Sylvan Tutor MTG Card


Sylvan Tutor guarantees strategic drawing by placing desired creatures atop the library. It accelerates resources, enabling powerful plays and gaining match momentum. Despite being a sorcery, it closely mimics instant flexibility for agile strategy.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Search your deck for a summon creature and reveal that card to all players. Then shuffle your deck and put the revealed card on top of it.


Cards like Sylvan Tutor

Exploring green’s toolkit in Magic: The Gathering, Sylvan Tutor is a card that closely resembles fan-favorites in the card search category. Reflecting on Worldly Tutor, both spells allow players to search their library for a creature card and reveal it. Sylvan Tutor, however, is performed at sorcery speed, ensuring your setup for the next turn, whereas Worldly Tutor is an instant, offering more flexibility for reactive play.

Another card sharing its intrinsic nature is Enlightened Tutor. While Enlightened Tutor focuses on fetching an artifact or enchantment card at instant speed, the concept of tutoring directly to the top of the library remains cohesive. The choice between Sylvan, Worldly, and Enlightened Tutor boils down to deck strategy and specific needs given the differences in speed and target card types.

Strategic and measured comparison of Sylvan Tutor with its peers reveals its role as a powerful enabler within creature-based decks. While it may not offer the immediacy of Worldly Tutor or the broader search range of Enlightened Tutor, its value in shaping the early game draws remains undisputed among Magic: The Gathering players.

Worldly Tutor - MTG Card versions
Enlightened Tutor - MTG Card versions
Worldly Tutor - MTG Card versions
Enlightened Tutor - MTG Card versions

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

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Hurricane - MTG Card versions
Stream of Life - MTG Card versions
Metamorphosis - MTG Card versions
Winter Blast - MTG Card versions
Fruition - MTG Card versions
Salvage - MTG Card versions
Rofellos's Gift - MTG Card versions
Thrive - MTG Card versions
Chatter of the Squirrel - MTG Card versions
Dwell on the Past - MTG Card versions
Insist - MTG Card versions
Primal Might - MTG Card versions
Scale Up - MTG Card versions
Glimpse of Nature - MTG Card versions
Ancient Stirrings - MTG Card versions
Gelatinous Genesis - MTG Card versions
Corrosive Gale - MTG Card versions
Prey Upon - MTG Card versions
Slime Molding - MTG Card versions
Green Sun's Zenith - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sylvan Tutor elevates your gameplay by ensuring you have the right creature at the right time. Drawing directly from your deck and onto the top not only streamlines your strategy but also sets you up for a powerful next turn.

Resource Acceleration: By selecting the exact creature you need, Sylvan Tutor acts as a catalyst for resource acceleration. This optimizes your future plays and can swing the momentum in your favor, giving you a critical edge in the match.

Instant Speed: Although Sylvan Tutor is a sorcery, its ability to stack your deck’s top card for your next draw is almost akin to the flexibility of an instant. It allows you to tailor your approach immediately before your turn, keeping your opponents guessing and your strategies agile.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Sylvan Tutor doesn’t have a discard requirement itself, fetching it into your hand via means that require a discard could detract value from the card’s tutoring ability. Planning is needed to ensure you don’t deplete valuable hand resources when incorporating this card into your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Sylvan Tutor’s casting cost necessitates one green mana. While this can seamlessly fit into mono-green or green-centric decks, its inclusion in multi-color decks demands a reliable mana base to consistently execute its tutoring effect.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When it comes to deck search capabilities, Sylvan Tutor’s mana cost is a significant factor to consider. Other cards might provide similar effects for less mana or contribute additional benefits, making it critical to weigh Sylvan Tutor against alternative options during deck construction.


Reasons to Include Sylvan Tutor in Your Collection

Versatility: Sylvan Tutor is a powerful inclusion for any green deck that values consistency. Its ability to search for any creature card and place it on top of the library perfectly aligns with strategies that require key creatures to execute their game plan.

Combo Potential: This card is a linchpin for combo decks, setting up game-winning combinations by tutoring essential combo pieces directly to the top of the deck, from where they can be drawn and played without delay.

Meta-Relevance: Given that creature-based strategies are perennial in MTG, Sylvan Tutor maintains relevance regardless of the shifting metagame. It ensures that players can adapt to the most potent threats or answers in any given competitive environment.


How to Beat

Sylvan Tutor is a powerful tool in the arsenal of green mage strategists, offering the ability to search a library for a creature card and reveal it to shuffle and place on top of the library. It’s a spell that can set up game-winning plays by securing exactly what’s needed for the upcoming turn. But even the most formidable cards have their counters.

When facing opponents who rely on Sylvan Tutor, disrupting their plans is key. Use spells that shuffle their library after they’ve used the tutor effect to negate its advantage. Cards like Psychogenic Probe punish them for shuffling, while Shadow of Doubt can outright stop the tutor effect and draw you a card. Playing with hand disruption tools, such as Thoughtseize, allows you to remove key creatures from their hand before they have the chance to deploy them. Board control is also essential; keep their creatures in check with removal spells to minimize the impact of their orchestrated plays.

Ultimately, denying your opponent the creature they tutor for is the crux of beating Sylvan Tutor. Keeping a tight reign on their library and hand can dismantle the machine they’re attempting to build, keeping you one step ahead in the race toward victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Enhancing your MTG deck’s performance with strategic card choices is essential for any player seeking to dominate the battlefield. With Sylvan Tutor, the way you maneuver through your deck and dictate the pace of the game reaches new heights. Its unique ability to fetch the perfect creature for the situation can be a game-changer. As you fine-tune your collection, consider the power and precision that Sylvan Tutor can offer. We guide enthusiasts like you to make informed decisions, refine tactics, and understand the intricate dance of deck building. Dive deeper with us and optimize your green deck with Sylvan Tutor’s unmatched card selection prowess.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sylvan Tutor MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Masters Edition IV, 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 Sylvan Tutor and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sylvan Tutor Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-05-01PortalPOR 1881997NormalBlackKaja Foglio
22011-01-10Masters Edition IVME4 1691997NormalBlackKaja Foglio
32023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 5312015NormalBorderlessGreg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sylvan Tutor has restrictions

FormatLegality
PredhLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2004-10-04 Because the “search” requires you to find a card with certain characteristics, you don’t have to find the card if you don’t want to.