Worldly Tutor

Worldly Tutor first appeared in Mirage (MIR), 8 October 1996. The original is MIR #255, at uncommon, illustrated by David O’Connor. 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.

Worldly Tutor costs {G} and searches for a creature card at instant speed. It reveals the find, shuffles and puts that card on top of the library. It neither draws it immediately nor returns a creature from the graveyard.

A creature-focused deck may value that selection, but it still needs a draw or another way to use the top card. Compare Enlightened Tutor for artifact/enchantment access and Sensei’s Divining Top for a different top-of-library tool.

The card’s availability in a Commander collection describes a product; current legality is a separate Oracle-card question shown in the explorer. Different artwork does not improve its rules or guarantee a particular deck’s strength.

Mirage introduced Worldly Tutor as #255 on 8 October 1996, at uncommon with O’Connor’s illustration and nonfoil only. Sixth Edition #269 followed in April 1999, also uncommon and nonfoil-only, with that artist in a white-border edition.

Commander Collection: Green #6 arrived in December 2020 at rare with Cristi Balanescu’s artwork. The collection had nonfoil and premium foil versions, reflected in the record’s two finishes. Its artwork and product identity differ from the Mirage original.

Dominaria Remastered in January 2023 offered three useful comparisons: regular #185, retro #353 and borderless #442. The first two credit Volkan Baga; #442 credits Richard Kane Ferguson. Each has nonfoil and traditional foil in the catalogue.

These are selected physical milestones. A catalogue also contains platform-specific entries and additional editions; a digital appearance or a reprint’s release year is not a new first-printing date for the card itself.

MIR #255 and 6ED #269 are the historical pair for the original artist. The border and edition change while O’Connor’s credited illustration remains the reference point. The white-border copy is a later printing, even when it looks more familiar from older decks.

CC1 #6 offers Balanescu’s illustration in both surfaces. It is worth comparing directly with the later Baga art rather than assuming that every green-themed premium release reused the same image.

For a modern-versus-retro decision, compare DMR #185 and #353. For a different painting, compare Ferguson’s borderless #442. Separating these questions avoids paying for an edition because it was mistaken for an entirely new artwork.

Neither the Mirage nor Sixth Edition shortlist record has a foil option. Commander Collection: Green and the three DMR records do. A modern retro foil is therefore a legitimate route to a classic border with reflectivity, rather than an original Mirage foil.

Traditional foil and nonfoil are the finishes verified here. Retro and borderless describe presentations of specific printings, not additional finishes that can be applied to any collector number. Ask for physical photographs if glare or surface appearance matters to you.

Original printing: choose MIR #255 if the Mirage release is what you collect. Sixth Edition is a later historical alternative with the same artist and a white border.

Collection-led art: compare CC1 #6 nonfoil and foil before moving to a different artist. The standard/premium product distinction matters when checking a listing.

Classic frame: DMR #353 is our starting point for retro presentation. Compare it with #185 using the same finish to isolate the framing decision.

Borderless collection: DMR #442 provides Ferguson’s separate illustration and both finishes. Use the exact number rather than an ambiguous listing that says only “Dominaria Tutor”.

Enlightened 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.

Sensei's Divining Top — compare the related card’s own printing history and collector choices.

Edgar Markov — 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/255.

Catalogue reference: 6ed/269.

Catalogue reference: cc1/6.

Catalogue reference: dmr/185.

Catalogue reference: dmr/353.

Catalogue reference: dmr/442.

Wizards: commander collection green packaging and contents 2020 08 22.