Dark Favor

Three power for two mana, dressed up as an Aura: the math is aggressive, and the small drawbacks are exactly what a designer adds when the raw rate would otherwise be over the line. A flat +3/+1 turns a one-drop into a four-power threat the turn after it lands, which is precisely the kind of acceleration that wins races. The single life lost on entry is a token tax, a reminder that black pays in life for everything, but it also nudges the card toward the aggressive shells that least mind the cost. The real friction is the one not printed in a clause: this is an Aura, so the two-for-one risk lives in the card type itself. Bounce the creature, kill it in response, or simply trade it in combat, and the buff goes with it. That structural fragility is the oldest balancing lever in the Aura design book, the reason a +3/+1 can be sold for two mana while a comparable equipment or instant pump would cost more or do less. The asymmetric +3/+1 spread matters too: the heavy power and light toughness say this enchantment is built to push damage through, not to win fights it would otherwise lose.