You know you can activate mana rocks for their mana abilities if they try and destroy them right? You float the mana. That seems like something extremely weird was happening on the board or you missed that. And yeah, Paradox Engine just wins the game every time it comes down for me, its easily a one-card-combo in the deck.
Planar Portal costs a whopping 4 more mana to get the card you want though, which isn't trivial. Even if we had the mana to do that, it would cost a mere 1 mana more to use Skyship Weatherlight to tutor up and cast Paradox Engine (12 mana to put a card in hand vs 13 mana to put Engine in hand to then cast Engine). I mentioned the card since the only thing I ever feel like I need is the Engine, with it in play winning is just granted and mana becomes an arbitrary concept let alone a game mechanic. We don't get many tutors in colorless, and an 8-mana Demonic Tutor is just something I think we have to live with.
Also, why would you ever cast it and then let it sit around a rotation at the table? If you're able to activate it, even if they destroy it in response you still get the card.
Yeah I'm glad it survived but at the same time was totally nervous about that. The card is clearly on whatever watchlist they might have since its so powerful.
Also, Grinning Totem can snag ramp, nuts stuff like Paradox Engine, or snipe stuff people try and tutor for or required cards for their own combos. I think that is more than useful enough. I also run both Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Chromatic Lantern, not to mention a decent amount of my rocks like Coalition Relic can tap for colored mana, so its never bad for me. Though I might try out Ring of Three Wishes if Grinning Totem ever under-performs - it's just that its great at killing a lot of the same kind of decks that Mindslaver is good against too, and those are some of the most dangerous for this deck to deal with.
Also, our decks are constructed very differently, my deck places a significantly larger emphasis on Kozilek himself as well as mana generation, so cards we each find good/bad may not be relevant and both of our lists.
In my meta I can't afford to use Emrakul politically.
It's the same as when I Mindslaver. I aim for someone with a strong position but with a way I can then wreck that player too.
Token decks with sac outlets for instance.
I smash up my other two opponents and then make the controlled player sac everything they have.
Or that typical Narset, use their infinite attacks to exile their library by attacking the other two players. Then in their next turn right after, draw dead!
Or the standard thing of waste his removal spells on random junk.
If you know your opponents decks well enough (and at this point I do) use their game winning turn to kill everyone apart from you!
Or my number one favorite thing to do. Path their own commander and declare 'it goes to exile' hahahaha
Emrakul, the Promised End and Mindslaver instantly kill people if they play powerful decks from my experience. Those cards have won me almost every game they have come down on, though Mindslaver has the issue where you need to let your opponents develop a little bit first - even before dropping it on the board, or they'll hedge against it.
Also, as a note on your post about Planar Bridge and Ring of Three Wishes: these cards are busted, but its extremely hard finding a slot for both. While Paradox Engine exists in my deck, its fully capable of winning through the titans, and even just Kozilek himself most of the time since I cast him on turn 4 usually. I run Bridge since I have the Kaladesh Invention version since its really pretty, and its more powerful in general and especially with Unwinding Clock - that just ends the game even if I don't have access to the engine.
You guys were right, The Immortal Sun is pretty awkward to cast. The few times I drew it ended up doing something strong so I didn't really have a large sample size I guess. So I cut The Immortal Sun for Grinning Totem. Wow that card is total gas, I highly recommend trying it, stealing someone's Paradox Engine and going off with it is pretty hilarious.
edit: Yeah Geode Golem is total gas too, I'd never cut that card.
Trading Post has long been cut from my deck, its too slow and doesn't really do anything. Springjack Pasture is an even less impactful card from my experience, so it left the list around three/four years ago. Edit: I need to mention that Trading Post is still a very fine card normally. If you're still putting together a list, especially on a budget, this card is perfectly fine for the deck.
Zhalfirin Void on the other hand has been nice. Its good in Modern Eldrazi and its good here - smoothing early draws is really important for Kozi. (also the foil of this card is absolutely gorgeous, like wow)
Geode Golem is incredible imho. If I can ramp normally via a Gilded Lotus or something then it's not really necessary, but in the awkward draws where I don't get enough ramp or when someone blows up a rock or two, it really shines. Love the card for the deck.
Mind's Eye is too slow in most cases, and Kozilek draws all the cards we need honestly. If your meta is a bit slow or low powered I think its a fine card and the masterpiece foil is cheap and looks nice. I wouldn't fault anyone at all for running it.
Can confirm The Immortal Sun has been good for me so far, but its sometimes awkward to cast. Walkers are pretty common in my meta, and some decks rely heavily on them to win the game, so it stays in for now.
@Rasputin101 Great alter! I'm still a bit salty there is no foil Basalt Monolith yet, but what can I do. I'm only a few cards off foiling the whole thing at this point.
I would also agree with Tabernacle being great - the card shuts down so many decks its not even remotely fair.
Usually I let the table know about the power level of my Kozi deck before bringing it to play if they've never seen it before. For those that have I often just ask "what deck should I play?" since I carry multiple decks with me to my LGS and the first response is always either "not Kozi" or "you can bring out Kozilek." That way I don't really worry about having 'hateful' cards in my list.
@Runnin: I run both Mana Crypt and Kyren Toy. The toy is one of the best 3-drop mana rocks you can use so I highly recommend it (also the foil is really pretty).
Foundry Inspector is pretty bad, it dies to removal and doesn't cheapen Kozi. It seems solid for a Karn, Silver Golem deck, but here if you want that kind of effect run The Immortal Sun. It's been pretty decent/nice for me so far, as the effect is pretty powerful (especially in conjunction with Helm of Awakening which I also run).
I suggest using either Transmogrifying Wand or Brittle Effigy. At least one of the two, if not both. We're light on removal and those two are the best we've got. I personally use Brittle Effigy solely because of how important exile is in my meta, as well as its cheap cost to just plop down at any time (great synergy with Clock of Omens for that reason).
I don't use Scorched Ruins, too fragile in the face of Wasteland and Strip Mine, and it comes down too late to really do a whole ton. If nobody plays any land destruction in your meta it seems decent/good.
If this thread isn't dead, I'd like to add that I've been playing a non-combo Kozilek EDH for years now and I like it quite a bit more than any combo variant, no dead draws like Staff of Domination in my list. I'm sure nowadays it might be just fine with Paradox Engine but I find it weird the lists in here lack Oracle's Vault if they're running that card, its good enough to go in the deck on its own and its synergy with the Engine is absurd.
Also, why would you ever cast it and then let it sit around a rotation at the table? If you're able to activate it, even if they destroy it in response you still get the card.
@Runnin Ouch. Stuff like that can happen to anyone playing Magic, but that's a big oof moment right there.
Also, Grinning Totem can snag ramp, nuts stuff like Paradox Engine, or snipe stuff people try and tutor for or required cards for their own combos. I think that is more than useful enough. I also run both Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Chromatic Lantern, not to mention a decent amount of my rocks like Coalition Relic can tap for colored mana, so its never bad for me. Though I might try out Ring of Three Wishes if Grinning Totem ever under-performs - it's just that its great at killing a lot of the same kind of decks that Mindslaver is good against too, and those are some of the most dangerous for this deck to deal with.
Also, our decks are constructed very differently, my deck places a significantly larger emphasis on Kozilek himself as well as mana generation, so cards we each find good/bad may not be relevant and both of our lists.
Emrakul, the Promised End and Mindslaver instantly kill people if they play powerful decks from my experience. Those cards have won me almost every game they have come down on, though Mindslaver has the issue where you need to let your opponents develop a little bit first - even before dropping it on the board, or they'll hedge against it.
Also, as a note on your post about Planar Bridge and Ring of Three Wishes: these cards are busted, but its extremely hard finding a slot for both. While Paradox Engine exists in my deck, its fully capable of winning through the titans, and even just Kozilek himself most of the time since I cast him on turn 4 usually. I run Bridge since I have the Kaladesh Invention version since its really pretty, and its more powerful in general and especially with Unwinding Clock - that just ends the game even if I don't have access to the engine.
edit: Yeah Geode Golem is total gas too, I'd never cut that card.
Edit: I need to mention that Trading Post is still a very fine card normally. If you're still putting together a list, especially on a budget, this card is perfectly fine for the deck.
Zhalfirin Void on the other hand has been nice. Its good in Modern Eldrazi and its good here - smoothing early draws is really important for Kozi. (also the foil of this card is absolutely gorgeous, like wow)
Geode Golem is incredible imho. If I can ramp normally via a Gilded Lotus or something then it's not really necessary, but in the awkward draws where I don't get enough ramp or when someone blows up a rock or two, it really shines. Love the card for the deck.
Mind's Eye is too slow in most cases, and Kozilek draws all the cards we need honestly. If your meta is a bit slow or low powered I think its a fine card and the masterpiece foil is cheap and looks nice. I wouldn't fault anyone at all for running it.
I would also agree with Tabernacle being great - the card shuts down so many decks its not even remotely fair.
@Runnin: I run both Mana Crypt and Kyren Toy. The toy is one of the best 3-drop mana rocks you can use so I highly recommend it (also the foil is really pretty).
Foundry Inspector is pretty bad, it dies to removal and doesn't cheapen Kozi. It seems solid for a Karn, Silver Golem deck, but here if you want that kind of effect run The Immortal Sun. It's been pretty decent/nice for me so far, as the effect is pretty powerful (especially in conjunction with Helm of Awakening which I also run).
I suggest using either Transmogrifying Wand or Brittle Effigy. At least one of the two, if not both. We're light on removal and those two are the best we've got. I personally use Brittle Effigy solely because of how important exile is in my meta, as well as its cheap cost to just plop down at any time (great synergy with Clock of Omens for that reason).
I don't use Scorched Ruins, too fragile in the face of Wasteland and Strip Mine, and it comes down too late to really do a whole ton. If nobody plays any land destruction in your meta it seems decent/good.