Kozilek

Kozilek
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Kozilek, Butcher of Truth.png}}|250px]]
Details
Race	Eldrazi
Birthplace	Blind Eternities
Lifetime	Unknowable

Kozilek, the "Butcher of Truth", is one of the three Eldrazi titans and the inspiration for the Zendikari merfolk god Cosi and the Kor god Talib.

Description

Kozilek, the Great Distortion

Kozilek's planar avatar is a titan of apparently humanoid anatomy, but with a mass of tentacles in place of legs, and a complex orifice in place of a head. His body is covered in eyes and chitin, and an arrangement of dark plates float above his shoulders and extend from his elbows. They are often described to be or to create dark "holes" in reality.

Kozilek is the Titan of Distortion, a reality-slicing nightmare of relentless insanity. He changes the perception of the reality, making impossible to discern the truth. He twists loyalties, muddies thoughts, transforms emotions, induces despair and panic. Kozilek represents themes of deception, puzzles, lies, mind domination, transformation, and experimentation. Sages call Kozilek the confusion of panic, the trap of enigmas, and the harrower of thought.

Eldrazi of the Kozilek brood lineage have many eyes growing near joints or along body ridges, jagged plates or blades of lustrous black mineral jutting from or floating around their bodies, and animalistic or insectoid anatomies covered in tough carapaces. Kozilek's drones can absorb life just by their presence, but prefer to rend flesh with their onyx-like projections.

History

Example of Kozilek's spatial distortion power and lineage

After the release of the titans Emrakul, Ulamog and Kozilek by Nissa Revane, Kozilek's brood was said to have retreated to remote corners of the world, and it was generally believed that he left the plane of Zendikar. However, this assumption appears to have been incorrect. Immediately after Ob Nixilis reignited his spark by draining the hedron network imprisoning Ulamog, Kozilek emerged from deep underground nearby. At that time, he had gained some perfect black shards floating above his head that seem to draw in light itself. They aren't objects, or even shapes — they are holes in space.

After heavy initial losses in the Battle for Zendikar, the Gatewatch performed an orchestrated attack on Ulamog and Kozilek, binding them again in a web of leylines and burning them. This was the end of the material manifestation of Kozilek on Zendikar.

Colorless symbol

In Oath of the Gatewatch cards relating to Kozilek feature mana costs with the colorless symbol .

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
The Lithomancer	Kelly Digges	2014-10-29	Commander 2014 / Prologue to Battle for Zendikar	Unknown destroyed plane, Zendikar	Nahiri, Sorin Markov, Ugin, Eldrazi, Emrakul, Kozilek, Ulamog
Oath of the Gatewatch	James Wyatt	2016-02-03	Oath of the Gatewatch	Zendikar	Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, Nissa Revane, Kozilek, Ulamog

In-game references

Represented in:

• Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
• Kozilek, The Great Distortion

Depicted in:

• Bonds of Mortality
• Call the Gatewatch
• Fall of the Titans
• Kozilek's Return
• Ruin in their Wake
• Shrivel
• Witness the End

Quoted or referred to:

• Amateur Auteur (Unstable, #3d)
• Artisan of Kozilek
• Escaped Null
• Essence Depleter
• Herald of Kozilek
• Inquisition of Kozilek
• Kozilek's Channeler
• Kozilek's Pathfinder
• Kozilek's Predator
• Kozilek's Sentinel
• Kozilek's Shrieker
• Kozilek's Translator
• Maw of Kozilek
• Reaver Drone
• Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
• Tears of Valakut
• Turn Against
• Unknown Shores (Oath of the Gatewatch)
• Warden of Geometries

External links

• Doug Beyer (March 17, 2010). "Gods and Monsters". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Doug Beyer (March 29, 2010). "The Eldrazi Arisen". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Kelly Digges (June 15, 2010 / May 14, 2015). "Know Your Spawn!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.