[aaminoff]

Just because I enjoy being pedantic, Oreiads are not self-blessing either. In both cases, you can use a Shroud of the Battle Saint. Or forget the bless and just use Rainbow Armor, which I think is a couple more points of protection: 3air,3nature gems vs 3astral. Both Man and Arco have Air & Nature aplenty, though Air gems are always precious, and it depends on what bless you get with your shroud.

Anyway, I agree that it is a very niche strategy, but it seems like MA Man has a remarkably narrow range of things it can do, so diversifying your bag of tricks by any means available is worth considering.