So Madness is a pretty wacky mechanic. Back in it's heyday, apparently Green/Blue Madness was quite the deck, utilizing the power of the un-assuming Wild Mongrel to discard cards like
Basking Rootwalla
and Arrogant Wurm, then pay their "Madness" cost as they are discarded them in order to get useful creatures for much cheaper than hard casting them would allow, as well as value from the discard effect "cost". Looking back on the deck now however as a casual idea to build a deck around, Red has a lot more to offer the Madness deck than Blue did, in my eyes anyway. Whilst classic G/U Madness used the powerful-in-your-graveyard Wonder, as well as card draw machines like Careful Study and Deep Analysis, the substitution of Red into the mix allows the deck to function more like a straight up aggro deck
Cards that Red brings to the table:
Anger: Whilst Wonder does give one of the best keywords in magic, Flying, Anger in the grave gives this deck an all important aggressive slant. Before your opponent can have a chance to answer your creatures on their turn, Anger can suddenly add the final kick needed to turn your guys sideways immediately and smash face.
Faithless Looting: This card, above all the others is the reason why G/R madness works. Essentially, a strictly better Careful Study, Faithless Looting allows you to not only get all important card draw and madness triggers but can also be flashed back for additional value. An insanely powerful card in this deck.
Reckless Wurm
: Never dismiss the power of simply having more than 4 of a card in your deck. This wurm is a complete colour shifted duplicate of the powerful Arrogant Wurm and because of this, allows you to essentially play 8 of the versatile 4/4 trampler. Testing will determine if 8 Wurms is what the deck really needs but my first reaction is an emphatic yes.
Lightning Axe: Speaking of 8-ofs, here's essentially 4 more Lightning Bolts to round out the removal suite...but make them better! Lightning Axe, whilst unable to hit players, allows so much sheer stopping power I can barely contain my smile, it's just that good.
Firewing Phoenix
A tentative place in the deck, the phoenix is often lackluster in each of it's roles in any other deck. Despite being an aggressively costed 4 power flyer in an oft aggressive colour, it lacks speed, namely haste. Anger dramatically helps in that regard, allowing the powerful phoenix to finish games quickly. Why is in a Madness deck? Well one of the regards this deck has fallen short of in a large percentage of testing, is when the engine runs out of steam. When the Wild Mongrels die out, or I've already flashed back the
Roar of the Wurm
s, the deck lacks a repeatable finisher, often simply stopping entirely. The phoenix's well...phoenix ability, allows it to constantly come back from the dead, be cast again and smash teeth. This also solves it's problem of very low toughness, which is a minor concession. Time will tell if it has a place or not but testing seems to indicate yes.
