Best Cards

Painful Quandary

Whenever an opponent casts a spell, that player loses 5 life unless they discard a card.

Knight of the White Orchid

First strike
When Knight of the White Orchid enters, if an opponent controls more lands than you, you may search your library for a Plains card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Touch the Spirit Realm

When Touch the Spirit Realm enters, exile up to one target artifact or creature until Touch the Spirit Realm leaves the battlefield.
Channel — {1}{W}, Discard Touch the Spirit Realm: Exile target artifact or creature. Return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step.

Vislor Turlough

Deal with the Black Guardian — When Vislor Turlough enters, you may have an opponent gain control of it. If you do, it's goaded for as long as they control it.
At the beginning of your end step, draw a card, then you lose life equal to the number of cards in your hand.
Doctor's companion (You can have two commanders if the other is the Doctor.)

Blood Artist

Whenever Blood Artist or another creature dies, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Geier Reach Sanitarium

{T}: Add {C}.
{2}, {T}: Each player draws a card, then discards a card.

Protector of the Crown

When Protector of the Crown enters, you become the monarch.
All damage that would be dealt to you is dealt to Protector of the Crown instead.

Orzhov Basilica

Orzhov Basilica enters tapped.
When Orzhov Basilica enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand.
{T}: Add {W}{B}.

Rug of Smothering

Flying
Whenever a player casts a spell, they lose 1 life for each spell they've cast this turn.

Scoured Barrens

This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, you gain 1 life.
{T}: Add {W} or {B}.

Sol Ring

Soul's Attendant

Whenever another creature enters, you may gain 1 life.

Blood Pact

Target player draws two cards and loses 2 life.

Generous Gift

Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Elephant creature token.

Have

Thorn of the Black Rose

Deathtouch
When Thorn of the Black Rose enters, you become the monarch.

Tomik, Wielder of Law

Affinity for planeswalkers (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each planeswalker you control.)
Flying, vigilance
Whenever an opponent attacks with creatures, if two or more of those creatures are attacking you and/or planeswalkers you control, that opponent loses 3 life and you draw a card.

Sign in Blood

Seizan, Perverter of Truth

At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player loses 2 life and draws two cards.

Orzhov Signet

Blind Obedience

Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay {W/B}. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.)
Artifacts and creatures your opponents control enter tapped.

Liesa, Shroud of Dusk

Rather than pay {2} for each previous time you've cast this spell from the command zone this game, pay 2 life that many times.
Flying, lifelink
Whenever a player casts a spell, they lose 2 life.

Suture Priest

Whenever another creature you control enters, you may gain 1 life.
Whenever a creature an opponent controls enters, you may have that player lose 1 life.

Thought Prison

Imprint — When Thought Prison enters, you may have target player reveal their hand. If you do, choose a nonland card from it and exile that card.
Whenever a player casts a spell that shares a color or mana value with the exiled card, Thought Prison deals 2 damage to that player.

Pretty Good Cards

Plague Drone

Flying
Rot Fly — If an opponent would gain life, that player loses that much life instead.

Arcane Signet

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Desolate Mire

Disciple of the Vault

Whenever an artifact is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may have target opponent lose 1 life.

Underworld Dreams

Whenever an opponent draws a card, Underworld Dreams deals 1 damage to that player.

Gray Merchant of Asphodel

When Gray Merchant of Asphodel enters, each opponent loses X life, where X is your devotion to black. You gain life equal to the life lost this way. (Each {B} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to black.)

Brave the Elements

Choose a color. White creatures you control gain protection from the chosen color until end of turn.

Cathedral Membrane

({W/P} can be paid with either {W} or 2 life.)
Defender
When Cathedral Membrane dies during combat, it deals 6 damage to each creature it blocked this combat.

Redemption Arc

Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has indestructible and is goaded. (It attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)
{1}{W}: Exile enchanted creature.

Tainted Field

{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add {W} or {B}. Activate only if you control a Swamp.

Don't Have

Bontu's Monument

Black creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Whenever you cast a creature spell, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Nightshade Harvester

Whenever a land an opponent controls enters, that player loses 1 life. Put a +1/+1 counter on Nightshade Harvester.

Containment Priest

Flash
If a nontoken creature would enter and it wasn't cast, exile it instead.

Field of Ruin

{T}: Add {C}.
{2}, {T}, Sacrifice Field of Ruin: Destroy target nonbasic land an opponent controls. Each player searches their library for a basic land card, puts it onto the battlefield, then shuffles.

Knights of the Black Rose

When Knights of the Black Rose enters, you become the monarch.
Whenever an opponent becomes the monarch, if you were the monarch as the turn began, that player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

Kambal, Profiteering Mayor

Whenever one or more tokens your opponents control enter, for each of them, create a tapped token that's a copy of it. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Whenever one or more tokens you control enter, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Debt to the Deathless

Each opponent loses two times X life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.

Isolated Chapel

Isolated Chapel enters tapped unless you control a Plains or a Swamp.
{T}: Add {W} or {B}.

Aurora of Emrakul

Flying, deathtouch
Whenever Aurora of Emrakul attacks, each opponent loses 3 life.

Cryptolith Fragment

Cryptolith Fragment enters tapped.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Each player loses 1 life.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if each player has 10 or less life, transform Cryptolith Fragment.

Cryptolith Fragment // Aurora of Emrakul

Circle of Affliction

As Circle of Affliction enters, choose a color.
Whenever a source of the chosen color deals damage to you, you may pay {1}. If you do, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Zof Bloodbog

Zof Bloodbog enters tapped.
{T}: Add {B}.

Zof Consumption

Each opponent loses 4 life and you gain 4 life.

Zof Consumption // Zof Bloodbog

Ayara, First of Locthwain

Whenever Ayara, First of Locthwain or another black creature you control enters, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
{T}, Sacrifice another black creature: Draw a card.

Syndic of Tithes

Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay {W/B}. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.)

Spelltithe Enforcer

Whenever an opponent casts a spell, that player sacrifices a permanent of their choice unless they pay {1}.

Kambal, Consul of Allocation

Whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, that player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

Indulging Patrician

Flying
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
At the beginning of your end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, each opponent loses 3 life.

Sanguine Bond

Whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life.

Damnable Pact

Target player draws X cards and loses X life.

Drana's Emissary

Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Pulsemage Advocate

{T}: Return three target cards from an opponent's graveyard to their hand. Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Paradise Plume

As Paradise Plume enters, choose a color.
Whenever a player casts a spell of the chosen color, you may gain 1 life.
{T}: Add one mana of the chosen color.

Soot Imp

Flying
Whenever a player casts a nonblack spell, that player loses 1 life.

Teyo, Geometric Tactician

When Teyo, Geometric Tactician enters, create a 0/4 white Wall creature token with defender and flying.
+1: You and target opponent each draw a card.
−2: Choose left or right. Until your next turn, each player may attack only the nearest opponent in the last chosen direction and planeswalkers controlled by that opponent.

Curse of Vengeance

Enchant player
Whenever enchanted player casts a spell, put a spite counter on Curse of Vengeance.
When enchanted player loses the game, you gain X life and draw X cards, where X is the number of spite counters on Curse of Vengeance.

Swamp

Bond of Agony

As an additional cost to cast this spell, pay X life.
Each other player loses X life.

Secret Rendezvous

You and target opponent each draw three cards.

Temple of Silence

This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
{T}: Add {W} or {B}.

Sarevok, Deathbringer

At the beginning of each player's end step, if no permanents left the battlefield this turn, that player loses X life, where X is Sarevok's power.
Choose a Background (You can have a Background as a second commander.)

Grim Guardian

Constellation — Whenever Grim Guardian or another enchantment you control enters, each opponent loses 1 life.

Peer into the Abyss

Target player draws cards equal to half the number of cards in their library and loses half their life. Round up each time.

Marauding Blight-Priest

Whenever you gain life, each opponent loses 1 life.

Rewards of Diversity

Whenever an opponent casts a multicolored spell, you gain 4 life.

Fumigate

Destroy all creatures. You gain 1 life for each creature destroyed this way.

Blood Reckoning

Whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, that creature's controller loses 1 life.

Ghirapur Orrery

Each player may play an additional land on each of their turns.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, if that player has no cards in hand, that player draws three cards.

Court of Ambition

When Court of Ambition enters, you become the monarch.
At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent loses 3 life unless they discard a card. If you're the monarch, instead each opponent loses 6 life unless they discard two cards.

Aurification

Whenever a creature deals damage to you, put a gold counter on it.
Each creature with a gold counter on it is a Wall in addition to its other creature types and has defender. (Those creatures can't attack.)
When Aurification leaves the battlefield, remove all gold counters from all creatures.

Great Unclean One

Reverberating Summons — At the beginning of your end step, each opponent loses 2 life. Then for each opponent who has less life than you, create a 1/3 black Demon creature token named Plaguebearer of Nurgle.

Hopeless Nightmare

When Hopeless Nightmare enters, each opponent discards a card and loses 2 life.
When Hopeless Nightmare is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, scry 2.
{2}{B}: Sacrifice Hopeless Nightmare.

Soul Warden

Whenever another creature enters, you gain 1 life.

Passageway Seer

Lifelink
When Passageway Seer enters, you take the initiative.
At the beginning of your end step, if you have the initiative, put a +1/+1 counter on Passageway Seer.

Flumph

Defender, flying
Whenever Flumph is dealt damage, you and target opponent each draw a card.

Vizkopa Guildmage

{1}{W}{B}: Target creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
{1}{W}{B}: Whenever you gain life this turn, each opponent loses that much life.

Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff

Whenever a player casts their second spell each turn, you lose 1 life and create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.")

Zenith Chronicler

Whenever a player casts their first multicolored spell each turn, each other player draws a card.

Disenchant

Oppression

Whenever a player casts a spell, that player discards a card.

Ghoulish Impetus

Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1, has deathtouch, and is goaded.
When enchanted creature dies, return Ghoulish Impetus to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step.

White Plume Adventurer

When White Plume Adventurer enters, you take the initiative.
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, untap a creature you control. If you've completed a dungeon, untap all creatures you control instead.

Shineshadow Snarl

As Shineshadow Snarl enters, you may reveal a Plains or Swamp card from your hand. If you don't, Shineshadow Snarl enters tapped.
{T}: Add {W} or {B}.

Mage Hunter

Whenever an opponent casts or copies an instant or sorcery spell, they lose 1 life.

Skull Storm

When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you've cast your commander from the command zone this game.
Each opponent sacrifices a creature of their choice. Each opponent who can't loses half their life, rounded up.

Pain's Reward

Each player may bid life. You start the bidding with a bid of any number. In turn order, each player may top the high bid. The bidding ends if the high bid stands. The high bidder loses life equal to the high bid and draws four cards.

Twilight Prophet

Flying
Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have the city's blessing, reveal the top card of your library and put it into your hand. Each opponent loses X life and you gain X life, where X is that card's mana value.

Curse of Wizardry

As Curse of Wizardry enters, choose a color.
Whenever a player casts a spell of the chosen color, that player loses 1 life.

Plains

Insatiable Avarice

Spree (Choose one or more additional costs.)
+ {2} — Search your library for a card, then shuffle and put that card on top.
+ {B}{B} — Target player draws three cards and loses 3 life.

Hissing Miasma

Whenever a creature attacks you, its controller loses 1 life.

Gríma Wormtongue

Your opponents can't gain life.
{T}, Sacrifice another creature: Target player loses 1 life. If the sacrificed creature was legendary, amass Orcs 2.

Amalia Benavides Aguirre

Ward—Pay 3 life.
Whenever you gain life, Amalia Benavides Aguirre explores. Then destroy all other creatures if its power is exactly 20. (To have this creature explore, reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)

Laser Screwdriver

{T}: Add one mana of any color.
{1}, {T}: Tap target artifact.
{2}, {T}: Surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)
{3}, {T}: Goad target creature. (Until your next turn, it attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)

Keen Duelist

At the beginning of your upkeep, you and target opponent each reveal the top card of your library. You each lose life equal to the mana value of the card revealed by the other player. You each put the card you revealed into your hand.

Rankle, Master of Pranks

Flying, haste
Whenever Rankle, Master of Pranks deals combat damage to a player, choose any number —
• Each player discards a card.
• Each player loses 1 life and draws a card.
• Each player sacrifices a creature of their choice.

Bloodthirsty Blade

Equipped creature gets +2/+0 and is goaded. (It attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)
{1}: Attach Bloodthirsty Blade to target creature an opponent controls. Activate only as a sorcery.

Basilica Guards

Defender
Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay {W/B}. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.)