Sample Collector
Creature — Troll Detective
Whenever this creature attacks, you may collect evidence 3. When you do, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. (To collect evidence 3, exile cards with total mana value 3 or greater from your graveyard.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Murders at Karlov Manor
- Price
- $0.04
- EDHREC rank
- #28422
Sample Collector enters and replaces itself with a Clue token, netting you a card for three mana — functional, but slow. It's a filler piece that Commander can usually afford to skip in favor of draw that doesn't require two mana to cash in.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Sample Collector occupies the low end of card advantage — the Clue it produces is real value, but three mana to draw one card across two steps is below the rate most powered lists accept. It finds a home in dedicated artifact or Clue-synergy decks where the token type matters more than the raw efficiency. In 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, it doesn't compete with purpose-built card draw or looting effects, so it rarely sees play outside Limited. Legacy and Vintage have no interest. Standard is where Sample Collector has seen its most legitimate play, as a body-plus-cantrip package that fills board and hand simultaneously in slower environments.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.04 bulk tier
At $0.04, Sample Collector is deep bulk — a throw-in card that costs nothing to acquire and nothing to cut. Don't expect that to move; there's no spike scenario for a three-mana Clue producer.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.