Mox Diamond MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
RarityRare
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Enables potent first turn plays by providing immediate mana acceleration without casting cost.
  2. Versatile across various deck archetypes, providing a mana resource that adapts to multicolor strategies.
  3. Despite its benefits, the land discard requirement poses a potential setback in certain gameplay scenarios.

Text of card

When Mox Diamond comes into play, choose and discard a land card or sacrifice Mox Diamond. oc T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Play this ability as a mana source.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mox Diamond is a powerhouse in terms of streamlining a deck’s performance, although it doesn’t draw cards directly, the ability to play an additional land on the first turn significantly increases the likelihood that a player can deploy their hand more efficiently. This can lead to a commanding board presence way before opponents have the chance to set up their defenses.

Resource Acceleration: By bypassing the one land per turn rule, Mox Diamond propels your mana resources significantly. This early game acceleration can be a game-changer, allowing players to cast high-cost spells much earlier than usual or enabling powerful combos that can swiftly close out a game. Additionally, it’s not restricted to producing only one type of mana, offering excellent versatility for multi-color decks.

Instant Speed: Although Mox Diamond does not operate at instant speed, its zero casting cost allows it to be played without spending mana. This provides the flexibility to deploy other spells with the mana usually spent on a turn-one play. This immediate drop onto the battlefield can set the pace of the game, forcing opponents to deal with a sudden spike in available mana resources from the very beginning.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mox Diamond obliges players to discard a land card immediately upon playing it. This prerequisite can impede your game progress, especially in situations where your hand already lacks sufficient land. Discarding early in the game could also limit your ability to cast other spells in later turns.

Specific Mana Cost: While Mox Diamond itself does not require mana to cast, it demands a land to be discarded, which can be problematic if your deck relies on certain lands for its strategy. Decks that utilize land synergy may find this cost detrimental to their game plan.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Mox Diamond provides an immediate advantage in terms of mana acceleration, the cost of permanently losing a land card can be high. This is particularly true in formats like Commander, where each card’s impact is magnified due to the singleton nature of the game. In such cases, players may find other mana rocks or acceleration methods that do not require such a steep tradeoff to be more appealing. Additionally, in comparison to zero-cost mana artifacts that don’t have a discard requirement, Mox Diamond may not always be the most efficient choice.


Reasons to Include Mox Diamond in Your Collection

Versatility: Mox Diamond slips into a vast array of decks, bringing a boost to mana acceleration. It is especially pivotal in formats like Legacy where speed and efficiency win games.

Combo Potential: As a zero-cost artifact, Mox Diamond can initiate and complement a plethora of combo plays, working seamlessly with cards that capitalize on artifact synergies.

Meta-Relevance: Due to its ability to provide a critical edge in fast-paced environments, Mox Diamond maintains a significant presence in decks that strive to outpace the competition in the current meta.


How to beat

Mox Diamond stands out in the Magic: The Gathering world as an artifact card with the powerful ability to provide an immediate boost in mana resources when played. To utilize it effectively, one must sacrifice a land card, which means a slight decrease in your land count. However, balancing this card’s pros and cons reveals opportunities for players to counter it decisively.

One effective approach is employing cards that target artifacts, such as Naturalize or Disenchant, to remove Mox Diamond from the field. Such a quick response can impede an opponent’s early game mana acceleration. In a broader strategy, incorporating cards that restrict or punish the use of artifacts like Stony Silence or Collector Ouphe into your deck can result in a significant tactical advantage against a opponent relying on Mox Diamond’s mana boost. Lastly, since Mox Diamond’s strength is its early game impact, ensuring a solid mana curve to maintain pace with an opponent’s resource generation can be a key factor in outmaneuvering the play and strategies built around this card.

Recognizing and countering the advantages that Mox Diamond provides can be crucial in dominating a match, emphasizing the importance of strategic deck building and situational awareness in Magic: The Gathering.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the world of MTG is an incredible journey filled with strategic depth, where every card choice can lead to powerful outcomes. Mox Diamond illustrates this perfectly, as a card that commands respect for its role in propelling mana resources from the outset. It fits snugly into many decks seeking an early advantage, despite its trade-offs. If you’re intrigued by the potential to enhance your gameplay or are curious about which decks could benefit most from integrating this card, delve deeper with us. Enhance your deck and sharpen your strategy as we reveal insights to triumph with Mox Diamond.


Cards like Mox Diamond

The Mox Diamond is a revered artifact in MTG, giving players a significant advantage through free mana acceleration. It stands alongside cards like Chrome Mox, which also offers quick mana generation, differing primarily in its imprint mechanic where you exile a nonartifact card from your hand and gain mana of that card’s color. This slightly differs from the Mox Diamond, which requires you to discard a land card instead, instantly granting you access to one mana of any color from the discarded land without delaying your game progress.

Another notable mention is the Lotus Petal, a one-time-use artifact that similarly grants one mana of any color but sacrifices long-term mana production for an immediate effect. Mox Diamond’s durability definitely gives it an edge in providing continual resources. Mana Crypt is an alternative as well, presenting zero-cost mana acceleration with the downside of potential life loss, further showcasing the relative safety and reliability of Mox Diamond in a player’s mana base.

Overall, while there are various options for fast mana in Magic: The Gathering, Mox Diamond’s balance of cost, resource sustainability, and immediate impact solidifies it as a staple in formats where it’s legal. Its unique discard requirement is a small price to pay for the consistency and advantage it brings to the battlefield.

Chrome Mox - MTG Card versions
Lotus Petal - MTG Card versions
Mana Crypt - MTG Card versions
Chrome Mox - Mirrodin (MRD)
Lotus Petal - Tempest (TMP)
Mana Crypt - HarperPrism Book Promos (PHPR)

Cards similar to Mox Diamond by color, type and mana cost

Black Lotus - MTG Card versions
Ornithopter - MTG Card versions
Jeweled Amulet - MTG Card versions
Zuran Orb - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Marauder - MTG Card versions
Claws of Gix - MTG Card versions
Mana Crypt - MTG Card versions
Mox Opal - MTG Card versions
Chalice of the Void - MTG Card versions
Orochi Hatchery - MTG Card versions
Tormod's Crypt - MTG Card versions
Everflowing Chalice - MTG Card versions
Memnite - MTG Card versions
Engineered Explosives - MTG Card versions
Chimeric Mass - MTG Card versions
Chrome Mox - MTG Card versions
Turbo-Thwacking Auto-Hammer - MTG Card versions
Division Table - MTG Card versions
Rapid Prototyper - MTG Card versions
Inflation Station - MTG Card versions
Black Lotus - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Ornithopter - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Jeweled Amulet - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Zuran Orb - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Phyrexian Marauder - Visions (VIS)
Claws of Gix - Urza's Saga (USG)
Mana Crypt - Judge Gift Cards 2011 (G11)
Mox Opal - Double Masters (2XM)
Chalice of the Void - Judge Gift Cards 2019 (J19)
Orochi Hatchery - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Tormod's Crypt - Friday Night Magic 2008 (F08)
Everflowing Chalice - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Memnite - Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia (TD2)
Engineered Explosives - Modern Masters (MMA)
Chimeric Mass - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Chrome Mox - Double Masters (2XM)
Turbo-Thwacking Auto-Hammer - Unstable (UST)
Division Table - Unstable (UST)
Rapid Prototyper - Unstable (UST)
Inflation Station - Unstable (UST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mox Diamond MTG card by a specific set like Stronghold and From the Vault: Relics, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Mox Diamond and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mox Diamond Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1998-03-02 and 2015-05-06. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-03-02StrongholdSTH 1381997normalblackDan Frazier
22010-08-27From the Vault: RelicsV10 102003normalblackVolkan Baǵa
32015-05-06Tempest RemasteredTPR 2282015normalblackDan Frazier

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mox Diamond has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelBanned
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mox Diamond card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2008-05-01 If you don’t discard a land card, Mox Diamond never enters the battlefield. It won’t trigger abilities that look for something entering the battlefield, and you won’t get the opportunity to tap it for mana.

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