Sphinx's Tutelage MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment
Abilities Mill

Key Takeaways

  1. Sphinx’s Tutelage rewards decks that focus on drawing cards by milling opponents, disrupting their strategy.
  2. It turns card draw into a dual-threat of hand replenishment and opponent deck depletion.
  3. Effective in control decks, Sphinx’s Tutelage requires strategic management of resources.

Text of card

Whenever you draw a card, target opponent mills two cards. If two nonland cards that share a color were milled this way, repeat this process. : Draw a card, then discard a card.

"You've never considered the implications of dealing with another telepath, Jace."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sphinx’s Tutelage offers a unique approach to card advantage by milling your opponent every time you draw a card. This can be significantly potent in a deck designed around drawing many cards, effectively turning each draw into potential disruption.

Resource Acceleration: Indirectly, Sphinx’s Tutelage accelerates your resources by depleting your opponent’s library. This can shorten the game in your favor, especially when combined with other draw effects in your deck, speeding up your path to victory.

Instant Speed: While Sphinx’s Tutelage itself isn’t an instant, its trigger on drawing cards applies at any speed. Coupled with instant draw spells, it can create unexpected scenarios for the opponent during their turn, continuously challenging their game plan.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Sphinx’s Tutelage offers a unique mill strategy that targets your opponent, it can also demand resources from your own hand. Every draw that triggers its effect could be another valuable card that you’re pulling away from your strategic reserves, potentially leaving you at a disadvantage if you’re not sufficiently prepared.

Specific Mana Cost: Sphinx’s Tutelage requires both blue mana and generic mana to be cast. This may not pose a challenge for mono-blue or control decks; however, it could be a restrictive factor in multicolored or mana-tight deck builds, making it a less versatile choice when deck building.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three generic and one blue mana, Sphinx’s Tutelage sits on the higher end of the mana curve for enchantments that affect card advantage. Although its milling potential is considerable, players might opt for other enchantments or spells that provide immediate impact or more flexible control at a lower cost.


Reasons to Include Sphinx’s Tutelage in Your Collection

Versatility: Sphinx’s Tutelage offers a flexible approach to deck building, fitting naturally into mill strategies while also providing a draw engine for decks looking to cycle through their cards quickly. Its ability to affect both you and your opponent adds a layer of strategic depth to games.

Combo Potential: For enthusiasts of combo decks, the card opens up various avenues to accelerate milling the opponent. When paired with cards that allow for numerous draws, Sphinx’s Tutelage can even become a key piece in a deck’s win condition, making it a threat that can’t be ignored.

Meta-Relevance: As the playing environment shifts, control decks that can benefit from a consistent draw and disruption elements remain impactful. Sphinx’s Tutelage stays relevant by disrupting your opponent’s game plan while simultaneously refilling your hand, a duality that can be crucial in the ever-changing meta.


How to beat

Sphinx’s Tutelage is an enchantment that shines in Magic the Gathering through its milling prowess. As a pivotal card in blue mill decks, players often seek strategies to counteract its potential to rapidly deplete their libraries. One reliable approach is to employ cards like Elixir of Immortality, which reshuffles your graveyard back into your library, mitigating the mill effect. Agile counterspells such as Negate also prove useful by stopping Sphinx’s Tutelage from hitting the board in the first place.

Another intriguing tactic involves utilizing cards that benefit from having a large graveyard, turning the table on the mill strategy. Cards like Gaea’s Blessing or any anti-mill tech can effectively neutralize the threat. Moreover, incorporating a robust draw strategy yourself can serve as a precaution, ensuring that you maintain a comfortable number of cards in your library while searching for your key pieces to dismantle the Tutelage setup.

Ultimately, understanding the pace of your opponent’s mill strategy and keeping your deck resilient to such actions are paramount. Whether through preemptive disruption, graveyard recursion, or leveraging your own drawn cards, the challenge of outmaneuvering Sphinx’s Tutelage can be met with strategic planning and calculated responses.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re enraptured by the milling power of Sphinx’s Tutelage in your MTG arsenal, remember, the journey doesn’t end there. This card shines in decks focused on drawing, so consider incorporating additional cards that synergize with this strategy to maximize its potential. Be mindful of the card’s mana needs and weigh options that ensure game longevity against aggressive milling tactics. Whether defending against this enchantment or using it to your advantage, knowledge is as much a resource as the cards you play. Stay ahead of the meta-curve with informed choices and discover more ways to refine your deck at BurnMana.


Cards like Sphinx's Tutelage

Sphinx’s Tutelage is an exceptional enchantment card in MTG that enhances the mill strategy by targeting an opponent’s library. It performs similarly to Jace’s Erasure, as both involve drawing cards to trigger the milling of an opponent’s deck. However, Sphinx’s Tutelage stands out with its potential for a two-card mill per one card drawn. It also holds the chance to repeat the process if cards of the same color are discarded, an advantage Jace’s Erasure doesn’t offer.

Another relative in this niche is Psychic Corrosion, which also mills two cards whenever you draw. Though Psychic Corrosion has a consistent trigger outcome, unlike Sphinx’s Tutelage, it lacks the tactical advantage of potentially discarding additional cards of the same color. The Tutelage, therefore, can swiftly deplete an opponent’s library under the right circumstances. Teferi’s Tutelage presents a similar effect; however, it mills two cards only when it enters the battlefield or when you draw a card, not offering the same repeated trigger potential found in Sphinx’s Tutelage.

Ultimately, Sphinx’s Tutelage’s unique synergy with draw-heavy decks provides a distinct and aggressive approach to the mill strategy, setting it apart as a formidable choice for players looking to exploit their card draw for maximum opponent disruption.

Jace's Erasure - MTG Card versions
Psychic Corrosion - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Tutelage - MTG Card versions
Jace's Erasure - MTG Card versions
Psychic Corrosion - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Tutelage - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Sphinx's Tutelage by color, type and mana cost

Feedback - MTG Card versions
In the Eye of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Undertow - MTG Card versions
Mana Vortex - MTG Card versions
Energy Flux - MTG Card versions
Mesmeric Trance - MTG Card versions
Soul Barrier - MTG Card versions
Puppet Master - MTG Card versions
Propaganda - MTG Card versions
Intruder Alarm - MTG Card versions
Equilibrium - MTG Card versions
Mana Breach - MTG Card versions
Checks and Balances - MTG Card versions
Douse - MTG Card versions
Veiled Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Charisma - MTG Card versions
Gaseous Form - MTG Card versions
Traveler's Cloak - MTG Card versions
Shifting Sky - MTG Card versions
Threads of Disloyalty - MTG Card versions
Feedback - MTG Card versions
In the Eye of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Undertow - MTG Card versions
Mana Vortex - MTG Card versions
Energy Flux - MTG Card versions
Mesmeric Trance - MTG Card versions
Soul Barrier - MTG Card versions
Puppet Master - MTG Card versions
Propaganda - MTG Card versions
Intruder Alarm - MTG Card versions
Equilibrium - MTG Card versions
Mana Breach - MTG Card versions
Checks and Balances - MTG Card versions
Douse - MTG Card versions
Veiled Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Charisma - MTG Card versions
Gaseous Form - MTG Card versions
Traveler's Cloak - MTG Card versions
Shifting Sky - MTG Card versions
Threads of Disloyalty - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sphinx's Tutelage MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins and Mystery Booster, 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 Sphinx's Tutelage and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Sphinx's Tutelage Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-07-17 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-07-17Magic OriginsORI 762015NormalBlackSlawomir Maniak
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 5022015NormalBlackSlawomir Maniak
32020-09-26The ListPLST ORI-762015NormalBlackSlawomir Maniak

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sphinx's Tutelage has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2015-06-22 Colorless is not a color, so putting two colorless cards into a graveyard won’t cause the process to repeat.
2015-06-22 The process will keep repeating as long as both cards share a color and neither is a land card.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
See more decks