Enlightened Tutor

Enlightened Tutor first appeared in Mirage (MIR), 8 October 1996. The original is MIR #14, at uncommon, illustrated by Dan Frazier. Available original finishes: Nonfoil only.

Printing records and official context reviewed 9 November 2026. Use the shortlist for a physical-edition comparison and the explorer for current availability and format data.

For {W} at instant speed, Enlightened Tutor finds an artifact or enchantment, reveals it, shuffles the library and puts that card on top. It does not put the card straight into your hand. Timing it before a draw step is different from immediately drawing an answer.

Compare Worldly Tutor, which finds a creature, with Demonic Tutor, which searches more broadly and puts its find into hand. Those differences matter more than a common “Tutor” name when choosing a deck slot.

The live explorer exposes current format legality for the Oracle card. A reprint in a modern product is not evidence of Modern legality, and an attractive promo is still the same gameplay card.

The first printing is Mirage #14, released on 8 October 1996: uncommon, Dan Frazier, nonfoil only. That is the physical debut. A foil bearing the original artist’s name is not automatically a Mirage foil.

Arena League 2000 #6 supplies a foil-only promotional edition of Frazier’s image. The catalogue assigns it a year-level January date; this guide does not treat that as a verified day when all players received the promo. Eternal Masters #9 followed in June 2016 with Howard Lyon’s illustration, rare rarity and both ordinary finishes.

The 2020 Judge record #2 credits Aaron Miller and is foil-only. It is a different artwork and product from the Arena promo. Again, a catalogue year date should not be read as a universal distribution appointment.

Dominaria Remastered in January 2023 made the art/frame comparison especially clear. Regular #6 and retro #263 credit Lyon; borderless #412 credits Richard Kane Ferguson. All three checked records support nonfoil and traditional foil. Digital catalogue entries do not add physical Mirage editions to this chronology.

For the original Frazier image, compare MIR #14 with PAL00 #6, keeping the set identity visible. One is the original nonfoil; the other is a later foil promo. Neither the shared artist nor an older-looking border is enough to identify a copy.

Within Dominaria Remastered, #6 versus #263 chiefly compares presentation around Lyon’s artwork. #412 is the stronger change of illustration, with Ferguson credited rather than Lyon. A borderless printing is not an extra finish called “borderless foil”.

Miller’s Judge #2 provides a fourth artist-led branch of the shortlist. Use an ordinary-light photograph of the exact card when deciding whether its illustration and reflective surface suit your collection.

The Mirage original is nonfoil-only. Arena #6 and Judge #2 are foil-only; their differing artists make them more than interchangeable promo labels. Eternal Masters and the three listed Dominaria Remastered editions offer nonfoil or traditional foil.

A retro-frame DMR copy is a modern release in a classic presentation, not a recovered original foil. None of these checked entries supplies an etched or textured finish, and the interactive animation is not evidence of an unlisted physical treatment.

First-edition collection: MIR #14 nonfoil is the historical reference. Check the set and language before comparing condition or current offers.

Original art in foil: begin with PAL00 #6 rather than searching for a nonexistent Mirage booster foil.

Frame comparison: DMR #6 and #263 let you choose modern or retro presentation with Lyon’s credited art. Hold the finish constant before judging the border.

New illustration: compare Ferguson’s borderless #412 with Miller’s Judge #2. Select nonfoil where available if readability under ordinary light is your priority.

Worldly Tutor — compare the related card’s own printing history and collector choices.

Demonic Tutor — compare the related card’s own printing history and collector choices.

Vampiric Tutor — compare the related card’s own printing history and collector choices.

Mox Diamond — compare the related card’s own printing history and collector choices.

Reviewed 9 November 2026. The linked exact-edition catalogue records support dates, artists, rarity and finish availability; official sources support product treatment and format context where cited. The live explorer retrieves current Scryfall data separately. This is a dated editorial selection, not a guarantee of stock, price or unchanged future legality.

Catalogue reference: mir/14.

Catalogue reference: pal00/6.

Catalogue reference: ema/9.

Catalogue reference: j20/2.

Catalogue reference: dmr/6.

Catalogue reference: dmr/263.

Catalogue reference: dmr/412.