Bogles Got a New Toy: Is It Enough?

Modern Aggro Aura Hexproof Competitive Enchantment GW (Selesnya) Voltron

LeMonado

Lands (19)

• 1x Forest
• 4x Horizon Canopy
• 1x Plains
• 4x Razorverge Thicket
• 3x Temple Garden
• 4x Windswept Heath
• 2x Wooded Foothills

Core (20)

• 4x Audacity
• 4x Daybreak Coronet
• 4x Ethereal Armor
• 4x Lion Umbra
• 4x Rancor

Interaction (4)

• 4x Ram Through

Creatures (13)

• 4x Gladecover Scout
• 4x Kor Spiritdancer
• 4x Slippery Bogle
• 1x Toadstool Admirer

Supporting Auras (4)

• 4x Hyena Umbra

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Sideboard

Other (15)

• 4x Force of Vigor
• 3x Gaddock Teeg
• 4x Leyline of Sanctity
• 4x Soul-Guide Lantern

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Bogles, or "Hexproof" is an aggro deck engineered to prevent interaction, goldfishing to a fairly consistent win turns three and four. Pioneered by Reid Duke in the 2013 World Finals, he took it to a second-place finish behind Shahar Shenhar's Jeskai Control. The deck has since become a staple of the modern format, and acts as its gatekeeper. While there is some minutia to piloting the deck, it tends to come naturally after a dozen games. Instead, this article is going to focus on the card choices and mindsets when building it.

Current List: Ram Through and Audacity

Ram Through is removal that doubles as a Temur Battle Rage so long as our creature has trample. Bogles now has a Fling

Audaciry...Audacity! This is BETTER than Rancor. If we loose our Bogle, we are losing the game. Having a Rancor in hand won't change that, but Audacity might draw us into another bogle.1

Creatures

• Slippery Bogle
• Gladecover Scout
• Kor Spiritdancer

Ah, the namesake cards. This deck cannot function if not for the eight hexproof creatures. Kor Spiritdancer, however, is a litmus test of the pilot's experience playing this deck. In game one I frequently use her as a Time Walk. I cast it while they are tapped out to force them to spend their next turn sinking resources into killing it. Past that, most people side out their non-Lightning Bolt/Assassin's Trophy removal. Build up your Bogle first, then use your drawn cards to close out the game with Kor Spiritdancer.

Core

• All That Glitters
• Audacity
• Daybreak Coronet
• Ethereal Armor
• Rancor

This package is just as unshakable. These are easily the strongest auras the game has ever seen (honorable mention to Ancestral Mask). You want to see these cards every game. Daybreak Coronet, while incredibly strong, presents a danger of being blown out by an Assassin's Trophy. If it is one of only two auras on a creature, it will fall off if its partner is destroyed. That being said, it single-handedly sweeps non-infect aggro decks off their feet.

Supporting Auras

• Gryff's Boon
• Spirit Mantle
• Unflinching Courage

Finally, actual choices! Every Bogles deck needs a way to get damage past blockers. Of the three options, Gryff's Boon is my favorite. Unfortunately Humans, Dredge, and Spirits turn it into a one-mana +1/+0 plea for Rancor. The measly power increase per-mana-spent of Spirit Mantle makes it a slog to draw in multiples. I never put more than two Spirit Mantles in my deck. Spares' only purpose are to be thrown on an extra creature to stonewall Death's Shadow, Champion of the Parish, or an infect creature. Unflinching Courage wins aggro mirrors. The mana cost is the biggest detractor; just like Daybreak Coronet, turn three is the earliest that it can be played.

• Cartouche of Solidarity is good into Liliana of the Veil
• Hyena Umbra blanks sweepers, boardwipes, and protects Kor Spiritdancer
• Spider Umbra blanks sweepers, boardwipes, Inkmoth Nexus, and protects Kor Spiritdancer
• Leyline of Sanctity blanks Thoughtsieze, Storm, Burn, Blessed Alliance, Settle the Wreckage, and Liliana of the Veil

A tossed salad of choices to make, retooling your list to fit your meta is the most skill-intensive thing you can do with Bogles. Missing the mark makes Bogles looks like a tier-3 deck. Mainboard Leylines are relevant against a lot of decks, but it by no means an auto include. While Cartouch of Solidarity appears to be strictly better than Hyena Umbra in most cases, remember that Umbras can protect Kor Spiritdancer or a desperate Dryad Arbor.

Removal

Dromoka's Command

is relevant in matchups without threatening creatures. It's also a mainboard answer to enchantments with no opportunity cost.

• Mode 1 protects Kor Spiritdancer from being bolted or eats Deflecting Palms.
• Mode 2 eats Blood Moon, Eidolon of the Great Revel (dat 241), Search for Azcanta  , Hardened Scales, Phyrexian Unlife, ect.
• Mode 3 increases the clock if nothing else.
• Mode 4 removes creatures without giving the opponent a land and procs lifelink.

Ram Through

replace your Spirit Mantles with Setessan Training and suddenly Bogles finds itself equipped with a Temur Battle Rage.

• It procs lifelink and gives our Bogle a better version of double strike. If it has First Strike, then both hits come before the blockers'.
• Whereas Dromoka's Command adds utility, this adds straight damage, damage that can get through Ensnaring Bridge and Cryptic Command locks!
• I recommend running this alongside the aforementioned Setessan Training as well as All That Glitters. Going tall maximizes this card's contribution.

Path to Exile

• Liliana, the Last Hope or Kolaghan's Command cannot recur Bloodbraid Elf or Goyf, it trims Dredge, ect.
• Wurmcoil Engines don't make tokens.
• Path to Exile helps keep the tough stains out! Watch how well it handles annoying Primeval Titans and Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath.

Sideboard Cards

• Damping Sphere: Storm and Tron are two of the deck's worst matchups. This is great against both!

• Dromoka's Command/Path to Exile: An extended flex slot. I prefer Path these days, to fight Uro and Primeval Titan.

• Gaddock Teeg: This mainly fights Tron and Ad Nauseam, since control relies on Uro now.

• Force of Vigor: The go-to answer for Blood Moon, Ensnaring Bridge, Thopter Foundry, and Chalice of the Void.

• Leyline of Sanctity: Brought in against any deck running a discard package if we are on the draw which can take our Bogle. Liliana, Heliod Company, Mill, and Burn decks are all what you want to be bringing this in against.

• Rest in Peace Graveyard decks, Living End, Storm, Dredge or Control.

• Soul-Guide Lantern: Answers Uro and then can be cashed in for a card.

• Stony Silence: Used to Tron, Skred, Ad Nauseam, Hardened Scales, and Urza.

Bad Cards

"Dumb dumb diddly dumb dodo!" - Bill Cosby (shut up I can still quote him)

Keen Sense

The Modern format was substantially slower when this was a Bogles staple. Nowadays all it does is give +1/+1 if Ethereal Armor is on the field and replace itself. Drawing two cards off of it is a rare occurrence. Play Curious Obsession and Stubborn Denial in a Bant Bogles list if you want to play a longer game.

Open the Armory

It's slow, but it ensures that you get Ethereal Armor, Rancor, or Daybreak Coronet almost every game. If your meta is slow then I would rather run Unflinching Courage.

Cartouche of Strength

Procs lifelink, gives trample, +1/+1, and kills a creature! Wait...Dromoka's Command does all of that for one less mana? The only thing that this card does that is unique is occupy the removal AND the top-end aura slot. It ain't terrible, but there are better options

Silhana Ledgewalker

Anyone who insists that this is good in "metas with lots of removal" should be banned from your LGS for smoking weed right outside the door (seriously don't do that; there are kids present). Those people also don't fully understand what Kor Spiritdancer does. In games two and three, your opponent sides out their Pushes and Paths. Kor Spiritdancer now forces them to have Lightning Bolt. If they don't, they lose. If you cast it while they are tapped out then they HAVE to spend their turn removing it or else they give you a redraw. What does Ledgewalker do? It's a Spirit Mantle that does nothing until turn 3 at the earliest. Now, before you say that Invisible Stalker sees play in Bant Bogles remember, that deck is TRYING to play a longer game with Curious Obsession and Force of Negation. Selesnya does not have the tools that Bant does.

Keep Ledgewalker in Pauper Bogles where she belongs...even then I prefer Fencing Ace and Aura Gnarlid.

What do I want to be printed for this deck?

• A Bogle with a bestow cost of three (sac effects wouldn't stomp this deck as badly)
• A new one-mana Umbra that can replace Hyena Umbra (lifelink or vigilance PLEASE)
• A two-mana aura that gives lifelink and trample, but no stats
• New art for Ethereal Armor

Date added	9 years
Last updated	6 months
Exclude colors	UB
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	0 - 4 Mythic Rares 25 - 7 Rares 20 - 4 Uncommons 13 - 0 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	1.39
Folders	Modern interesting, bogles, Excellent, For Playtesting, Cool Decks, good decks, Awesome Modern Decks, Aura Hexproof, Interesting Modern Decks, Modern Deck Ideas