Vengeful Warchief — ruling 1

A player loses life if they pay life.

Vengeful Warchief — ruling 2

You put only one +1/+1 counter on Vengeful Warchief, no matter how much life you lost.

Vengeful Warchief — ruling 3

If you pay life to cast a spell or activate an ability, you don’t put a +1/+1 counter on Vengeful Warchief until after you’ve finished casting that spell or activating that ability. You put the counter on Vengeful Warchief before that spell or ability resolves.

Vengeful Warchief — ruling 4

If Vengeful Warchief comes under your control after you’ve already lost life in a turn, its ability can’t trigger during that turn.

Vengeful Warchief : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Vengeful Warchief is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Whenever you lose life for the first time each turn, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. (Damage causes loss of life.)

How it works : Vengeful Warchief

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
A player loses life if they pay life.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
You put only one +1/+1 counter on Vengeful Warchief, no matter how much life you lost.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If you pay life to cast a spell or activate an ability, you don’t put a +1/+1 counter on Vengeful Warchief until after you’ve finished casting that spell or activating that ability. You put the counter on Vengeful Warchief before that spell or ability resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If Vengeful Warchief comes under your control after you’ve already lost life in a turn, its ability can’t trigger during that turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.