Mox Diamond vs. Fastbond in Long.dec

[c9h13no3]

I'll get right to it:

I've seen more and more people running fastbond over mox diamond in long.dec, and I've been wondering why.  I figured I'd analyze the two real quick so you can see where I'm coming from.

Mox Diamond:  Costs you 1 land, and generates one mana of any color.

Fastbond: Costs you 1 mana.  Generates mana only if you have 2 extra lands, 1 to get the mana back that you spent playing it, and 1 to get +1.  3 extra lands if you want to generate more mana than mox diamond does.  And it deals you some small insignificant damage.

However, if you have plenty of mana, mox can't be played for a spell like fastbond can.

So I'd like to get everyone else's opinion's on this one.

And there's steve's long deck for referance, if anyone is unfamiliar with the deck.

Thx

[Tempe]

When you are drawing a lot of cards, you are bound to have more than 2 or 3 extra lands. Therefore, Fastbond will generate a lot more mana than Mox Diamond will. I think the choice is right to run Fastbond over Mox Diamond, if you run either. Combo decks these days don't seem to be running very much land anymore.

--Tempe

[RoadTrippin]

Since the deck is much more reliant on draw 7's than the synergy it used to be all about between LED and Burning Wish, you're going to end up seeing a lot of lands the turn you go off. Fastbond will usually end up making up for itself +2 at least, but you can often get around 4 extra lands into play easily.

[c9h13no3]

Combo decks these days don't seem to be running very much land anymore.

Hence the reason I think mox should enter in.  I doubt you'll draw 3 extraneous lands (that means at least 3), and mox also comes out of the gate and provides you with that mana to play those draw 7's, which I find harder to accomplish than generating mana to combo off after you've drawn 7 up.  So basically, if fastbond does produce more mana, it is certainly after you've played a few draw spells, which probably means you've won the game already.

[MadManiac21]

Yes, you may wish to use that extra mana from that mox diamond to play some draws sevens. I personally think that fastbond is better; you're going to end up casting draw-7s, thast jsut what the deck does, and fastbond has much more synergy with them (playing any land you see) allowing to keep the combo on the run, helping out mana difficulties when going off. Mox diamond on the other hand gives you more first turn explosiveness. I think it may depend on your play style. A deck like TPS which is more resilient and likes to drop a a couple threats turn one to set up a turn two kill (duress, swarm, etc). fastbond works better, while long.dec was always going after that turn one would look more towards a mox diamond.

I like fastbond more but think mox diamond could also be used. Smmennen uses the bond. I'm gonna pull a  "he's obviously done way more with the deck than me, and I'm just gonna follow his lead here".

[Smmenen]

That deck is not long - it's a Twister Draw7 deck and Fastbond is insane in a Draw 7 deck (notice THREE diminishing Returns ).

Fastbond does not make the cut in regular Long though.  But neither does Mox Diamond in my estimation.

Here is my last Long list:
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14950


Steve