Titan).
• Decks with cards that trigger when a creature dies (e.g. Doomsday, [Rampage of the Clans).
• Decks featuring Griselbrand or other Legends that benefit from life gain.

Tips for Playing Kokusho

When playing Kokusho, consider the following strategies:

• Use it to block creatures and generate card advantage through its death trigger.
• Combine it with cards like Doomsday or Rampage of the Clans to amplify its effect.
• Consider including cards that provide life gain or protection from black removal to maximize Kokusho's value.

Kokusho's Life Drain Synergy

Kokusho's ability to drain life from opponents when it dies creates a powerful synergy with cards that benefit from life loss, such as Griselbrand or Soul Warden. By including Kokusho in a deck with these cards, you can create a devastating combo that not only drains life but also generates card advantage.

Interactions with Life Gain

Kokusho's ability to gain life equal to the life lost when it dies interacts interestingly with cards like Atraxa or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. When Kokusho is combined with these cards, it can create a feedback loop where life loss fuels additional life gain. For example, if Atraxa triggers its ability and Kokusho dies, you'll gain life equal to the life lost, which in turn can trigger Atraxa's ability again.

Combining with Counterspells

Kokusho's flying ability makes it an excellent target for counterspells like Counterspell or Daze. By playing a counterspell to neutralize Kokusho, you can prevent its life-draining ability from triggering. This creates an opportunity to use the life gain generated by the counterspell to fuel additional card advantage.

Synergy with Card Advantage

Kokusho's ability to drain life when it dies pairs well with cards that generate card advantage, such as Grave Titan or Liliana of the Veil. By combining Kokusho with these cards, you can create a deck that generates an overwhelming number of threats while also draining life from opponents.

Kokusho, the Evening Star: Common Mistakes in Commander

Kokusho's powerful effect of draining life from opponents when it dies can be a game-changer in Commander. However, several common mistakes occur due to timing issues, misunderstood rules, or poor synergies.

Timing Issues

• Waiting too long: Players often delay Kokusho's death until late in the game, hoping for maximum impact. This can backfire if opponents have few life totals left to drain.
  • Instead, try to trigger Kokusho's effect during a critical phase of the game when opponents are more vulnerable (e.g., when they're low on life or in the midst of an aggressive strategy).
• Not prioritizing protection: Neglecting to protect Kokusho from removal spells or damage can lead to it dying prematurely, reducing the effectiveness of its life-draining effect.
  • Consider adding cards like Darkblast or Mystical Tutor to your deck for emergency removal options.

Misunderstood Rules

• Life gain vs. card advantage: Some players assume that Kokusho's life gain is equivalent to card advantage, but this is not the case. The value of life gained is often diminished by other factors (e.g., opponent's life totals).
  • Focus on maintaining a strong board presence and utilizing Kokusho's effect to disrupt opponents' plans.
• Interactions with other effects: Be aware that cards like Sanguine Bond can prevent Kokusho from triggering its ability, while others may modify or negate the life gain.

Poor Synergies

• Lack of removal options: Failing to include sufficient removal spells in your deck can leave you vulnerable to opponents' threats and reduce the impact of Kokusho's death.
  • Consider adding cards like Sword of War or Doom Blade for additional removal options.
• Insufficient life gain utilization: Players often neglect to utilize the life gained from Kokusho's effect, wasting its potential value.
  • Look into ways to maximize your life total with cards like Luminarch Ascension or Sol Ring.

Kokusho, the Evening Star is a powerful and impactful card that can bring a significant threat to life totals in Commander decks. Its ability to drain life from opponents when it dies makes it an excellent late-game finisher, capable of turning around even the most seemingly insurmountable deficits.

One of its key strengths lies in its synergy with other cards like Doom Blade and Path to Exile, which can be used to remove it from the board while still triggering its ability. This allows players to reap the benefits of Kokusho's power without being stuck with a dead body on the table.

In terms of overall value, Kokusho is a rare card that requires a significant investment in terms of mana and resources. However, its potential payoff is substantial, making it an attractive inclusion for decks focused on mid-to-late game aggression or control strategies. With its high power and toughness, as well as its ability to drain life from opponents, Kokusho can serve as a reliable finisher that adds depth to a Commander deck's arsenal.

In situations where players need to aggressively push life totals down or take advantage of an opponent's inability to remove it, Kokusho shines. Its flying ability and high power make it difficult to block effectively, while its life-draining ability ensures that opponents are forced to answer it at the cost of their own life total.

When considering including Kokusho in a Commander deck, players should weigh its potential impact against other available options. It excels as part of more aggressive or mid-range decks and may not be the best fit for very control-oriented strategies or extremely low-power builds.