Esper Sentinel

Esper Sentinel first appeared in Modern Horizons 2 on 18 June 2021. The standard rare is MH2 #12, illustrated by Eric Deschamps. The same release included sketch showcase #328; both have nonfoil and traditional foil options.

Later highlights: H2R #2 is the 2024 retro-frame reprint, and Secret Lair #2123 is Ricardo Cavolo's foil-only version from the 2026 Odds and Ends Commander deck.

Esper Sentinel is a {W} 1/1 artifact creature. It triggers when an opponent casts their first noncreature spell each turn. Unless that opponent pays mana equal to Sentinel's power, you draw a card. Each opponent is tracked separately, and the first-spell check starts again each turn.

The power is checked when the ability resolves. Increasing Sentinel's power before resolution raises the payment; if it has left the battlefield, the ability uses its last known power. If an opponent already cast a noncreature spell that turn before Sentinel arrived, a later spell from that opponent does not qualify.

This gives Sentinel a distinct identity beside Mystic Remora: it can benefit from creature buffs, but it does not keep triggering on every noncreature spell from the same opponent that turn. Wizards confirms these interactions in the Modern Horizons 2 release notes.

Modern Horizons 2 #12 establishes the original finished-art appearance. Its companion #328 uses the showcase sketch treatment and carries a piece of the creative direction in the flavour-text area. Eric Deschamps is credited on both.

The List later reproduced the original presentation as PLST #MH2-12 in nonfoil. The small Planeswalker symbol distinguishes a List copy from the initial set printing. A separate prerelease record, PMH2 #12s, is foil; check the stamp and catalogue entry when comparing an advertised promo.

The retro-frame H2R #2 arrived on 14 June 2024 through Modern Horizons 3 Collector Boosters. The catalogue calls this group Modern Horizons 2 Timeshifts. H2R is the code to search even though the distribution product is Modern Horizons 3. Wizards documents that grouping in Collecting Modern Horizons 3.

Choose MH2 #12 if you want the image as it originally appeared in a conventional Magic frame. Choose #328 if the creative process is the attraction: the exposed sketch treatment and art-direction text make the presentation visibly different even though the artist is the same.

H2R #2 retains Deschamps' finished illustration in a retro frame. It is a styling option for a modern card, rather than evidence that Sentinel existed in the era the frame evokes. This is an especially useful comparison for a deck whose other cards already use retro frames.

Secret Lair #2123 changes the artist and overall visual approach. Ricardo Cavolo created the illustration and text layout for the Odds and Ends treatment, one of that deck's specially illustrated foil cards. The official deck reveal shows Sentinel alongside the other Cavolo cards, letting you assess the style as a group.

The standard MH2 #12, sketch #328 and retro H2R #2 each offer nonfoil and traditional foil choices. A sketch or retro listing therefore does not, by itself, identify the finish. Confirm both the collector number and the stated finish.

The List #MH2-12 is nonfoil, while prerelease #12s and Cavolo's SLD #2123 are foil-only catalogue entries. Those distinctions help avoid treating every reprint or promotional version as interchangeable.

Use the shared printing table to compare the actual records and available finishes. The animated shimmer illustrates a foil preview; it is not a simulation of the exact physical finish or a substitute for a seller's condition photographs.

For the first conventional appearance: choose MH2 #12. If collecting the debut release rather than only its standard frame, #328 belongs in that comparison too.

For a deck copy with the original art: compare MH2 #12 with The List #MH2-12 in similar condition. A changed release label does not change how Sentinel plays.

For something about the making of Magic: sketch #328 gives you the development-art aesthetic and creative-direction text. Compare it in nonfoil and foil before deciding which is easier for you to read.

For an older-frame theme: use H2R #2. For a wholly different artist's interpretation, compare Cavolo's foil-only #2123 rather than paying for another frame around the original illustration.

Compare #12 and #328 side by side first. The sketch changes the character of the card more than a set-symbol swap, and it lets you decide whether your collection is about the finished image or the creative work behind it. H2R #2 is the next comparison if matching your deck's frames matters most.

The live explorer may highlight a ManaScout Pick. Treat it as a visual starting point and compare the exact printing, finish and available price data before deciding.

Mystic Remora — Compare a noncreature-spell draw engine with a fixed four-mana payment and cumulative upkeep.

Rhystic Study — Explore a tax-and-draw enchantment that can trigger on every opposing spell.

Smothering Tithe — Compare white's draw-triggered Treasure engine and its distinct premium finishes.

Swords to Plowshares — Explore another white staple across a much longer printing history.

Printing details reviewed on 1 November 2026. The shortlist links to individual MTG.wtf catalogue records; official Wizards sources support the rules and product treatments. The live explorer retrieves its records and price fields from Scryfall.

MTG.wtf: original printing and catalogue.

Wizards: Modern Horizons 2 release notes.

Wizards: Modern Horizons 2 variants.

Wizards: H2R retro reprint distribution.

Wizards: Odds and Ends artwork and decklist.