Reduce Branch/ Strip Mining Effectiveness

I think that strip/ branch mining already has it's advantages (being very safe, controllable, and predictable). 

So why are they also the most efficient ways to mine for diamonds? Shouldn't players get rewarded for taking risks? The decision should be a matter of risk versus reward, not optimization versus fun. Also, doesn't it just defeat the entire idea of a caves update?

Multiple solutions could include reducing the amount of ores that generate in absence of caves, or to make grimstone much harder to mine.