Rhystic Tutor MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Released	2000-06-05
Set symbol
Set name	Prophecy
Set code	PCY
Number	77
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dan Frazier

Key Takeaways

Offers strategic card selection, granting players more control over their game plan and increasing hand quality.
Provides flexibility with instant speed usage, enabling reactive plays and synergy with various deck types.
Presents a psychological edge by leveraging the opponent’s resources and decision-making in-game.

Text of card

Unless any player pays , search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle your library.

Any lock can be undone, any secret revealed.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rhystic Tutor grants players the potential to search for any card in their deck and add it to their hand, a powerful ability that ensures access to key pieces during a match. This vital selection process can drastically increase your hand quality, giving a strategic upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources, Rhystic Tutor’s capacity to fetch any necessary card can help you find your mana ramp options efficiently. This indirect form of resource acceleration ensures that you are not solely reliant on top-decking crucial mana sources or accelerants.

Instant Speed: Being playable at instant speed provides immense flexibility, allowing you to wait until the most opportune moment to cast Rhystic Tutor. This adaptability can catch opponents off guard and allows for the conservation of mana for counterspells or other instant-speed interactions within the same turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Rhystic Tutor demands that you discard another card from your hand, which could be a significant setback if your hand is already sparse. This cost forces you to weigh the value of searching against the potential value of the card you’re discarding.

Specific Mana Cost: This tutor comes with the stipulation of a precise mana cost comprising one black mana. This means that decks not running black mana or those with a stringent mana base may struggle to reliably cast Rhystic Tutor when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an investment of three mana to search your library for a card, Rhystic Tutor sits on the higher side of mana costs when compared to other search cards available in the game. This can make it a less attractive option in situations where mana efficiency is crucial.

Reasons to Include Rhystic Tutor in Your Collection

Versatility: Rhystic Tutor offers a unique advantage as it can slide into various deck archetypes. Its capacity to fetch any card from your library presents a valuable tool for decks that rely on specific components to execute their strategy.

Combo Potential: This card can significantly streamline combo execution by tutoring for combo pieces. Players who enjoy constructing intricate combo decks would find Rhystic Tutor an asset in achieving their game-winning conditions more consistently.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where players have expendable mana, Rhystic Tutor’s strength can shine. Its utility in finding the perfect answer or threat in response to what is prevalent in the meta makes it a pertinent choice for adaptive and reactive deck-building.

How to beat

Rhystic Tutor presents players with a unique challenge in the realm of MTG. This card allows its caster to search their library for a card and put it into their hand unless an opponent pays two mana. This indirect tax on your opponent’s resources can shift the tempo of the game dramatically, setting you up for building strong card advantage.

To counteract the strategic leverage Rhystic Tutor offers, it’s pivotal to maintain mana reserve diligently. Adequate mana will pressure the casting player to consider the likelihood of the tutor failing. Additionally, keeping instant-speed removal or counterspells on hand can mitigate potential threats before they tip the scales. Using cards like Counterspell or Stifle could directly negate the Tutor’s effect, while Red Elemental Blast or Pyroblast offer color-specific answers to the card. Aligning your strategy to anticipate Rhystic Tutor by holding back just enough resources can transform what’s originally a setback into an opportune moment to regain control.

Understanding how and when to disrupt your opponent’s plans is key to dominating the game. By strategically planning mana usage and pinpointing crucial spells for intervention, you can effectively neutralize Rhystic Tutor, keeping the playing field even, or better yet, tilted in your favor.

Cards like Rhystic Tutor

Rhystic Tutor, a card that enhances player’s strategies by tutoring for specific pieces, belongs to a unique set of cards that alter the flow of the game in MTG. It’s akin to other tutors like Diabolic Tutor, which also allows players to search their library for a card. However, Rhystic Tutor comes with a unique twist – offering opponents the chance to prevent the tutoring by paying 2 mana. Where Diabolic Tutor provides a surefire way to retrieve what you need for the cost of 4 mana, Rhystic Tutor pits strategy against opponent’s resources.

Another notable comparison is with Vampiric Tutor, which is sharply cost-efficient at one black mana and finding a card at instant speed, albeit with a life cost. Its immediacy contrasts the delayed and interruptible nature of Rhystic Tutor. Similarly, Mystical Tutor finds a home in spell-based strategies by searching for an instant or sorcery. It’s cost-effective and instant but limited to two types of cards unlike the broader options Rhystic Tutor provides.

Examining the range of tutor cards, Rhystic Tutor offers a compelling choice. It trades certainty for potentiality and banks on the opponent’s reluctance or inability to pay the additional cost—a nuanced addition to the world of search cards in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Rhystic Tutor by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rhystic Tutor MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy, 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 Rhystic Tutor and other MTG cards: