Tyrannize MTG Card

Tyrannize offers control by forcing discards or life loss, shifting game advantage swiftly. Instant speed enables surprise tactics, impacting opponent’s strategy at critical moments. Costs and color specificity can hinder deck inclusion, requiring careful mana management.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Released	2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Shadowmoor
Set code	SHM
Number	201
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mark Tedin

Text of card

Target player discards his or her hand unless he or she pays 7 life.

"I can stab you where it hurts, or where you will feel absolutely nothing." —Illulia of Nighthearth

Cards like Tyrannize

Tyrannize standing out in the space of punishing opponents in Magic: The Gathering. It shares thematic ground with cards like Browbeat, offering opponents a tough choice – the acceptance of damage or the allowance of card advantage. Tyrannize escalates this dynamic by demanding seven life or surrender of their hand. On a parallel with Pain’s Reward, another choice-driven card, where players bid life to gain cards. But, with Tyrannize, the toll is fixed and steep, favoring a strategy that forces opponents into difficult positions early on.

Considering Dash Hopes, another punishing card, it gives your opponent the choice of letting a spell be countered or losing 5 life. Tyrannize delivers a more significant threat since the loss of an entire hand can be far more devastating than a single spell being countered. Finally, examining Lobotomy, which targets a player’s hand in a different way by exiling cards of a chosen name, Tyrannize’s potential to impact the entire hand reveals its unique strength in disrupting opponent strategies.

The strategy behind Tyrannize warrants attention for its capacity to force opponents into game-changing decisions. In contrast to other cards that offer choices, Tyrannize applies massive pressure that can alter the course of a game, cementing its place in MTG as a powerful option for control and psychological play.

Cards similar to Tyrannize by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tyrannize offers a significant edge by forcing your opponent to either discard their hand, potentially stripping them of multiple resources, or take a substantial hit to their life total. This can give you a comfortable lead in the control of the game’s flow.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly offering mana acceleration, Tyrannize can indirectly accelerate your resources. If your opponent chooses to discard their hand, the path is cleared for you to deploy threats without concern for counterspells or removal, effectively speeding up your game plan.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Tyrannize allows for strategic flexibility. You can end-step cast it to maximize the pressure on your opponent’s resources, ensuring that they have less time to recover or to utilize beneficial card effects. It fits neatly into a reactive game where timing can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This enchantment obliges players to discard a card, which could deplete your hand when you might need those cards to respond to your opponent’s moves or to develop your own strategy on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Tyrannize comes with a mana cost that includes black mana, making it restrictive for decks that are not built around this color, potentially causing mana base consistency issues in multi-colored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Priced at a total of five mana, including a double black mana requirement, Tyrannize might come into play later than desired. Other spells or abilities could provide similar effects or disrupt your opponents with less investment and more flexibility.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tyrannize is a powerful tool, suitable for decks that aim to disrupt opponents’ hands while advancing their own board state. Its ability to force an opponent to discard half their hand, rounded up, makes it a formidable inclusion in various control and midrange strategies.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in settings that leverage hand disruption for strategic advantage. Pairing Tyrannize with other cards that capitalize on your opponents’ reduced hand size can create potent combinations that tilt the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: Given its disruptive nature, Tyrannize can be particularly effective if the current meta is dense with combo or control decks. Its use can put pressure on opponents, forcing them to play with fewer resources and giving you a decisive edge in the match.

How to beat

Tyrannize is a powerful card that can put immense pressure on your opponent in Magic: The Gathering. To effectively counter Tyrannize, a good strategy could involve utilizing cards that mitigate loss of life or replenish your hand. Cards like Obstinate Baloth or Loxodon Smiter that benefit from being discarded are optimal choices, as they can be played without costing you mana if discarded due to an opponent’s spell.

Another strategy is to focus on cards that allow you to draw more cards, such as Harmonize or Thriving Grubs, maintaining your hand size and lessening the impact of Tyrannize’s discarding effect. Additionally, running instant-speed removal and counterspells like Negate or Dismember can preemptively deal with Tyrannize before it takes effect, keeping you firmly in control of the game.

Calculated sideboarding is also key against Tyrannize. Cards such as Leyline of Sanctity can provide you with hexproof, directly countering Tyrannize’s coercive discard mechanic, ensuring your hand remains intact. Remember, an early game advantage and proactive responses can turn the tide against Tyrannize’s intimidating presence on the battlefield.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tyrannize MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Tyrannize and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tyrannize has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal