Tyrannical Pitlord
A 6/6 flyer with trample for six mana is a serviceable body, but the entry and the departure here are welded together into a contract with a repossession clause. As the Demon lands, a replacement effect hands another creature you control +3/+3 and flying; the moment the Demon dies, gets exiled, or leaves any other way, that creature is sacrificed alongside it. What reads as a buff is collateral you have posted. Black demons have paid for their power in life, cards, or upkeep triggers going back to the earliest sets; the tax this time is that the pact you sign on entry becomes a liability your opponent can trigger by removing the Demon. Kill the Pitlord and the pumped creature dies too, so a single removal spell nets a two-for-one against you. That reframes deployment: the smart target is often a creature you would happily lose rather than the crown jewel of your board. The entry effect is a replacement, not a stack ability, so opponents cannot counter or respond to the choice itself; their only interaction is with the Demon's presence afterward. And "leaves the battlefield" is broad, catching bounce and flicker as readily as death, so the reactive answer is not always a kill spell. Present tempo (two evasive threats swinging now) is weighed against a stapled-on downside that outlasts the Demon's usefulness.


