You may pay 1 life and exile a black card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.

Distribute two -2/-1 counters among one or two target creatures.

When Contagion Engine enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on each creature target player controls.

, : Proliferate twice. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there. Then do it again.)