Looking for some good MTG White card draw cards? You’ve come to the right place. White has long been known as the worst MTG color for drawing cards, and for years its poor performance in EDH was lamented by all. It was perceived as the worst color at ramping and drawing, making mono-white a brave choice for any Commander player.
That’s all changed in recent years, however. Wizards of the Coast seems to include a powerful MTG White card draw spell in each new set it releases, and now there are many good options for players looking to trick out their EDH decks. You’ll find eight exceptional white draw cards below. Afterwards, why not check out some MTG draw cards for different MTG color combinations?
- 8. Dawn of Hope
- 7. Mesa Enchantress
- 6. Mentor of the Meek
- 5. Sram, Senior Edificer
- 4. Archivist of Oghma
- 3. Bennie Bracks, Zoologist
- 2. Smuggler’s Share
- 1. Esper Sentinel
8. Dawn of Hope
Dawn of Hope is entirely too fair to make it higher up this list. It’s still a great white card draw spell for lifegain decks, but the fact that you have to pay two mana to get the card does prevent it from going out of control. That’s a pretty hefty tax in most decks, and you’ll probably need some white mana ramp cards to help pay for it.
The ability to spend four mana to make a little token with MTG lifelink is a nice bonus. Hopefully, you’ll have something much better to do on your turn, but if you’re in a desperate spot, you might be able to use the chump blocker and the bonus card it provides to find a way out.
7. Mesa Enchantress
Enchantment decks are still one of the most popular themes in Magic: The Gathering, and white enchantment decks love cards like this that can keep the card draw flowing. While surpassed in some aspects by a few more recent green cards like Setessan Champion, you still can’t go wrong with old Mesa Enchantress, provided you’ve got a high enchantment count in your deck.
6. Mentor of the Meek
Mentor of the Meek is one of the first really good white card draw cards Magic: The Gathering received. In fact, it’s so good that it’s still considered a color pie break by Mark Rosewater. It’s super easy to trigger the card draw condition here, you just need a weenie creature to enter the battlefield.
Comparing Mentor of the Meek to Dawn of Hope shows that there’s leagues between a one and a two mana tax. Some may still cut the mentor from their EDH decks, because they don’t want to pay extra mana for their cards at all, but we think one card for one mana is a brilliant rate.
5. Sram, Senior Edificer
By this point in the list, you’ve probably spotted a pattern of MTG white card draw options that say some variation of: when you play a card of type X, draw a card. Sram, Senior Edificer falls firmly into that category again. He’s one of the ultimate examples of the type, however, for three reasons.
The first is that he only costs two mana; the second is that there’s no ‘once per turn’ limit or other tax on his draws; and the third is that he triggers off three different card types. While most decks won’t have tons of MTG Vehicles, getting to draw from both MTG equipment and auras is sweet indeed, making Sram a very good inclusion in most Voltron decks.
4. Archivist of Oghma
The problem with Stax cards that prevent certain actions, like Aven Mindcensor, is that while you might get the drop on one player, from then on your opponents can play around your card until it’s removed.
That’s why it’s often far better to use an effect like the one on Archivist of Oghma, which lets you draw a card whenever a player searches their library. As Rhystic Study demonstrates, players will often let you have all the resources you need if it stops their game plan from being slowed down.
3. Bennie Bracks, Zoologist
Bennie Bracks, Zoologist is a pretty darn expensive MTG card right now, which may go some way to revealing what a fantastic card draw option it is for white decks. It can only draw you a card on each end step, but in the right deck you can make it happen on your opponents’ turns too.
One of the best things about the card is how flexible it is on the mana cost. With convoke, you can sometimes play the card for free, providing you’re going wide enough. With so many MTG Commanders or Commander cards producing tokens, this guy slots into thousands of different decks.
2. Smuggler’s Share
One of the best white ‘catch up’ cards, Smuggler’s Share is a bit of a risky card to pop in your deck, because its strength is going to vary depending on what the other players at your Commander table are doing. If no one’s drawing extra cards or playing strong MTG mana ramp or fetch lands, it’s going to feel like a waste.
However, in more powerful pods, that kind of thing is happening all the time, and being able to both create treasures and draw cards with this enchantment is going to feel great. Smuggler’s Share is also a fabulous option in a group hug deck, where you’re helping everyone else out anyway.
1. Esper Sentinel
There could be no other pick for the best MTG white card draw spell than Esper Sentinel, white’s Rhystic Study equivalent. For the low low cost of one mana, you get a powerful card draw engine. It’s particularly great on early turns, when you can profit very nicely off everyone’s mana rocks.
While other players can stop you drawing from Esper Sentinel, more often than not, they won’t want to wait an extra turn to play their spells, more or less ensuring the card at least replaces itself. Players don’t like their spells costing more, which will paint a target on this little critter’s head. Amusingly, your opponents will probably need a non-creature spell to take it out, so you might get one last draw on the Sentinel’s way out.
For more Magic content, check out our picks for the best MTG Commanders. We can also help you learn how to build an MTG Commander deck.