Black Tutors at The Gathering: The Official Guide to Casting Black Magic Spells in MTG

For any Magic: The Gathering (MTG) player serious about improving their performance, understanding how black tutors work is essential. Black, one of the most powerful and cunning colors in the game, excels at sacrificing life or creatures to gain an edge.

Black tutors embody this identity perfectly—by letting you search your library for a card, they provide tactical consistency and strategic control. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the history, key cards, usage strategies, and the best black tutors in MTG for various formats including Commander (EDH), Legacy, Vintage, and casual play.

🔍 What Is a Tutor in MTG?

In Magic: The Gathering, a tutor refers to any card that allows you to search your library for another card and either:

• Put it into your hand

• Place it on top of your deck

• Send it to your graveyard

Tutors reduce randomness and give players the ability to grab the perfect card at the perfect moment. This makes them extremely powerful and often game-defining.

⚫ Why Are Black Tutors So Powerful?

Black tutors are known for their low mana cost, versatility, and unrestricted search power. Unlike tutors in other colors, black ones can often fetch any card, making them indispensable in competitive and casual formats alike.

🔥 Key Strengths of Black Tutors:

• Efficiency – Example: Demonic Tutor fetches any card for just 2 mana.

• Versatility – Grab combo pieces, removal, ramp, or finishers.

• Combo Potential – Critical for decks built around win combos.

• Synergy – Excellent with graveyard recursion and high-impact singleton plays.

💎 Top Black Tutors in Magic: The Gathering

Here are the most notable black tutor cards in MTG history and their typical use cases:

1. Demonic Tutor

• Mana Cost: 1B

• Effect: Search your library for any card and put it into your hand.

• Why It’s Great: Simple, efficient, and unrestricted. A gold standard among tutors.

• Formats: Commander, Legacy, Vintage

2. Vampiric Tutor

• Mana Cost: B

• Effect: Instant speed. Search your library, put the card on top, lose 2 life.

• Why It’s Great: Lightning-fast and perfect for combo decks or reactive plays.

• Formats: Commander, Legacy, Vintage

3. Imperial Seal

• Mana Cost: B

• Effect: Same as Vampiric Tutor but at sorcery speed.

• Why It’s Great: Nearly identical to Vampiric Tutor; extremely rare and expensive.

• Formats: Commander, Vintage

4. Grim Tutor

• Mana Cost: 1BB

• Effect: Search for any card, lose 3 life.

• Why It’s Great: Slightly more costly but still unrestricted.

• Formats: Commander

5. Diabolic Tutor

• Mana Cost: 2BB

• Effect: Search your library for any card and put it into your hand.

• Why It’s Great: A budget-friendly version of Demonic Tutor.

• Formats: Commander, Casual

6. Beseech the Queen

• Mana Cost: (2/B)(2/B)(2/B)

• Effect: Search your library for a card with CMC ≤ number of lands.

• Why It’s Great: Excellent in mono-black decks and mid-game setups.

• Formats: Commander

7. Entomb

• Mana Cost: B

• Effect: Search your library and put a card directly into your graveyard.

• Why It’s Great: Crucial in graveyard and reanimator decks.

• Formats: Commander, Legacy, Vintage

🧠 Black Tutors in Commander (EDH)

In Commander, consistency is harder to achieve due to the 100-card singleton rule. Black tutors help overcome this by allowing players to find key combo pieces, finishers, and responses.

🎯 Tutors Help With:

• Fetching combo pieces (Thassa’s Oracle, Demonic Consultation)

• Accessing board wipes

• Securing win conditions

• Grabbing silver bullets (situational answers)

🧙 Notable Commander Decks That Use Black Tutors:

• K’rrik, Son of Yawgmoth – Life-for-mana synergy.

• Yawgmoth, Thran Physician – Precision combo/control.

• Gonti, Lord of Luxury – Value and adaptive control.

💸 Budget Black Tutors in MTG

You don’t need to break the bank to include powerful black tutors in your deck. Here are some budget-friendly options:

These are especially helpful for casual or newer Commander players.

🧩 Strategy Tips: How to Use Black Tutors Effectively

Using a black tutor correctly is just as important as having one. Consider these tactics to maximize their value:

🧠 Smart Tutor Usage:

• Plan ahead – Know your win conditions and fetch setup cards early.

• React wisely – Tutor for protection or answers when you anticipate threats.

• Use life as a resource – Life loss is often a small price for card precision.

• Stack smartly – Use Vampiric Tutor and Imperial Seal just before drawing.

⚖️ Are Black Tutors Bad for Game Balance?

The use of tutors is debated in the MTG community. Some argue that they reduce variance and make gameplay repetitive, while others see them as essential tools for competitive consistency.

🗣 Common Criticisms:

• Slows down gameplay due to long search times.

• Reduces randomness and makes decks feel “scripted.”

• Can lead to power creep and imbalance in casual play.

Despite this, many players enjoy the strategic edge tutors provide, especially in Commander and combo-heavy formats.

❓ FAQs – Black Tutors MTG

Q: Are black tutors legal in Modern?
A: No. Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, and Imperial Seal are banned in Modern. Legal options include Scheming Symmetry and Diabolic Tutor.

Q: What’s the best black tutor in Commander?
A: Demonic Tutor is the most versatile and efficient. Vampiric Tutor is best for speed and instant use.

Q: Are there tutors for specific card types?
A: Yes. Buried Alive fetches creatures to your graveyard. Dark Petition can grab any card and adds mana with Spell Mastery.

Q: How do black tutors differ from tutors in other colors?
A: Black tutors often have no card type restriction, while green tutors usually fetch creatures and white tutors might find enchantments or artifacts.

🧾 Final Thoughts: Mastering Black Magic in MTG

Black tutors have shaped the history and current meta of Magic: The Gathering. Whether you’re navigating the political waters of a Commander table or closing out a Vintage combo, black tutors like Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, and Entomb give you the control and flexibility to dominate.

By mastering these spells and learning when and how to cast them, you bring precision, power, and deadly intent to every game.