Fool's Demise MTG Card


Boosts card advantage by returning creatures, undermining your opponent’s removal efforts. Instant speed trigger disrupts opponents’ plans and upholds your game tempo. Despite Mana and cost drawbacks, its flexibility and combo potential are significant.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Text of card

Enchant creature When enchanted creature is put into a graveyard, return that creature to play under your control. When Fool's Demise is put into a graveyard from play, return Fool's Demise to its owner's hand.


Cards like Fool's Demise

Fool’s Demise is a unique Enchantment Aura in Magic: The Gathering that treads in the territory of recurring creature advantage. Functionally, it echoes the traits of cards like Unhallowed Pact and False Demise, which also return creatures to the battlefield upon destruction. The stand-out feature for Fool’s Demise is the added benefit of returning the card to the owner’s hand instead of the graveyard when the enchanted creature is destroyed, granting multiple uses.

Another parallel can be drawn with Gift of Immortality. This aura similarly brings creatures back to play after death. However, Gift of Immortality reattaches to the creature, making it a persistent threat without the need for additional mana investment, unlike Fool’s Demise which requires recasting. Then there’s the comparative Nimbus Naiad, focusing on providing utility through bestow and flight rather than resurrection, offering flexibility in gameplay but not the same level of creature retention as Fool’s Demise does.

Assessing these options, Fool’s Demise has a niche appeal, especially in decks that capitalize on repeatedly leveraging creature abilities, marking its place as a card with strategic depth and resilience in Magic: The Gathering.

Unhallowed Pact - MTG Card versions
False Demise - MTG Card versions
Gift of Immortality - MTG Card versions
Nimbus Naiad - MTG Card versions
Unhallowed Pact - MTG Card versions
False Demise - MTG Card versions
Gift of Immortality - MTG Card versions
Nimbus Naiad - MTG Card versions

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Dream Halls - MTG Card versions
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Treachery - MTG Card versions
Heightened Awareness - MTG Card versions
Sunken Hope - MTG Card versions
Ice Cave - MTG Card versions
Persuasion - MTG Card versions
Telekinetic Bonds - MTG Card versions
Reflections of Littjara - MTG Card versions
Wrath of Marit Lage - MTG Card versions
Shared Fate - MTG Card versions
Cowardice - MTG Card versions
Battle of Wits - MTG Card versions
Followed Footsteps - MTG Card versions
Biting Tether - MTG Card versions
Coma Veil - MTG Card versions
Vapor Snare - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Fool’s Demise returns the targeted creature back to the battlefield under your control, it generates significant card advantage, essentially negating your opponent’s removal spell and reviving your threat.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or tokens like some cards, Fool’s Demise can accelerate your resources by bringing back creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects or by recovering key components for your strategy without spending additional cards from your hand.

Instant Speed: Although the enchantment itself requires to be cast at sorcery speed, the triggered ability of Fool’s Demise works at instant speed. This allows for immediate impact during the combat phase or at the end of your opponent’s turn, potentially disrupting their plans and maintaining the tempo of the game in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Fool’s Demise doesn’t have a discard requirement per se, bringing back a creature can occasionally force you to choose and discard due to hand size limits at the end of your turn, especially if you’ve engineered a full grip of cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Fool’s Demise requires a combination of generic and blue mana to cast, which may prove cumbersome in multicolored decks that are mana-hungry or those that lack sufficient mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a total of five mana to cast, Fool’s Demise is an investment, especially given that some decks might offer quicker or more impactful recursion options for less mana.


Reasons to Include Fool’s Demise in Your Collection

Versatility: Fool’s Demise is a card that offers great flexibility. It’s an enchantment that can be attached to any creature, making it a useful tool in decks that rely on key creatures. Players can also return it to their hand when the creature dies, offering repeated value.

Combo Potential: In decks that capitalize on death triggers or sacrifice mechanics, this card can be a game-changer. It allows enthusiasts to reuse their most powerful creatures’ effects, or gain additional benefit from sacrificing creatures without a permanent loss.

Meta-Relevance: This card shines in environments where removal spells are prevalent. It protects your investments against opponent’s attempts to control the board, ensuring that your important creatures can come back for another round, thus keeping you competitive.


How to beat

Fool’s Demise is a unique enchantment that can really throw a wrench into your removal plan in Magic: The Gathering. This card shines by bringing creatures back from the grave after they’re destroyed, but don’t let it deter you. The key to overcoming Fool’s Demise is to bypass the destruction altogether. Utilize exile effects or cards that force your opponent to sacrifice their creatures, as these strategies prevent the triggered ability of Fool’s Demise from occurring.

Another effective strategy is to target Fool’s Demise directly with enchantment removal. This allows you to clear the path and deal with the creature as you normally would. Keep in mind that continuous enchantment control is vital, especially in formats where Fool’s Demise sees play. Disenchant, Naturalize, or even countering it before it hits the battlefield with spells like Negate can be crucial. The aim is to neutralize its recursion capability, simplifying your strategy and allowing you to maintain control.

In essence, while Fool’s Demise can seem daunting by offering a second life to your opponent’s creatures, with the right approach and some timely removal, you can easily dismantle its advantages and keep your opponent’s threats in check.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fool's Demise MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Commander 2014, 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 Fool's Demise and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Fool's Demise Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2014-11-07. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 642003NormalBlackZoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai
22014-11-07Commander 2014C14 1112015NormalBlackZoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fool's Demise has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2006-09-25 If Fool’s Demise and the enchanted creature go to the graveyard from the battlefield at the same time, both abilities will trigger.