Just a word of advice from reading the description; if the creatures themselves arent hexproof like the bogle decks being run in modern, then it is already relatively inefficient since it opens you up to being two for 1'd more often than not. However for a budget deck looks pretty fun, finally seeing someone play anthousa is interesting, just kinda figured id see it in standard first lol

So what would be a good way to get hexproof? Alpha Authority ? Or should I just look into Emerge Unscathed as one turn hexproof?

In keeping with the theme here i would probably say rangers guile or apostles blessing to keep your opponents guessing, though alpha authority would stick on the field longer and require either enchantment hate or a little more deliberate play on your opponents part to kill the creature. A few other things; before temple gardens rotates i think that it would be worth getting them before they are no longer found everywhere, since graypelt refuge coming in tapped is actually hugely problematic when you are playing an aggroish deck like this. They would no longer make it a 5 buck deck but honestly it just means that you can start expanding your land collection and they will never get worse, shocklands are a solid staple for most modern decks, probably as much as fetchlands but cant blame you for not investing in fetches lol. Also, overcommitting to the board can be dangerous since there is no way for you to get around supreme verdict type board wipes, which is why i would suggest any of the umbras which give totem armor like spider/boar umbra. If they path it or make you sac your creatures then it will be a two for one, but for the most part i see those being useful for over the top damage while triggering heroic and making a creature survive a wrath. The final problem i see is that there is not a lot of interactivity with your opponents, so against decks like splinter twin/bloom titan/basically anything that combos you should basically scoop turn 3/4...unless you add in some instant speed fight cards like setessan tactics which will also trigger heroic across the board. Just some things to consider, posting a sideboard will help see what you are still missing

Appreciate the help a lot.

For Setessan Tactics I don't like that it costs 1 g per target beyond the first. Realistically that means I can only expect to get 2, maybe 3 extra targets. I do like the idea of using it as a removal, but I'm not sure how practical it will be. I'd also have to tap the creature meaning that I couldn't attack with it. Maybe a Prey Upon could fit the theme better?

Temple Garden is way out of the price range. I wouldn't mind having the deck maybe go up by a soda on top of the $5 foot long, but 4x of that land by itself turns it into a steak and lobster dinner. I do have some Brushland , but I'm not sure how worth it they are. You are right that the comes into play tapped is a drawback for this tempo.

I really like the suggestion with Ranger's Guile , but I'm wondering if I should opt for a bit more functionality like Ajani's Presence . Both are 1 drops but Ajani's Presence has the option to strive. Though then I have to wonder is hexproof more valuable than indestructible? Indestructible would help dodge some board wipes.

The umbras are a great call. I never thought of them. I'll have to dig through my set to see which ones I have. I know I have some Spider Umbra s and maybe a Boar Umbra or two. Felidar Umbra and Hyena Umbra both look interesting as well.

I updated the maybeboard with some cards I have on hand. I can buy others if need be but I'd still like to keep it within a reasonable budget. I'm not looking to go to competitive tournaments but I'd like to build a deck that fits a nice theme and wins.

This hexproof vs indestructible thing is really tough to wrap my brain around. On one hand, hexproof can dodge targeted exiles like Swords to Plowshares . On the other hand indestructible can dodge board wipes.

For Emerge Unscathed I can't seem to figure out what something that adds hexproof is better than protection from the color that's trying to target my creature, especially when Emerge Unscathed works for 2 turns.

The interactivity is a legitimate concern, however. I will probably need some removals like Prey Upon or Mutant's Prey (since most of these creatures will have +1/+1 counters on them anyway from the spell being cast).

Throw the brushlands in immediately lol, the lifeping is not relevant, since being on a budget you will even be racing burn decks to see who can push through the final bit of damage first. It will always be worth it for the absolute ability to play what you want when you want. Emerge unscathed is fine, but the point i was making about hexproof is that if the creature itself doesnt have hexproof, in order to not get two for 1'd you will already be on the bad side of tempo and playing more cards than necessary, just the limitations of a deck based on buffing non hexproof creatures. For example, you play a phalanx leader turn 2; this requires two lands on board and likely a one drop turn 1, meaning four cards out of hand out of the 8 cards you have at that point. Turn three you play a land for 5/9 cards and an umbra for 6/9 cards; in response to the umbra your opponent casts a card to kill the phalanx leader; in order to not lose the game from overcommiting, at that point you will have to cast a protect card for 7/9 cards. So regardless of the 6/7 damage the phalanx leader will push through that turn if not chump blocked, you will be about out of cards in hand and emerge unscathed will not function during your opponents turn when you really need it to since that is the deciding point. And that is one of the most optimum hands you can hope for. This deck doesnt function off of drop it on the board and forget about it creatures like snapcaster mage where its job is already done at the point it enters the battlefield, so this deck is limited by that since you rely on your creatures to win. Just one of the barriers you cant overcome unless you invest a bit more in the deck for more unfair creatures. But like i was saying for a budget/themed deck it honestly looks pretty fun for the price! You seem to get all the big conundrums like interactivity with your opponents board and hexproof versus protection so i think you will figure out a necessary balance just by playing the deck at your local meta! If you need any more advice just ask; enjoy the deck!

Oops last thing to say; even if not for this deck, pick up temple gardens as soon as possible. There is a good time and bad time to buy cards, and right before they rotate out of standard is the best time in my opinion. People will be looking to get rid of them for standard playable cards, and the price will be lower. It isnt necessary to buy them, either take the cards you have to your local store and try to trade other players, or draft m15 for 5/10 bucks which is in and of itself very fun, and you will likely get something that covers most of the cost of one! And since m15 also has many modern playable cards (albeit not cards that are staples in modern) you never know what you might find that you might want to use at a later point in time! But if you ever look into building any sort of rampy deck since you like green, the interactivity between cards like farseek and temple gardens is too large to be ignored! As often as you find players unwilling to trade there will be players who like helping others to make decks and dont mind giving you a good deal, especially if you have something in particular they like. Binder up all your rares and go to your store on a friday night and see how your luck fares. Welcome to the world of magic lol!

Nice list and commitment to the theme. +1! It looks very fun to play.

Just some thoughts:

Agree Brushland is arguably much better than any tapland in a speedy deck.

Hexproof dodges Dismember and Tragic Slip , indestructibility does not.

You might want to try Blessings of Nature ; provided you don't have it in your opening hand, it should work anytime just about in your deck (you have to reveal it and play it during your draw phase, ie before dropping new critters, if you want to pay its miracle cost and not its normal cost), and furthermore, it could do wonders with a Wild Defiance in play: Any of your targeting pumping spells will trigger separate instances of Wild Defiance, further pumping your critters. Unless your opponent is mass-packing Back to Nature , it makes another enchantment to remove, sparing your auras or umbras. Prey's Vengeance works fine with the Defiance also.

Those sound like great ideas, especially the Wild Defiance .

I'll have to look into getting myself a set of them.

I love solid budget decks like this. Consider Fleecemane Lion as another solid creature. Also definitely run some Brave the Elements since this all creatures are white. That should also help against removal. Maybe Rootborn Defenses as well for the sideboard. Also, Brushland is a good card for this since it's almost budget and can help with mana fixing.

I do agree that Brave the Elements and Rootborn Defenses would be nice, but my understanding is that they don't actually target creatures so they won't trigger heroic.

Fleecemane Lion looks very interesting in general as a 3/3 for 2 CMC that can also dodge pretty much every removal. But I'm not sure it would fit here since I can't picture actually getting the mana to trigger monstrosity before the game itself ends.

I'll probably end up overhauling this to be slightly more expensive (god damn inflation) with a lot of these suggestions. Appreciate the help.

Oh damn Fleecemane Lion is way out of my budget range for something that would be situational.