The 40 Best Budget Tutors in Magic Ranked

Last updated on October 24, 2025

Bring to Light | Illustration by Jonas De Ro

The other day, I was looking at some cards I previously owned and was shocked at their price tag. Some of them had doubled—or even tripled—since I last checked. And let’s be honest, in times of need, you just can’t afford to hang onto cards that only see play once in a blue moon.

So that got me thinking: Is there a cheaper version of this? Sure, we’d all love to run Demonic Tutor in every black deck, but not everyone has $50 to spend on a single card. That’s why I put together this list of budget tutors under $5, covering a variety of formats (but especially Commander), to help you get similar effects without breaking the bank.

Let’s dive into the ones I found!        

What Are Budget Tutors in MTG?

Final Parting | Illustration by Eric Deschamps

Budget tutors are cards that let you search your library for another card, but they cost significantly less than premium options like Demonic Tutor or Vampiric Tutor. These budget-friendly alternatives often have small restrictions, higher mana values, or exist as enter-the-battlefield triggers to keep them balanced and affordable.

For this list, I’ll cover some of the best tutor cards available for under $5 that offer powerful effects without breaking your wallet. Prices were taken from TCGplayer as of May, 2025.

#40. Summoner's Pact – $4.92

Don’t let the 0-mana cost fool you—Summoner's Pact is no free lunch. This green instant lets you immediately tutor for any green creature card and put it into your hand, but there’s a catch: You need to pay at the start of your next upkeep, or you lose the game. That said, it’s perfect for explosive combo turns when you only need one more creature to go off.

#39. Dark Petition – $4.74

Dark Petition is a solid budget replacement for more expensive black tutors, with a great upside if you’re casting it in a spell-heavy deck. You get to search for any card and put it into your hand—classic tutor move—but if you have spell mastery (two instants or sorceries in your graveyard), you also get 3 black mana right after it resolves. That mana rebate makes it an ideal setup card for big combo turns or just refueling your hand mid-game.

#38. Nature's Rhythm – $3.99

This green sorcery is like a customizable Green Sun's Zenith, but with a power move built into it. Nature's Rhythm lets you search your library for any creature with mana value X or less and put it straight onto the battlefield—no need to pass the turn or hope it resolves later. But the real kicker is its harmonize ability: You can cast it again from your graveyard for a slightly beefier cost, and even tap a creature to reduce that cost based on its power. That makes it a flexible, reusable tutor that scales with your board presence.

#37. Time of Need – $3.79

Green decks with legendary creatures will love Time of Need. For just 2 mana, you can search your library for any legendary creature and add it to your hand. It’s a great inclusion in Commander, where almost every deck has a legendary creature you want to find consistently—especially if it’s your main engine or a win condition.

#36. Hoarding Broodlord – $3.72

This big black dragon doesn’t just dominate the skies—it also brings tutoring power with a twist. Hoarding Broodlord lets you search your library for any card when it enters the battlefield, but instead of putting it into your hand, you exile it face down.

Sounds weird, but here’s the trick: You can cast that card for as long as it’s exiled, and even better, spells you cast from exile gain convoke. If you’ve got a bunch of creatures lying around, your next spell—whether it’s a game-winning bomb or a combo piece—could cost basically nothing. It’s a high-end finisher with serious synergy in exile-based or token-heavy decks.

#35. Long-Term Plans – $3.49

This clever instant has one of the most unique tutor effects out there. Long-Term Plans lets you find any card in your library and place it third from the top. That’s right—third. It’s slower than other tutors, sure, but for blue decks that can manipulate the top of their library or just plan ahead, it’s a sneaky way to guarantee a key card a few turns down the line.

#34. Sarkhan's Triumph – $3.46

Dragons fans, rejoice! Sarkhan's Triumph is a 3-mana instant that lets you search your library for any dragon creature card and put it into your hand. It’s fast, it’s clean, and it doesn’t telegraph your play until the last moment. Whether you’re building dragon typal or just running a few powerful fliers, this is one of the best ways to make sure you find your top-end threat.

#33. Whir of Invention – $3.36

We’ve also got Whir of Invention, a blue instant that uses improvise (you can tap artifacts to help pay for its cost). It lets you search your library for an artifact with mana value X or less and put it right onto the battlefield. That’s right—no casting, no waiting. It’s perfect for finding key combo pieces, lock components, or ramp tools at instant speed.

#32. Beseech the Queen – $3.19

Beseech the Queen is a flexible black tutor that scales with your land count. It lets you dig up any card with mana value less than or equal to the number of lands you control, making it perfect for mid-to-late game setups. The hybrid mana cost is also neat—you can cast it entirely with black or splash it using generic mana in a multicolor build.

#31. Congregation at Dawn – $3.03

Congregation at Dawn is the kind of sneaky setup card that can turn an ordinary draw step into a win condition. For just 3 mana, you search your library for up to three creature cards and stack them on top of your deck in any order. It’s an instant, which means you can cast it right before your draw step or set up a surprise combo during your opponent’s turn. It’s especially spicy in decks that care about creature-based synergy or top-deck manipulation.

#30. Fauna Shaman – $2.93

Creature-based decks get a serious consistency boost from Fauna Shaman. This little elf lets you pay 1 green mana, tap it, and discard a creature card to tutor up any other creature in your deck. It’s a repeatable effect, too, which makes it perfect for toolbox builds, graveyard synergy decks, or combo strategies that want specific creatures in hand or yard.

#29. Solve the Equation – $2.40

Solve your problems one card at a time with Solve the Equation. This blue sorcery tutors up any instant or sorcery from your deck and adds it to your hand. Whether it’s a counterspell, removal, or the centerpiece of your combo, this card is a clean and efficient way to grab exactly what you need in a spell-heavy build.

#28. Open the Armory – $2.35

This 2-mana sorcery is a dream for aura and equipment lovers. Open the Armory lets you search your library for either type, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Whether you’re hunting down a Voltron piece, a toolbox equipment, or just a spicy aura like Rancor or Darksteel Mutation, this card does the job quickly and efficiently.

#27. Wargate – $2.11

Versatility is the name of the game with Wargate. For , you can tutor up any permanent card—creature, planeswalker, artifact, you name it—with mana value X or less and slam it directly onto the battlefield. It’s not just a search spell: It’s a cheat spell. And X can always be 0 to put a land directly into play.

#26. Citanul Flute – $2.03

If you’ve ever dreamed of building your own creature-based tutor engine, Citanul Flute makes that dream real. This 5-mana artifact lets you pay X and tap it to tutor up a creature with mana value X or less. It’s not a one-shot effect either—this thing sticks around and keeps delivering more threats or combo pieces every turn. Great for toolbox decks or anyone who wants consistent creature access.

#25. Mastermind's Acquisition – $1.44

Here’s a tutor with options. Mastermind's Acquisition lets you either search your library for any card, or in formats where wishes work as intended, grab something from outside the game. That second mode is mostly useful in sideboard-access formats like Standard or Historic, but even just being a 4-mana black tutor is solid. The flexibility bumps it up a notch, especially in decks with deep toolboxes.

#24. Eldritch Evolution – $1.43

Eldritch Evolution turns your creatures into upgraded threats. You sacrifice one creature and go digging through your deck for something with a mana value up to 2 more than the one you gave up, then drop it directly onto the battlefield. It’s an important play in green decks that can quickly convert value creatures into game-ending bombs. Just keep in mind that Eldrich Evolution exiles itself after use, so make it count!

#23. Planar Portal – $1.25

When you cast Planar Portal, you're going big. This 6-mana artifact comes with a steep price tag to activate it—another 6 mana!—but it searches for any card and puts it right into your hand. It’s ideal for long, grindy Commander games where you can afford to set up a slow win condition. Once you’re online, it turns every activation into a potential game-ender.

That may sound narrow, but it’s amazing for grabbing utility creatures like Mother of Runes, Esper Sentinel, or anything else that gives you cheap power or combo potential.

#22. Expedition Map – $0.99

Need to find that key land? Expedition Map is your go-to artifact to use for fixing, to search for utility lands, or to set up big mana. It’s incredibly cheap to cast and use, and while you do have to sacrifice it, it grabs any land—yes, even nonbasics like Cabal Coffers or Urza's Tower. This little artifact quietly does a lot of heavy lifting in decks that rely on specific land setups.

#21. Shared Summons – $0.96

You get serious value out of Shared Summons in any green creature-heavy deck. This 5-mana instant allows you to search for two creature cards with different names, reveal them, and put them into your hand. It’s a great way to tutor up a combo pair or just grab your next threats, and the ability to do it at instant speed means you can hold up mana for responses and still end your turn with a full grip.

#20. Jarad's Orders – $0.95

With Jarad's Orders, you get to double up on value for graveyard-focused builds. This green-black sorcery lets you search for two creatures—one goes to your hand, the other straight into your graveyard. That’s perfect for reanimator decks or strategies that want to fill the ‘yard while still maintaining card advantage. It’s a great mix of setup and flexibility.

#19. Diabolic Tutor – $0.84

If you're looking for a straightforward, no-nonsense tutor, Diabolic Tutor does exactly what you'd expect. It searches your library for any card, puts it into your hand, and shuffles—just like the premium options—but at a budget-friendly 4 mana.

#18. Godo, Bandit Warlord – $0.83

If you’re playing equipment-heavy strategies, Godo, Bandit Warlord is your guy. When it enters the battlefield, you can search your library for an equipment card and put it directly onto the battlefield—no need to waste time casting it. As a bonus, Godo gives you an extra combat phase when it attacks for the first time each turn, which can lead to some truly explosive turns when paired with the right gear.

#17. Plea for Guidance – $0.79

If enchantments are your thing, Plea for Guidance is an excellent tutor. It lets you search for up to two enchantment cards—yes, even big ones—and put them into your hand. Great for finding combo pieces, pillow fort cards, or even just value enchantments in white-heavy decks. The 6-mana cost is steep, but it’s worth it in dedicated builds.

#16. Weathered Wayfarer – $0.77

This 1-mana white creature can search up any land if an opponent controls more lands than you, the definition of a catch-up card. Weathered Wayfarer’s clause might seem restrictive, but in multiplayer Commander it’s incredibly easy to turn on. Whether you’re digging for ramp, utility, or combo lands, this little cleric puts in serious work.

#15. Ranger of Eos – $0.66

This one’s a creature tutor with a twist. When Ranger of Eos enters the battlefield, it searches your library for up to two creature cards with mana value 1 or less. That's great value and flexibility for an otherwise simple card.

#14. Rune-Scarred Demon – $0.50

When you drop Rune-Scarred Demon, you’re not just getting a 6/6 flying body—you’re also getting a built-in tutor. As soon as it enters the battlefield, you get to search your library for any card and put it straight into your hand. It’s a big splashy play that feels right at home in reanimator decks, where you can cheat it out early and grab your win condition with ease.

#13. Signal the Clans – $0.33

This chaotic little spell is perfect for Gruul decks () that love surprises. Signal the Clans has you search for three different creature cards, then it randomly puts one into your hand while the others go back into the deck. It’s a gamble, sure—but one that’s often worth it when you’re happy with any of the three. Great for decks with lots of redundant threats or value creatures.

#12. Grasslands – $0.32

Grasslands is part of a lesser-known but useful cycle of “slow fetch” lands originally printed in Mirage. It enters the battlefield tapped, but once you sacrifice it, you can search your library for a forest or plains card and drop it straight onto the battlefield. It’s not as quick as the modern fetches, but it gets the job done for fixing your colors, especially in budget decks. Other cards in this cycle, like Mountain Valley or Bad River, do the same thing for other color pairs. They’re perfect for decks that want mana consistency without spending big on fetches.

#11. Final Parting – $0.31

Sometimes one card just isn’t enough, and that’s where Final Parting really shines. For 5 mana, you search for two cards—one goes to your hand, the other straight to your graveyard. It’s mostly played in graveyard strategies, whether you’re digging up a reanimation spell and the creature to bring back, or just fueling a combo setup for a later turn.

#10. Trinket Mage – $0.31

You’ll love Trinket Mage if your deck runs key 1-mana artifacts. When it enters the battlefield, this unassuming wizard digs through your deck for something with mana value 1 or less. From mana rocks to combo enablers to defensive tools, Trinket Mage quietly offers precision and power in blue artifact-centric strategies.

#9. Thalia's Lancers – $0.31

This legendary hunter brings some serious tutor power to the table. When Thalia's Lancers enters the battlefield, you get to search your library for any legendary card—yes, any—and put it into your hand. Whether you’re hunting for your commander, a key planeswalker, or a legendary land, this 4/4 first striker helps glue your mid-to-late game together.

#8. Bring to Light – $0.26

Bring to Light is one of those cards that feels like cheating—because you often get to cast the spell you search for completely free. Thanks to the converge mechanic, it rewards multicolor decks by letting you tutor up a creature, instant, or sorcery with mana value equal to the number of colors you used to cast it. In 5-color Commander lists, Bring to Light can become a one-card combo piece or a silver bullet answer to whatever’s on the board.

#7. Micromancer – $0.25

It may not look like much, but Micromancer pulls a ton of weight in spell-based decks. For 4 mana, this 3/3 enters the battlefield and lets you search for an instant or sorcery card with mana value 1. That might sound restrictive, but in blue decks filled with cheap interaction or combo tools, it’s the perfect way to find your best spells.

#6. Lotuslight Dancers – $0.25

This zombie bard is all about precision graveyard setup. When Lotuslight Dancers enters the battlefield, you get to search your library for a black card, a green card, and a blue card—and toss them straight into your graveyard. That might sound strange at first, but in any deck that cares about recursion, reanimation, or flashback, this is pure setup value. It’s like a focused self-mill with a tutor's accuracy. Add in the 3/6 body with lifelink, and you’ve got a creature that stabilizes the board while quietly putting your win conditions exactly where you want them.

#5. Binding the Old Gods – $0.20

This saga doesn’t just tell a story—it wins the value game. Binding the Old Gods kicks off with a powerful ETB removal effect, letting you destroy any nonland permanent an opponent controls. On chapter II, it ramps you by fetching a forest card and putting it onto the battlefield tapped—not just basics, either, so go wild with duals or triomes. Then chapter III gives all your creatures deathtouch for a turn, which turns even the tiniest token army into a terrifying wall of death. It’s not a traditional tutor, but that land-fetching mode gives it a sneaky bit of deck-sculpting value in any black-green midrange or control deck.

#4. Goblin Matron – $0.18

This iconic little goblin is a must-have in any red deck featuring the creature type. Goblin Matron searches your library for any goblin card when it enters the battlefield, then puts it in your hand. Whether you’re looking for a lord, a finisher, or just a sneaky utility piece, Goblin Matron makes sure you’ve always got the right tool for the job.

#3. Drift of Phantasms – $0.14

Drift of Phantasms might look like a simple 0/5 flying defender, but its real power is in its transmute ability. For 3 mana, you can discard it to tutor for any card with a mana value of 3—perfect for combo pieces, support cards, or even a key lock piece. Plus it’s a blue creature, which can be useful for pitching to other spells or synergies, like in Pauper Walls decks.

#2. Fierce Empath – $0.10

When Fierce Empath enters the battlefield, it gives you a free pass to search up something massive, often Craterhoof Behemoth in many mono-green and elf decks.

#1. Heliod's Pilgrim – $0.09

Simple but effective, Heliod's Pilgrim is a white creature that searches your deck for any aura card when it hits the field. It’s a budget all-star in enchantress decks, Voltron builds, or anything that needs to fetch a removal aura or combat trick. The 1/2 body isn’t impressive, but the tutoring power makes it well worth the 3-mana cost.

Wrap Up

Nature's Rhythm | Illustration by Liiga Smilshkalne

There are probably plenty more budget-friendly tutors out there, but these are the ones that have really stood out to me over the years. And honestly, reprints play a huge role—cards that used to be way out of budget are now much more accessible thanks to recent sets and special products. If you’ve been sleeping on some of these options, it might be time to give them another look.

But hey, maybe I missed one of your go-to cheap tutors. Got a hidden gem I should’ve included? Let us know in the comments! Thanks for reading today, and if you want to always stay up to date with the latest MTG content, remember to follow us on social media to never miss a thing.

As always, take care, and see you next time!