Fruit of Tizerus MTG Card

Repeated damage from Fruit of Tizerus can steadily pressure opponents, subtly tilting the game in your favor. The Escape mechanic enhances utility, allowing repeated casting from the graveyard, maximizing card usage. Instant speed provides flexibility and surprise, enabling strategic mana allocation and response timing.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Escape
Released	2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set name	Theros Beyond Death
Set code	THB
Number	96
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Bastien L. Deharme

Text of card

Target player loses 2 life. Escape—, Exile three other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)

One spiny tree with bitter fruit grows in the realm of Tizerus, outside the palace of Erebos.

Cards like Fruit of Tizerus

Fruit of Tizerus offers a unique twist on the recurring damage mechanics in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest relatives include cards like Stab Wound and Trial of Ambition, both of which impose ongoing consequences on opponents. However, Fruit of Tizerus stands out due to its flexibility from the escape mechanic, which allows it to be played from the graveyard. Stab Wound, although it reduces a creature’s power and deals consistent damage, does not share this capability and is limited to enchanting creatures. Meanwhile, Trial of Ambition forces a one-time sacrifice without the option to repeat the effect.

The resemblance to Alms of the Vein is evident as well, with both cards inflicting direct life loss to opponents. Alms of the Vein has the advantage of impacting life totals immediately for a one-time effect, whereas Fruit of Tizerus excels in longer games, allowing you to incrementally whittle down your opponent’s health. The impact of these cards shapes the way players strategize, with Fruit of Tizerus encouraging a more enduring and subtle strategy.

Examining the strengths of similar cards in Magic: The Gathering demonstrates how Fruit of Tizerus carves its niche, particularly for prolonged matches and graveyard-centric decks. It may not deliver the quick punch of some alternatives, but its consistent damage over time and reusability can be pivotal under the right circumstances.

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Fruit of Tizerus. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

Name	Format	Archetype	Event
B	Pauper		Pauper League 2024-04-28
Mono-Black Burn	Pauper	Black Burn	Pauper League 2023-12-06
Rakdos Burn	Modern	Rakdos Burn	Modern Qualifier 2024-01-14
Decklist	Free form		79#CS
Jund Burn	Modern	Jund Burn	Modern Challenge 64 2024-01-06
Black Burn	Pauper	Black Burn	Monthly Tournament #33
Rogue Decklists	Pauper	Black Burn	Nacional Pauper 2023

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Fruit of Tizerus offers a strategic edge by providing repeated damage over time, ensuring a consistent threat that can wear down an opponent’s life total, indirectly contributing to card advantage as it may force an opponent to use resources to deal with the incremental damage.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly influencing mana, the Escape mechanic permits a player to cast Fruit of Tizerus from the graveyard, effectively using graveyard resources to apply additional pressure without expending new cards from the hand, thus conservatively accelerating the utilization of resources.

Instant Speed: Thanks to its instant speed, this card can be cast during an opponent’s turn, maintaining the element of surprise and allowing players to optimize their mana usage by keeping options open until the most strategically opportune moment.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Fruit of Tizerus requires players to discard a card, making it a potentially costly play when hand resources are already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: With its need for both black mana and additional colorless mana, this card may not easily fit into a multi-colored deck that struggles to generate the necessary mana mixture.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although it provides a steady life drain on opponents, the initial investment of three mana might seem steep when there are alternative cards offering similar effects or better value at lower mana costs.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Fruit of Tizerus offers flexibility in gameplay, as it can be a steady source of damage in long games. Its escape mechanism allows it to be played from the graveyard, making it a persistent threat that can suit a variety of black-based decks, from aggressive to control strategies.

Combo Potential: This card works well in synergistic strategies that revolve around graveyard mechanics. With its ability to return to play, it pairs effectively with cards that benefit from repeated casting or with sacrificial mechanics that can capitalize on its escape cost.

Meta-Relevance: Given the current environment where graveyard use is prevalent, Fruit of Tizerus maintains its relevance. It can be particularly effective against decks that have a hard time dealing with recurring threats. Furthermore, as a low-cost spell, it stays relevant throughout the game, from the early stages to the late game clinches.

How to beat

Fruit of Tizerus presents a unique repeated effect in Magic: The Gathering that can drain an opponent’s life total over the course of a game. To effectively counter this card, it’s important to have a strategy that mitigates its impact. One approach is utilizing lifegain effects that can offset the life lost due to its triggered ability. Cards such as Rest for the Weary or Renewed Faith can quickly recuperate the life chipped away by Fruit of Tizerus.

Another effective tactic is to remove the card or exile it from the graveyard before the escape cost can be paid. Cards with graveyard hate abilities, such as Scavenging Ooze or Tormod’s Crypt, can preemptively tackle this issue. Additionally, countering Fruit of Tizerus when it’s first cast with spells like Negate ensures that you won’t have to deal with it repeatedly. It’s a simple yet effective defensive measure against such an enduring threat.

Lastly, beating Fruit of Tizerus can also mean outpacing the incremental damage it inflicts. Aggressive decks that can apply pressure and reduce the opponent’s life total quickly will render the slow burn of Fruit of Tizerus less relevant, pushing the game to a conclusion before its effects can become decisive.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fruit of Tizerus MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Fruit of Tizerus and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fruit of Tizerus has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Fruit of Tizerus card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2020-01-24	After an escaped spell resolves, it returns to its owner’s graveyard if it’s not a permanent spell. If it is a permanent spell, it enters the battlefield and will return to its owner’s graveyard if it dies later. Perhaps it will escape again—good underworld security is so hard to come by these days.
2020-01-24	Escape’s permission doesn’t change when you may cast the spell from your graveyard.
2020-01-24	If a card has multiple abilities giving you permission to cast it, such as two escape abilities or an escape ability and a flashback ability, you choose which one to apply. The others have no effect.
2020-01-24	If a card with escape is put into your graveyard during your turn, you’ll be able to cast it right away if it’s legal to do so, before an opponent can take any actions.
2020-01-24	If you cast a spell with its escape permission, you can’t choose to apply any other alternative costs or to cast it without paying its mana cost. If it has any additional costs, you must pay those.
2020-01-24	Once you begin casting a spell with escape, it immediately moves to the stack. Players can’t take any other actions until you’re done casting the spell.
2020-01-24	To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you’re paying (such as an escape cost), add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The converted mana cost of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was and no matter whether an alternative cost was paid.