SOI was a goddamn gift for all us aggro players and no-one realized it. Free creatures! Insane value plays! The fact that Madness was overlooked so heavily makes me angry. It makes me pissed off. We had a Lightning Bolt, for ****'s sake! Do you know how much insane value that is? (Yes, I'm an aggro player named after Gitaxian Probe. So sue me. :P)
Fortunately, Pauper saw the power Wizards had given us and ran with it. This deck is an edited version of a Jund Madness deck I saw in the same format, but with the Black cut out. I just don't know how to justify the pain of running an extra color in an aggro deck. Raven's Crime is a pretty good case, but...eh. Too many mana problems.
Wild Mongrel and Basking Rootwalla are stars of the show. Basking Rootwalla is on curve if you hard-cast it, and is a 0-drop Flash if you pitch it; that is the definition of value. Mongrel's pump ability is what we're gunning for here, since its color ability is just used to overcome protection from... and Doom Blade.
Bloodmad Vampire is the main finisher in this deck. It has a small butt, but it gets the job done. Hooting Mandrills gives you a use for that big, big graveyard of yours.
I put a 2-off of Tormenting Voice in because it's not as reliable as Loot (due to casting 1 more and needing you to pitch a card before), but still a worthy inclusion.
I was on the fence about Rites of Spring, but then I realized that my deck really really really really really needs mana fixing/land thinning. This is Green.
Insolent Neonate is pretty meh as a one-drop evader. Usually it's a discard outlet.
Finally, a 1-off of Flame Jab to get rid of excess land draws.
Removal
Do I really need to tell you why Lightning Bolt is here? The absolute strongest Red card ever printed in MtG, ever. So much of the entire game is constructed around this card; it's why it's hard to justify anything with 3 or less toughness in any aggressive format with it. It's quite frankly insane that this card is legal in this format, and a set of these babies is responsible for 1/2 of the deck's price. (You can make it on paper quite easily with Shock, I find!)
Fiery Temper is redundancy that's too good to pass up. With a Mongrel on the field you might as well have 8 Lightning Bolts in your deck.
Lightning Axe removes just about everything, including the terror that is Gurmag Angler. Never hard-cast it. Always discard a card. You are missing out on so much value if you do.
R/G Madness still needs a key card that makes the deck work. When the deck works you see people gathering around to see how awesome it can be but if you draw the wrong hand you end up doing nothing for like 3 or 4 turns.
Besides that, I love deck and I've been playing it for last few months. Sadly, the card that would have given the deck its alternate wincon to Wild Mongrel was Flameblade Adept but it was printed as uncommon.
Fortunately, Pauper saw the power Wizards had given us and ran with it. This deck is an edited version of a Jund Madness deck I saw in the same format, but with the Black cut out. I just don't know how to justify the pain of running an extra color in an aggro deck. Raven's Crime is a pretty good case, but...eh. Too many mana problems.
// 18 Creature
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Insolent Neonate
4 Wild Mongrel
3 Bloodmad Vampire
3 Hooting Mandrills
// 12 Instant
4 Lightning Axe
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Fiery Temper
6 Forest
15 Mountain
// 9 Sorcery
4 Faithless Looting
1 Flame Jab
2 Tormenting Voice
2 Rites of Spring
Beaters
Wild Mongrel and Basking Rootwalla are stars of the show. Basking Rootwalla is on curve if you hard-cast it, and is a 0-drop Flash if you pitch it; that is the definition of value. Mongrel's pump ability is what we're gunning for here, since its color ability is just used to overcome protection from... and Doom Blade.
Bloodmad Vampire is the main finisher in this deck. It has a small butt, but it gets the job done. Hooting Mandrills gives you a use for that big, big graveyard of yours.
Enablers
Faithless Looting is self-explanatory in a discard/madness deck.
I put a 2-off of Tormenting Voice in because it's not as reliable as Loot (due to casting 1 more and needing you to pitch a card before), but still a worthy inclusion.
I was on the fence about Rites of Spring, but then I realized that my deck really really really really really needs mana fixing/land thinning. This is Green.
Insolent Neonate is pretty meh as a one-drop evader. Usually it's a discard outlet.
Finally, a 1-off of Flame Jab to get rid of excess land draws.
Removal
Do I really need to tell you why Lightning Bolt is here? The absolute strongest Red card ever printed in MtG, ever. So much of the entire game is constructed around this card; it's why it's hard to justify anything with 3 or less toughness in any aggressive format with it. It's quite frankly insane that this card is legal in this format, and a set of these babies is responsible for 1/2 of the deck's price. (You can make it on paper quite easily with Shock, I find!)
Fiery Temper is redundancy that's too good to pass up. With a Mongrel on the field you might as well have 8 Lightning Bolts in your deck.
Lightning Axe removes just about everything, including the terror that is Gurmag Angler. Never hard-cast it. Always discard a card. You are missing out on so much value if you do.
Sideboard
Smelt is there for artifact hate.
Besides that, I love deck and I've been playing it for last few months. Sadly, the card that would have given the deck its alternate wincon to Wild Mongrel was Flameblade Adept but it was printed as uncommon.
The list I'm currently playing is:
4 Insolent Neonate
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Hooting Mandrils
2 Gathan Raiders
2 Arrogant Wurm
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Fiery Temper
2 Lightning Axe
1 Fireblast
Sorceries
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Faithless Looting
2 Distemper of the Blood
1 Cathartic Reunion
4 Ash Barrens
4 Rugged Highlands
7 Mountain
3 Forest