It feels like Wizards of the Coast has handpicked the best decks for Standard by giving them a companion that is easy to integrate.

Jeskai Fires gets to add Karuga, the Macrosage at almost no cost. Presto, top tier.

Any ramp or control deck gets to add some lands, some omens, and Yorion, Sky Nomad, and boom, they are also top tier.

To top it off, Rakdos Sacrifice has multiple good companion options. Obosh, the Preypiercer and Lurrus of the Dream-Den pull decks in different directions, but both are very competitive. Double top tier.

What about the other decks in the meta just trying to keep up? Is a good companion all they need to remain competitive? Today I will share some of my more crazy attempts to give every deck in MTG a companion.

Temur Rec is arguably the most competitive deck without a companion. You could make the deck bigger and go for Yorion, Sky Nomad as your companion. For any ramp, midrange, or control deck playing Blue or White this is a better option than it seems. Getting from sixty cards to eighty cards is easy, just add 8-10 lands and 10-12 omens and you did it. Omens make sure that Yorion, Sky Nomad produces a ton of value.

Yorion Temur Rec | IKO Standard | CGB 4-26-2020

• Companion (1)
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad

• Creatures (4)
• 4 Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath

• Instants (20)
• 4 Expansion // Explosion
• 4 Growth Spiral
• 4 Mystical Dispute
• 4 Neutralize
• 4 Opt

• Sorceries (3)
• 3 Storm's Wrath

• Enchantments (16)
• 2 Omen of the Forge
• 2 Omen of the Hunt
• 4 Omen of the Sea
• 4 Shark Typhoon
• 4 Wilderness Reclamation

• Lands (37)
• 2 Mountain
• 3 Forest
• 3 Island
• 1 Blast Zone
• 2 Temple of Epiphany
• 3 Castle Vantress
• 3 Temple of Mystery
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Ketria Triome
• 4 Steam Vents
• 4 Stomping Ground

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Going to eighty reduces your consistency, but it is probably better than the other companion alternative I came up with for Temur Rec. Lutri, the Spellchaser requires that you only play one copy of all of your nonland cards in your deck, turning Standard into Singleton. That seems pretty bad for a combo-esque synergy deck like Temur Rec. On the brightside, you enjoy the company of this cute little elemental otter!

Lutri Temur Rec | IKO Standard | CGB 4-26-2020

• Companion (1)
• 1 Lutri, the Spellchaser

• Creatures (8)
• 1 Arboreal Grazer
• 1 Bonecrusher Giant
• 1 Brazen Borrower
• 1 Fae of Wishes
• 1 Gadwick, the Wizened
• 1 Hydroid Krasis
• 1 Nightpack Ambusher
• 1 Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World
• 1 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales

• Instants (16)
• 1 Aether Gust
• 1 Anticipate
• 1 Chemister's Insight
• 1 Essence Scatter
• 1 Expansion // Explosion
• 1 Fire Prophecy
• 1 Flame Sweep
• 1 Growth Spiral
• 1 Mystical Dispute
• 1 Negate
• 1 Once and Future
• 1 Opt
• 1 Ral's Outburst
• 1 Scorching Dragonfire
• 1 Thassa's Intervention
• 1 Wilt

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Storm's Wrath

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Omen of the Sea
• 1 Shark Typhoon
• 1 Wilderness Reclamation

• Artifacts (1)
• 1 Grafdigger's Cage

• Lands (29)
• 2 Forest
• 2 Island
• 2 Mountain
• 1 Blast Zone
• 3 Castle Vantress
• 3 Temple of Mystery
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Ketria Triome
• 4 Steam Vents

• Sideboard (14)
• 1 Expansion // Explosion
• 1 Flame Sweep
• 1 Genesis Ultimatum
• 1 Grafdigger's Cage
• 1 Mass Manipulation
• 1 Mystic Repeal
• 1 Once and Future
• 1 Return to Nature
• 1 Root Snare
• 1 Shark Typhoon
• 1 Storm's Wrath
• 1 Wilderness Reclamation
• 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries
• 1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World

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It is amazing how many good cards are available in Standard. While you are certainly making sacrifices to play a Singleton deck, it isn't like we are playing weak or boring cards. A nice trick in a Lutri deck is to run Fae of Wishes and use Granted to fetch a copy of what you want from the sideboard. Once and Future is another sneaky way to get multiple plays out of a key spell. And yes, don't forget you can use Lutri to copy an Explosion and double the damage it deals.

Another deck in desperate need of a companion is Mono-Red Aggro. Obosh is an option if you are willing to give up Torbran, Thane of Red Fell and Embercleave. That will probably cut too deep for most Red mages.

Obosh Red Aggro | IKO Standard | CGB 04-26-2020

• Companion (1)
• 1 Obosh, the Preypiercer

• Creatures (24)
• 4 Bonecrusher Giant
• 4 Fervent Champion
• 4 Grim Initiate
• 4 Phoenix of Ash
• 4 Scorch Spitter
• 4 Tin Street Dodger

• Instants (8)
• 4 Infuriate
• 4 Shock

• Sorceries (8)
• 4 Light Up the Stage
• 4 Skewer the Critics

• Lands (20)
• 16 Mountain
• 4 Castle Embereth

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I have no doubt that this deck can win games, but it feels like a grossly powered down Mono-Red. Another companion to try is Zirda, the Dawnwaker. Zirda requires that every permanent card in your deck have an activated ability. You get to keep your Embercleave, but the price is that you don't have many good creatures to equip it to.

Zirda Mono-Red Aggro | IKO Standard | CGB 04-26-2020

• Companion (1)
• 1 Zirda, the Dawnwaker

• Creatures (12)
• 4 Phoenix of Ash
• 4 Runaway Steam-Kin
• 4 Tin Street Dodger

• Instants (8)
• 4 Shock
• 4 Slaying Fire

• Sorceries (8)
• 4 Light Up the Stage
• 4 Skewer the Critics

• Enchantments (7)
• 3 Omen of the Forge
• 4 Experimental Frenzy

• Artifacts (3)
• 3 Embercleave

• Lands (22)
• 12 Mountain
• 2 Mobilized District
• 4 Castle Embereth
• 4 Fabled Passage

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Mobilized District is a cheap activation with Zirda in play, so perhaps I should play the full four. Fabled Passage can thin the deck and reshuffle your library when your Experimental Frenzy hits a second land, but perhaps that is too extra. Running only twelve creatures looks sketchy, but try to remember that one of those creatures will be available every time because companion is nuts! At the core, this is a burn deck that relies on Experimental Frenzy for card advantage, and those decks haven't been good in Standard for a while. I think it is time to test how great the quality of Red cards truly is. Let's look at Lutri, the Spellchaser in Mono-Red Aggro Singleton.

Lutri Mono-Red Aggro | IKO Standard | CGB 4-26-2020

• Companion (1)
• 1 Lutri, the Spellchaser

• Creatures (22)
• 1 Anax, Hardened in the Forge
• 1 Bonecrusher Giant
• 1 Careless Celebrant
• 1 Ember Hauler
• 1 Embereth Shieldbreaker
• 1 Everquill Phoenix
• 1 Fervent Champion
• 1 Goblin Banneret
• 1 Grim Initiate
• 1 Legion Warboss
• 1 Lutri, the Spellchaser
• 1 Phoenix of Ash
• 1 Rimrock Knight
• 1 Rix Maadi Reveler
• 1 Robber of the Rich
• 1 Runaway Steam-Kin
• 1 Scorch Spitter
• 1 Skarrgan Hellkite
• 1 Stonecoil Serpent
• 1 Tin Street Dodger
• 1 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
• 1 Unchained Berserker

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Chandra, Fire Artisan
• 1 Tibalt, Rakish Instigator

• Instants (7)
• 1 Fire Prophecy
• 1 Heartfire
• 1 Infuriate
• 1 Risk Factor
• 1 Scorching Dragonfire
• 1 Shock
• 1 Slaying Fire

• Sorceries (3)
• 1 Lava Coil
• 1 Light Up the Stage
• 1 Skewer the Critics

• Enchantments (1)
• 1 Leyline of Combustion

• Artifacts (1)
• 1 Embercleave

• Lands (24)
• 20 Mountain
• 4 Castle Embereth

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I can't argue that you are playing all hits here. What I can promise is that you will tilt your opponent's even more than usual when you curve out perfectly and wreck them on turn four!

Flash decks were heavily supported in Ikoria, and many players thought they would be contenders in the new meta. Without a companion, decks like Flash and Flash have been left behind. Let's see if we can find a buddy for these flashy mages.

Umori U/B Flash | IKO Standard | CGB 4-26-2020

• Companion (1)
• 1 Umori, the Collector

• Creatures (34)
• 3 Cunning Nightbonder
• 3 Spectral Sailor
• 4 Brazen Borrower
• 4 Brineborn Cutthroat
• 4 Dirge Bat
• 4 Pouncing Shoreshark
• 4 Sea-Dasher Octopus
• 4 Slitherwisp
• 4 Voracious Greatshark

• Lands (26)
• 6 Island
• 6 Swamp
• 1 Blast Zone
• 1 Bonder's Enclave
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 1 Castle Vantress
• 2 Fabled Passage
• 4 Temple of Deceit
• 4 Watery Grave

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Yes, you can really make a flash deck with only creatures and lands! This deck has a heavy mutate theme with Sea-Dasher Octopus, Dirge Bat, and Pouncing Shoreshark. The real loss is a way to actually counter non-creature spells in your flash deck, and the fact that Umori, the Collector starts the game revealed means the opponent will know you can't bust out a Negate. If you are concerned that the opponent won't play around your counters because of known companion information, take it to the opposite extreme. Your opponent won't know what to play around if you have Lutri, the Spellchaser as your companion!

Lutri U/G Flash | IKO Standard | CGB 4-26-2020

• Companion (1)
• 1 Lutri, the Spellchaser

• Creatures (14)
• 1 Brazen Borrower
• 1 Brineborn Cutthroat
• 1 Dream Eater
• 1 Frilled Mystic
• 1 Gadwick, the Wizened
• 1 Hydroid Krasis
• 1 Lutri, the Spellchaser
• 1 Nightpack Ambusher
• 1 Sea-Dasher Octopus
• 1 Spectral Sailor
• 1 Thryx, the Sudden Storm
• 1 Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
• 1 Voracious Greatshark
• 1 Wildborn Preserver

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World

• Instants (16)
• 1 Aether Gust
• 1 Anticipate
• 1 Chemister's Insight
• 1 Commence the Endgame
• 1 Essence Scatter
• 1 Growth Spiral
• 1 Mystical Dispute
• 1 Negate
• 1 Neutralize
• 1 Wilt
• 1 Opt
• 1 Quench
• 1 Sinister Sabotage
• 1 Tale's End
• 1 Thassa's Intervention
• 1 Unsummon

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Omen of the Sea
• 1 Shark Typhoon

• Lands (27)
• 6 Forest
• 8 Island
• 1 Fabled Passage
• 2 Castle Vantress
• 2 Stomping Ground
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 4 Temple of Mystery

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The two copies of Stomping Ground are intentional. If you have one Island and two Forests you cannot cast Lutri, the Spellchaser. If you have one Island, one Stomping Ground, and one Forest you can cast the elemental otter! This comes up more than you would think, especially when you also want to cast Lutri in addition to a double-Blue spell because you want to copy that spell. Four copies of Stomping Ground is something I am considering.

I have only begun to share my wackier companion builds. While the format may be top-heavy, with the strongest decks being absurdly strong, I am finding that companions are giving me a lot of space to brew. Name a deck archetype in comments, and I will give it a companion!