Personal Tutor MTG Card


Personal Tutor excels in securing crucial sorceries, heavily influencing your game plan with targeted draws. Despite its specificity, Personal Tutor’s strategic deck searches may have an opportunity cost in quick games. This card is valuable for its combo potential and metagame relevance, becoming a mainstay in blue decks.
Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Search your deck for a sorcery and reveal that card to all players. Shuffle your deck and put the revealed card on top of it.


Cards like Personal Tutor

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Personal Tutor is a notable sorcery for players seeking specific non-creature spells. It’s often put side by side with other tutors such as Mystical Tutor. Both allow for the searching of a card, yet Mystical Tutor notably has instant speed, providing flexibility in play. What Personal Tutor lacks in speed, it makes up for by setting up future plays, fetching sorceries directly to the top of your library.

Enlightened Tutor is another comparable card that provides an edge in searching for enchantments or artifacts, but it doesn’t cover the sorcery aspect that’s Personal Tutor’s niche. Gamble, hailing from the red spectrum, broadens the search to any card type but comes with the risk of discarding at random, which can be unpredictable compared to Personal Tutor’s certainty.

Assessing these options, Personal Tutor maintains its unique position, being a strategic asset for combo decks and a staple for players valuing precision over the broader utility that similar cards might offer. Its place in MTG as a diligent preparatory tool for future turns reinforces its value within the tutors’ family.

Mystical Tutor - MTG Card versions
Enlightened Tutor - MTG Card versions
Gamble - MTG Card versions
Mystical Tutor - MTG Card versions
Enlightened Tutor - MTG Card versions
Gamble - MTG Card versions

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

Drafna's Restoration - MTG Card versions
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Psychic Purge - MTG Card versions
Energy Tap - MTG Card versions
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Taunt - MTG Card versions
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Eye Spy - MTG Card versions
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Index - MTG Card versions
Extract - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Secretkeeper // Venture Deeper - MTG Card versions
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Ponder - MTG Card versions
Breakthrough - MTG Card versions
Drafna's Restoration - MTG Card versions
Reconstruction - MTG Card versions
Psychic Purge - MTG Card versions
Energy Tap - MTG Card versions
Mind Bomb - MTG Card versions
Recall - MTG Card versions
Portent - MTG Card versions
Taunt - MTG Card versions
Sorcerous Sight - MTG Card versions
Prosperity - MTG Card versions
Eye Spy - MTG Card versions
Sleight of Hand - MTG Card versions
Broken Dam - MTG Card versions
Index - MTG Card versions
Extract - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Secretkeeper // Venture Deeper - MTG Card versions
Preordain - MTG Card versions
Serum Visions - MTG Card versions
Ponder - MTG Card versions
Breakthrough - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Personal Tutor. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
DoomsdayDoomsday LegacyDoomsdayLegacy Challenge 32 2024-04-20

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Personal Tutor ensures targeted selection of powerful sorceries, providing a strategic edge by fetching the right card for upcoming turns. This tailored draw elevates your game plan, securing critical pieces when you need them the most.

Resource Acceleration: By selecting sorceries that can ramp your resources, Personal Tutor indirectly contributes to mana acceleration. Setting up powerful plays earlier in the game can be key to outpacing your opponent and quickly deploying threats or answers.

Instant Speed: Although Personal Tutor operates at sorcery speed, its ability to dig for sweepers or game-changing sorceries allows you to advance your strategy immediately on your next turn. It’s a precise toolkit to assemble a crushing turn that can turn the game in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Players using Personal Tutor must be aware that it specifically instructs you to search for a sorcery card. This narrow search can be limiting compared to more versatile tutors that allow you to seek out any type of card, potentially leaving you with fewer strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: Personal Tutor requires one blue mana to cast. This specificity means that only decks that include blue mana sources can utilize it, which might discourage its incorporation into multicolored decks that are less focused on blue spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While a single blue mana may seem economical, the true cost comes in the form of opportunity cost. The sorcery you search for is placed on top of your library, not into your hand, which delays its impact. In fast-paced games, spending your first or second turn to set up future plays instead of developing your board can put you at a strategic disadvantage.


Reasons to Include Personal Tutor in Your Collection

Versatility: Personal Tutor offers a specialized yet flexible tool for blue decks, giving them a way to search for the perfect sorcery to shape the match’s outcome. Whether you need a game-changing board wipe or a strategic draw spell, this tutor ensures it’s just a draw away.

Combo Potential: For those who love crafting intricate combos, Personal Tutor acts as a linchpin, fetching that crucial sorcery to kick-start or complete your carefully orchestrated sequence. Consistency is key in combo decks, and this card delivers exactly that.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta teeming with fast-paced or combo-centric decks, having access to a quick tutor effect can mean the difference between staying ahead or falling behind. Personal Tutor allows players to adapt swiftly, maintaining relevance in a continuously evolving competitive scene.


How to beat

Overcoming the strategic advantage presented by Personal Tutor in Magic: The Gathering requires a thoughtful approach. This card is used to sift through a player’s deck for a sorcery, potentially setting up powerful plays in subsequent turns. To counter this, players need to consider the types of sorcery spells that could be fetched. Knowing the common combos or game-winning sorceries in your opponent’s archetype is crucial.

Disruption plays a vital role. Counterspells like Negate can prevent Personal Tutor from resolving, while Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek can extract crucial pieces from an opponent’s hand before they can be cast. Additionally, graveyard hate cards such as Relic of Progenitus disrupt the Tutor’s effectiveness by removing potential targets from the game.

Ultimately, limiting an opponent’s opportunity to use the Tutor’s full potential is key. This might involve applying pressure with an aggressive game plan or by continually keeping up mana for counterspells. The Tutor’s strength is the player’s preparedness – anticipate and disrupt are the bywords to follow when facing down this iconic search spell.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the strategic depths of MTG reveals cards like Personal Tutor that shape the game’s landscape. Employing such tools refines your deck, propelling you towards victory with calculated precision. It’s understanding these subtle yet powerful advantages that distinguish a seasoned player. Enhancing your collection with cards that provide a tactical edge and knowing when to deploy them is paramount. With MTG ever-evolving, staying informed is your path to dominance. Let your journey into the art of deck-building and gameplay advance. Discover more, elevate your strategy, and solidify your standing in the MTG community with us.


Where to buy

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

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Printings

The Personal Tutor Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-05-01PortalPOR 641997NormalBlackD. Alexander Gregory
22008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 581997NormalBlackD. Alexander Gregory
32023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 6332015NormalBorderlessJeff Miracola
42023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 4932015NormalBlackJulie Dillon
52023-08-04Commander Masters Art SeriesACMM 92015Art seriesBorderless
62023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 1102015NormalBlackJulie Dillon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Personal Tutor has restrictions

FormatLegality
PredhLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Personal 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.