Elite Instructor MTG Card
2020-01-24 - Number 49
2022-12-02 - Number 290
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Elite Instructor facilitates card flow, crucial for maintaining hand quality and advancing game strategy.
- It demands strategic hand management due to its discard requirement, impacting crucial card retention.
- Integrates well with decks emphasizing draw and discard actions, enhancing combo and control strategies.
Text of card
When Elite Instructor enters the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card.
The greatest minds in Meletis study under the masters at the Dekatia, a renowned school of magic and philosophy.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When Elite Instructor enters the battlefield, it enables you to draw a card, providing you with a valuable opportunity to find the right answers or threats within your deck.
Resource Acceleration: Even though Elite Instructor does not provide direct mana acceleration, being a low-cost creature allows you to efficiently manage your resources. Deploying Elite Instructor early can set the pace for future turns and strategic plays.
Instant Speed: While Elite Instructor itself isn’t an instant, it complements a deck that plays at instant speed. By adding to your creature count and refilling your hand immediately, it allows you to maintain a presence on the board while leaving mana available for other instant-speed interactions.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Elite Instructor comes with the caveat of needing to discard a card, which isn’t always ideal especially if you’re holding a hand with essential pieces you wouldn’t want to lose.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both blue and a generic mana, Elite Instructor may not seamlessly fit into multicolor decks that have a more complex mana base, potentially disrupting your game flow.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that might be considered steep for its limited impact, there are alternatives that provide card draw or filtering at a lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Elite Instructor in Your Collection
Versatility: Elite Instructor fits well in decks that capitalize on card draw and filtering. It allows players to refine their hand, making it a useful addition in blue-based control or combo decks that aim for consistent hand quality.
Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in combos that revolve around card draw or discard mechanisms. Its ability to target yourself means you can enable graveyard strategies or trigger abilities that require discarding as a cost.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where grinding out each card advantage counts, Elite Instructor can be a cost-effective way to stay ahead. It’s especially potent in metas where the games tend to reach later turns, allowing for full utilization of its card drawing capability.
How to Beat Elite Instructor
Elite Instructor serves as a handy utility creature in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to refine their hand by drawing a card and then discarding a card upon entering the battlefield. This could potentially turn the tides by filtering through your deck and improving the quality of your hand resources. Defeating this card requires a strategy that can dampen its impact or make it less beneficial for your opponent.
Considering Elite Instructor’s effect is a one-time trigger, removing it without triggering any leave-the-battlefield effects can be effective. Counter spells are perfect as they neutralize the card before it can have any effect. If Elite Instructor does resolve, consider using removal spells quickly before the opponent can gain any further advantage from having the creature on the board. Lastly, since this card leans towards a value-based, longer game plan, applying pressure with an aggressive strategy can reduce the relevance of the card advantage it provides. Quick, decisive play limits the time they have to capitalize on the incremental advantage gained through Elite Instructor.
Understanding the tempo and role that Elite Instructor plays in your opponent’s strategy is key. Managing that impact through well-timed countermeasures ensures that you maintain a lead and prevent your opponent from leveraging their card draw into a winning position.
Cards like Elite Instructor
Elite Instructor stands out in Magic: The Gathering for its ability to facilitate card flow upon entering the battlefield. This makes it similar to cards like Cloudkin Seer, which not only lets you draw a card but also brings flying to the table. Despite the slight difference in mana cost and power, both serve a similar purpose in cycling through your deck. Another comparable option is Sea Gate Oracle. While it doesn’t let you draw directly, it offers the anticipation mechanic, letting you look at the top two cards and put one into your hand, slightly more control over what you’ll get.
Academy Journeymage could be seen as a distant cousin, although instead of card draw, this creature provides a tempo advantage by bouncing an opponent’s creature when cast. It does not directly replace Elite Instructor’s spot in a deck but fulfills a role in controlling the board and maintaining card advantage indirectly. All considered, Elite Instructor is a modest but solid choice for decks that require a blend of creature presence and card draw without any additional board impact.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Elite Instructor MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Elite Instructor and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Elite Instructor Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Mike Sass.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020-01-24 | Theros Beyond Death | THB | 49 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mike Sass | |
| 2 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 290 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mike Sass |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Elite Instructor 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 |
| Timeless | Legal |
