Magic Origins Draft #4: Wow, What a Mean Teacher

The Draft and the Decks

My first pick was Liliana, Heretical Healer.  My second was Wild Instincts.  And after that... well, no color really seemed open, so I vacillated between picking up some White, or maybe some Blue...

That's how I ended up playing Black-Green-White.  It's true that I could have made a two color deck - but that deck seemed a little light on oomph.  I'll take higher power and higher variance any day of the week.

CREATURES (16)   Citadel Castellan Eyeblight Assassin Fetid Imp Leaf Gilder Liliana, Heretical Healer Llanowar Empath Malakir Cullblade Nantuko Husk Orchard Spirit Pharika's Disciple Shambling Ghoul Somberwald Alpha Stalwart Aven Topan Freeblade Valeron Wardens Yeva's Forcemage

INSTANTS (3)   Reclaim Unholy Hunger x2   SORCERIES (4)   Macabre Waltz Reave Soul Wild Instincts x2   LANDS (17)   Caves of Koilos Forest x7 Plains x2 Swamp x6

SIDEBOARD   Aerial Volley Auramancer Bonded Construct Bone to Ash Brawler's Plate Cleric of the Forward Order Dark Dabbling x2 Heavy Infantry Maritime Guard Necromantic Summons x2 Nivix Barrier Prickleboar Reclaim Unholy Hunger Watercourser Zendikar's Roil

Round 1

My opponent played a Blue-White deck full of flyers, especially Scrapskin Drakes.  But they were no match for the Liliana I played both games, especially when she started repeatedly punching them with Wild Instincts that I could Reclaim, and lifelink to boot. 

Result: W (2-0)


Round 2

Oh dear god Sphinx's Tutelage.  My opponent played a mono-Blue deck full of counters and draw; in his first game he had his Sphinx's Tutelage out on turn 5, and in his second he had it out on turn 3.  Both games played the same after that: he countered my threats or stalled them out with creatures like Guardians of Meletis, and all the while he drew card after card with Artificer's Epiphany and other effects, and murdered my deck as a side effect.  I knew I should have drafted a Caustic Caterpillar!

Result: L (0-2)


Summary

Well, okay, lesson learned: Sphinx's Tutelage is a nightmare.  I've seen a thread on a Magic message board bemoaning the lack of control decks in Magic Origins draft.  That simply isn't true; the control deck of this format just plays differently than control decks from past formats.