Of all the divisive gameplay elements in Commander, tutor effects are perhaps the most controversial. The ability to dig through your deck for the exact card you need does, in a way, undermine the singleton nature of the format. Conversely, tutors can also be a lifeline for more gimmicky decks that rely on specific synergies to function. In that sense, they’re a valuable part of the format’s ecosystem.
Unfortunately, most of the best tutors in Magic are very expensive, and part of the Game Changers list to boot. This makes them tricky to acquire and tricky to play, as well, unless you’re in the higher brackets. For those looking to enjoy a bit of that game-sculpting rush that tutors provide without breaking the bank, or their bracket, we’ve rounded up some of the best budget tutors for MTG Commander.
Ranger Of Eos – $0.66
While Ranger of Eos has mostly been forgotten in the wake of its Modern Horizons retrain, Ranger-Captain of Eos, the original still has a ton to offer in Commander. Only getting one-mana creatures may sound restrictive, but there’s a ton of flexibility at that slot. You can find hate pieces like Haywire Mite, solid beaters like Serra Ascendant, or even card advantage engines like Esper Sentinel. There are quite a few combo pieces you can nab with this, too, like Walking Ballista and Shrieking Drake. No matter what stage of the game you’re at, Ranger of Eos can likely find something to help you.
Original Ranger lacks the extra utility of Ranger-Captain, but getting to grab two creatures is a not-insignificant sidegrade. This actually puts you up in terms of card advantage, which is rare for tutors. It also lets you address your immediate needs while simultaneously planning for the future. Throw in the fact that this all comes on an easily recurrable/blinkable body, and you have an overall excellent package. That only 11,000 decks, per EDHREC data, run the card, and that it’s just $0.66 to buy right now, are both hard to believe, honestly.
Scour For Scrap – $0.32
In addition to its countless other treasures, Edge of Eternities also gave us one of the best new artifact tutors we’ve seen in a while. Scour for Scrap’s main edge is the fact that it comes at instant speed, allowing you to play it at the most opportune moment. Since tutors are at their best when they let you directly respond to the game state, Scour has tons of potential. The fact that there are no restrictions on the artifact you can grab is a big deal, too.
On top of this, getting to recur an artifact from your graveyard can be excellent, especially with those that sacrifice themselves for value, like Apple of Eden, Isu Relic. You can do this alongside the tutor effect, too, which makes Scour a pretty big value swing with a valid target. While it’s obviously at its best in artifact-heavy strategies, most decks play enough utility artifacts these days that Scour should make a solid addition to any budget blue list.
Case Of The Stashed Skeleton – $0.29
Demonic Tutor is the gold standard for powerful tutors in Magic, commanding respect and a high price tag for over 30 years. While Case of the Stashed Skeleton isn’t quite as formidable, it does offer a pretty strong approximation of the effect for a fraction of the cost.
Ultimately, you’re getting a Demonic Tutor for four total mana here, spread over two payments. You also have to complete a small “sidequest” in the middle and get rid of the Skeleton token it creates, which is an interesting wrinkle. In most games, your opponents simply won’t block the Skeleton to deny you your tutor, so you’ll ideally want to run this in a deck with easy access to sacrifice outlets. Aristocrats lists, like Teysa Karlov or Slimefoot and Squee, are excellent homes for it as a result.
Even outside of decks like these, Case of the Stashed Skeleton has a solid niche. Getting a handy body and a tutor effect in one neat package is a great deal, and something plenty of aggressive black lists can leverage. While it lacks the immediacy of its simpler, sorcery-based black tutor peers, the extra utility the token offers gives it the edge it needs to be well worth running regardless.
Fervent Mastery – $0.09
Getting to tutor for one card is a big deal in MTG, but getting to tutor for three is pretty much unheard of. This is what Fervent Mastery offers, albeit with the sizable downside of making you discard three cards at random afterwards. Essentially, you’re getting three Gambles bundled together here, for either four or five mana, depending on your preference.
As with Gamble, Fervent Mastery is at its best in decks that can minimize the downside. Decks that want to discard cards, like Norman Osborn//Green Goblin, can make great use of it. Likewise, decks that leverage their graveyards, like Feldon of the Third Path, can essentially get what they need from Fervent Mastery, whether they discard it or not.
On top of all this, Fervent Mastery is a solid political tool as well. Letting another player wheel their hand in exchange for a discount is a great deal, and can buy you an ally for the rest of the game. Alternatively, you can just target a player with a small hand to get the discount without giving them much benefit. Either way, you can consistently cast this powerhouse tutor for just four mana, which is an incredible deal.
Threats Undetected – $0.21
Presenting a modern spin on the recently unbanned Gifts Ungiven, Threats Undetected is a very underrated creature tutor. It is, admittedly, very specific, since you need four desirable creatures with different powers in your deck to use it,but this isn’t a major hurdle.
With the right mix, Threats Undetected will consistently tutor you up two creatures for three mana. One of your opponents will get to filter your picks, of course, but this is a great opportunity for some politicking. You can offer up deals in exchange for letting you keep specific creatures, or offer the choice to an opponent you’re already chummy with. In any case, you can also pick creatures in such a way that you’ll be happy regardless of the outcome.
Ultimately, even if it’s not the best tutor in MTG, Threats Undetected has tons of potential. With a surprisingly low mana cost and price point, this card can do work within a ton of green-aligned Commander decks. The fact that it’s not on the Game Changers list, too, is a real blessing, making it a viable choice for bracket two as needed.
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