Warded Battlements

In Commander, Warded Battlements shines in creature-heavy strategies that expect to face targeted removal repeatedly across multiple opponents — the ward tax compounds fast in a four-player game. Competitive formats like Modern and Legacy don't have room for a two-mana enchantment that does nothing the turn it enters, and protection effects at those tables tend to be instant-speed or attached to the threat itself. Pauper is the one non-Commander format where Warded Battlements could see fringe play in aggressive white token builds, though the format's removal is often cheap enough to absorb the extra cost.