Alms Collector
Creature — Cat Cleric
Flash
If an opponent would draw two or more cards, instead you and that player each draw a card.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- $13.53
- EDHREC rank
- #4011
Alms Collector punishes mass card draw by intercepting it — when an opponent would draw two or more cards, everyone draws one instead, and you get the rest as creatures. At four mana with flash, it drops at instant speed into any white deck that expects to see Rhystic Study, Sylvan Library, or a Wheel effect across the table. Ajani, Nacatl Pariah decks run it as a staple because the Cat Cleric body and the political disruption both fit the aggressive tribal shell.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah is a Cat-tribal commander, and Alms Collector is a Cat — the type alone earns the slot, and the ability to redistribute opponents' draw spells into a board presence lines up cleanly with Ajani's go-wide aggression.
Arahbo, the First Fang
Arahbo, the First Fang wants every Cat it can find, and Alms Collector's flash means it can enter mid-combat or in response to a draw trigger, giving Arahbo a taxing piece that doubles as a creature to buff.
Arahbo, Roar of the World
Arahbo, Roar of the World is the high-volume Cat commander, and over ten thousand registered decks still slot Alms Collector in at a 43% rate — it blocks the card-advantage engines that would otherwise outpace a linear tribal strategy.
Rin and Seri, Inseparable
Rin and Seri, Inseparable generates value from having both Cats and Dogs on the field, so Alms Collector's Cleric typing and body contribute directly to storm count while its ability slows the opponents most likely to threaten an engine-based win.
Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist
Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist plays a tax-and-attack strategy that wants to limit what opponents can do on their turn, and Alms Collector fits that plan by capping how many cards a single draw spell can net — it's a one-card soft lock piece in a deck already angling to restrict the game.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Alms Collector earns its keep: multiplayer games routinely feature wheels, Rhystic Study triggers, and one-sided draw spells that pull someone far ahead, and a single Alms Collector flash into the right moment can neutralize thousands of dollars of card advantage in one response. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but sees essentially no play — those formats are too fast for a four-mana creature that only taxes card draw when you can just disrupt the threat directly with Force of Will or Daze. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander enough that the same logic applies, especially in pods that let powerful planeswalkers set up draw engines from turn two. Alms Collector is a Commander card through and through; evaluating it anywhere else misses the point.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
The closest budget options are Notion Thief and Narset, Parter of Veils — both redirect or shut down opponents' draws for less money, though neither is a Cat or carries flash at the same mana cost as Alms Collector. Narset in particular costs under $1 and completely shuts off opponents drawing additional cards, which is often stricter than what Alms Collector does, but she's a planeswalker rather than a creature and offers no body to attack or block with.
Price Context
Current price
$13.53 mid tier
At $13.53, Alms Collector sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate inclusion, cheap enough that it belongs in most Cat or white stax builds without breaking the budget. It has held this range steadily because Commander demand for the effect is real and the card hasn't been reprinted into bulk.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.