Trying to draw cards in white is like trying to squeeze water out of stone. Not only do you often come out empty-handed, your palm and fingers will be terribly sore.

It’s a very common scenario in white: drawing cards at a high cost, or needing to compensate the opponent in some way. Cards like Secret Rendezvous and Sky Crier just feel bad, no matter how much people might say it is a good political tool in Commander.

Despite all that, there are decent white cards that let you net multiple draws over the course of a game. Drawing cards (or card advantage) in a Magic game is very important, regardless of what colour or deck strategy you are using. It lets you look for solutions to the opponents’ threats, as well as find your own key cards to win the game.

Here are the 8 best card draws in white that you should seriously consider for any deck that is solely white or has a strong focus on it. Unfortunately, many of these will come with certain ‘conditions’ and may only work well in specific decks. That’s just how it is with white.

Spirited Companion or Inspiring Overseer: Creatures That Draw

Creatures that automatically draw when they enter the Battlefield may be a dime a dozen in other colours, but they’re extra valuable in white decks. You’re getting both a Creature to serve as an attacker or blocker, plus replenishing the card you have just cast.

Spirited Companion and Inspiring Overseer are only 2 of a few such white Creatures out there, and having 4 of each in specific decks can help keep the engine running. Spirited Companion works wonders in Enchantment decks, while Inspiring Overseer is also a crucial piece in today’s Angel Standard decks.

Sram, Senior Edificer: Must-Have for Artifact Decks

If you’re ever playing a constructed deck that is focused on Auras, Equipment, and/or Vehicles, then Sram, Senior Edificer is an auto-include. Just by casting any of those card types, Sram lets you draw a card. Chances are, that drawn card is also one of the 3 card types, and this creates a snowball effect that will leave any white player giggling with glee.

Sadly, the best things aren’t meant to be shared – if you white deck’s theme is on life gain or just plain aggressive weenies, then Sram does nothing for you. Another downside is that as a frail 2/2 Legendary Creature, it can be easily killed off plus you can’t have more than 1 on the Battlefield.

Nevertheless, it is a worthy entry into the hall of fame for white draw cards, and it sees multiple reprints to keep it cheap and affordable to whoever needs it.

Halo Fountain: Draw Card Every Turn

You’ve got to jump a few hoops to get there, but Halo Fountain is an unlikely white card that can provide recurring card draw each turn. It works best in green-white decks that create lots of tokens. After you’ve attacked with 2 of them, you can pay 2 white to untap them and draw a card. Having them untap will be useful as they can serve as blockers (provided they survive).

The other abilities of Halo Fountain aren’t bad either. The 1st ability already lets you create a token – helping you to fulfil the 2nd draw ability – and the last one is literally game ending if you can attack (or tap) 15 of your Creatures. Most mono white weenie decks would find Halo Fountain.

Again, the card is still highly situational and may not fit into your deck’s strategy. If you’re playing mono white that creates lots of tokens with Clarion Spirit, or a Commander like Emmara, Soul of the Accord or Prava, of the Steel Legion, Halo Fountain will fit in nicely as a mid-to-late game changer.

Mangara, the Diplomat: Sit Back and Control

Mangara, the Diplomat gives you 2 ways to draw, once when an opponent attacks you with 2 or more Creatures, and when an opponent casts their 2nd spell each turn. In a 1-versus-1 game, Mangara slows down their game plan and keeps you alive longer, as they would likely stick to 1 attacker and 1 spell on their turn (unless they’re willing to let you draw).

It’s almost like a Rule of Law or Archon of Emeria but without the hard restriction. Mangara, the Diplomat is a decent 2/4 blocker with Lifelink so it’s not so easily killed with burn spells or by combat damage.

Mangara shines the most in multiplayer Commander format, as there is a higher likelihood that one of your many opponents will double spell on their turn. One downside is that you have no control over their actions, as each one could very well attack you with 1 big or flying Creature, and discipline themselves to casting 1 spell only.

Mentor of the Meek: Creature Token Decks

Mentor of the Meek is like an upgrade over Halo Fountain because you can trigger this multiple times per turn as long as Mana isn’t an issue. Any deck that uses Halo Fountain would likely also run Mentor of the Meek because both make use of low-powered Creatures (often Tokens) to trigger or activate these draw abilities.

It’s not going to do anything if it comes in on turn 3, but if it stays alive, Mentor of the Meek can easily help you draw at least 1 card each turn. Imagine having 4 Mana on turn 4, you can cast 2 1-cost Creatures, both triggering Mentor. Pay 2 Mana during the trigger, and you have 2 brand new cards to refill your hand.

It’s a critical step for white weenie decks to keep pace, and also as backup in the face of a sweeper spell like Anger of the Gods. Unfortunately Mentor of the Meek is still only a 2/2 Creature that can be dealt with in many ways, but if opponents’ ignore it, you’ll get a huge payoff as you cast more Creatures.

Dawn of Hope: A Healthy Include for Life Gain Decks

Isn’t paying 2 Mana worse than paying 1 Mana (in Mentor of the Meek‘s trigger)? It is, but with Dawn of Hope, gaining life would be easy for life gain decks, as Creatures with Lifelink will do that in combat, and cards like Fountain of Renewal have free, automatic triggers. When you have Mana to spare, Dawn of Hope could get you multiple draws each turn.

The Enchantment’s other neat trick is that it can create its own 1/1 tokens with Lifelink! If you’re able to leave 6 Mana available, spending 4 for a blocker, and 2 to draw a cards from the subsequent life gain is a good way to stall the game as you dig into your deck for answers.

Mono white angel decks – many have life gain abilities of synergies – will want to make room for Dawn of Hope. It will be much less effective in other token decks that don’t revolve around life gain, but still worth including for the ability to create tokens.

Esper Sentinel

Many Modern and Commander players consider Esper Sentinel to be one of the best white cards printed in the last 2 years, and rightfully so. It costs only 1 white Mana, so you could get this out on turn 1 to start doing its work. In fact, it works best in the early game as most players are casting cheap Artifacts like Sol Ring and may not be able to pay the extra 1 Mana to prevent you from drawing a card.

The only reason why this isn’t in the top spot is because it is practically worthless as a card draw engine in the late game. Even when players have 5-6 Lands already on the Battlefield, hoping to draw through Esper Sentinel might be a stretch. By then, it just serves as a 1/1 blocker.

One other drawback is that it only affects non-Creature spells, making this a paler cousin of Rhystic Study. Wizards of the Coast did try to compensate for this by increasing the Mana tax as you increase Esper Sentinel‘s power, but any Auras or buff spells after often reserved for the Commander in “Voltron” style decks.

Archivist of Oghma: A Savior in Commander

Archivist of Oghma is the chase Rare card from the new Commander Legends: Battle at Baldur’s Gate expansion set, for the sole reason that it offers power boost to white in competitive Commander decks. It is really more of a saviour than an archivist for white.

In competitive Commander, players are frequently searching their Libraries through Fetchlands or Tutor spells such as Demonic Tutor and Mystical Tutor. It’s the perfect stage for a card like Archivist of Oghma to shine, especially since it has Flash and can be cast after opponent has cast their own spell.

Being a Commander card, Archivist of Oghma is not legal in many other set-specific formats such as Modern and Pioneer, but it will be a hit in the Commander scene for years to come, much like how Opposition Agent has become a common sight in many black decks.

As a Rare card, the price should gradually drop and eventually stabilise toward the end of 2022 and into 2023, so if you’re not desperate to add it to your deck, having patience will save you a pretty penny.

End Step

So why isn’t Land Tax in the list? While it’s a great Commander staple for getting your Lands guaranteed and out on time, it doesn’t actually help you dig for cards that you need, and that’s the main benefit of drawing cards.

Likewise, Smothering Tithe and Monologue Tax are superb Enchantments that help to “ramp” a white deck up, but if you don’t have the cards to spend the Mana on, then you’re still a sitting duck.

Are there any other white cards with good draw effects that we missed out? Share you experience with us and we might include it in this list!