Vilis, Broker of Blood turns life loss into card draw on a one-for-one basis. Damage, life payments, and other life-loss effects can all trigger the Demon, making it a powerful engine for black decks that already treat life as a resource. Its activated ability pays two life and one black mana to give a creature -1/-1, providing a built-in way to draw cards while influencing combat or removing small creatures.
Reanimate is a particularly strong pairing. Returning Vilis with the spell puts it onto the battlefield before Reanimate's life loss occurs, allowing that loss to trigger Vilis and draw cards. K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth can create further life-payment interactions, though the combined setup asks you to carefully track how much life remains before committing to a sequence.
The draw trigger is not optional. A large loss of life can produce many cards, which is valuable until your library becomes too small or another effect punishes drawing. Life gain from Gray Merchant of Asphodel or other sources can replenish the resource that finances the engine, but gaining life does not undo the cards already drawn.
At eight mana, Vilis usually needs substantial ramp or reanimation support. Flying gives it a strong combat presence after the engine is established, yet preserving your life total remains more important than simply drawing the maximum number of cards. Use each payment with a purpose and keep enough life available to survive opposing attacks or damage after your turn ends.
