Tributary Instructor MTG Card

Provides card advantage and smoother draws, key to maintaining an edge in gameplay. Accelerates resource growth, crucial for building an early to mid-game lead. Enables instant-speed play, allowing for flexible and strategic responses.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Merfolk Shaman
Abilities Mentor
Power 4
Toughness 4

Text of card

Mentor Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it dies, draw a card.

"Like water between rivers, wisdom must flow freely from one generation to the next."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Tributary Instructor grants players an advantage by allowing them to sift through the top cards of their library, effectively smoothing out draws and increasing the chance of accessing key cards when needed. This can be crucial in maintaining the upper hand throughout the match.

Resource Acceleration: By potentially putting a land card onto the battlefield, Tributary Instructor can accelerate your resource development. This is paramount for outpacing opponents in the crucial early to mid-game stages by having access to more mana for casting game-changing spells.

Instant-Speed Interaction: Tributary Instructor’s abilities can be activated at instant speed, offering versatility in play. This enables players to respond to opponents’ actions during their turns, keeping options open and priorities flexible until the most opportune moment to act arises.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Like some other cards in MTG, Tributary Instructor comes with the drawback of requiring you to part with another card from your hand to unravel its potential. This trade-off can be particularly tough when you’re grappling for card advantage or trying to maintain a presence on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Tributary Instructor is not flexible, demanding a precise combination of mana colors. This makes it less adaptable and sometimes difficult to play outside of its traditional deck environment or in a game where mana resources are strained.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Tributary Instructor offers a specific benefit to gameplay, it comes at a cost that some players might find on the steeper side. In the universe of MTG, where every mana point counts, especially in the early game stages, there are options that might present similar advantages without such a significant mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tributary Instructor offers flexibility in deck building. This card is particularly adept within decks that emphasize creature-focused strategies as well as those that maximize on tapping and untapping mechanics.

Combo Potential: As a card that can untap another target creature upon casting a Merfolk, Wizard, or Spirit spell, it synergizes well with decks that aim to maximize such combos, making it a worthwhile inclusion for innovative play.

Meta-Relevance: Given how the current meta can pivot towards creature-based tactics, Tributary Instructor’s ability to enhance and repeatedly utilize creature abilities makes it a relevant choice to tackle various popular strategies.

How to beat

Tributary Instructor joins the ranks of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, offering unique abilities that can influence the board’s dynamics. With its power to add to creature strength and versatility, it becomes crucial to understand how to effectively neutralize this threat. One of your best strategies to manage the impact of Tributary Instructor is to maintain control over the board. Proper timing when casting removal spells can ensure this card does not get the opportunity to utilize its beneficial effect.

Board wipes like Wrath of God or Doomskar serve as excellent countermeasures by resetting the playing field. Spot removals such as Murder or Path to Exile can also be deployed to target the Instructor directly before its power-up ability becomes a factor. In addition, countering key creature spells with countermagic stops the Instructor from ever hitting the board, making this a preemptive and effective approach.

Overall, successful handling of Tributary Instructor rests on recognizing its potential influence on gameplay and having the right answers at the ready. This will ensure it becomes more of a minor nuisance than a major threat in your MTG matches.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tributary Instructor MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander, 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 Tributary Instructor and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Tributary Instructor Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-11-17 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Christina Kraus.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 642015NormalBlackChristina Kraus
22023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 962015NormalBlackChristina Kraus

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tributary Instructor has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2023-11-10 If the creature with mentor leaves the battlefield with mentor on the stack, use its power as that creature last existed on the battlefield to determine whether the target creature has less power.
2023-11-10 If the target creature's power is no longer less than the attacking creature's power as the ability resolves, mentor doesn't add a +1/+1 counter. For example, if two 3/3 creatures with mentor attack and both mentor triggers target the same 2/2 creature, the first to resolve puts a +1/+1 counter on it and the second does nothing.
2023-11-10 Mentor compares the power of the creature with mentor with that of the target creature at two different times: once as the triggered ability is put onto the stack, and once as the triggered ability resolves. If you wish to raise a creature's power so its mentor ability can target a bigger creature, the last chance you have to do so is during the beginning of combat step.