The Battlefield

Gray Merchant of Asphodel

$1.62

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

$21.86

Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

$34.66

AI DraftFeb 26, 2026

Gray Merchant of Asphodel + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

Overview

With Mikaeus on the battlefield, Gray Merchant is a non-Human creature that gets +1/+1 and undying from Mikaeus, and when it enters it triggers its life-drain ability which uses your devotion to black . Yawgmoth can sacrifice another creature to put a -1/-1 counter on Gray Merchant; if that makes Gray Merchant’s toughness 0 or less it’s put into its owner’s graveyard as a state-based action , and undying (if it had no +1/+1 counters) will trigger to return it with a +1/+1 counter . The result: you can get Gray Merchant’s ETB drain once on initial entry and again when it returns via undying (after which it has a +1/+1 counter and undying won’t bring it back a second time) — Yawgmoth’s ability is the usual way to force the first death by applying -1/-1 counters while sacrificing another creature [Ruling 2021-03-19].

Step 1

Gray Merchant of Asphodel enters the battlefield; its triggered ability “When this creature enters…” triggers (that ability will cause each opponent to lose X life, where X is your devotion to black) .

Step 2

Because Mikaeus, the Unhallowed is on the battlefield, Gray Merchant is a non-Human creature that gets +1/+1 and undying from Mikaeus’s static ability; note that Mikaeus’s +1/+1 bonus is a continuous effect, not a +1/+1 counter .

Step 3

The Gray Merchant enter-the-battlefield triggered ability goes on the stack and will resolve in turn unless responded to; it will cause opponents to lose life and you to gain life equal to the life lost (you gain the total life lost) [119.3a and Ruling 2021-03-19].

Step 4

Activate Yawgmoth, Thran Physician’s first ability, paying 1 life and sacrificing another creature to put a -1/-1 counter on Gray Merchant (you may choose Gray Merchant as the target for the counter) and draw a card [Ruling 2021-03-19].

Step 5

If the added -1/-1 counter(s) reduce Gray Merchant’s toughness to 0 or less, state-based actions will put it into its owner’s graveyard .

Step 6

When Gray Merchant dies and it had no +1/+1 counters on it, undying (granted by Mikaeus) triggers; when that triggered ability resolves, Gray Merchant returns to the battlefield under its owner’s control with a +1/+1 counter on it [701.12 and Ruling 2018-12-07].

Step 7

Because Gray Merchant returned to the battlefield, it is a new object and its enter-the-battlefield ability triggers again, giving you a second drain when that triggered ability resolves [700.5 and 119.3a].

Step 8

After the return it now has a +1/+1 counter on it; if it dies again it will not return via undying (because it will have had a +1/+1 counter when it died) .

Step 9

If any drain reduces an opponent to 0 or less life, that opponent loses the game as a state-based action .

Resolution

If you control Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Gray Merchant enters with Mikaeus’s static effects (including the +1/+1 bonus and undying) and its “when this creature enters” ability triggers; that ability uses X = your devotion to black . If you then use Yawgmoth, Thran Physician’s sacrifice ability (sacrificing another creature) to put enough -1/-1 counters on Gray Merchant to reduce its toughness to 0 or less, it will be put into its owner’s graveyard as a state-based action . Because it died without any +1/+1 counters on it (Mikaeus’s +1/+1 bonus is not a +1/+1 counter), undying will trigger and, when that triggered ability resolves, Gray Merchant returns with a +1/+1 counter (see ruling [2018-12-07]). When Gray Merchant re-enters it will trigger its enter-the-battlefield ability again, giving you a second drain. Yawgmoth’s ability may be activated without choosing a target just to draw a card [Ruling 2021-03-19]. If the drains reduce an opponent to 0 or less life, they lose the game as a state-based action .

Feedback