Mentor in MTG: Rules, History, and Best Cards

Trevor Galvin 13 days ago MTG Cards, MTG Rules

Last updated on October 27, 2026

Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice | Illustration by Chris Rahn

Class is session. Okay, nothing really so formal. This is a mentor-ship, not a classroom. That’s right, we’re answering some important question about the mentor mechanic while looking to see if any mentor cards can help boost your Constructed decks.

It’s a straightforward mechanic for one of Ravnica’s most linear guilds, though there are some rules quirks that a good Hammer Dropper could hammer out for us. Just like an over eager mentee, let’s get to it!

Table of Contents show

How Does Mentor Work?

Ordruun Mentor | Illustration by Loïc Canavaggia

When a creature with mentor attacks, you put a +1/+1 counter on another attacking creature with less power than the mentor creature. A 3-power mentor creature could put a +1/+1 counter on any other attacking creature with power 2 or less, but only if they’re both attacking together. It’s basically a way to leverage stronger creatures to make your smaller creatures a little bit better.

The History of Mentor in MTG

Mentor was introduced as the Boros () guild mechanic in Guilds of Ravnica, where it symbolized the Boros Legion’s training regimen, in which the stronger, more practiced creatures mentor the smaller, newer recruits.

Though originally only on red and white cards, mentor has been used on at least one card of every color since, and it appears sporadically on single card designs in supplementary sets. It’s far from evergreen but appears to be a toolbox mechanic that WotC likes to revisit when it matches a specific card design.

Can a Creature with Mentor Target Itself?

No, mentor creatures can’t target themselves. Since the ruling reads that mentors give a +1/+1 counter to another target creature with lesser power, you must target a creature other than the mentor. Not to mention that a creature can’t have lower power than itself, because its power is always, well, equal to its power.

Does Mentor Stack in MTG?

Yes. If a creature ends up with multiple instances of mentor, each instance triggers separately when that creature attacks. This still requires that you control at least one other attacking creature with less power than the mentor attacker, and each mentor trigger checks that the other creature’s power is lower when it resolves. It’s possible that the first mentor trigger raises the target’s power high enough that any follow-up mentor triggers fizzle.

You can get stacking mentor triggers from an attack trigger doubler like Isshin, Two Heavens as One, or from auras and equipment that grant mentor to creatures that already have it, like Aegis of the Legion or Nyxborn Unicorn.

Is Mentor an Activated Ability?

No, mentor isn’t an activated ability. It’s a triggered ability that triggers when a mentor creature attacks.

What if the Mentor Creature Leaves the Battlefield or Dies after the Trigger?

Mentor still resolves as long as the trigger was put on the stack before the mentor creature is removed. When the mentor ability resolves, it’ll check the last known information of the mentor creature, which means it’ll use the power that creature had before it left the battlefield.

That means some removal spells that shrink a creature’s power and toughness might disrupt mentor. For example, Multiply by Zero can remove a mentor creature after it attacks, but it’ll die as a 0/0, which will likely cause mentor to fail.

What if the Power of the Mentor Creature or Target Changes after the Trigger?

Changing a creature’s power after mentor has triggered might cause it to fail. Mentor has two checks to resolve fully: It checks the power of your attackers when you attack, and again when mentor resolves. Players can cast spells and activate abilities once mentor has triggered, and both the mentor and targeted creatures’ powers can change before mentor resolves. If the mentor creature’s power becomes equal to or less than the target, or if the target’s power becomes equal to or greater than the mentor, the ability won’t resolve.

What’s the Difference Between Training and Mentor?

Training and mentor are both abilities that use a higher-powered creature to put +1/+1 counters on a smaller creature. The main difference is that mentor appears on larger creatures and targets smaller creatures, while training appears on the smaller creature and doesn’t target anything.

Gallery and List of Mentor Cards

Best Mentor Cards

#5. Tajic, Legion’s Edge

Tajic, Legion's Edge is a Boros dream card. It’s fast, it can pump creatures, it protects creatures, and first strike can add more pressure on your opponent. This is a great Boros card that can fit in plenty of aggressive decks.

#4. Legion Warboss

Legion Warboss isn’t only great for mentor-style decks, it also fits perfectly into typical goblin builds. Grow your goblin base and pump them with Warboss’s mentor trigger, or other goblin support cards.

#3. Iroh, Dragon of the West

Iroh, Dragon of the West requires a specific kind of deck to really work, but in any red deck with a +1/+1 counter theme, it can result in some serious mana production. Iroh helps the cause with mentor, but you’ll need ways to sink the red mana from firebending mid-combat.

#2. Felisa, Fang of Silverquill

Felisa, Fang of Silverquill is a nice way to grow your board presence and make your opponent hesitate with removal spells. It might even be a good commander if you want to try Orzhov () counters with supporting cards like Inkshield, Carrion Feeder, or Luminarch Aspirant.

#1. Danny Pink

Danny Pink gives your creatures a great card draw trigger, and mentor is the built-in way to make it happen. It’s very easy for Danny to pay for itself and it plays well with counter-moving cards.

Wrap Up

Legion Warboss | Illustration by Alex Konstad

Thank you for allowing me to mentor you on this aggressive mechanic. Mentor has branched out from its original Boros origins, but it’s an irregularity that we only see when WotC prints literal mentor creatures, or needs a supplementary Boros design. It’s not nearly exciting or load-bearing enough to achieve evergreen status.

If you’ve got any thoughts on this mechanic, or if you just learned something new today, let us know in the comments or in the Draftsim Discord. And check out The Daily Upkeep newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest MTG news.

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Trevor Galvin

Trevor Galvin played Magic as a rowdy middle schooler in the early 2000s, then took a long break before rejoining the battle in 2017. He loves playing Limited and also plays Standard to grind for those coins. He currently lives in Japan and plays MTG Arena every day.