The best black guardians in Magic: The Gathering

Tutor cards have been ingrained in the DNA of Magic: The Gathering since its inception in 1993. Tutors are cards that allow you to search your library for another card, then put that card in your hand or on top of your library.

Of course, this utility is incredibly valuable to MTG players, as they can reach into their deck and grab the card that will help them the most in any given situation. Black is the color most associated with guardians, as the first guardian card debuted in that color in the original MTG set, Alpha, so let's explore the best guardians Black has to offer.

10

Cruel tutor

Cruel, but not unusual

Not all tutor cards have the word “tutor” in them, but some of the best and most memorable ones do. This book was released in the original 1997 Portal set and features some amazing art from Kev Walker.

While this card costs one more mana than the original Alpha tutor (Demonic Tutor, more on that card later) and requires an additional two life payment, the card only goes on the top of your deck, not in your hand, so it's still a highly effective guardian that only got a reprint of the list.

9

Funeral

One of the most effective graveyard guardians

Since these guardians are part of the black section of MTG's color wheel, anything that can place cards in your graveyard is also very effective as they can be brought back from the yard with various reanimation spells.

Entomb, which comes from the 2001 Odyssey set and is actually the most valuable card in that set, allows you to search your library for any card and put that card directly into your graveyard – to be replayed later by whatever means you have at your disposal . Since this card requires at least one other card to access the card you picked up, it just cracks the top 10, but the rate of a black mana to train any card is still too effective to ignore.

8

Begged the Mirror

Launch your wanted card for free with this tutor

This mana-intensive Black Guide comes from the 2023 Wilds of Eldraine set and immediately became one of the most valuable and powerful cards in that set upon release.

While four mana to target any card in your deck isn't ideal, if you go for a card with a mana value of four or less and then sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token as part of that card's bargain cost, you'll end up throwing the book away for free – cutting out the 'middle man' that most tutors are.

7

Evil intent

Sacrifice a creature, take any card

Originally released in the 2001 Planeshift set, this two-mana black tutor is the closest thing we've seen to the original tutor, Demonic Tutor. Of course, this card requires you to sacrifice a creature as an additional cost, but two mana to put any card in your deck into your hand is still the best rate in MTG history.

This card was not reprinted for over 15 years after its release, until it was part of the highly sought after Amonkhet Invocations bonus card in that set, and was then followed by a release in 2022 as part of The Brothers' War set.

6

Devilish tutor

Double the cost of the demonic guardian, but still great

When this card was released in 2021, it immediately became an important cog in various top decks of the time, all because it could search any card in your library – for a mana cost that is exactly double that of Demonic Tutor.

Instead of one colorless and one black, this card costs two colorless and two black. However, this card remains one of the best guardians of all time because it has no downsides and can simply get you what you want when you want it.

5

Lay tutor

Nifty Demonic Tutor On Layaway

A lalayway demonic guardian, this card from Modern Horizons 2 provides the same effect as the original guardian for the same mana cost – but you won't reap the card's benefits until turn four when the counter on it is last removed while in exile.

While this might seem like a disadvantage, if you're playing this on curve, it can be somewhat beneficial, as you'll be able to play any card you've drawn immediately as long as you have the mana to do so.

4

Grim Tutor

Nothing grim about taking any card you want

Originally released in the 1999 Starter Set, this card didn't see a reprint for over 20 years when it was upgraded to mythic rare as part of the 2021 Core Set. Very effective, this card still pales in comparison to some among the others. tutors in the top three of this list.

However, three mana and three life for any card in your deck is almost always a rate players will be willing to pay, as the loss of life will likely be offset by any combo piece or massive threat you have out from your library.

3

Imperial seal

An extremely rare guardian with few reprints

Yet another black tutor from a Starter or Portal set that hasn't seen a reprint in over two decades, this one was originally released in the eminently rare Portal Three Kingdoms set and then wasn't reprinted until Double Masters 2022.

This card is still incredibly rare and extremely valuable, but that's because its effect—take any card in your deck and put it on top of your library at the cost of two life—is enormously powerful and effective. If only for a moment…

2

Vampire tutor

Best one-handed black teacher ever

And here it is, an instant-speed version of Imperial Seal that easily ranks among the best guardian cards of all time.

Vampiric Tutor and its Mirage Block siblings – Enlightened Tutor in white, Mystical Tutor in blue, and Worldly Tutor in green – helped define this card style alongside the original tutor, which also happens to be the best black teacher of all time.

1

Demon tutor

The gold standard for guardian cards

What a surprise, The Best Black Teacher Ever was the first ever printed in the Alpha set in 1993. As you've seen, all the books on this list were a reaction to – and sometimes a direct reference to – the original tutor ever printed in history MTG.

While it's “just” a sorcery, Demonic Tutor still provides exactly what you're looking for—with absolutely no downside—for just two mana. We'll never see a tutor this effective again, so it's no surprise that this card retains a high price for all prints (although it's not among the most valuable Demon cards) – and also that it's easily the best black tutor ever .