Collected CompanyCollected Company | Art by Franz Vohwinkel

Welcome back to 60 to 100, a series where we take beloved decks from 60-card formats and convert them to Commander.

The release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm has prompted me to revisit many of my favorite decks from the good old days of the original Tarkir block. I love to put old Pro Tour coverage on in the background while I'm working, and one of my favorites to revisit is Pro Tour Shadows Over Innistrad.

Going into that event, the Standard format had experienced a very odd shakeup due to rotation. The first two sets in Khans block, Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged, rotated out of Standard. This left Dragons of Tarkir, the third set in the block, in the format all by itself. The resulting format was very interesting. Popular sideboard cards, like Disdainful StrokeDisdainful Stroke, had gone missing. Mana bases were left in shambles as the fetch lands from Khans of Tarkir left the format. It was quite the time to be a Standard player.

My favorite deck from Pro Tour Shadows Over Innistrad was Bant () Company. This deck sought to use its namesake card, Collected CompanyCollected Company, to cheat up to two creatures into play at instant speed for just four mana. It was filled with tricky creatures, like Reflector MageReflector Mage and Bounding KrasisBounding Krasis, that can mess with the opponent's board and clear the way for big attacks, as well as value creatures like Duskwatch RecruiterDuskwatch Recruiter and Jace, Vryn's ProdigyJace, Vryn's Prodigy, to allow the deck to grind out longer games. At the top of the curve alongside Collected CompanyCollected Company, the deck played Archangel AvacynArchangel Avacyn, another powerful flash creature that could swing a game in your favor when timed correctly.

I'm incredibly excited to dig into this one. Let's look at Andrea Mengucci's 2nd place list from Pro Tour Shadows Over Innistrad and get started.

The Source Material

The Commander

It didn't take me long to settle on a commander for this deck. Derevi, Empyrial TacticianDerevi, Empyrial Tactician can be put into play at instant speed for four mana, like a Collected CompanyCollected Company that only found one creature. Even better, this ability is unaffected by commander tax. Her ability to tap or untap permanents is reminiscent of Bounding KrasisBounding Krasis. The flavor and function seem to be all here.

Collecting the Company

The singleton constraint of Commander weighs heavily on this deck. Collected CompanyCollected Company is the sort of card that doesn't have many facsimiles in Magic's card pool. Aethermage's TouchAethermage's Touch acts as a second copy that is both better and worse, due to its ability to put one creature of any mana value into play.

To make up for the lack of Collected CompanyCollected Company alternatives, I've included a variety of other ways to put creatures into play at instant speed. DesertionDesertion counters a creature spell and then puts it into play under your control. Dramatic EntranceDramatic Entrance brings a green creature from your hand into play at instant speed - usually a Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth, in my experience. Chord of CallingChord of Calling is an instant speed tutor that can bring any creature onto the battlefield.

These alternatives aren't quite Collected CompanyCollected Company, but they all have a similar feel.

Collected Company, Mathematics, and You

In addition to seeking out Collected CompanyCollected Company equivalents, we'll need to do some math to ensure that Collected Company is able to reliably find two creatures. It's time to put on our Frank Karsten hats.

The deck plays 36 creatures with mana value three or less. If we assume that we're casting Collected CompanyCollected Company on or after our fourth turn and consider the likelihood of drawing into a couple of those creatures naturally in that time, 36 creatures gives us a roughly 78% chance of finding two creatures. These odds work out to be roughly equivalent to the probability of hitting two creatures with Collected CompanyCollected Company in the original deck.

Recurring Collected Company

Another means of having more than one Collected CompanyCollected Company is including ways to recur it. This deck has quite a few of those. Eternal WitnessEternal Witness, Timeless WitnessTimeless Witness, and ArchaeomancerArchaeomancer can add a Collected CompanyCollected Company from your graveyard to your hand with their enters triggers. Mystic SanctuaryMystic Sanctuary can set a spell from the graveyard on top of your library. SoulherderSoulherder, Ghostly FlickerGhostly Flicker, and EphemerateEphemerate can then blink one of these recursion options and do it all over again. Tamiyo, Inquisitive StudentTamiyo, Inquisitive Student's flip side allows you to return an instant or sorcery to your hand, and you even get a mana to cast it if that instant or sorcery is green. If you're okay with Collected CompanyCollected Company going to exile afterwards, Jace, Vryn's ProdigyJace, Vryn's Prodigy's flip side can give it flashback.

Finding Collected CompanyCollected Company is much, much harder than casting it over and over again once you've found it.

Winning the Game

This deck is definitely light on ways to win the game. Getting into the red zone with a deluge of two-power creatures was enough to get the job done in Standard in 2016, but in Commander that strategy is somewhat lacking.

My plan for this deck is to play a long game where you're drawing lots of cards, taking a lot of game actions, and biding your time while the other players at the table wear each other down to a point where you can finish them off. Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth and the few tutors in the deck that can grab it offer a faster way to get the job done when the situation calls for it. Dramatic EntranceDramatic Entrance opens up some unique uses for Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth, namely putting it into play at instant speed as a combat trick to eat opposing creatures. This is a particularly satisfying when followed by an EphemerateEphemerate or Ghostly FlickerGhostly Flicker on your turn to kill your opponents afterwards.

Ramp

Our ramp package is pretty sweet. I've declined to include many "standard" ramp options, like Sol RingSol Ring or Arcane SignetArcane Signet, in favor of some options that can be found with Collected CompanyCollected Company. Noble HierarchNoble Hierarch is a multi-format staple that fixes for all three of our colors and can give a small buff to creatures that attack by themselves.

Selvala, Heart of the WildsSelvala, Heart of the Wilds is a somewhat odd inclusion, given how small many of our creatures are. However, with Derevi, Empyrial TacticianDerevi, Empyrial Tactician's ability to untap it, Selvala can generate a lot of big bursts of mana with just a three- or four-power creature on the board. Uro, Titan of Nature's WrathUro, Titan of Nature's Wrath is a ramp creature that can grind out long games after board wipes and removal spells have slowed or stopped your opponents' strategies. As an added bonus, Uro can be blinked with Ghostly Flicker or Ephemerate before being sacrificed for some additional value.

Draw

The best way to find Collected CompanyCollected Company is to simply draw a lot of cards. Toski, Bearer of SecretsToski, Bearer of Secrets and Enduring CuriosityEnduring Curiosity are a perfect fit, as many of the deck's creatures have flying or some other form of evasion. Tamiyo, Field ResearcherTamiyo, Field Researcher has a more targeted version of this ability where you must choose two creatures to draw a card upon dealing damage. Notably, you can choose opposing creatures with this ability. Enduring InnocenceEnduring Innocence draws cards as your two-power creatures enter the battlefield, something you'll have reliable access to between Derevi, Empyrial TacticianDerevi, Empyrial Tactician in the command zone and your giant mass of low-cost creatures.

Finally, we have cards like Aether ChannelerAether Channeler and Wall of OmensWall of Omens to combine with our suite of blink and flicker effects to create a draw engine that really takes me back to Modern circa 2022 when the premier Collected CompanyCollected Company deck of the format played Wall of OmensWall of Omens and Wall of BlossomsWall of Blossoms alongside SoulherderSoulherder as its primary source of card advantage.

Interaction

This deck's suite of interaction is jam-packed with nostalgic cards that I just love putting on the stack. Spell QuellerSpell Queller is quite possibly the sweetest piece of countermagic ever printed. No one is expecting their spell to be eaten by this Spirit at an EDH table. Reflector MageReflector Mage is the best variation on Man-o'-WarMan-o'-War, bouncing a creature and rendering it uncastable for a full turn cycle. One of my favorite feature matches shown on Pro Tour coverage gives us the privilege of watching Luis Scott-Vargas using Reflector MageReflector Mage to bounce an Emrakul, the Promised EndEmrakul, the Promised End only for his opponent to cast it again two turns later. In typical LSV fashion, he still won that game.

There isn't much in the way of non-creature spell interaction here, but the pieces we do play are pretty good. Flare of FortitudeFlare of Fortitude has recently been climbing higher and higher in my estimation the more I've played with it. A zero-mana Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection, even if it only lasts until end of turn rather than until your next turn, is rock-solid, and you can really catch people off guard with it. Flare of DenialFlare of Denial and NegateNegate are primarily here to defend against opposing board wipes or other spells that threaten to win the game outright.

I really considered stealing Ojutai's CommandOjutai's Command from the original deck, but it ended up not making the cut as I'd rather just cast a flash creature like Venser, Shaper SavantVenser, Shaper Savant with that mana.

Lands

Thankfully, unlike in Shadow's Over Innistrad Standard, Commander allows us to play fetch lands. Our fetches can grab shock lands, like Hallowed FountainHallowed Fountain or Temple GardenTemple Garden, as well as surveil lands, like Lush PorticoLush Portico or Meticulous ArchiveMeticulous Archive. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to squeeze in enough basic lands to make Prairie StreamPrairie Stream or Canopy VistaCanopy Vista viable. In the early game, those lands were essentially Guildgates that you could search for with Flooded StrandFlooded Strand. Here, if I'm going to play lands that come into play tapped, I at least want them to do something else, like surveil.

I've been on a bit of a man-lands kick in my Commander decks lately, and this deck is no exception. I love these cards as less committal attacking options when you're expecting a board wipe to come down. They also make incredible blockers, as you can spend all your mana and then untap enough lands with Derevi, Empyrial Tactician's triggers to leave up a man-land activation during your opponents' turns. As an added bonus, swinging with an animated Lumbering FallsLumbering Falls is incredibly good for the nostalgia equity.

Finally, in order to keep the land count in my preferred range without having to worry too much about flooding, I've included some land cyclers and dual-face cards. I love the extra utility you can squeeze out of your lands with these cards. Strength of the HarvestStrength of the Harvest is at worst a tap land, and at best an Aura that can make Derevi, Empyrial TacticianDerevi, Empyrial Tactician really big. Glasspool MimicGlasspool Mimic is another dual faced card that is both a land and a creature that can be found with Collected CompanyCollected Company. Lórien RevealedLórien Revealed and Eagles of the NorthEagles of the North are land cyclers that can find your typed dual lands while being perfectly fine to cast in the later stages of the game. Finally, the lands are rounded out by Boseiju, Who EnduresBoseiju, Who Endures and Otawara, Soaring CityOtawara, Soaring City. They're both solid removal spells that are also fine to play as untapped mono-colored lands.

Wrap-Up

This was a really fun article to write. In preparation for this one, I spent a lot of time watching old Pro Tour coverage, playing both early versions of this deck and Modern Collected CompanyCollected Company decks on Magic Online and Magic the Gathering: Arena, and watching interviews and other content from the players that played Bant Company in 2016.

There were a lot of little edits and choices in my version of this deck that I deliberated on for a while. For example, I was shooting for the Upgraded (3) bracket, but also didn't want to include any Game Changers. This limitation stopped me from including a Time WarpTime Warp to mimic the infinite turns combo that Bant Company used in Modern a year or two ago. Unfortunately, that combo is at odds with building a deck in this bracket. Also, one of the cards I originally included in the deck, Seedborn MuseSeedborn Muse, became a Game Changer in the middle of writing this article. That change prompted a lot of small tweaks to the list!

Thanks for reading! If you think I missed anything big in my adaptation process, feel free to let me know in the comments. I plan on putting a version of this deck together for my personal collection and am very invested in making improvements. (And I'll probably be asking my playgroup very nicely if I can include Archangel AvacynArchangel Avacyn even though her flip side technically breaks the color-identity restriction.)