You are an enchanter. Wielding the essence of meaning and runic inscriptions, you imbue others with powerful new abilities in order to defeat your opponents. With your help, small woodland creatures grow to monstrous proportions and crush opposing creatures and mages. You shape the world into what you desire.
"Scholars seek to understand the way the world is. I wish to shape the world into what it should be."
Hexproof is an aggro deck that consists of two important categories: Creatures with the Hexproof ability and aura enchantments to attach to them. These creatures cannot be destroyed or exiled with typical removal, making them perfect candidates for auras, which are heavily critiqued for the 2-for-1 situations they cause. With enough auras attached, an individual creature becomes so powerful that it can't be stopped by any other creature and quickly kills the opponent.
The Hexproof deck is also known under the name of Bogles or Blouses.
Thanks to Gumby, who wrote up the first Auras Primer.
Building the deck
Hexproof has a pretty tight list of cards that are typically in the deck. The deck itself can be separated into four categories: creatures, enchantments, ramp/mana fixing and lands. Very few instants or sorceries are placed in the deck, for obvious reasons. The typical colours for this deck are Green and White. Splashes will be covered in another section.
Silhana Ledgewalker: Hexproof and almost-flying makes him very hard to stop. Creatures with reach can't block this creature, either.
Aura Gnarlid: While it doesn't have Hexproof, it gets massive without even needing Auras attached to it and is practically impossible to block.
Heliod's Pilgrim: often seen rounding out the creature package as a 1 or 2-of, Pilgrim is one of the best tutors Pauper has to offer, being able to fetch out an aura for any occasion.
Bond Beetle: used in the early forms of the deck. Not such a popular choice anymore. It does take care of Phantasmal Bear quite well, on top of pumping a hexproof creature and being a blocker that can also be sacrificed to edicts.
If any other creatures are in your deck, you are probably splashing in another colour or are blending strategies. You might sometimes see Primal Huntbeast and Sacred Wolf, but common Hexproof creature start to really go up in mana cost after the Ledgewalker.
Enchantments:
There is a huge array of auras to choose from. Some are staples of the archetype, and other see less play.
Ethereal Armor: The very best the deck can offer. It offers a huge bonus (counting the enchantments on your lands, too) AND first strike. For one mana, it doesn't get better than this.
Armadillo Cloak: Three mana is the top of the curve, and this card definitely has its place there. Pump and two great abilities is a bargain. Note that the life gain abilities on this stack, unlike the Lifelink. This mean that when you deal damage with a creature enchanted with two of these, they each gain you life.
Ancestral Mask: This card will make your creatures ridiculously huge.
Rancor: pumping power, giving trample, and returns to your hand if the creature dies (preventing 2-for-1s). Rancor is a staple in many decks, for good reason. It isn't always run in Hexproof decks, or in full numbers for that matter. Probably because it doesn't add to the survivability of the creature.
Cartouche of Solidarity: Pumping your creature and giving it first strike is fine for only one mana, but it's the token that really makes this card outstanding. It is main-boardable edict protection. In the worst case, the token can attack, adding to the clock or chump block an attacker to buy time.
Cartouche of Strength: usually seen as a singleton, this cartouche will deal with your opponent's best creature while giving your best creature a small boost and a very important keyword: trample.
Hyena Umbra: Protects you creature from being destroyed in combat. The first strike is very useful too.
Snake Umbra: I love this aura. It provides much needed card advantage, as well as protecting the creature it enchants. Forced Adaptation: A very nifty card. Note that the counters stay even if the aura leaves the creature. Not the best late-game draw.
Triclopean Sight: This is practically a removal spell. It makes racing other aggro decks a lot easier.
Lifelink: Sometimes run. No pump makes it a rather weak choice, imo.
Frog Tongue: With the ever dominant Delver deck around, Frog tongue (or Spider Umbra) is run in both the sideboard and the maindeck, but infrequently.
Cho-Manno's Blessing: A very good card. Unfortunately, it costs WW, which can be surprisingly difficult to get in this deck without adjusting the mana base. It also offers no pump.
Mana acceleration and Fixing:
In order to support a low land count and two colours, Hexproof decks use 1 mana auras that attach to lands and give them the ability to produce White mana. They also have the added bonus of contributing to the aura count of Ancestral Mask, Etheral Armour and Aura Gnarlid. Here are the typical choices for the deck.
Utopia Sprawl: The best around, unless you're splashing a third colour. Choose White and you're set for the rest of the game.
Abundant Growth: Cantrips and fixes your mana. Exellent choice.
Lush Growth: This is a decent choice if you're splashing red. It allows you to make the three colours at all times, as opposed to having to commit to two with Utopia Sprawl.
Wild Growth: Simple acceleration. It doesn't fix your mana, though.
Lands:
The deck will consist almost exclusively of Forests. The mana-fixing auras usually are enough to create the single White mana needed in the whole game to cast the White auras. The deck will not use more than a few plains or non-basics to help with the colours.
Blossoming Sands: You sometimes see this card in a full set, but it is also seen frequently as a 2 or 3-of, in addition to 1-2 Plains.
Crumbling Vestige: Comes into play giving you the colour you need immediately, then makes colourless mana afterwards. This deck doesn't need very much White mana in general, so getting it only once is often enough, and this card will act as fixing and essentially come into play untapped. It allows for plays like Hexproof 1-drop on turn 1 into Ethereal Armor and Rancor on turn 2 into Ancestral Mask on turn 3.
Khalni Garden: Because the deck tends to put all its eggs in the same basket and has a low creature count, having this in the main or the sideboard can be a good idea to counter Edict effects.
Shimmering Grotto/Unknown Shores: Sometimes used instead of guildgates since they don't come into play tapped. The decks' mana curve is so low that paying extra for white mana without impacting tempo is very realistic.
Terramorphic Expanse/ Evolving Wilds: Decent at getting the land you need, but the land comes into play tapped. Maybe useable with a splash.
Other cards:
Although the majority of the deck consists of these four categories, there are often a few cards devoted to other aspects of the game. Here are a couple worth mentioning.
Commune with the Gods: As the deck doesn't run many creatures, losing one can be really painful. Commune with the Gods helps dig for the necessary creatures, or just the right aura for the job. It competes for the same slot as Heliod's Pilgrim.
Kruphix's Insight: This card digs one deeper than Commune and lets you take up to 3 enchantments. The potential for card advantage is huge, but costing one more and not being able to pick creatures often makes it the lesser choice.
Benefaction of Rhonas: Much like Commune, except it has the all-important and/or text, meaning you can take two cards if you reveal a creature AND an enchantment. This card sees little to no play because of its higher cost.
Journey to Nowhere: Seen in many lists. You will often see all four split somewhere between the main and sideboard.
Oblivion Ring: Not as common as Journey, but still a fantastic catch-all card. Three mana is a bit much.
Travel Preparations: Not an enchantment, but the boost is permanent. The problem is that the strategy aims to beef up a single creature and ride it to victory, so pumping a second is often rather pointless.
Manamorphose: Great at fixing mana, and cantrips. Not very common.
Rofellos's Gift: A very nifty card for getting back lost auras. Being able to reveal two or three cards to make it efficient can be difficult, though, as you're not holding back cards all that much, usually. Might be interesting as a 1-of.
Sideboard Options
Hexproof sideboards are among the most colourful in all Pauper, sometimes reaching into all five colours for powerful effects. Abundant Growth and Utopia Sprawl make these splashes very easy to pull off.
Circle of Protection: Red: Can really save your hide against Burn decks when you don't draw a life-gaining aura.
Obsidian Acolyte/Crimson Acolyte: Against MBC and Burn, these cards are essentially better hexproof creatures, since they also dodge mass damage spells like Crypt Rats or Electrickery. They can also lend their protection to another creature, in case they are drawn later in the game.
Dispel: A very narrow but cost-efficient counter. Easily splashed and very likely to catch the opponent off guard, coming from a Selesnya deck.
Negate: the extra cost is made up for by its much wider variety of targets.
There are a few decks that pop up here and there sporting a third colour. These are most often Red or Blue. The splash will most often be for only one or two cards. It is very easy to splash a second colour, as many of the land auras already run can help with smoothing out 3 colours, notably Abundant Growth.
Madcap Skills: This is enough to warrant a red splash (and maybe some burn). Stick this on a Silhana Ledgewalker and you have a very fast clock that is practically unblockable.
Flaring Pain: Definitely worth a few slots if you know you're going to face Fogs.
Black offers much less appealing choices, and I've yet to see a competent W/G/b list:
Although these are the casual forums, I feel it’s necessary to include a matchup analysis for many of the most common archetypes in Pauper. This will give you a better idea of the decks’ strength and weaknesses and whether it’s worth playing in your playgroup/local game store.
Affinity:
Overall analysis: This matchup is fairly good. Affinity has a similar clock to Hexproof, but its creatures are outclassed by the hugeness and evasiveness of Hexproof's creatures. I evaluate this matchup at 75-25 in favour of Hexproof.
Cards to look out for:Atog + Fling is one of the ways Affinity can just win out of nowhere. If you see the creature, leave up a chump blocker at all times. Affinity has access to every colour, so you can even expect the dreaded Standard Bearer or a surprise Disenchant. Sideboard accordingly.
Strategy discussion: Affinity will not hesitate to trade creatures with you. They can bounce back just as fast, if not faster than Hexproof. Their creatures have more individual strength, obviously, so they can sneak in a lot of damage if you let them trade with your creature. Calculate how much damage they can do before you declare attackers. Those two Frogmites and that Myr Enforcer can take down your 10/8 Bogle, and they won't be suffering any card disadvantage from it, either.
Black Aggro:
Overall Analysis: This is an excellent matchup mostly due to the fact that we blank such a huge amount of their removal. Their creatures can't apply pressure fast enough to deal with an aura-stacked Bogle on the return swing, hopefully with life gain. I evaluate this matchup 90-10 in favour of Hexproof.
Cards to look out for: The only cards to look out for are the Edict effects. Use the buddy system; your creature should never be alone on the battlefield.
Strategy Discussion: Game 1 should be pretty easy. You can expect a greater amount of Edict effects out of the sideboard, and some aggressive mulliganing on their part. Although having a second creature is important, don't stop yourself from playing your creatures. Just don't overload it with enchantments until you have a second one ready to go. Giving it just enough to defend you until you have a second creature should buy you plenty of time.
Burn:
Overall analysis:Decent matchup. They have little to no board presence to stop our attacks, can't kill our creatures and run out of gas before they can kill us. This is a race, as they can sometimes just have a good hand that kills us in 3-4 turns without us being able to get started. I evaluate this matchup at 70-30 in favour of Hexproof.
Cards to board in/ out: Any slower enchantments you may have. In my case, that would be Forced Adaptation. Snake Umbra doesn't give enough power, and even Rancor isn't all that useful, when other spells can just outright prevent them from winning. Board in Lifelink, Circle of Protection: Red, or any other card that will gain you life.
Cards to look out for:Having a chump blocker for Keldon Marauders is nice. Look out for post-board Electrickery.
Strategy discussion:We are generally as fast as the Burn deck, so it feels like an even matchup until you get an Armadillo Cloak, at which point the Burn player usually concedes. Having a few more life-gaining auras in the sideboard can go a long way. Mulligan Aggresively; you don't want to be left with a hand that durdles too long.
Delver:
Overall analysis: This matchup is fairly even. Even if Hexproof can have some incredibly aggressive plays that Delver can't keep up with, the latter can just as well do what it does best and throw in a few counters while attacking back with Delvers, Sprites and Ninjas. I evaluate this matchup at 50-50.
Cards to board in/ out: I recommend taking out a few 1cc enchantments, as they are prime targets for any removal spell they have, especially Spellstutter Sprite. -2 Forced Adaptation, -2 Rancor, +4 Journey to Nowhere or Hornet Sting.
Cards to look out for: If you can find a way to block Ninja of the Deep Hours, do so. This card will draw them so many cards and win them the game. Spellstutter Sprite is extremely annoying.
Strategy discussion: Play your 1-mana enchantments as soon as possible, as they will get countered later basically for free with Sprites. Landing an Armadillo Cloak will hand you the game in most scenarios. Don't underestimate their ability to race you.
Eye-Candy (Nivix-Fiend):
Overall analysis: This matchup is fairly even pre-board (a slight advantage to the Fiend player), but it is very easy to sideboard against them and this often makes the difference in following games. I evaluate this matchup at 65-35 in favour of Hexproof.
Cards to board in/ out: Any spot removal you have will be useful against them. Lifelink or any lifegain aura will also help put them out of the race. Circle of Protection: Red shuts them down. Moment's Peace ruins their combo. Take your pick, you should at least some of these cards in your sideboard. Board out slower enchantments like Forced Adaptation, Snake Umbra, and in my case, Commune with the Gods just doesn't cut it.
Cards to look out for:Apostle's Blessing is bad for us, as it makes their creature unblockable on top potentially protecting it from removal. Electrickery, as usual, can wreck our opening plays. Lastly, Flaring Pain can respond to your Cop: Red or Moment's Peace and kill you.
Strategy Discussion: This matchup favours whoever gets the faster start. Both decks have similar clocks; Delver kills a turn faster on average, but our lifegain sometimes makes up for it. A hand with a 1-drop followed by an aura and an Armadillo Cloak should typically get you there. You can try to set up a defense with chump blockers, but they will usually have a spell to make their creature unblockable regardless, so prioritize adding auras to your own creatures. In post-board matches, you can afford to run a slower hand with a good piece of disruption, as it will often just spoil their killing turn and give you plenty of time to win.
8post:
Overall analysis: This is an excellent matchup. They are much too slow to keep up with our clock. Glimmerpost lifegain is just not good enough, and they are too slow to muster up a defense to stop our attacks. I evaluate this matchup at 85-15 in favour of Hexproof.
Cards to board in/ out: No boarding to do, unless you feel the need to include removal like Journey to Nowhere.
Cards to look out for:Ulamog's Crusher can dismantle your Hexproof creature if played early enough. a Repeal can also sometimes (rarely) help to block and kill your creature by returning a key aura. Post-board Electrickery is very possible.
Strategy discussion:Play your creatures as fast as possible. Trample helps get through any blockers they could play. Any of your early, powerful auras will get the ball rolling, and you can finish the job with one of the 3-mana auras.
Goblins:
Overall analysis: This is a good matchup. Their only method to racing you is by chump blocking and attacking on their turn. This doesn't work so well when you have trample and/or lifelink. I evaluate this matchup at 85-15 in favour of Hexproof.
Cards to board in/ out: No boarding to do, unless you feel the need for removal, or Circle of Protection: Red. I think they would weaken the deck more than improve it, though.
Strategy discussion: Mulligan slow hands. You want to stack your creature with as many enchantments as possible, as fast as possible. Use your other creatures to chump block.
Infect:
Overall analysis:There's very little to do against this deck, especially pre-board. It's so fast that our meek 1/1s can't block profitably, and our beefed up creatures are either obliterated, don't race as quickly, or are weakened so that the cards we invested in them are only just keeping them alive. I evaluate this matchup at 20-80 in favour of Infect.
Cards to board in/ out: 4x Moment's Peace or Fog, and any spot removal you can muster. Take out slower enchantments like Armadillo Cloak (gaining life is useless here).
Cards to look out for:All their creatures are problematic for us. once they assemble the cards they need, there's very little our deck can do to stop them other than a Fog effect.
Strategy discussion:Pray that they're mana screwed in the first game, or that you actually manage to race a slow start. Chump block whenever you can to save on poison counters. In the second game, mulligan aggressively into a Fog, and the race becomes much easier.
Monoblack Control:
Overall analysis: Another excellent matchup for Hexproof. Mono-Black Control doesn't apply enough pressure to end the game decisively. The best it can do is Edict the Hexproof creature and make it discard the remaining key spells. I evaluate this matchup at 85-15 in favour of Hexproof.
Strategy discussion: Even with Edict effects and discard, MBC only really slows down the inevitable. Try to get a hand with several creatures in order to ruin their Edict spell. Don't take too much damage (although it's not very likely); You might get corrupted.
Stompy:
Overall analysis: The only aggro deck capable of really racing equally with Hexproof. Their hands can be so fast that you barely have time to defend yourself from their massive attacks. Nevertheless, this matchup is very winnable depending on the hand. I evaluate this matchup at 65-55 in favour of Hexproof.
Strategy discussion: If you have Silhana Ledgewalker in your opening hand, you're already in a good position to win. Tack on Ethereal Armor, Armadillo Cloak and Ancestral Mask and it will be very hard to beat you. Keep back Aura Gnarlids for defense and don't hesitate to chump block with unenchanted creatures you draw.
Storm:
Overall analysis: This matchup is slightly better than one would expect an aggro deck to be against pure combo. This is mostly due to being able to gain life with certain auras. I evaluate this matchup at 20-80 in favour of Storm.
Strategy discussion: As soon as you realize it's combo, play fast and try to get them down to zero asap (duh). If you have an Armadillo Cloak in hand, there's a good chance you're set for the first game. second and third games, don't hesitate to mulligan aggressively to find what you need: a creature and a lifegain aura. Even an Aura Gnarlid will be a perfect target for all your auras, as he gets big quick, so gains you tons of life and kills them fast.
Tron:
Overall analysis:This is a good matchup for hexproof, as we blank a lot of their removal and they have only few creatures to block with. By the time they typically set up, it's already too late. I evaluate this matchup at 80-20 in favour of Hexproof.
Cards to board in/ out: Spot removal such as Journey to Nowhere might be useful. Other than that, there isn't really any sideboarding to do.
Cards to look out for:Ulamog's Crusher, if played early enough, can start dismantling our Hexproof creature. Fangren Marauder can gain them tons of life to help them race. Electrickery out of the sideboard is a concern.
Strategy discussion:Take advantage of their often slow starts and get a few free attacks. Getting a few 1-mana auras will get you started quickly and make it harder for them to stabilize. Trample-giving auras help you get through all the blockers they play for you and get stop them from slowing you down. Finish it off with Ancestral Mask.
White Weenie:
Overall analysis: This matchup would be excellent if it weren't for one card: Standard Bearer. Unfortunately, this card makes it into the main deck of many WW decks. And even if it's not, you can be very sure that they're packing all four in the sideboard. Though we blank their massive amounts of removal, just a few key cards can lock us out of winning for good. I evaluate this matchup at 40-60 in favour of White Weenie.
Cards to look out for:Standard Bearer is very real, and very very bad for Hexproof. Guardian of the Guildpact is also annoying if you don't have a trampler or a Ledgewalker. Other than bearers, they don't usually run anything else to disrupt our game plan.
Strategy discussion:What can I sat about this deck. It's like a boy scout: Always ready. As soon as you see your opponent drop a Icatian Javelineer or Benevolent Bodyguard or some other weenie, take a look at your hand and tell yourself: will I be able to land something in the first 2 turns that will be enough to kill him? If not, then you better hope he doesn't have his Bearer in hand or that he misses his second land drop. A good card to play in this instance is Forced Adaptation. If it comes out on turn two (hopefully with a Rancor to fight protection), then you're probably set. Maindeck removal is probably a good idea if you know White Weenie is being played.
Videos
Checking on Youtube, there are many recordings on MTGO of Hexproof versus a wide range of decks. Most of these are done my mtgostrat. You'll sometimes see the deck using Bond Beetle, which is a bit dated. Here are some links to videos of Hexproof in action:
Hexproof vs. Mono Black Control It bugs me a bit that he doesn't play his Utopia Sprawl earlier. It makes back the mana you spent for it, so there's usually no harm in playing turn 2.
Check out this spoiled card from the newest set! Seems pretty interesting. Do you think 3 mana is too much to pay for an effect like this?
It is an interesting card, and it does fit right at the end of our mana curve. I could see it as a 1-3 of depending on the list. It may be a bit over costed compared to older common cards but this may be something that can help us refuel.
My guess is Commune with the Gods will be the better option, as it can get a creature or enchantment. Most decks don't even run that card, so I don't see Kruphix's Insight getting any love, unfortunately.
My guess is Commune with the Gods will be the better option, as it can get a creature or enchantment. Most decks don't even run that card, so I don't see Kruphix's Insight getting any love, unfortunately.
Very true, i completely forgot that card existed. Although Kruphix does get you multiple auras and not just singles.
By the way, I finished entering most of the Matchup analysis sections. Only Burn, 8Post, Tron and Storm missing. Check it out!
Maybe, i might try some testing with it when it comes out on MTGO. But nice for the matchups! The missing ones don't affect me much as i play online, actually using it in the PRE as we speak
Yeah from my experience a lot of pauper players continue to follow the MTGO ban list paper or otherwise. If you play Cockatrice at all, i can try and play those decks against you if you just throw me some lists and whatever
So a quick and late tourney report from what i can remember:
The event page is here. I played "iBogle", my take on the deck.
IMO Teachings decks can be very easy to beat. This one in particular was very low on creatures and counters and i just steam rolled him with a barrage of enchantments. I also dodged a Diabolic Edict on the last possible turn he could use it via a Dawn Charm. Won an easy 2-0.
A pretty standard Atog Affinity deck, including Disciple of the Vault and Auriok Sunchaser. Game 1 i lost to being quickly overpowered by Carapace Forgers and an Atog that got extremely huge and then Flung at me. Game 2 i managed to get a much better hold and outraced him. Game 3 was a loss due to a misplay and a well timed Curfew on his part. He caught a Silhana Ledgewalker with 2 enchantments, and i should have used Journey to Nowhere on a Discple. Got a Frogmite Flung at me with 2 Discples out for 4 exactsies.
Going 2-1 in this round it was a bit harder than the previous Teachings match, most likely due to this list running more creatures. Got overrun in game 2 by a large amount of flyers and i just could not draw any enchantments. Made it out okay in the end.
Current record: 3-1
Round 5 (Top 8): Burnboybingham playing Domain Zoo
This round was a nightmare for me. Game 1 i got blown out by a maindeck Qasali Pridemage destroying an Ancestral Mask while he raced me with a double Rancor'd Wild Nacatl, Kor Skyfisher, and Lightning Bolt. Game 2 i was stuck on 2 mana with 2 Armadillo Cloaks in hand and no way to gain life to outrace him and lost to that.
Current record: 3-2
Finishing place: 6th
After this event i am making a couple of changes to the deck. Maindeck i am replacing the Spider Umbras with Hyena Umbras as i honestly forgot they were common and first strike is more relevant than reach IMO. I am considering taking 1 Death Speakers and 1 Journey to Nowhere out of the side and replacing them with Mana Tithes as a way to combat counter spells. It is not commonly seen, many opposing decks will tap out to counter our enchantments, and those cards are not sided in very often and i feel like i need more against counter decks.
All in all the event was a blast and i hope i can attend more PRE's in the future! I also hope that this report was of some value to someone and can give any insight to matchups.
From personal experience, I've found that even in my list that runs only guildgates, I have more White mana than I can use. I think your Evolving Wilds could definitely be basic Forests. You definitely don't want to draw multiple Plains in a game.
I agree you definitely have too much reach in your deck and Spider Umbra can be cut. I would really suggest trying out Triclopean Sight; it really helps in racing situations. If not, Hyena Umbra is also good.
How do you feel with a list not running Aura Gnarlid? I feel he's still a really relevant threat that doesn't need Auras attached to him in order to be bigger than anything on your opponents' side.
As for the Sideboard, I really suggest Moment's Peace, as it's a perfect way to battle racing situations like in your last matchup. I'm not convinced Mana Tithe will be all that great. I wish there was another solution for you, but I don't think there is.
From personal experience, I've found that even in my list that runs only guildgates, I have more White mana than I can use. I think your Evolving Wilds could definitely be basic Forests. You definitely don't want to draw multiple Plains in a game.
I agree you definitely have too much reach in your deck and Spider Umbra can be cut. I would really suggest trying out Triclopean Sight; it really helps in racing situations. If not, Hyena Umbra is also good.
How do you feel with a list not running Aura Gnarlid? I feel he's still a really relevant threat that doesn't need Auras attached to him in order to be bigger than anything on your opponents' side.
As for the Sideboard, I really suggest Moment's Peace, as it's a perfect way to battle racing situations like in your last matchup. I'm not convinced Mana Tithe will be all that great. I wish there was another solution for you, but I don't think there is.
I have had many games where the plains helps and i have no other way of mana fixing. IMO the positives of the fetches and plains outweighs the negatives, especially with the inclusion of more white mainboard cards and the large amount of white cards postboard. Trriclopean Sight is an interesting choice, and i may try it out but Totem Armor is a very useful mechanic that i feel more comfortable using and outweighs Triclopean Sight.
I dislike running any non Hexproof creatures that don't have an extreme impact on the game. The only reason i run Kor Spiritdancer in the Modern version is because it gives the deck a chance to refuel and stay growing, one of the aspects it's missing to be tier 1, although its so easily destroyed. Aura Gnarlids impact on the board is just a big beater and while that can be very useful at times, game 1 is supposed to be very lopsided for us because every targeted removal spell they have is blanked. Playing Gnarlid turns on those cards that would otherwise be dead, and we may be completely wasting our whole third turn playing a card that just got removed anyway.
Moment's Peace is a good choice, and depending on how Lifelink works out it may take its spot. Mana Tithe is very iffy, but im not sure if any other card even is brought in against counter decks and it is a test.
For your counterspell predicament, I'm assuming it's against Delver you're having troubles. What I've found helped post-board was avoiding 1-drop enchantments, which makes Spellstutter Sprite much less of a big deal against us. I also tend to play in a way that forces the opponent to have an answer rather than waiting to play around it. This saves me a lot of games where the opponent can just buy time by having cards in hand with open mana. IN fact, there's not much you can do about that. If you can resolve a hexproof creature, you're well ahead already.
Interesting to know Kruphix's insight is being played! I'll have to give it a try when I get around to it.
Maserati,
For your mana base, 4 Plains seems like too much. I would maybe go with 4 Guildates, 2 Plains. Also, I think 4 removal spells in the mainboard is enough. I'd say just 4 Journey to Nowhere would be perfect. Don't be so sure that people won't pay the 3 for Oppressive Rays. I had that used on my creature in a Draft, and the opponent attacked into my open 3 mana thinking he was safe. Silly.
@Maserati: I understand the inclusion of Oppressive Rays, it's early "removal" and it pumps the Ethereal Armor/Ancestral Mask creatures, but it's still not that good. It's just a cheaper arrest that they can eventually work around. I'd rather pay the extra mana for Journey or even O-Ring to completely get rid of the creature. I'd drop it and use that space for better support.
I agree with Obermeir and Darkninja on their thoughts on Oppressive Rays.
Also while testing the copy of Kruphix's Insight, i really like the singleton. Even a 2 of may be doable but that would require a lot more testing. Its gotten me out of many situations when i was out of auras and needed to refuel and was about to draw lands and creatures.
I'll be playing the PRE again tonight using this modified list:
I guess it's only logical to use Kruphix's Insight the same way you use something like Sign in Blood: when you have few or no other cards in hand. It goes one step further here by searching the top five and potentially grabbing you tons of good auras. You would never play it in a situation where you'd need creatures, though, which is the only disadvantage apart from the mana cost. A 1-of is probably the best number for it, in that light.
I guess it's only logical to use Kruphix's Insight the same way you use something like Sign in Blood: when you have few or no other cards in hand. It goes one step further here by searching the top five and potentially grabbing you tons of good auras. You would never play it in a situation where you'd need creatures, though, which is the only disadvantage apart from the mana cost. A 1-of is probably the best number for it, in that light.
I thought that was going without saying to be the situation in which you would use it in.
And it could be used when you have no cards in hand (which will definitely be the case if you only have 1) but it could also help dig for the enchantment you need (if you run more). With so many Auras with different utility you might need the lifegain of Armadillo Cloak but haven't found it or maybe you really need first strike so you can dig for Armor or Umbra.
Although, Basedx, with your lower creature count and high amount of Auras, wouldn't Commune with the Gods be a better choice? Definitely not better as a 1-of, but if you up the count then it could help to get to creatures when you'd need them. Insight can definitely lead to some CA though while Commune only replaces itself, so a lot of it comes down to consistency/preference. I hope the newer list works out for you and I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the results!
The problem i feel with using Commune with the Gods Darkninja, is the other 4 cards going to the bin. I realize that it may help us win some matches but the other cards hit in the crossfire can be vital cards. Its also a reason why im running only one Kruhpix's, because i have a lower chance of binning cards i need, along with the other benefits of it over Commune.
If you have no way to tutor cards or ways to manipulate your deck, it's irrelevant if the cards go to the bin or not: they are useless either way. And, anyways, you will be always be binning the least useful card.
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Banner by DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios
You are an enchanter. Wielding the essence of meaning and runic inscriptions, you imbue others with powerful new abilities in order to defeat your opponents. With your help, small woodland creatures grow to monstrous proportions and crush opposing creatures and mages. You shape the world into what you desire.
The Hexproof deck is also known under the name of Bogles or Blouses.
Thanks to Gumby, who wrote up the first Auras Primer.
Creatures:
Enchantments:
Mana acceleration and Fixing:
Lands:
Other cards:
Standard Bearer: Good at fighting against other Hexproof decks.
Young Wolf: Can tank two Edicts for you on top of beating for some damage.
Gut Shot: Takes care of faeries or unflipped Delver of Secrets. Particularly useful at "countering" a Spellstutter Sprite for free.
Sandstorm: Good against Storm decks or just taking out hordes of faeries or tokens.
Electrickery: An off-colour way to deal with hordes of pesky X/1s at instant speed.
Gleeful Sabotage: One of the most played enchantment removal. You can target the same card twice to fight through countermagic.
Natural State: a very cheap and instant-speed way of dealing with almost any artifact or enchantment in pauper, save Frogmite or Myr Enforcer.
Ray of Revelation: two uses, and fights mill.
Thermokarst: Tron, 8-post and Familiars will hate this.
Qasali Pridemage: Removal that will also let you attack for more damage.
Scattershot Archer: One of the best tools against Delver decks.
Relic of Progenitus: Powerful graveyard hate.
Circle of Protection: Red: Can really save your hide against Burn decks when you don't draw a life-gaining aura.
Obsidian Acolyte/Crimson Acolyte: Against MBC and Burn, these cards are essentially better hexproof creatures, since they also dodge mass damage spells like Crypt Rats or Electrickery. They can also lend their protection to another creature, in case they are drawn later in the game.
Dispel: A very narrow but cost-efficient counter. Easily splashed and very likely to catch the opponent off guard, coming from a Selesnya deck.
Negate: the extra cost is made up for by its much wider variety of targets.
Flaring Pain: This card is becoming increasingly popular in winning lists. It fights both Circle of Protection: Green and Fog effects, which would otherwise stop Hexproof dead in its tracks. It can easily be splashed for with Abundant Growth and sometimes Utopia Sprawl.
4 Slippery Bogle
4 Gladecover Scout
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
2 Aura Gnarlid
2 Heliod's Pilgrim
Auras (19)
4 Ethereal Armor
3 Cartouche of Solidarity
4 Rancor
4 Armadillo Cloak
3 Ancestral Mask
1 Snake Umbra
4 Abundant Growth
4 Utopia Sprawl
Lands (17)
4 Blossoming Sands
1 Khalni Garden
12 Forest
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Young Wolf
3 Circle of Protection: Red
3 Oblivion Ring
1 Flaring Pain
2 Moment's Peace
1 Ray of Revelation
1 Gleeful Sabotage
4 Slippery Bogle
4 Gladecover Scout
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
2 Heliod's Pilgrim
Auras (20)
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Rancor
3 Cartouche of Solidarity
4 Ancestral Mask
4 Armadillo Cloak
1 Cartouche of Strength
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Abundant Growth
Lands (18)
1 Ash Barrens
4 Blossoming Sands
11 Forest
1 Khalni Garden
1 Plains
2 Dispel
1 Electrickery
2 Gut Shot
1 Lifelink
1 Natural State
2 Crimson Acolyte
2 Obsidian Acolyte
2 Standard Bearer
1 Tangle
1 Flaring Pain
Blue:
Sigil of Sleep
Aqueous Form
Infiltrator's Magemark
Hands of Binding
Flaring Pain: Definitely worth a few slots if you know you're going to face Fogs.
Black offers much less appealing choices, and I've yet to see a competent W/G/b list:
Unholy Strength (and variants)
Soul Kiss
Affinity:
Cards to board in/ out: Gleeful Sabotage could be useful. Journey to Nowhere is good if they showed you Atog. I would take out Snake Umbra, 1X Forced Adaptation and 2X Aura Gnarlid for some spot removal in this case.
Cards to look out for: Atog + Fling is one of the ways Affinity can just win out of nowhere. If you see the creature, leave up a chump blocker at all times. Affinity has access to every colour, so you can even expect the dreaded Standard Bearer or a surprise Disenchant. Sideboard accordingly.
Strategy discussion: Affinity will not hesitate to trade creatures with you. They can bounce back just as fast, if not faster than Hexproof. Their creatures have more individual strength, obviously, so they can sneak in a lot of damage if you let them trade with your creature. Calculate how much damage they can do before you declare attackers. Those two Frogmites and that Myr Enforcer can take down your 10/8 Bogle, and they won't be suffering any card disadvantage from it, either.
Black Aggro:
Cards to board in/out:-2 lands, -1 Forced Adaptation, +2 Khalni Garden, +1 Lifelink.
Cards to look out for: The only cards to look out for are the Edict effects. Use the buddy system; your creature should never be alone on the battlefield.
Strategy Discussion: Game 1 should be pretty easy. You can expect a greater amount of Edict effects out of the sideboard, and some aggressive mulliganing on their part. Although having a second creature is important, don't stop yourself from playing your creatures. Just don't overload it with enchantments until you have a second one ready to go. Giving it just enough to defend you until you have a second creature should buy you plenty of time.
Burn:
Cards to board in/ out: Any slower enchantments you may have. In my case, that would be Forced Adaptation. Snake Umbra doesn't give enough power, and even Rancor isn't all that useful, when other spells can just outright prevent them from winning. Board in Lifelink, Circle of Protection: Red, or any other card that will gain you life.
Cards to look out for:Having a chump blocker for Keldon Marauders is nice. Look out for post-board Electrickery.
Strategy discussion:We are generally as fast as the Burn deck, so it feels like an even matchup until you get an Armadillo Cloak, at which point the Burn player usually concedes. Having a few more life-gaining auras in the sideboard can go a long way. Mulligan Aggresively; you don't want to be left with a hand that durdles too long.
Delver:
Cards to board in/ out: I recommend taking out a few 1cc enchantments, as they are prime targets for any removal spell they have, especially Spellstutter Sprite. -2 Forced Adaptation, -2 Rancor, +4 Journey to Nowhere or Hornet Sting.
Cards to look out for: If you can find a way to block Ninja of the Deep Hours, do so. This card will draw them so many cards and win them the game. Spellstutter Sprite is extremely annoying.
Strategy discussion: Play your 1-mana enchantments as soon as possible, as they will get countered later basically for free with Sprites. Landing an Armadillo Cloak will hand you the game in most scenarios. Don't underestimate their ability to race you.
Eye-Candy (Nivix-Fiend):
Cards to board in/ out: Any spot removal you have will be useful against them. Lifelink or any lifegain aura will also help put them out of the race. Circle of Protection: Red shuts them down. Moment's Peace ruins their combo. Take your pick, you should at least some of these cards in your sideboard. Board out slower enchantments like Forced Adaptation, Snake Umbra, and in my case, Commune with the Gods just doesn't cut it.
Cards to look out for: Apostle's Blessing is bad for us, as it makes their creature unblockable on top potentially protecting it from removal. Electrickery, as usual, can wreck our opening plays. Lastly, Flaring Pain can respond to your Cop: Red or Moment's Peace and kill you.
Strategy Discussion: This matchup favours whoever gets the faster start. Both decks have similar clocks; Delver kills a turn faster on average, but our lifegain sometimes makes up for it. A hand with a 1-drop followed by an aura and an Armadillo Cloak should typically get you there. You can try to set up a defense with chump blockers, but they will usually have a spell to make their creature unblockable regardless, so prioritize adding auras to your own creatures. In post-board matches, you can afford to run a slower hand with a good piece of disruption, as it will often just spoil their killing turn and give you plenty of time to win.
8post:
Cards to board in/ out: No boarding to do, unless you feel the need to include removal like Journey to Nowhere.
Cards to look out for:Ulamog's Crusher can dismantle your Hexproof creature if played early enough. a Repeal can also sometimes (rarely) help to block and kill your creature by returning a key aura. Post-board Electrickery is very possible.
Strategy discussion:Play your creatures as fast as possible. Trample helps get through any blockers they could play. Any of your early, powerful auras will get the ball rolling, and you can finish the job with one of the 3-mana auras.
Goblins:
Cards to board in/ out: No boarding to do, unless you feel the need for removal, or Circle of Protection: Red. I think they would weaken the deck more than improve it, though.
Cards to look out for: An early Electrickery can 2-for-1 you. Reckless Assault can randomly kill you.
Strategy discussion: Mulligan slow hands. You want to stack your creature with as many enchantments as possible, as fast as possible. Use your other creatures to chump block.
Infect:
Cards to board in/ out: 4x Moment's Peace or Fog, and any spot removal you can muster. Take out slower enchantments like Armadillo Cloak (gaining life is useless here).
Cards to look out for:All their creatures are problematic for us. once they assemble the cards they need, there's very little our deck can do to stop them other than a Fog effect.
Strategy discussion:Pray that they're mana screwed in the first game, or that you actually manage to race a slow start. Chump block whenever you can to save on poison counters. In the second game, mulligan aggressively into a Fog, and the race becomes much easier.
Monoblack Control:
Cards to board in/ out: -2 lands, +2 Khalni Garden.
Cards to look out for: Geth's Verdict, Wrench Mind and Hymn to Tourach all hurt very much.
Strategy discussion: Even with Edict effects and discard, MBC only really slows down the inevitable. Try to get a hand with several creatures in order to ruin their Edict spell. Don't take too much damage (although it's not very likely); You might get corrupted.
Stompy:
Cards to board in/ out: -2 Forced Adaptation, +2 Moment's Peace.
Cards to look out for: Early attacks can let them play into Hunger of the Howlpack. Stalemates are closed out by the Stompy player with Shinen of Life's Roar. Look out for Gleeful Sabotage and Fog effects like Spore Frog.
Strategy discussion: If you have Silhana Ledgewalker in your opening hand, you're already in a good position to win. Tack on Ethereal Armor, Armadillo Cloak and Ancestral Mask and it will be very hard to beat you. Keep back Aura Gnarlids for defense and don't hesitate to chump block with unenchanted creatures you draw.
Storm:
Cards to board in/ out: Board out low-impact auras like Snake Umbra. Board in anything that can help you gain life, like Lifelink, Circle of Protection: Red or Standard Bearer.
Cards to look out for: Empty the Warrens and Grapeshot. Duress could also be problematic, should they find an Armadillo Cloak in your hand.
Strategy discussion: As soon as you realize it's combo, play fast and try to get them down to zero asap (duh). If you have an Armadillo Cloak in hand, there's a good chance you're set for the first game. second and third games, don't hesitate to mulligan aggressively to find what you need: a creature and a lifegain aura. Even an Aura Gnarlid will be a perfect target for all your auras, as he gets big quick, so gains you tons of life and kills them fast.
Tron:
Cards to board in/ out: Spot removal such as Journey to Nowhere might be useful. Other than that, there isn't really any sideboarding to do.
Cards to look out for: Ulamog's Crusher, if played early enough, can start dismantling our Hexproof creature. Fangren Marauder can gain them tons of life to help them race. Electrickery out of the sideboard is a concern.
Strategy discussion:Take advantage of their often slow starts and get a few free attacks. Getting a few 1-mana auras will get you started quickly and make it harder for them to stabilize. Trample-giving auras help you get through all the blockers they play for you and get stop them from slowing you down. Finish it off with Ancestral Mask.
White Weenie:
Cards to board in/ out: Board out some of the more expensive auras and, if you run them, get Hornet Sting or Journey to Nowhere. Any spot removal that you have will be useful here. In my case, it would be -4 Ancestral Mask, +4 Journey to Nowhere.
Cards to look out for: Standard Bearer is very real, and very very bad for Hexproof. Guardian of the Guildpact is also annoying if you don't have a trampler or a Ledgewalker. Other than bearers, they don't usually run anything else to disrupt our game plan.
Strategy discussion:What can I sat about this deck. It's like a boy scout: Always ready. As soon as you see your opponent drop a Icatian Javelineer or Benevolent Bodyguard or some other weenie, take a look at your hand and tell yourself: will I be able to land something in the first 2 turns that will be enough to kill him? If not, then you better hope he doesn't have his Bearer in hand or that he misses his second land drop. A good card to play in this instance is Forced Adaptation. If it comes out on turn two (hopefully with a Rancor to fight protection), then you're probably set. Maindeck removal is probably a good idea if you know White Weenie is being played.
Checking on Youtube, there are many recordings on MTGO of Hexproof versus a wide range of decks. Most of these are done my mtgostrat. You'll sometimes see the deck using Bond Beetle, which is a bit dated. Here are some links to videos of Hexproof in action:
Hexproof vs. Goblins Many of the choices in this match I'm sure you agree are... not ideal.
Hexproof vs. Delverfiend Greedy plays were punished. Learn from this. The video and audio are also out of sync.
Hexproof vs. Izzet Post He's not running Ancestral Mask for budget reasons, but the deck still rocks.
Hexproof vs. White Weenie
Hexproof vs. Mono Black Control It bugs me a bit that he doesn't play his Utopia Sprawl earlier. It makes back the mana you spent for it, so there's usually no harm in playing turn 2.
Hexproof vs. Goblin-like Red brew
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
It is an interesting card, and it does fit right at the end of our mana curve. I could see it as a 1-3 of depending on the list. It may be a bit over costed compared to older common cards but this may be something that can help us refuel.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Very true, i completely forgot that card existed. Although Kruphix does get you multiple auras and not just singles.
By the way, I finished entering most of the Matchup analysis sections. Only Burn, 8Post, Tron and Storm missing. Check it out!
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Maybe, i might try some testing with it when it comes out on MTGO. But nice for the matchups! The missing ones don't affect me much as i play online, actually using it in the PRE as we speak
Those matchups also tend to be harder to find people playing, so I'll end up having to playtest against myself.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
So a quick and late tourney report from what i can remember:
The event page is here. I played "iBogle", my take on the deck.
Round 1: Pyro0734 playing Trinket Teachings
Round 2: Garlan playing Affinity
Round 3: MrZwick playing DelverFiend
Round 4: obZen playing Trinket Teachings
Round 5 (Top 8): Burnboybingham playing Domain Zoo
Finishing place: 6th
After this event i am making a couple of changes to the deck. Maindeck i am replacing the Spider Umbras with Hyena Umbras as i honestly forgot they were common and first strike is more relevant than reach IMO. I am considering taking 1 Death Speakers and 1 Journey to Nowhere out of the side and replacing them with Mana Tithes as a way to combat counter spells. It is not commonly seen, many opposing decks will tap out to counter our enchantments, and those cards are not sided in very often and i feel like i need more against counter decks.
All in all the event was a blast and i hope i can attend more PRE's in the future! I also hope that this report was of some value to someone and can give any insight to matchups.
I'm going to post your deck here for simplicity's sake:
4 Gladecover Scout
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Slippery Bogle
Spells (30)
4 Abundant Growth
4 Ancestral Mask
4 Armadillo Cloak
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Rancor
4 Utopia Sprawl
3 Spider Umbra
2 Frog Tongue
1 Snake Umbra
13 Forest
3 Plains
2 Evolving Wilds
4 Journey to Nowhere
3 Dawn Charm
3 Gleeful Sabotage
2 Death Speakers
2 Circle of Protection: Red
1 Lifelink
From personal experience, I've found that even in my list that runs only guildgates, I have more White mana than I can use. I think your Evolving Wilds could definitely be basic Forests. You definitely don't want to draw multiple Plains in a game.
I agree you definitely have too much reach in your deck and Spider Umbra can be cut. I would really suggest trying out Triclopean Sight; it really helps in racing situations. If not, Hyena Umbra is also good.
How do you feel with a list not running Aura Gnarlid? I feel he's still a really relevant threat that doesn't need Auras attached to him in order to be bigger than anything on your opponents' side.
As for the Sideboard, I really suggest Moment's Peace, as it's a perfect way to battle racing situations like in your last matchup. I'm not convinced Mana Tithe will be all that great. I wish there was another solution for you, but I don't think there is.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I have had many games where the plains helps and i have no other way of mana fixing. IMO the positives of the fetches and plains outweighs the negatives, especially with the inclusion of more white mainboard cards and the large amount of white cards postboard. Trriclopean Sight is an interesting choice, and i may try it out but Totem Armor is a very useful mechanic that i feel more comfortable using and outweighs Triclopean Sight.
I dislike running any non Hexproof creatures that don't have an extreme impact on the game. The only reason i run Kor Spiritdancer in the Modern version is because it gives the deck a chance to refuel and stay growing, one of the aspects it's missing to be tier 1, although its so easily destroyed. Aura Gnarlids impact on the board is just a big beater and while that can be very useful at times, game 1 is supposed to be very lopsided for us because every targeted removal spell they have is blanked. Playing Gnarlid turns on those cards that would otherwise be dead, and we may be completely wasting our whole third turn playing a card that just got removed anyway.
Moment's Peace is a good choice, and depending on how Lifelink works out it may take its spot. Mana Tithe is very iffy, but im not sure if any other card even is brought in against counter decks and it is a test.
Thanks for the decklist post and the feedback!
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
edit - are aura's concidered enchantment's and vice versa?
Considered* But yes, it says Enchantment - Aura as the types so it is both as long as it says it.
Also testing a copy of Kruphix's Insight in place of the Snake Umbra in my list for now.
Maserati,
For your mana base, 4 Plains seems like too much. I would maybe go with 4 Guildates, 2 Plains. Also, I think 4 removal spells in the mainboard is enough. I'd say just 4 Journey to Nowhere would be perfect. Don't be so sure that people won't pay the 3 for Oppressive Rays. I had that used on my creature in a Draft, and the opponent attacked into my open 3 mana thinking he was safe. Silly.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Also while testing the copy of Kruphix's Insight, i really like the singleton. Even a 2 of may be doable but that would require a lot more testing. Its gotten me out of many situations when i was out of auras and needed to refuel and was about to draw lands and creatures.
I'll be playing the PRE again tonight using this modified list:
4 Gladecover Scout
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Slippery Bogle
Spells (30)
4 Abundant Growth
4 Ancestral Mask
4 Armadillo Cloak
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Rancor
4 Utopia Sprawl
3 Hyena Umbra
2 Frog Tongue
1 Kruphix's Insight
13 Forest
3 Plains
2 Evolving Wilds
3 Journey to Nowhere
3 Dawn Charm
4 Gleeful Sabotage
2 Moment's Peace
2 Circle of Protection: Red
1 Lifelink
I'll write up another report on how i do again tonight if my plans don't change and i have to drop.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I thought that was going without saying to be the situation in which you would use it in.
And it could be used when you have no cards in hand (which will definitely be the case if you only have 1) but it could also help dig for the enchantment you need (if you run more). With so many Auras with different utility you might need the lifegain of Armadillo Cloak but haven't found it or maybe you really need first strike so you can dig for Armor or Umbra.
Although, Basedx, with your lower creature count and high amount of Auras, wouldn't Commune with the Gods be a better choice? Definitely not better as a 1-of, but if you up the count then it could help to get to creatures when you'd need them. Insight can definitely lead to some CA though while Commune only replaces itself, so a lot of it comes down to consistency/preference. I hope the newer list works out for you and I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the results!