sages of /tg/ i seek your advice

i am trying to build a cube and i want the rakdos theme to be life-drain aggro. my vision for it is a combination of effects/payoffs concerning
- paying life
- dealing direct damage
- draining life
- preventing life gain

I haven't picked out many cards yet but I was looking at a couple like Skullcrack. In my search I couldn't really find a BR gold card that can serve as a "signpost" for this theme. Can anyone help me out?

Picrel is along the lines I'm looking for but it doesn't really work as a signpost unless the *entire format* has Start Your Engines in it, which I'm not really into.