Dark Tutelage is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card of your library and put that card into your hand. You lose life equal to its mana value.
Complete guide
Dark Tutelage is a powerful black enchantment that trades your life force for extra resources every single turn. Similar to the classic Dark Confidant, this card provides a steady stream of cards but requires a carefully built deck to avoid a self-inflicted defeat.
How the Ability Works
Dark Tutelage features a triggered ability that goes on the stack at the very beginning of your upkeep. You must reveal the top card of your library, and that specific card is then put directly into your hand. Importantly, this is not a 'draw' effect, which means it bypasses abilities that prevent drawing or trigger when a player draws a card. Once the card is revealed, you lose life equal to its mana value.
Determining Mana Value
The life loss is calculated based on the mana symbols printed in the upper right corner of the revealed card. If you reveal a card with a cost of {3}{U}{U}, you lose 5 life. If the card contains an {X} in its cost, such as a large fireball spell, X is always treated as 0 for this calculation. Land cards have no mana symbols in their cost, which means their mana value is 0, allowing you to put them into your hand without losing any life.
When to Deploy Dark Tutelage
Since this enchantment triggers at the beginning of your upkeep, it does nothing the turn it enters the battlefield. You should play it early enough to generate value but ensure your life total can handle the potential variance of high-cost cards. In a deck with low average mana costs, the risk is minimal, making it a reliable engine for card advantage throughout the mid-game.
Interaction examples
Phyrexian ArenaIf you have both enchantments on the battlefield, you choose the order they go on the stack during your upkeep. With Phyrexian Arena, you draw a card and lose exactly 1 life. With Dark Tutelage, the life loss depends on what you reveal. If you reveal a card with mana value 4, you lose 4 life for that specific trigger. Unlike the Arena, Tutelage allows you to see the card before it hits your hand, but at the cost of variable life loss.
Black Market ConnectionsDark Tutelage triggers during your upkeep, potentially providing a land or spell for 0 or more life. Then, moving to your first main phase, Black Market Connections allows you to choose to lose 2 more life to draw another card. While both cards provide massive advantage, the combined life loss can be dangerous; revealing a high-cost card with Tutelage and choosing multiple modes on Connections could result in losing half your starting life total in a single turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Dark Tutelage
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The mana value of the revealed card is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner. The mana value is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost
has mana value 5.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If the mana cost of the revealed card includes
, X is considered to be 0.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If the revealed card has no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it's a land card, for example), its mana value is 0.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Dark Tutelage
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.