Sphinx's Tutelage — ruling 1

Colorless is not a color, so putting two colorless cards into a graveyard won’t cause the process to repeat.

Sphinx's Tutelage — ruling 2

The process will keep repeating as long as both cards share a color and neither is a land card.

Sphinx's Tutelage : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Sphinx's 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

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.

Complete guide

Sphinx's Tutelage is a powerful blue enchantment that turns your card draw into a relentless mill engine for your opponents. By capitalizing on shared colors and nonland card types, it can potentially empty an entire library in a single burst of insight.

A Grinding Mind

The primary function of Sphinx's Tutelage is its triggered ability: whenever you draw a card, a target opponent mills two cards. This ability checks the traits of the cards put into the graveyard; if they are both nonland cards and they share at least one color, the process repeats. Note that colorless is not a color, so milling two colorless artifacts will not trigger a repeat.

The Infinite Loop Potential

When the ability resolves, you mill two cards first. Then, you look at those specific two cards. If neither is a land and they share a color (like two blue spells or a blue/black spell and a black spell), you immediately perform the mill action again. This continues until the conditions are no longer met, meaning a deck with highly concentrated colors is particularly vulnerable.

Strategic Discard

While the triggered ability is passive, Sphinx's Tutelage provides its own fuel with an activated ability. For six mana, you can draw a card and then discard a card. This ensures that even if you have no other ways to draw, you can still trigger the mill effect while simultaneously digging through your deck for answers or resources.

When to Deploy

This card excels in control or 'Draw-Go' style decks. It serves as a win condition that doesn't require attacking, allowing you to focus your mana on defensive measures while slowly eroding the opponent's library every turn.

Interaction examples

The Taxing Draw

Rhystic Study

If your opponent casts a spell and chooses not to pay the tax for Rhystic Study, you draw a card. This triggers Sphinx's Tutelage. If the two cards your opponent mills are both nonland and share a color, they keep milling until they hit a land or cards that don't match. This turns your opponent's spells into direct damage to their library.

Building the Fortress

Propaganda

With Propaganda on the field, your opponent must pay mana to attack you, slowing down their aggressive pressure. This gives you the time necessary to activate the second ability of Sphinx's Tutelage. By spending your mana to draw and discard during their end step, you trigger the mill effect safely behind your defensive wall.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Sphinx's Tutelage

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1June 22, 2015· Wizards of the Coast
Colorless is not a color, so putting two colorless cards into a graveyard won’t cause the process to repeat.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2June 22, 2015· Wizards of the Coast
The process will keep repeating as long as both cards share a color and neither is a land card.
No other card is named in this ruling.