Long.dec was a personal hobby of mine. In fact, I can...

[jhaggs]

Long.dec was a personal hobby of mine.  In fact, I can't really think of a better magic excerise to improve one's game play than to play Long.dec in a solitare mode.  I routinely would bust out the deck and run a few games to see if I could improve my turn 1 win percentages.  It really helps you think about playing 4 or 5 moves ahead (much like chess).    For me, Long.dec got to the point where everytime I didn't win on the first turn, I felt that I committed a player error.  Of course you couldn't win turn 1 every game, but it was a great mentality to have when running with this deck.

    Alas, the restrictions rained down and we are left to either reconstruct or abandon the deck entirely.  I'm starting this thread in order to brainstorm which avenues a rebuilt long.dec can take.  Obvisously, no one has had time to playtest a sufficient amount in order to draw definitive conclusions but hopefully we can begin to throw out some ideas to see if this combo deck can survive or be disguarded.

Here is what I have so far.  Please note that some of these additions were taken from the vintage forum, namely "Death Wish" which I feel can prove to be this deck's saving grace.

"A Long Death" (or a more clever name)

MANA SOURCES 32
4   City of Brass        
4   Gemstone Mine          
2   Underground Sea        
1   Tolarian Academy
1   Black Lotus    
1   Mox Emerald    
1   Mox Jet  
1   Mox Pearl    
1   Mox Ruby  
1   Mox Sapphire        
1   Mox Diamond
1   Chrome Mox    
1   Lion's Eye Diamond    
1   Lotus Petal    
1   Mana Crypt    
1   Mana Vault    
1   Sol Ring    
4   Dark Ritual        
4   Elvish Spirit Guide      

Wishes 4
1   Burning Wish    
3   Death Wish

DRAW 20
1   Necropotence      
1   Yawgmoth's Bargain  
1   Ancestral Recall        
4   Brainstorm        
1   Mystical Tutor        
1   Vampiric Tutor      
1   Demonic Tutor    
1   Mind's Desire    
1   Time Walk    
1   Timetwister    
1   Tinker  
1   Wheel of Fortune    
1   Windfall    
3   Chromatic Sphere  
1   Memory Jar

Control 4
4   Force of Will    

The Sideboard 15
4   Xantid Swarm    
2   Seal of Cleansing    
1   Balance      
1   Diminishing Returns    
1   Regrowth    
1   Tendrils of Agony    
1   Yawgmoth's Will  
4   Other Stuff  

Here are some points of interest to get the discussion rolling:

1.  Death Wish:  Since combo is rarely concerned with life loss, the death wish drawback is very minor.  In fact, the life loss really isn't that much of a drawback at all...it's the CC which is a problem.  Props to whoever mentioned this card first.  Great idea.  

2.  Spoils of the vault:  Because of Death Wish, Spoils seems like to much of a risk in killing yourself.  Maybe I need ot learn to play with bigger balls, but right now I am hesistant to run more life loss.

3.  Underground Sea:  Losing 3 LED sucked.  It also made glimmervoid a little more risky to play.  I dumped the voids in favor of the duel lands due to the fact that the deck is less dependant for red mana and more dependant on black.  This switch just seemed to make sense for me.

4.  Chrome Mox:  I realize that testing for many has shown this card to have adverse data, but in my experience in playing Long has taught me that often times I will have cards in my hand that I just won't cast because I either can't for mana reasons or I just don't need to in order to win.  These two reasons are my motivation in running Chrome Mox.  Further,  running another 0cc accelerator that can assist in activating death wish just seems to be a prudent idea.

5.  Yawg's Will:  With 4 MD wishes, I still feel comfortable with will in my SB and not in my MD.  Will's placement is a great place to start a debate.

6.  Elvish Spirit Guide:  ESG is a tight card.  With the loss of LED, this was my immediate thought as to repairing the damage.  ESG seems like an ideal mana source to pop the sphere.

7.  SideBoard:  I left 4 spots open in the SB considering the fact that Death Wish can grab anything.  In fact, if Death wish becomes an esatblished tech, the SB will probably go through a major overhaul.  Perhaps Chain of Vapor can go into the SB...Maybe even Hurkyl's Recall.

8.  Force of Will:  In my meta group (and from several tourny reports) Stifle is becoming more and more prevelant, espically since it can find targets alot easier these days (thanks dragon).  FOW is my personal choice over duress to combat something like stifle simply form the standpoint that balck mana is a premium in this deck.  Logic seems to dictate that you will mostly likely not want to spend a black mana source on duress to ensure combo-ing for the win.

EDIT: 9.  Tendrils of Agony:  To maindeck or not to maindeck.  Tendrils is something that I hate to get in my initial draw (with some exceptions).  I never had a problem wishing for it in order to win, hopefully death wish will allow me to continue to leave this in the SB.  This, like Yawg's WIll, is another good debate as to where it belongs.

Please keep in mind that this inital post is a brainstorm.  Hopefully with time, this speculation will become more and more concrete through competition.

[mtgmooner]

I cant help but ask what solitaire goldfishing for this particular build of the deck might be...I have some severe doubts with regards to the viability of this deck given the newest b/r list.  

Is it really possible to bust off a death wish AND kill the same time while maximizing the benefits provided by the storm mechanic??

[Razvan]

I think the Death Wishes conflict with Bargain and Necropotence, and I would definately leave one Tendrils of Agony main-decked. Even if you still have 4 Wishes, it's still adviseable, as sometimes you can just play a bunch of spells and tutor for the kill.

Just a thought.

Another thought: ever considered Lim-Dul's Vault?

[cssamerican]

As I am sure you know what made Long so good was that you had 10 Black Lotus and 8 Dark Rituals! I am counting them double because most of the time you used each one you got twice, once on the intial cast and once during a Will.

Another popular move with Long at least it was a popular move for me was to sac LEDs and tutor for Bargain that something that you you really can not do without the high density of broken mana.

The problem now is Death Wish cost one more than Burning Wish and you have less mana. So if one wants to make a Storm deck that doesn't use Academy Rector I would look more to The Perfect Storm style deck (Depending more on Academy and draw sevens than on Yawgmoth's Will). While I do not beleive it is as consistant as Long it can still win very fast.

[jhaggs]

Quote Another popular move with Long at least it was a popular move for me was to sac LEDs and tutor for Bargain that something that you you really can not do without the high density of broken mana.

cssamerican,

  Nice comment.  Losing LED really hurts long due to the numerous ways you could exploit its mana via tutors and spheres.  I even though about dumping necro and bargain for 2 diminishing returns becuase at least they could be pitched to FOW.  

  When you really think about it, long.dec pre Dec 1st was an absolute savage.  Damn...that deck was a machine.  But you're right, post Jan1 long just can't be as explosive as it once was.  However, it (or variant) still might be the format's top combo deck, espically if dragon gets hated.

[Lactose]

I think that would be a perfect starting point, and the idea to put FoW in because of Death Wish seems like a very good one.

I also agree on the Necro/Bargain issue, but I wouldn't actually change anything without a lot of test-games, at least some of them against a control opponent or something.

But I can't help asking, why not just start with TPS?

Actually, I don't think you can go much further with Long without some radical innovation (a spoils-centric build or something)...

[Fastbond]

Run at least one carpet of flowers in the sideboard.  Get rid of all wishes, run 4 meditates, and run Yawgmoth's Will main.  The wishes aren't good without the diamond.  Test Crop Rotation.  Try 4 chromatic spheres.  Try less expensive card drawing like returns main.  To test these cards cut back on expensive cards like Bargain and Desire.

[Frogmite]

LongGone.dec

MANA SOURCES 31
4   City of Brass        
4   Gemstone Mine          
2   Underground Sea        
1   Tolarian Academy
1   Black Lotus    
1   Mox Emerald    
1   Mox Jet  
1   Mox Pearl    
1   Mox Ruby  
1   Mox Sapphire        
1   Mox Diamond
1   Chrome Mox    
1   Lion's Eye Diamond    
1   Lotus Petal    
1   Mana Crypt    
1   Mana Vault    
1   Sol Ring    
4   Dark Ritual        
4   Cabal Ritual    

Random 5
1   Burning Wish    
3   Death Wish 
1   Regrowth    

DRAW 19
1   Necropotence      
1   Yawgmoth's Bargain  
1   Ancestral Recall        
4   Brainstorm        
1   Mystical Tutor        
1   Vampiric Tutor      
1   Demonic Tutor        
1   Time Walk    
1   Timetwister    
1   Tinker  
1   Wheel of Fortune    
1   Windfall    
1   Memory Jar
2  Tendrils of Agony
1   Mind's Desire

Control 4
4 Duress  

The Sideboard 15
4   Xantid Swarm    
2   Seal of Cleansing    
1   Balance      
1   Diminishing Returns    
1   Tendrils of Agony    
1   Damping Matrix
1   Yawgmoth's Will
4x  other things

I must admit I'm very iffy on Death Wish, right now I'm only using it to get Will or Tendrils, as I still MD my Mind's Desire.

[Charlie Yu]

Without the LEDs I doubt if you would really play the Wishes... no more Wish-LED-Yawg win