(Also of note: aside from Labyrinth Minotaur, all Minotaurs at the time were red, so this was effectively a red card.) Speaking of deck restrictions, Malachite Talisman and the entire Talisman cycle are a solid way of making sure that a colorless cards couldnt actually go into just any deck and provide value
Both of these sidekicks have great keywords to keep the damage and cards flowing as well
Even temporary boosts, like Dockside Extortionist, Dark Ritual, or Jeskas Will would be considered fast mana
It is much harder and takes more effort to fake a graded card though. A great rule of thumb: ask When in doubt, consult others who have experience spotting fakes
Second, the card wasn't just good, it was very good, like best deck in Standard good alongside Wilderness Reclamation to generate the extra mana to cast it
Still, it seems a bit strange to give it the number-one spot, so it's here instead