Essential

K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth

({B/P} can be paid with either {B} or 2 life.)
Lifelink
For each {B} in a cost, you may pay 2 life rather than pay that mana.
Whenever you cast a black spell, put a +1/+1 counter on K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth.

Elenda and Azor

Flying, ward {2}
Whenever Elenda and Azor attacks, you may pay {X}{W}{U}{B}. If you do, draw X cards.
At the beginning of each end step, you may pay 4 life. If you do, create a number of 1/1 black Vampire Knight creature tokens with lifelink equal to the number of cards you've drawn this turn.

Swamp

Jwar Isle Refuge

Jwar Isle Refuge enters tapped.
When Jwar Isle Refuge enters, you gain 1 life.
{T}: Add {U} or {B}.

Maybe 🤔 

Survival Cache

You gain 2 life. Then if you have more life than an opponent, draw a card.
Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)

Creeping Bloodsucker

At the beginning of your upkeep, Creeping Bloodsucker deals 1 damage to each opponent. You gain life equal to the damage dealt this way.

Fractured Realm

If a triggered ability of a permanent you control triggers, that ability triggers an additional time.
(You may cast either half. That door unlocks on the battlefield. As a sorcery, you may pay the mana cost of a locked door to unlock it.)

Mirror Room

When you unlock this door, create a token that's a copy of target creature you control, except it's a Reflection in addition to its other creature types.
(You may cast either half. That door unlocks on the battlefield. As a sorcery, you may pay the mana cost of a locked door to unlock it.)

Mirror Room // Fractured Realm

Venser's Journal

You have no maximum hand size.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 1 life for each card in your hand.

Wall of Reverence

Defender, flying
At the beginning of your end step, you may gain life equal to the power of target creature you control.

Sol Ring

Beacon of Immortality

Double target player's life total. Shuffle Beacon of Immortality into its owner's library.

Restless Fortress

Restless Fortress enters tapped.
{T}: Add {W} or {B}.
{2}{W}{B}: Restless Fortress becomes a 1/4 white and black Nightmare creature until end of turn. It's still a land.
Whenever Restless Fortress attacks, defending player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

Warrior

Ripples of Undeath

At the beginning of your first main phase, mill three cards. Then you may pay {1} and 3 life. If you do, put a card from among those cards into your hand.

Soul's Attendant

Whenever another creature enters, you may gain 1 life.

Aetherflux Reservoir

Whenever you cast a spell, you gain 1 life for each spell you've cast this turn.
Pay 50 life: Aetherflux Reservoir deals 50 damage to any target.

Teferi's Protection

Until your next turn, your life total can't change and you gain protection from everything. All permanents you control phase out. (While they're phased out, they're treated as though they don't exist. They phase in before you untap during your untap step.)
Exile Teferi's Protection.

Wall of Blood

Defender (This creature can't attack.)
Pay 1 life: Wall of Blood gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Sorin, Ravenous Neonate

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.)
+2: Create a Food token.
−1: Sorin, Ravenous Neonate deals damage equal to the amount of life you gained this turn to any target.
−6: Gain control of target creature. It becomes a Vampire in addition to its other types. Put a lifelink counter on it if you control a white permanent other than that creature or Sorin.

Sorin of House Markov

Lifelink
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.)
At the beginning of each of your postcombat main phases, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, exile Sorin of House Markov, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control.

Sorin of House Markov // Sorin, Ravenous Neonate

Serra Ascendant

Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
As long as you have 30 or more life, Serra Ascendant gets +5/+5 and has flying.

Brokers Hideout

When Brokers Hideout enters, sacrifice it. When you do, search your library for a basic Forest, Plains, or Island card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle and you gain 1 life.

Needlebite Trap

If an opponent gained life this turn, you may pay {B} rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Target player loses 5 life and you gain 5 life.

Plains

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

Whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life.
{3}{B}{B}: Creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn.

Erebos, God of the Dead

Indestructible
As long as your devotion to black is less than five, Erebos isn't a creature. (Each {B} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to black.)
Your opponents can't gain life.
{1}{B}, Pay 2 life: Draw a card.

Fetid Heath

{T}: Add {C}.
{W/B}, {T}: Add {W}{W}, {W}{B}, or {B}{B}.

Arcane Sanctum

Arcane Sanctum enters tapped.
{T}: Add {W}, {U}, or {B}.

Voice of the Blessed

Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Voice of the Blessed.
As long as Voice of the Blessed has four or more +1/+1 counters on it, it has flying and vigilance.
As long as Voice of the Blessed has ten or more +1/+1 counters on it, it has indestructible.

Kokusho, the Evening Star

Flying
When Kokusho, the Evening Star dies, each opponent loses 5 life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.

Bloodsoaked Altar

{T}, Pay 2 life, Discard a card, Sacrifice a creature: Create a 5/5 black Demon creature token with flying. Activate only as a sorcery.

Shapeshifter

Cleric Class

(Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.)
If you would gain life, you gain that much life plus 1 instead.
{3}{W}: Level 2
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
{4}{W}: Level 3
When this Class becomes level 3, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. You gain life equal to that creature's toughness.

Ormendahl, Profane Prince

Westvale Abbey

{T}: Add {C}.
{5}, {T}, Pay 1 life: Create a 1/1 white and black Human Cleric creature token.
{5}, {T}, Sacrifice five creatures: Transform Westvale Abbey, then untap it.

Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince

Meathook Massacre II

When Meathook Massacre II enters, each player sacrifices X creatures of their choice.
Whenever a creature you control dies, you may pay 3 life. If you do, return that card under your control with a finality counter on it.
Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, they may pay 3 life. If they don't, return that card under your control with a finality counter on it.

Divinity of Pride

Flying, lifelink
Divinity of Pride gets +4/+4 as long as you have 25 or more life.

Scoured Barrens

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

Evolving Wilds

{T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Righteous Aura

{W}, Pay 2 life: The next time a source of your choice would deal damage to you this turn, prevent that damage.

Underworld Connections

Enchant land
Enchanted land has "{T}, Pay 1 life: Draw a card."

Horse

Chromatic Lantern

Lands you control have "{T}: Add one mana of any color."
{T}: Add one mana of any color.

Oloro, Ageless Ascetic

At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 2 life.
Whenever you gain life, you may pay {1}. If you do, draw a card and each opponent loses 1 life.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Oloro, Ageless Ascetic is in the command zone, you gain 2 life.

Rodolf Duskbringer

Flying, deathtouch, lifelink
Whenever you gain life, Rodolf Duskbringer gains indestructible until end of turn.
At the beginning of your end step, you may pay {1}{W/B}. When you do, return target creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.

Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor

Whenever a creature deals combat damage to one of your opponents, its controller may pay 1 life. If they do, they draw a card.
{4}{B}{B}{B}, Discard X cards: Exile the top X cards of target opponent's library. You may play lands and cast spells from among cards exiled this way without paying their mana costs.

Heliod, Sun-Crowned

Indestructible
As long as your devotion to white is less than five, Heliod isn't a creature.
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature or enchantment you control.
{1}{W}: Another target creature gains lifelink until end of turn.

Sun Droplet

Whenever you're dealt damage, put that many charge counters on Sun Droplet.
At the beginning of each upkeep, you may remove a charge counter from Sun Droplet. If you do, you gain 1 life.

Contaminated Landscape

{T}: Add {C}.
{T}, Sacrifice Contaminated Landscape: Search your library for a basic Plains, Island, or Swamp card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Cycling {W}{U}{B} ({W}{U}{B}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Food

{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.

Lim-Dûl's Vault

Look at the top five cards of your library. As many times as you choose, you may pay 1 life, put those cards on the bottom of your library in any order, then look at the top five cards of your library. Then shuffle and put the last cards you looked at this way on top in any order.

Treasure

{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.

Leyline of Hope

If Leyline of Hope is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
If you would gain life, you gain that much life plus 1 instead.
As long as you have at least 7 life more than your starting life total, creatures you control get +2/+2.

Phyrexian Reclamation

{1}{B}, Pay 2 life: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Crested Sunmare

Other Horses you control have indestructible.
At the beginning of each end step, if you gained life this turn, create a 5/5 white Horse creature token.

Valkyrie Harbinger

Flying
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
At the beginning of each end step, if you gained 4 or more life this turn, create a 4/4 white Angel creature token with flying and vigilance.

Island

True Conviction

Creatures you control have double strike and lifelink.

Fumigate

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

Eye of Vecna

When Eye of Vecna enters, you draw a card and you lose 2 life.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may pay {2}. If you do, you draw a card and you lose 2 life.

Tranquil Cove

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

Cosmos Elixir

At the beginning of your end step, draw a card if your life total is greater than your starting life total. Otherwise, you gain 2 life.

Anrakyr the Traveller

Lord of the Pyrrhian Legions — Whenever Anrakyr the Traveller attacks, you may cast an artifact spell from your hand or graveyard by paying life equal to its mana value rather than paying its mana cost.

Rhox Faithmender

Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
If you would gain life, you gain twice that much life instead.

Pristine Talisman

Commander's Sphere

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.
Sacrifice Commander's Sphere: Draw a card.

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.

Bloodtracker

Flying
{B}, Pay 2 life: Put a +1/+1 counter on Bloodtracker.
When Bloodtracker leaves the battlefield, draw a card for each +1/+1 counter on it.

Font of Agonies

Whenever you pay life, put that many blood counters on Font of Agonies.
{1}{B}, Remove four blood counters from Font of Agonies: Destroy target creature.

Vile Consumption

All creatures have "At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this creature unless you pay 1 life."

Sunscorch Regent

Flying
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Sunscorch Regent and you gain 1 life.

Awakening Hall

When you unlock this door, return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
(You may cast either half. That door unlocks on the battlefield. As a sorcery, you may pay the mana cost of a locked door to unlock it.)

Funeral Room

Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
(You may cast either half. That door unlocks on the battlefield. As a sorcery, you may pay the mana cost of a locked door to unlock it.)

Funeral Room // Awakening Hall

Chalice of Death

Chalice of Life

{T}: You gain 1 life. Then if you have at least 10 life more than your starting life total, transform Chalice of Life.

Chalice of Life // Chalice of Death

Tivash, Gloom Summoner

Lifelink
At the beginning of your end step, if you gained life this turn, you may pay X life, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn. If you do, create an X/X black Demon creature token with flying.

Verrak, Warped Sengir

Flying, deathtouch, lifelink
Whenever you activate an ability that isn't a mana ability, if life was paid to activate it, you may pay that much life again. If you do, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.

Blood Artist

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

Black Market Connections

At the beginning of your first main phase, choose one or more —
• Sell Contraband — Create a Treasure token. You lose 1 life.
• Buy Information — Draw a card. You lose 2 life.
• Hire a Mercenary — Create a 3/2 colorless Shapeshifter creature token with changeling. You lose 3 life. (It has every creature type.)

Plague of Vermin

Starting with you, each player may pay any amount of life. Repeat this process until no one pays life. Each player creates a 1/1 black Rat creature token for each 1 life they paid this way.

Grimclimb Pathway

Brightclimb Pathway

Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway

Black Market

Whenever a creature dies, put a charge counter on Black Market.
At the beginning of your first main phase, add {B} for each charge counter on Black Market.

Nuka-Cola Vending Machine

{1}, {T}: Create a Food token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.")
Whenever you sacrifice a Food, create a tapped Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.")

Bastion of Remembrance

When Bastion of Remembrance enters, create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token.
Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Angel

Caduceus, Staff of Hermes

Equipped creature has lifelink.
As long as you have 30 or more life, equipped creature gets +5/+5 and has indestructible and "Prevent all damage that would be dealt to this creature."
Equip {W}{W}

Regna, the Redeemer

Partner with Krav, the Unredeemed (When this creature enters, target player may put Krav into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
Flying
At the beginning of each end step, if your team gained life this turn, create two 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens.

Debt to the Deathless

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

Bolas's Citadel

You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may play lands and cast spells from the top of your library. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its mana value rather than pay its mana cost.
{T}, Sacrifice ten nonland permanents: Each opponent loses 10 life.

Don't Have

Blighted Steppe

{T}: Add {C}.
{3}{W}, {T}, Sacrifice Blighted Steppe: You gain 2 life for each creature you control.

Cleric of Life's Bond

Whenever another Cleric you control enters, you gain 1 life.
Whenever you gain life for the first time each turn, put a +1/+1 counter on Cleric of Life's Bond.

Obscura Storefront

When Obscura Storefront enters, sacrifice it. When you do, search your library for a basic Plains, Island, or Swamp card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle and you gain 1 life.

Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim

Deathtouch
Whenever another creature you control enters, you gain 1 life.
Whenever another creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life.

Rune-Tail's Essence

Prevent all damage that would be dealt to creatures you control.

Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant

When you have 30 or more life, flip Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant.

Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence

Well of Lost Dreams

Whenever you gain life, you may pay {X}, where X is less than or equal to the amount of life you gained. If you do, draw X cards.

Valgavoth, Terror Eater

Flying, lifelink
Ward—Sacrifice three nonland permanents.
If a card you didn't control would be put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
During your turn, you may play cards exiled with Valgavoth. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its mana value rather than pay its mana cost.

Felidar Sovereign

Vigilance (Attacking doesn't cause this creature to tap.)
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 40 or more life, you win the game.

Priest of Fell Rites

{T}, Pay 3 life, Sacrifice Priest of Fell Rites: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate only as a sorcery.
Unearth {3}{W}{B} ({3}{W}{B}: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step or if it would leave the battlefield. Unearth only as a sorcery.)

Xander's Pact

Casualty 2 (As you cast this spell, you may sacrifice a creature with power 2 or greater. When you do, copy this spell.)
Each opponent exiles the top card of their library. You may cast spells from among those cards this turn. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to that spell's mana value rather than pay its mana cost.