Yeah it turns out that the Bonds used to give you more health (2 per creature, I think), so that's why this could beat AI5.
For a really solid, FAST (as in, most games last 60-100 seconds and 6-9 turns) AI3 grinding deck, go with 6 each of Nova, Graboid, Phoenix, Gnome Rider, and Immolation. If you aren't dealing at least fifteen damage a turn by the second or third turn, something has gone wrong.