Madness

Madness
Keyword Ability
Type	Static (1st ability) Triggered (2nd ability)
Introduced	Torment
Last used	Modern Horizons 2
Reminder Text	Madness [cost] (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)
Statistics	54 cards 3.7% 13% 46.3% 31.5% 3.7% 1.9%
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keyword:"madness cost"

Madness is a keyword ability on spells that allows a player to cast that spell for an alternate cost if the card is discarded. It is primarily found in black.

History

Madness was introduced in the Odyssey block in Torment, and has been featured in Time Spiral block and Shadows over Innistrad. In the latter set, it is tied to the Vampire tribe. Madness also appeared in Commander 2019.

Torment's madness cards inspired a deck known as "Wild Mongrel", or "UG Madness", which, using the signature card Wild Mongrel, enabled instant-speed discard, allowing cards with Madness to be played at instant-speed. Wild Mongrel also enabled other abilities such as flashback and the seven-card Incarnations (Anger, Brawn, Filth, Genesis, Glory, Valor, and Wonder).

Each reprinting of the mechanic has brought minor updates to the rules for the keyword. The Time Spiral update was part of a sweeping cleanup to the formatting of the Comprehensive Rules, and did not change the gameplay of the ability.

However, the Shadows over Innistrad update did subtly alter the process of discarding a card with madness. Previously, a player discarding a card with madness made two choices. First, that player could choose to discard the card into exile rather than the graveyard. Then, if the card was discarded into exile, that player could choose to cast the spell immediately for its madness cost, or to let the card continue to the graveyard as usual. The first part of this process is no longer optional: a card with madness is always discarded into exile, after which the player can choose whether to cast it, or let it continue to the graveyard. The mechanic also featured in the follow up set Eldritch Moon.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Madness

A keyword ability that lets a player cast a card they discard. See rule 702.35, “Madness.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 702.35. Madness
  • 702.35a Madness is a keyword that represents two abilities. The first is a static ability that functions while the card with madness is in a player’s hand. The second is a triggered ability that functions when the first ability is applied. “Madness [cost]” means “If a player would discard this card, that player discards it, but exiles it instead of putting it into their graveyard” and “When this card is exiled this way, its owner may cast it by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. If that player doesn’t, they put this card into their graveyard.”
  • 702.35b Casting a spell using its madness ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.
  • 702.35c After resolving a madness triggered ability, if the exiled card wasn’t cast and was moved to a public zone, effects referencing the discarded card can find that card. See rule 400.7k.

Rulings

• When you discard a card with madness, you discard it but the card goes into the exile zone instead of the graveyard. Then, you may cast it, or you may put it into your graveyard. Casting a card with madness is just like casting an instant from your hand, except you pay the spell's madness cost instead of its mana cost. It goes on the stack like any other spell and it can be countered like any other spell.
• When you cast a card with madness, it still counts as being discarded, but it doesn't actually get to your graveyard before you cast it. That means your opponent can't exile it "in response" to stop you from playing the spell. Abilities that trigger on a card being discarded, however, will still trigger.
• When you cast a spell by paying its madness cost, its mana cost doesn't change. You just pay the madness cost instead.
• Effects that cause you to pay more or less for a spell will cause you to pay that much more or less for its madness cost, too. That's because they affect the total cost of the spell, not its mana cost.
• Madness works no matter why you're discarding the card. You could discard to pay a cost, because a spell or ability tells you to, or even because you have too many cards in your hand at the end of your turn. You can't discard a card with madness just because you want to, though.
• If you choose not to cast a card with madness when the madness triggered ability resolves, it goes to your graveyard. You don't get another chance to cast it.

Examples

Example

Psychotic Haze
Instant
Psychotic Haze deals 1 damage to each creature and each player.
Madness (If you discard this card, you may cast it for its madness cost instead of putting it into your graveyard.)

Notable cards with Madness

• Basking Rootwalla
• Big Game Hunter

Card that grants Madness

• Falkenrath Gorger

Card that interacts with Madness

• Anje Falkenrath

Non-related cards with Madness in name

• Brink of Madness
• Descent into Madness

External links

• Luis Scott-Vargas (March 11, 2016). "This Is Madness". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.