Help Me Make My Dream Creature: Part 1b

[SpencerForHire]

For reference;

?

Creature - ?
At the beginning of your upkeep you may reveal the top card of your library, if you do lose life equal to it's converted mana cost; all other creatures get -X/-X where X is equal to the life lost in this way.
Whenever a creature is put into the graveyard gain 1 life.
P/T: ?/?


The conclusion is that this creature will have a relatively smaller body if the ability is optional.  Similarly, if we remove the life gain the body will also get smaller.

[SpencerForHire]

I'd like it if more people voted on this before I came to a conclusion.  I'll give this another 24 hours or so before I move on to the next part.

Edit:  I think if this gets just a little more popular, I'll talk to some of TMDs better artists and have an art contest for the finished card.

[Anusien]

I don't like the life gain; I get the synergy but I think it costs the card too much.  Also, I like the tension created by self destructive cards like this or Bob.  However, without that the card isn't gold.

[SpencerForHire]

The reason it is black and white is the same reason it would need the life gain (IMO).  otherwise it is very out of flavor for a partially white card to be totally self destructive.

Looking at cards in black and white.  Many of them cost your opponent while netting you an equal gain...

Council of Orzhov
Agent of Masks
Gerrards Verdict

All of these show a similar example of life gain.  In my opinion, it is EXTREMELY balanced if the life loss is forced every turn to gain me a single life per creature killed.  It will never give me more life than I already had after maybe the first trigger.