This mono-blue combo deck works in a similar way to the Sneaky Show decks that have had the spotlight in Legacy recently. That is, get a very large creature that is hard to answer, and use it to beat your opponent to death in two or three turns. However, unlike Sneaky Show this deck does not cheat large creatures into play. Instead, the goal is to cheat a large buff onto a hard-to-kill creature. The quickest and easiest way is to cast Academy Researchers with Eldrazi Conscription or Mythic Proportions in your hand; and then send one of them into play with him. Either one makes him a sizable threat, and it only costs you three mana to cast him. Note that while it is in there mainly for defense against enemy creatures, Vapor Snag can be used on your own Academy Researchers in a situation where he would otherwise die. This allows you to re-use him should you have another Aura in hand.

The slower but more secure buffing strategy is to cast Arcanum Wings, targeting either Slippery Bogle or Invisible Stalker. Because they both have hexproof, you never need to worry about Swords to Plowshares ruining your day when you aura-swap an Eldrazi Conscription or Mythic Proportions and beat face. The Stalker in particular is a nice beef target as he is unblockable, which means you don't have to worry about nasty things like deathtouch.

As I mentioned before, Vapor Snag is there to bounce threats that give you a hard time, and keep them away just long enough for you to produce threats of your own. While it can hurt to cast, Dismember is a permanent means of dealing with threats or hate bears. Should your Researchers get their bums removed, or should you get hit by a discard spell, Iridescent Drake allows you to grab an aura from your graveyard. Ponder and Preordain help you find your combo pieces and maintain consistency while Spell Pierce keeps you safe from discard and counter spells.

Aura Combo is certainly one of the strongest decks I will be presenting, and, at $35, it is also one of the cheapest. You really have nothing to lose by putting this baby together. A friend of mine who is new to Magic recently finished an Underground Sea tournament, piloting this deck to an even finish of two wins and two losses. It may not sound too impressive, but when you look at the price of this deck versus the price of his opponent's decks, plus the fact that he is a relatively new player, the deck's power shines through. He was one win away from making top eight with a $35 dollar deck in a tournament filled with top tier competitors. That has to say something.