What it does
Body Thief isn't a keyword ability—it's a specific creature card, "Thieving Amalgam"... actually, the card you mean is Body Thief from Mirage. It's a black creature whose ability reads: at the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature. If you can't, sacrifice Body Thief itself. When you sacrifice a creature this way, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Body Thief.
The nuance players miss: the sacrifice is mandatory, not optional. Each upkeep you must feed it a creature, and the counter is the only optional part. If you have no other creatures, Body Thief eats itself.
In Commander, it's a niche, dated card with a steep cost—you're losing a creature every turn just to grow one body. It pairs awkwardly with token generators or recursion, but generally isn't competitive. Treat it as a flavorful relic rather than a build-around.
Iconic cards with Body Thief
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