Bound/Determined in Combo Decks

[Draven]

First of all, a reference of the card:

Name: Bound // Determined
Set & Rarity:  Dissension rare
 
Printings:   
Cost:  // 
Card Type: Instant // Instant 
P/T: 
Rules Text (Oracle): Sacrifice a creature. Return up to X cards from your graveyard to your hand, where X is the number of colors that creature was. Then remove this card from the game.
//
Other spells you control can’t be countered by spells or abilities this turn.
Draw a card.



The Bound aspect is garbage, however, the Determined half is quite interesting. Alot of combo decks (I am thinking Dragon, Belcher and some storm decks) do run green for Xantid Swarm, ESG etc. Is this card better than Xantid Swarm? It is an extra Blue Mana, but it works the turn it is played. It cantrips, which is great in a storm based deck.

This card would most likely be in the same slot as Duress. So, here  is a comparison I came up with Determined vs Duress:

Pros:
Cantrips
Doesn't just let you take their best card, stops all their cards

Cons
Extra Mana (Blue is easier than black, but green is harder than black)


If they counter a Duress or the Determined, you are in the exact same position (except -1 mana with Determined). However, if both of them resolve, I belive you are in a far superior position if Determined resolved.

Lets look at an example:
You Duress your opponant and they show: Mana Drain, Brainstrom, Echoning Truth

Instead of countering the Duress, they let it resolve: Now, you have the choice and whatever you take, still leaves your opponant with options.

Now, against the same hand, if you cast Determined. They are forced into a situation where they MUST counter it. If they don't counter it, they will surely lose, and if they do counter it, their options have been severly reduced.

[Moxlotus]

How is this any better than Abeyance?  Abeyance even shuts down opposing activated abilities.

[Draven]

How is this any better than Abeyance?  Abeyance even shuts down opposing activated abilities.

It's not white?

[Necrologia]

It's not white?

Excepting a BUg dragon build, or JD's 4 color Belcher, if a combo deck is running green it's running a 5 color mana base. In Dragon they'd rather have Xantid as they can turn their extra Animates into legitimate threats against control. In JD's Belcher list there's no blue so Determined can't be cast anyway. In a 5 color mana base white is almost exactly as easy to get as green, ESGs making the slight difference. Basically it's only nominally easier to cast, but Abeyance shuts down Tormod's Crypt.

[Komatteru]

or JD's 4 color Belcher

I think you meant 3c.   I was not aware that I had a 4 color Belcher.



Abeyance can be cast off a land and any of an extra Ritual mana, Mox Ruby/Emerald/Pearl, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, or Mana Vault.  Basically, you're only going to have to tap one land (well, bust one 5c source), which is key.  Blue mana is the hardest to give up in 5c combo decks, since you can't easily make more of it (black mana makes more black mana, an important thing to consider), and you always want to keep a blue mana around as long as you possibly can.  Your lands are the best source of blue mana you have, unless you've been fortunate enough to locate Lotus or Sapphire.  If you tutor for Lotus, you usually had to give up BB to do it, and you'll often need to crack Lotus for black to make up for that.  I think I end up craking Lotus for BBB about 75% of the time, compared to the 25% of the time it goes for blue.  It goes for blue usually only when you have Ancestral Recall AND Brainstorm in hand (or a MT instead of one of those), or Desire, or you have two rituals (and therefore won't be hurting for black).  You really don't want to have to tap two lands to cast something if you can avoid it, since you want to win on turn 2-3 and need at least one land for black to cast Ritual, one land for an additional blue for Brainstorm/Tinker/Recall/Chain of Vapor (for storm), etc.  That either runs you out of land or leaves you with only one left to tap for both blue and green...

Thus, Determined is harder to cast than Abeyance, and the limiting factor in the casting cost is not the green mana, it's the blue.  If you were casting Abeyance, you would need to tap a land anyway, and that land could go for green instead of white.

Xantid Swarm is still the king when it comes to stopping countermagic.  At one mana, it walks into Mana Drain all day without worries.  Essentially, it's like a Duress on steroids, as it either two for 1's (they Force it), counts as two spells for storm (they Drain it), does both those things (they Force it), or resolves and you win on your next turn.

[zeus-online]

Didnt read all of it...but...isnt this just an overmaster, for twice the mana?

/Zeus

[Ged]

How is this any better than Abeyance?  Abeyance even shuts down opposing activated abilities.

I think it works against chalice. Thats one, and probably only, advantage.