This deck is basically the reconstruction of the Bant Company deck that dominated last Standard season. The fact that you can rebuild the deck even without the busted Collected Company, is a proof of how good the Bant creatures are.
The creatures that rewarded you both in the early and late game may not get the same tempo boost from Company, but they’re still around. Sylvan Advocate and Tireless Tracker both don’t mind if you draw plenty of lands, and they provide value and mana sinks for the late game.
You still have the aggressive aerial assault. Selfless Spirit offers a great power to cost ratio for an evasive creature that also helps against the sweepers in the format. Spell Queller still offers the incredible tempo it always has as a reasonable body with both evasion and the ability to slow down an opponent’s spell, if not stop it all together. Reflector Mage is still the absolute king of tempo. The more people think that Spell Queller and Reflector Mage are not a big part of the format, and they didn’t appear to be in the first event of the season,the more powerful they become. When players cast more spells that walk into these cards, Bant shines.
Servant of the Conduit is a respectable body for 2 mana, attacking admirably when needed. The early ramp, however, is something that these decks have never had access to. With ramp you can cast a turn 3 Tamiyo, Field Researcher. In an aggressive deck that can consistently cast a Tamiyo, you’re looking at tons of card advantage and the perfect tempo card. Tapping down blockers for multiple turn cycles is really challenging to beat.
As if dealing with a Tamiyo on 4 wasn’t bad enough, look at what Bant got for the 5 slot. Aggressive green decks got the most pushed creature we’ve seen in some time. Verdurous Gearhulk is an 8/8 trample with upside. A 4/4 trample with four +1/+1 counters that effectively have haste is simply absurd. You get your spell put under a Spell Queller, another under a Reflector Mage, and now you’re looking at a pair of 4/5 creatures, not to mention the 4/4 trampler, waiting to finish you off on turn 5. That’s without even playing a 2 drop, let alone a Servant!
One of the sweeter cards is Blossoming Defense. It’s a decent pump spell, but it really shines in the protection role. Making sure your Spell Queller stays alive for that extra turn is awesome for a single mana, and it ends up being another great tempo play. Keeping your 4/4 to 8/8 trampling Gearhulk should end the game.
Here’s the full list:
Creature (25):
4 Verdurous Gearhulk
4 Reflector Mage
1 Selfless Spirit
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Spell Queller
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Tireless Tracker
Spells (9):
4 Tamiyo, Field Researcher
2 Blossoming Defense
3 Declaration in Stone
Lands (26):
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Prairie Stream
5 Forest
1 Island
4 Plains
Sideboard (15):
2 Arborback Stomper
2 Noose Constrictor
2 Ceremonious Rejection
3 Negate
1 Summary Dismissal
2 Nissa, Vital Force
3 Fragmentize
Tempo is the key to a Bant deck, and while Collected Company isn’t easy to replace, you’re still looking at some massive amounts of damage in short order. Company is gone, but Bant is certainly not!
Thanks Everybody for reading,
Andreas
MtG Balance 