Legendary Creature — Phyrexian Horror Minion

K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth

Mana value7EDHREC#1,066

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The Commander

( {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.

Guide

Gameplan

Cast K'rrik early (paying 14 life via Phyrexian mana), then convert your life total into a mana resource by paying 2 life for every black pip. Chain huge black spells, drain rituals, and tutors in a single explosive turn while K'rrik grows with every cast. You win by comboing off or deploying overwhelming threats faster than mono-black can normally afford.

Strengths

Effectively doubles or triples your mana by spending life on every black symbol, enabling absurd turns
Mono-black gives unmatched tutor density to assemble any combo or answer
Lifelink plus lifegain keeps your life-as-mana engine refueled
Snowballs into a real beater via the +1/+1 counters on every black cast

Weaknesses

Life payment makes you extremely vulnerable to burn, life-loss punishers, and your own greed
No native card advantage or ramp built in beyond the cost reduction
Color-locked to black, so no counterspells or efficient artifact/enchantment removal
Aggressive life spending means a single Wound Reflection or aggro board can end you

Key Cards

Bolas's Citadel — Lets you cast off the top of your library paying life, turning K'rrik's engine into explosive card advantage and a 10-life finisher.
Aetherflux Reservoir — Pairs with lifelink and life payments to both refill life and snipe opponents for 50 damage.
Sanguine Bond — With a life-doubler or drain it forms a two-card loop to drain the whole table.
Exquisite Blood — Combos with Sanguine Bond for an infinite life-drain kill that mono-black can easily tutor up.
Bubbling Muck — A ritual that ramps hard, and with K'rrik its black pips become nearly free.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose — A redundant Sanguine Bond effect and another lifegain-into-damage finisher.
Vilis, Broker of Blood — Turns your life payments into massive card draw, a perfect partner for the life-as-mana plan.

Upgrade Path

Add fast mana that survives life payment (Dark Ritual, Cabal Coffers, Nykthos) and life-replenishment like Whip of Erebos or Crypt Ghast to sustain the engine. Tighten the combo package—Bolas's Citadel, Aetherflux Reservoir, Sanguine Bond/Exquisite Blood—plus tutors like Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, and Diabolic Intent to find them. Protect K'rrik and yourself with Lightning Greaves, Imp's Mischief, and Necropotence-style draw to keep cards flowing.

Core Cards

The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.

Win Conditions

▸Sanguine Bond/Vito + Exquisite Blood for an infinite life-drain loop
▸Aetherflux Reservoir sniping each opponent for 50
▸Bolas's Citadel plus an X-spell or mana loop to drain or burn the table
▸Beating down with a giant K'rrik backed by evasion and protection

Archetypes

Combo — K'rrik's life-as-mana enables fast, repeatable kill loops with Sanguine Bond/Exquisite Blood and infinite-mana shells.
Spellslinger — Every black spell is cheaper and grows the commander, rewarding dense, cheap spell chains.
Aristocrats — Drain effects, sacrifice payoffs, and lifegain synergize with the deck's life-manipulation theme.
Control — Black's tutors and removal let you suite up targeted disruption and grind to a combo finish.