Man was this a tilt test.
My first paper draft in about 3 weeks, and I get passed the stone cold nuts:

2 x Subterranean Scout
3 x Cleric of the Forward Order
1 x Blessed Spirits
1 x Akroan Sergant
1 x Ghirapur Gearcrafter
2 x Knight of the Pilgrims Road
1 x Stalwart Aven
1 x Charging Griffin
1 x Ampryn Tactician
1 x Totem-Guide Hartebeest
2 x Knightly Valor

1 x Titan's Strength
2 x Fiery Impuse
1 x Grasp of the Hieromancer
2 x Supression Bonds
1 x Tragic Arrogance

1 x Battlefield Forge
9 x Plains
7 x Mountain

//Side
1 x Celestial Flare
1 x Titan's Strength
2 x Auramancer
1 x Guardian Automaton
1 x Kytheon's Tactics
1 x Enlightented Ascetic
1 x Smash to Smithereens
1 x Volcanic Rambler


I actually passed Swift Reckoning pack 3 over Battlefield Forge because I would basically be cutting Celestial Flare for it. Then I got 2 [c]Titan's Strength and cut flare anyway (not 100% that was correct, I boarded in flare a couple times).

Anyway, as you can imagine, this deck rolled 4-0 into finals (match 1 games were actually contested because my hands were pretty bad).
I actually almost screwed myself with [c]Tragic Arrogance[/c] when he bounced my flier and kept playing guys.

Finals - I play a guy in his first draft. I mull to 5 (2 lands total in 3 hands) He is playing UG Sphinx's Tutelage. Long game. I have lethal on the board and a Supression Bonds in hand, 8 cards in library. I could suppress his Tutelage to prevent a single activation, but I figure I only lose if he has a draw spell - and if he has Aereonauts or anything that makes 2 dudes, he wins. He has a draw spell AND an activate to beat me. But he also had Alchemist's Vial so my suppression bonds wouldn't have helped anyway.

I board in most of my side board and 3 lands going to 49 cards. I keep a 1 lander with a 2 drop and Enlightened Ascetic. I believe this was correct -- in the sense that he could not beat this hand. I didn't consider the clock however. He played a bunch of weenies to block my weenies, negated my Tactics and we went to time on game 2. I conceded since a draw actually costs him a pack.

Magic. At least it wasn't an 8-4 or something with an unbalanced payout.

Nice job!

Boarding into extra cards against Tutelage seems bad. You lose anyway if they stabilize, so why not just make your deck actually good?

The cards were perfectly playable. I didn't have anything that was super awesome anyway, just guys to beat down.

If you are plinking in for 2-3 a turn then a couple extra turns matters.

Your removal is very impressive, as are the two Valors. Now if only those two Knights were the Boggart Brutes and Clerics were Freeblades ... I also like the 3/2 haste guy better than the Gearcrafter for this deck. I might have played Tactics over Arrogance, at least against people who plan to block.

Tutelage is such a frustrating deck to play against, but from what you wrote, it seems your opponent knew what he was doing.

He was playing 3 Nissa's Pilgrimage, a Reclaim, Send to Sleepand a Dreadwaters.

Also some decent cards: Claustrophobia, 2x Visionaries, Bounding Krasis, 2x Aspiring Aeronaut, Negate, Hydrolash, Artificier's Epiphany, Alchemist's Vial, maybe a Watercourser. I think he had a Stratus Walk too, but I didn't see it.

He claimed that it was his first draft but he said he used to play "years ago".

I really like arrogance as a safety valve in case your deck fails you.

Not a bona fide Bobus thread. I don't play red aggro decks.

It's been a long time. Nice to hear you still play, and I hope you will be posting some more.

Ha, ha, wow my summoning charm took 6 weeks.

And not playing aggro in origins must have been annoying.

You should play Auramancer 1 main since you have a lot of auras to mance