Overview of the Deck
I wanted to make a deck that focuses on one of my favorite mechanics, madness. Once in Standard you had a UG aggressive tempo deck that evolved from a dredge like threshold. In legacy it had a time to shine tossing out Basking Rootwalla to enable vengevine. I tried it out in modern, using a vampire sub theme with Bloodghast and while it was OK, it was never good, and was always a worse dredge.
In Frontier, a format not yet figured out and power downed, you have a fair shot to take a brew out for a spin.
U/G of yesteryear wanted to discard at instant speed, but that deck was more a tempo deck. The new madness cards are all very aggressive, and it's enablers are all very aggressive. So the deck has designed by force to be aggressive. This may change in up coming sets, as some elements in existing madness could be midrange such as Voldaren Pariah, and some are tempo like Just the Wind. But the card pool power is higher currently on the aggressive end.
Guide to Playing the Deck
The idea is pretty simple. Discard for value. Discard in these decks should be a steep cost, but when you are discarding nonsense like Scarpheap Scrounger and Prized Amalgam they are just upside undercosted cards. When you hit later in the game, you start to work with the madness with your extra mana to flood and then win.
Simplest way to explain this is that you have 1. Enablers, 2. Pay offs and 3 value and madness. The idea is to set enablers, discard pay offs, then start to cast the value and madness as the game goes on.
Enablers start the ball rolling for madness. The best enablers in Madness Frontier is: Insolent Neonate- Nothing comes close at 1 mana. It can attack, help you out of bad hands, and still enable. Lightning Axe- This is a format of creatures, being able to kill things at 1 mana is great. Even better with an upside. Smuggler's ThopterThe best 2 mana enabler. It dominated standard for a reason. Here it attacks, it flys, it fixes, and enables. Heir to Falkenrath- second place is a toss up between this and the 2 below this. This helps a more tempo aggressive game by being a one shot instant speed discard. Stromkirk CondemnedIf you are all in on the vampire sub them, discarding even once to give +3 power is deadly. Its not a coincidence that most madness cards are vampires. Noose Constrictor- Currently theres no "great" reason to be in jund colors. Delirium cards could be there if the deck goes midrange.
Currently there is only 5 cards worth mentioning in terms of pay off in the whole pool. These are the cards make discarding free, as they come back later. Scrapheap Scrounger- Eats your dead buddies to enable amalgam and win the game. Prized Amalgam- If you have any doubts as to the work he does, take a look out of dredge in modern. Dread Wanderer- Luckally this deck gets hellbent, so he isnt the worst, but he isnt the best. But he is a 1 drop, so that puts him in his own niche filling that group out, aka copter riders. Haunted Dead Miles above the other options below this, it also is an enabler. It proves chumps, attacks from the skys and good overall coverage. Ghoulsteed- Not so great but an option thats heavier on attack power.
This is your mid game plan, around turn 3/4 to late game. At this point you are hoping to flood the board or remove their threats and swing in for end game points of damage.
Falkenrath Gorger- It can turn on copter and fills in the 1 cmc slot. Its not impressive, but can make other gorgers have madness as well as heirs and olivia. It does its job. Fiery Temper- I wish it was bolt, but Axe does a better bolt impression. Still, you discard enough it is 75% on, so use it when you need it. Asylum Visitor- The deck gets hellbent fast as a game drags on, and this really helps that. Plus it has madness too. Olivia. Moblized for War/Drana, Liberator of Malakir- You could use either if you like. In a more heavy vampire theme build Drana is likely better due to her damage increase and first strike, but in a pay off heavy pay off build, giving haste to a amalgam can be game ending. Kolaghan's Command- Id rather just bash face, but I will concede to the need to get into midgame, and this does all the modes we want. Kill copter, bring back a end game threat like olivia or bloodhall, shorten our opponents options, and kill chumps. Bloodhall Priest- She is the reason to run the deck. 3 mana for a 4 power creature that shocks on entering and attacking is 50% an inferno titan. She is the top end game. Westvale Abbey- Why not? Your mana is fine right now at 2 colors, and this gives you a random end game out. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth- Any black deck if it can fit it should run 1 for random fixing.
Bomat Courier didnt quite make the cut. Idea is he draws me 2 cards if Im luckly, but otherwise is just bad anywhere past turn 2.
Flame blade I actually missed. My roots in dredge hold me at wonderer as it has lasting value, especially in the deck that would hate to be K commanded.
And yes, it totally could go, and does, grind. The idea here is like modern dredge, the point it attacks is speed, and its plan b is never staying dead. Turns most cards into "tap" effects at best
Where the Truth Lies
Overview of the Deck
I wanted to make a deck that focuses on one of my favorite mechanics, madness. Once in Standard you had a UG aggressive tempo deck that evolved from a dredge like threshold. In legacy it had a time to shine tossing out Basking Rootwalla to enable vengevine. I tried it out in modern, using a vampire sub theme with Bloodghast and while it was OK, it was never good, and was always a worse dredge.
In Frontier, a format not yet figured out and power downed, you have a fair shot to take a brew out for a spin.
U/G of yesteryear wanted to discard at instant speed, but that deck was more a tempo deck. The new madness cards are all very aggressive, and it's enablers are all very aggressive. So the deck has designed by force to be aggressive. This may change in up coming sets, as some elements in existing madness could be midrange such as Voldaren Pariah, and some are tempo like Just the Wind. But the card pool power is higher currently on the aggressive end.
My Current Deck
4 Smuggler's Copter
// 26 Creature
2 Asylum Visitor
3 Bloodhall Priest
2 Dread Wanderer
3 Scrapheap Scrounger
3 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Prized Amalgam
1 Haunted Dead
3 Heir of Falkenrath
4 Insolent Neonate
2 Olivia, Mobilized for War
2 Fiery Temper
2 Kolaghan's Command
3 Lightning Axe
// 22 Land
4 Bloodstained Mire
5 Mountain
1 Polluted Delta
4 Smoldering Marsh
4 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Westvale Abbey
1 Wooded Foothills
Guide to Playing the Deck
The idea is pretty simple. Discard for value. Discard in these decks should be a steep cost, but when you are discarding nonsense like Scarpheap Scrounger and Prized Amalgam they are just upside undercosted cards. When you hit later in the game, you start to work with the madness with your extra mana to flood and then win.
Simplest way to explain this is that you have 1. Enablers, 2. Pay offs and 3 value and madness. The idea is to set enablers, discard pay offs, then start to cast the value and madness as the game goes on.
Enablers start the ball rolling for madness. The best enablers in Madness Frontier is:
Insolent Neonate- Nothing comes close at 1 mana. It can attack, help you out of bad hands, and still enable.
Lightning Axe- This is a format of creatures, being able to kill things at 1 mana is great. Even better with an upside.
Smuggler's ThopterThe best 2 mana enabler. It dominated standard for a reason. Here it attacks, it flys, it fixes, and enables.
Heir to Falkenrath- second place is a toss up between this and the 2 below this. This helps a more tempo aggressive game by being a one shot instant speed discard.
Stromkirk CondemnedIf you are all in on the vampire sub them, discarding even once to give +3 power is deadly. Its not a coincidence that most madness cards are vampires.
Noose Constrictor- Currently theres no "great" reason to be in jund colors. Delirium cards could be there if the deck goes midrange.
Currently there is only 5 cards worth mentioning in terms of pay off in the whole pool. These are the cards make discarding free, as they come back later.
Scrapheap Scrounger- Eats your dead buddies to enable amalgam and win the game.
Prized Amalgam- If you have any doubts as to the work he does, take a look out of dredge in modern.
Dread Wanderer- Luckally this deck gets hellbent, so he isnt the worst, but he isnt the best. But he is a 1 drop, so that puts him in his own niche filling that group out, aka copter riders.
Haunted Dead Miles above the other options below this, it also is an enabler. It proves chumps, attacks from the skys and good overall coverage.
Ghoulsteed- Not so great but an option thats heavier on attack power.
This is your mid game plan, around turn 3/4 to late game. At this point you are hoping to flood the board or remove their threats and swing in for end game points of damage.
Falkenrath Gorger- It can turn on copter and fills in the 1 cmc slot. Its not impressive, but can make other gorgers have madness as well as heirs and olivia. It does its job.
Fiery Temper- I wish it was bolt, but Axe does a better bolt impression. Still, you discard enough it is 75% on, so use it when you need it.
Asylum Visitor- The deck gets hellbent fast as a game drags on, and this really helps that. Plus it has madness too.
Olivia. Moblized for War/Drana, Liberator of Malakir- You could use either if you like. In a more heavy vampire theme build Drana is likely better due to her damage increase and first strike, but in a pay off heavy pay off build, giving haste to a amalgam can be game ending.
Kolaghan's Command- Id rather just bash face, but I will concede to the need to get into midgame, and this does all the modes we want. Kill copter, bring back a end game threat like olivia or bloodhall, shorten our opponents options, and kill chumps.
Bloodhall Priest- She is the reason to run the deck. 3 mana for a 4 power creature that shocks on entering and attacking is 50% an inferno titan. She is the top end game.
Westvale Abbey- Why not? Your mana is fine right now at 2 colors, and this gives you a random end game out.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth- Any black deck if it can fit it should run 1 for random fixing.
Flame blade I actually missed. My roots in dredge hold me at wonderer as it has lasting value, especially in the deck that would hate to be K commanded.
And yes, it totally could go, and does, grind. The idea here is like modern dredge, the point it attacks is speed, and its plan b is never staying dead. Turns most cards into "tap" effects at best