EDH Optimizer
Kokusho, the Evening Star
Legendary Creature — Dragon Spirit · 4BB
Color identity: Black
Kokusho, the Evening Star is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying
When Kokusho dies, each opponent loses 5 life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.
Reference price of the card: €15.86
Average lands in decks for Kokusho, the Evening Star: 36
AristocratsReanimatorLifegainSacrificeLifedrainComboGroup SlugSelf-Damage
Build your Kokusho, the Evening Star deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Kokusho, the Evening Star 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Kokusho, the Evening Star deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (57/100)
- Consistency36
- Speed55
- Interaction19
- Resilience70
- Closing96
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (12 nonbasic, 24 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Reanimate · Dark Ritual · Saw in Half · Jet Medallion · Arcane Signet · Supernatural Stamina · Feign Death · Not Dead After All · Undying Malice · Crypt Ghast · Animate Dead · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Disciple of Bolas · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Kaya's Ghostform · Undying Evil · Soldevi Adnate · Fake Your Own Death · Nasty End · Village Rites · Ashnod's Altar · Toxic Deluge · Viscera Seer · Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose · Feed the Swarm · Drivnod, Carnage Dominus · Sacrifice · Apprentice Necromancer · Deadly Dispute · Phyrexian Arena · Blade of Selves · Enduring Tenacity · K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth · Sanguine Bond · Victimize · Bloodletter of Aclazotz · Mind Stone · Solemn Simulacrum · Black Market Connections · Footsteps of the Goryo · Culling the Weak · Illuminor Szeras · Sign in Blood · Demonic Gifts · Withering Torment · Bolas's Citadel · Corrupted Conviction · Damnation · Return to Action · Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar · Thought Vessel · Diabolic Intent · Doomed Necromancer · Necromancy · Morbid Curiosity · Phyrexian Altar · Bubbling Muck · Charcoal Diamond · Accursed Marauder · Carrion Feeder · Demonic Tutor · Phyrexian Reclamation · Cabal Coffers · Phyrexian Tower · Bojuka Bog · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · High Market · Cabal Stronghold · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Myriad Landscape · Susur Secundi, Void Altar · Reliquary Tower · Command Beacon · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
🃏 Recommended cards for Kokusho, the Evening Star
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Kokusho, the Evening Star, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Saw in Half | 76% | +67% |
| Supernatural Stamina | 72% | +65% |
| Feign Death | 71% | +62% |
| Undying Evil | 63% | +60% |
| Disciple of Bolas | 64% | +59% |
| Undying Malice | 69% | +58% |
| Not Dead After All | 69% | +57% |
| Soldevi Adnate | 60% | +55% |
| Nasty End | 58% | +55% |
| Kaya's Ghostform | 64% | +54% |
| Fake Your Own Death | 58% | +50% |
| Apprentice Necromancer | 51% | +50% |
| Animate Dead | 67% | +49% |
| Blade of Selves | 50% | +48% |
| Sacrifice | 52% | +47% |
| Drivnod, Carnage Dominus | 52% | +45% |
| Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose | 56% | +45% |
| Malakir Rebirth | 66% | +42% |
| Reanimate | 81% | +40% |
| Footsteps of the Goryo | 40% | +40% |
| Enduring Tenacity | 48% | +40% |
| Viscera Seer | 56% | +38% |
| High Market | 46% | +38% |
| Ashnod's Altar | 57% | +37% |
💰 The best cards for your Kokusho, the Evening Star deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Supernatural Stamina
- Feign Death
- Undying Evil
- Disciple of Bolas
- Undying Malice
- Not Dead After All
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Saw in Half
- Animate Dead
- Blade of Selves
- Sacrifice
- Drivnod, Carnage Dominus
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Enduring Tenacity
- Ashnod's Altar
- Phyrexian Tower
- Bloodletter of Aclazotz
- Necromancy
- Crypt Ghast
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Kokusho, the Evening Star
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Kokusho, the Evening Star's color identity?
Kokusho, the Evening Star is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Kokusho, the Evening Star come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Kokusho, the Evening Star deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.3 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 95 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 16 % of the time and floods 30 %. Deck health: C+ (57/100).
How many lands should a Kokusho, the Evening Star deck run?
Real Kokusho, the Evening Star decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Kokusho, the Evening Star?
The three highest-synergy cards are Saw in Half, Supernatural Stamina, Feign Death. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Kokusho, the Evening Star decks.
What combos does Kokusho, the Evening Star have?
Kokusho, the Evening Star has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Kokusho, the Evening Star deck cost?
You can start cheap: Supernatural Stamina, Feign Death, Undying Evil are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.