Drain

Effects that simultaneously drain life from opponents and gain life for you, leveraging the symmetric swing as both stabilization and a clock. Gray Merchant of Asphodel hits each opponent for devotion on entry, Kokusho, the Evening Star drains five on death, Drana's Emissary ticks one each upkeep, and Sanguine Bond plus Exquisite Blood form an infinite loop converting any life change into more drain. Distinct from lifegain.lifegain_source, which only gains life without affecting opponents, and from lifegain.lifegain_payoff, which rewards the gain event without causing opponents to lose life. Aristocrat-style death drains live in sacrifice rather than here.