The big draw to Bant is the combination of Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy, Reflector Mage, and Collected Company—but what if you throw those out the window?

By not playing a Collected Company deck, what does that bring to the table? First of all, you get to actually play planeswalkers! Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and Nissa, Voice of Zendikar are awesome cards that bring tons of value. Token-producing planeswalkers have the built-in ability to protect themselves, and pumping up token armies is a natural synergy. Combining these effects has provided a recipe for success in Constructed time and time again.

You also get to play actual spells! Collected Company is so demanding on how a deck is built, anything under 25 total hits is asking for serious trouble. Once you factor in the 4 Collected Companies and 25 lands, you’re looking at a maximum of 6 spells. Without the Companys, you get to open up the spell suite. You can play some actual removal, and in a world of Collected Company decks, Silkwrap is one of the best and most efficient removal spells in the format.

You also get to add some more interaction. Dromoka’s Command often serves as a removal spell with a bonus. Main-deck Disdainful Stroke counters planeswalkers, Siege Rhinos, Companys, Rally the Ancestors, Kalitas, and so much more.

Finally, you have the option to play more powerful creatures instead of needing to focus on CMC 3 or less. Wingmate Roc is the best of the bunch for efficiency and power, especially in conjunction with planeswalkers that make tokens and, in the case of Gideon, can attack himself.

You still have access to Reflector Mage, one of the best creatures printed in some time, but can fill your deck up with many powerful options. This is another potentially powerful direction for the Bant archetype!

Bant Midrange

MULLIBOK, 5-0 in an MTGO Standard League