Premodern UG Madness Deck Guide (2026)
Premodern UG Madness is a blue-green tempo deck that discards cards on purpose, so Basking Rootwalla and Arrogant Wurm come down cheap through madness. Wild Mongrel and Aquamoeba do the discarding, and Daze and Circular Logic protect the early lead. Since September it accounts for about 1 percent of the lists on MTGTop8 (20 of 1,931), half of them with Survival of the Fittest. The best recent results are wins in Rome (28 players, September 6, with black for Psychatog) and at PMPMPMPM XLI in Portland (24 players, October 11), second places in Empoli (45) and São Paulo (39) and a Top 8 among 116 players in Bologna on October 17. Match numbers marked MTGDecks (Madness) come from MTGDecks' Madness category, which also counts other Wild Mongrel decks.
How the deck wins
- Wild Mongrel, Aquamoeba, Waterfront Bouncer and Careful Study discard cards on purpose, and in the Survival lists Survival of the Fittest does too. A discarded card with madness goes to exile instead of the graveyard, and you can cast it right then for its madness cost, even in the opponent's turn: Basking Rootwalla for {0}, Arrogant Wurm, a 4/4 trampler, for {2}{G}, and Circular Logic for {U}. If you don't cast it, it goes to the graveyard.
- Several cards keep working from the graveyard: Roar of the Wurm is flashed back for {3}{G} as a 6/6, Deep Analysis is flashed back for {1}{U} and 3 life to draw two more cards, Squee, Goblin Nabob, in the Survival lists, returns to your hand every upkeep to be discarded again, and a single Wonder in the graveyard gives every creature you control flying as long as you control an Island.
- About half the lists since April play Survival of the Fittest (51 of 92 on MTGTop8, 10 of the 20 since September). It discards a creature card to find another, and Squee gives it something to discard every turn. It finds Wonder, Waterfront Bouncer or Gilded Drake for the matchup. Since April these lists add Squee, Gilded Drake, City of Brass and often Wasteland, Mana Leak or Counterspell, and mostly cut Circular Logic, Aquamoeba, Deep Analysis and Roar of the Wurm.
Core cards
- 4 Wild Mongrel
- 4 Basking Rootwalla
- 4 Careful Study
- 4 Circular Logic
- 3 Arrogant Wurm
- 3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
- 3 Daze
- 3 Frantic Search
- 3 Aquamoeba
- 2 Roar of the Wurm
- 2 Waterfront Bouncer
- 2 Deep Analysis
- 1 Wonder
- 4 Yavimaya Coast
Key cards
- Wild Mongrel: A 2/2 for two that discards any card for +1/+1 and a color of your choice until end of turn, at instant speed and without mana. It pumps out of burn range, turns black in response to Snuff Out or Expunge, and lets you cast a discarded madness card in the opponent's turn.
- Basking Rootwalla: Discarded to any outlet, it is cast for {0} through madness, even in the opponent's turn, while your mana goes to something else. Once per turn it gets +2/+2 for {1}{G}, so it attacks as a 3/3 or survives Pyroclasm and Fire.
- Arrogant Wurm: A 4/4 trampler for three mana ({2}{G}) at instant speed through madness. Discard it in their end step and it attacks on your turn. Smother cannot touch it, because its mana value is 5.
- Circular Logic: Discarded to Wild Mongrel or Aquamoeba, it costs {U}. It counters a spell unless its controller pays {1} for each card in your graveyard as it resolves, not counting Circular Logic itself. Madness creatures you cast skip the graveyard, so it is weak on turn two and strong once Careful Study, Frantic Search and discarded cards have filled it. Every list without Survival of the Fittest plays it, almost always four; since April only a few Survival lists do.
- Careful Study: For {U} it draws two cards and then discards two, which digs for an outlet and puts madness cards, Roar of the Wurm, Deep Analysis or Wonder where they work. Cast without anything worth discarding, it only costs you a card.
- Squee, Goblin Nabob: Almost every Survival list plays it, and few others do (52 of 92 lists since April). It is almost never cast: it is discarded, returns to your hand at the start of your upkeep and gets discarded again, so Wild Mongrel and Survival of the Fittest always have something to discard.
- Roar of the Wurm: Hard-cast it costs seven mana, so it is discarded early to Wild Mongrel or Careful Study and flashed back from the graveyard for {3}{G} as a 6/6 in your main phase when the mana is free. About half the lists since April play it, most of them without Survival.
- Wonder: One copy in the graveyard gives all your creatures flying as long as you control an Island, which opens up a board where neither side can attack on the ground. Almost every list plays one or two.
- Survival of the Fittest: About half the lists play it. For {G} and a discarded creature card it finds any creature, at instant speed, and a discarded Basking Rootwalla or Arrogant Wurm can still be cast for its madness cost. With Squee returning each upkeep it is a tutor every turn for one green mana. It is also the expensive card, about $440 a copy.
Mulligan guide
Keep
- A discard outlet, a madness payoff and two lands: Mongrel plus Rootwalla or Arrogant Wurm is the classic start.
- Careful Study hands, but only with madness or flashback cards to discard: Study discards only in your own turn, so it also has to find Wild Mongrel or Aquamoeba for the rest of the game.
- Against combo and control, tempo hands with Daze and Circular Logic: a small clock behind cheap counters is the plan in those games.
Ship
- Madness cards without a way to discard them: cast normally, Arrogant Wurm costs five mana and Circular Logic three.
- One-land hands without Careful Study to dig; Frantic Search costs three mana and does not rescue them.
- Five-land hands: the deck rarely needs more than three lands, and five leave too few spells.
The discard outlet decides most keeps: without Wild Mongrel, Aquamoeba, Careful Study or Frantic Search the madness cards stay in hand, while a missing payoff can still be drawn.
Play tips and sequencing
- Never cast Careful Study blind: wait until the discards are madness cards, flashback spells or Wonder. The same goes for Frantic Search.
- Discard Arrogant Wurm in their end step, so it can attack on your turn while you keep {U} and a discard outlet ready for Circular Logic.
- Discard madness cards, flashback cards, Wonder and Squee to Wild Mongrel first; any other card is gone once discarded, so pump with it only to win a fight or a race.
- Get one Wonder into the graveyard against decks that block well. Counter Tormod's Crypt or Withered Wretch while it is still a spell if you can; otherwise keep Wonder in hand and discard it to Wild Mongrel after you declare attackers, so they have to exile it right then, before blockers, or your attackers fly this combat.
- Against sweepers, add creatures a few at a time: Roar of the Wurm and Deep Analysis can be flashed back after a Wrath or Deed without using a card from your hand, so you rarely need to commit everything.
- In the Survival build, discard Squee to Survival in their end step: you search for a creature, and Squee returns to your hand in your upkeep. Survival is the card opponents have to answer, so against enchantment removal play a second one.
Matchups
- Stiflenought (unfavorable): Their threat is bigger, and their Stifle on a madness trigger leaves your card exiled. Circular Logic and Daze fight the combo turn for little mana. Waterfront Bouncer, main deck in most of your lists, returns a resolved Dreadnought to hand, Gilded Drake takes it, and after boarding Naturalize destroys it and Annul counters it outright. MTGDecks (Madness): 36 percent over 50 matches.
- Goblins (even): Basking Rootwalla and Wild Mongrel block the early Goblins, a Roar of the Wurm token holds the ground, and Wonder in your graveyard lets your creatures fly over a stalled board. Goblin Sharpshooter, in most of their lists, picks off Waterfront Bouncer and an unpumped Rootwalla, and Goblin Ringleader refills their hand if the game drags, so attack in the air early. After boarding they bring Pyroblast or Red Elemental Blast for Circular Logic and your blue creatures, and Pyrokinesis. MTGDecks (Madness): 46 percent over 37 matches, limited data.
- Sligh (slightly favorable): They burn your outlets on sight and race well in game one, though Wild Mongrel can pump out of burn range and Arrogant Wurm survives Lightning Bolt. After boarding Chill makes every red spell cost two more, Fireblast included, and Hydroblast and Blue Elemental Blast counter a burn spell for one mana. They bring Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast for Circular Logic and your blue creatures, and some lists play Pyrostatic Pillar, main deck or after boarding, which deals 2 damage to you for every spell with mana value 3 or less, a Basking Rootwalla cast with madness included. MTGDecks (Madness): 57 percent over 49 matches.
- Enchantress (unfavorable): They out-draw the fair plan and Solitary Confinement blanks the swarm. Race hard behind Daze early. After boarding Naturalize is in almost every sideboard and Tranquil Domain in about half, and Reverent Silence destroys every enchantment for free while you control a Forest (they gain 6 life). MTGDecks (Madness): 30 percent over 33 matches, limited data.
- Landstill (even to favorable): Your cheap threats outnumber their one-for-one answers. A discarded Roar of the Wurm is flashed back after Wrath of God, and Circular Logic can counter Wrath or Powder Keg. Play around Powder Keg by mixing mana values: at 0 counters it destroys Wurm tokens, at 1 Basking Rootwalla, at 2 Wild Mongrel and Aquamoeba. Humility, in about half their lists, turns off Mongrel and Aquamoeba and makes your creatures 1/1, so counter it. Casting a madness spell breaks Standstill like any other spell, but discarding to Mongrel or Aquamoeba does not. Limited data: 61 percent over 18 matches.
- Mono Black (even): Their forced discard often backfires: a Hypnotic Specter or Ravenous Rats hit can turn into a free Rootwalla or an instant Wurm. But Smother, Diabolic Edict and Snuff Out trade with your threats, though Smother cannot touch Arrogant Wurm (mana value 5) and Wild Mongrel can turn black in response to Snuff Out. Withered Wretch exiles Wonder, Roar of the Wurm and Deep Analysis from your graveyard, and Cursed Scroll picks off Rootwallas and Mongrels at no card cost unless you pump them in response. Limited data: 43 percent over 21 matches.
- Replenish (slightly unfavorable): Race them and keep Daze and Circular Logic for Replenish or Attunement, while Wonder in your graveyard gives your creatures flying. Abeyance, in most of their lists, stops your counters and Wild Mongrel for the combo turn, and Parallax Wave and Swords to Plowshares slow your attack. After boarding, Tormod's Crypt exiles their graveyard in response to Replenish, and Naturalize and Tranquil Domain destroy Opalescence and Parallax Wave. Limited data: 37 percent over 24 matches.
- The Rock (slightly unfavorable): Pernicious Deed for two destroys Basking Rootwalla, Wild Mongrel and the rest of your one- and two-drops, and Ravenous Baloth and Krosan Tusker hold off Arrogant Wurm. Roar of the Wurm and Deep Analysis come back with flashback without costing you a card, though a Deed for zero still destroys the Wurm tokens; Wonder in your graveyard gives your creatures flying over their Walls, and Circular Logic can counter Deed itself. Limited data: 33 percent over 18 matches.
- Deadguy Ale (even to slightly favorable): Their Gerrard's Verdict is weak against you: you choose the discards, so Basking Rootwalla and Arrogant Wurm come down for their madness cost, and Roar of the Wurm and Deep Analysis can still be flashed back. Withered Wretch, in most of their lists, exiles Roar, Deep Analysis and Wonder from your graveyard, and they will cast Verdict only when you cannot profit from it. Exalted Angel outclasses your creatures unless you counter it or bounce it. After boarding, Perish, in about two thirds of their sideboards since April, destroys every green creature you have. No match data.
- Aluren (slightly favorable): Wild Mongrel attacks the life total their Harpy loops depend on, Arrogant Wurm arrives at instant speed, and Daze and Circular Logic protect the clock. Aluren does hand you free creatures too, and Man-o'-War buys them tempo back; win before a Spike Feeder loop starts. Very limited data: 40 percent over 5 matches.
- Terrageddon (slightly favorable): Wild Mongrel and Arrogant Wurm grow faster than their early board, Circular Logic and Daze counter Armageddon or Terravore, and Wonder in your graveyard gives your creatures flying over it while you control an Island. After boarding they bring Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast for Circular Logic and your blue creatures, and Tormod's Crypt to exile Wonder from the graveyard, where the Blasts cannot touch it. MTGDecks (Madness): 50 percent over 30 matches.
- MUD (even): Wild Mongrel, Basking Rootwalla and Aquamoeba come down cheaply and Circular Logic counters Tinker, while Waterfront Bouncer, main deck in most lists, returns a Tinkered Karn or Triskelion to their hand, and Annul comes from the sideboard. Their Triskelion and Fire handle your creatures, Pyroclasm only some of them: Aquamoeba survives it, and Wild Mongrel and Basking Rootwalla survive with a discard or {1}{G}. Ensnaring Bridge stops Arrogant Wurm while they hold three cards or fewer. Very limited data.
- Full English Breakfast (slightly unfavorable): Race them and keep Circular Logic or Daze for Survival of the Fittest, Animate Dead or Unearth. Cabal Therapy, in almost every list, can name Circular Logic before they combo, and after boarding Pyroclasm, Ghitu Slinger and Swords to Plowshares come in for your creatures, though Aquamoeba survives Pyroclasm, and Wild Mongrel and Basking Rootwalla do if you pump them in response. Duress, main deck in some lists and in most sideboards, also takes Circular Logic. Limited data: 36 percent over 11 matches.
- Stasis (slightly unfavorable): Basking Rootwalla is free with madness, Wild Mongrel and Aquamoeba discard for free, and Frantic Search untaps lands under Stasis. Counter Stasis with Circular Logic or Daze. After boarding their Cursed Totem shuts off Mongrel and Aquamoeba, though Careful Study, Frantic Search and Survival of the Fittest still discard; bring Naturalize, Tranquil Domain and Reverent Silence. MTGDecks (Madness): 39 percent over 18 matches, limited data.
- Oath of Druids (unfavorable): You play creatures, so their Oath of Druids puts a Terravore into play in each of their upkeeps while you have more creatures than they do, and Terravore grows with every land card in a graveyard, the lands you discard included. Sphere of Resistance makes every spell cost one more, Basking Rootwalla's madness cost and Daze included. Counter Oath with Circular Logic or Daze, and let Wonder in your graveyard give your creatures flying over Terravore. After boarding expect Cursed Totem, which shuts off Wild Mongrel and Aquamoeba, though Careful Study, Frantic Search and Survival of the Fittest still discard; Naturalize destroys the Totem or Oath. Limited data: 35 percent over 23 matches.
- Psychatog (even): Smother handles Wild Mongrel and Basking Rootwalla, and Sickening Dreams does too unless you pump them in response, but Circular Logic and Roar of the Wurm out-tempo them if they stumble, and with Wonder in your graveyard your creatures fly over a big Psychatog. Limited data: 53 percent over 17 matches.
- Elves (slightly unfavorable): Their mana engine goes bigger and wider than your tempo creatures, Deranged Hermit's Squirrels block the ground, and Masticore, in most of their lists, shoots down Waterfront Bouncer and an unpumped Basking Rootwalla for {2} each. Your outs are a fast attack in the air with Wonder in your graveyard and Circular Logic on Survival of the Fittest or Deranged Hermit. Limited data: 43 percent over 14 matches.
- Reanimator (even): Circular Logic and Daze counter Reanimate, Exhume or Animate Dead, and Tormod's Crypt after boarding exiles their graveyard in response. A resolved Akroma or Phantom Nishoba outclasses your board, but Waterfront Bouncer, main deck in most of your lists, returns it to their hand, and Gilded Drake, in the Survival lists, takes it. Sickening Dreams, in most of their lists since September, deals damage to each creature, and Cabal Therapy can name Circular Logic. Limited data: 67 percent over 15 matches.
- Tron (even): Wrath of God answers Wild Mongrel, but Circular Logic taxes their sweepers and Roar of the Wurm rebuilds through them. Pressure them before the Urza lands come online, and use Daze on their early setup. No match data.
- Clerics (unfavorable): Perish, in about half their sideboards since April, destroys your green creatures after boarding, though Wild Mongrel survives if you discard a card to make it another color in response, and Withered Wretch exiles Wonder, Roar of the Wurm and Deep Analysis from your graveyard. Counter Dark Supplicant or Rotlung Reanimator, and race in the air with Wonder. No match data.
- The Solution (even): Their Lightning Bolt, Fire // Ice and Swords to Plowshares trade efficiently with your creatures, and Meddling Mage can name Arrogant Wurm or Circular Logic, which then can't be cast even with madness. Roar of the Wurm tokens outclass their ground creatures, and Wonder in your graveyard gives your team flying, so only their Angels and, in some lists, an animated Faerie Conclave can still block. No match data.
- Dromar Control (even): Your threats are cheap and Circular Logic is a cheap counter of your own. Their Swords to Plowshares answers them one for one, but Dromar's Charm does little: Wild Mongrel and Basking Rootwalla grow in response, and Aquamoeba and Arrogant Wurm survive -2/-2. Meddling Mage can name Arrogant Wurm, a face-up Exalted Angel blocks Arrogant Wurm and survives, and Perish after boarding destroys your green creatures unless you discard a card to Wild Mongrel to make it another color. No match data.
- White Weenie (even): Wild Mongrel and Arrogant Wurm outsize their 2/1s, and Circular Logic and Daze counter Exalted Angel and Armageddon. You cannot block their shadow creatures, Swords answers your Wurm, and Reprisal after boarding kills Arrogant Wurm and Roar of the Wurm's token. Very limited data.
- BW Control (favorable): Gerrard's Verdict lets you choose what to discard, so Basking Rootwalla and Arrogant Wurm come down for their madness cost, and a Cabal Therapy naming one of them does the same. Wrath of God is a sorcery, so rebuild at instant speed in their end step, and Circular Logic and Daze counter Wrath or Exalted Angel, but not the Soldiers from a cycled Decree of Justice, which come from a triggered ability. Haunting Echoes, main deck in about a third of their lists and in most sideboards, exiles your graveyard and every remaining copy of those cards in your library. MTGDecks (Madness): 70 percent over 10 matches, limited data.
- Gro-a-Tog (favorable): Your creatures outsize theirs early and come at instant speed: Arrogant Wurm in their end step, Basking Rootwalla for free. Wild Mongrel survives Fire // Ice and, after boarding, Pyroclasm by discarding, and Circular Logic punishes their tapped-out turns. Swords to Plowshares and Meddling Mage naming Arrogant Wurm are their outs. MTGDecks (Madness): 86 percent over 7 matches, very limited data.
- Pit Rack (favorable): Funeral Charm and Ravenous Rats let you choose the discard, so Basking Rootwalla and Arrogant Wurm come down for their madness cost, and Bottomless Pit may hit one at random. Wild Mongrel discards to grow, and a fast start wins before The Rack adds up. After boarding, Perish, in about a quarter of their sideboards since April, destroys your green creatures. MTGDecks (Madness): 78 percent over 9 matches, very limited data.
- Rebels (even): Arrogant Wurm, Roar of the Wurm and Wild Mongrel outsize the Rebels, and Waterfront Bouncer sends a searched Rebel back to their hand, so they have to pay for it again. Defiant Vanguard destroys whatever it blocks, so attack with something you can spare first, and keep Wonder in your graveyard to fly over Jhovall Queen. No match data.
- Contamination (slightly unfavorable): Get your threats out before Contamination: afterwards, Wild Mongrel, Arrogant Wurm's madness cost and Circular Logic need green or blue mana your lands no longer make, and only Basking Rootwalla's {0} madness cost, Daze and, in some lists, Foil and Gush can still be cast, since they need no mana. Wonder in your graveyard still gives your creatures flying until Phyrexian Furnace, in most of their lists, exiles it. No meaningful match data.
- Turbo Lands (slightly unfavorable): Your creatures only deal combat damage, and Glacial Chasm prevents all of it; only Wasteland, in some Survival lists since April, can destroy it. So race before it lands, and use Circular Logic and Daze on Exploration, Horn of Greed and Seismic Assault. Their Seismic Assault answers your creatures, though Wild Mongrel and Basking Rootwalla can pump in response. From your sideboard, Naturalize destroys Exploration or Seismic Assault, and Tranquil Domain or Reverent Silence destroys both; expect Pyroblast from them. No match data.
- Fluctuator (slightly favorable): Your clock is faster, and Circular Logic and Daze answer Fluctuator and Songs of the Damned. After boarding, Annul counters Fluctuator for one mana and Tormod's Crypt exiles their graveyard in response to Songs. Their Expunge kills your green creatures, but Wild Mongrel can discard a card to turn black in response. No match data.
- RG Zoo (slightly favorable): Zoo has Sligh's burn and its own green creatures: Elephant tokens and Treetop Village are 3/3s, and Quirion Dryad grows with every red spell. Wild Mongrel pumps out of burn range, and Arrogant Wurm and Roar of the Wurm outsize their board, so trade early and win late with Wonder. Circular Logic and Daze counter their Call of the Herd, though a countered Call can still be flashed back. After boarding they bring Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast for Circular Logic and Aquamoeba, and Tormod's Crypt for Wonder and Roar of the Wurm; bring Chill, Hydroblast and Blue Elemental Blast. MTGDecks (Madness): 67 percent over 12 matches, limited data.
- Zombies (even): Their discard often helps you: a Basking Rootwalla discarded to Cabal Therapy comes in for free and an Arrogant Wurm for {2}{G} if you kept the mana up, and Roar of the Wurm or Deep Analysis taken by Duress can still be flashed back. Withered Wretch is their key card, because it exiles Wonder, Roar of the Wurm, Deep Analysis and Squee from your graveyard, and Gilded Drake can take it. Wild Mongrel and Arrogant Wurm outsize their 2/2s, so expect them to finish with Shepherd of Rot and Gempalm Polluter instead of attacking. Wild Mongrel can discard a card to turn black in response to Snuff Out, and Dystopia after boarding makes you sacrifice a green permanent in each of your upkeeps, so keep Naturalize for it. No match data.
Sideboard guide
- vs Stiflenought and artifact combo: Annul, Waterfront Bouncer. Annul counters a Dreadnought (an artifact) for one mana; Waterfront Bouncer returns a resolved one to hand and doubles as another discard outlet.
- vs Red decks (Sligh, Goblins): Chill, Blue Elemental Blast, Hydroblast. Chill makes every red spell cost two more, and the blasts counter Fireblast and Price of Progress for one mana or destroy a red permanent.
- vs Enchantress, Replenish, Stasis and Oath of Druids: Naturalize, Tranquil Domain, Reverent Silence. Naturalize is in 95 percent of sideboards and Tranquil Domain in about half: one answers the key piece, the other destroys every non-Aura enchantment at instant speed. Reverent Silence destroys every enchantment for free while you control a Forest, but the opponent gains 6 life.
- vs Graveyard decks and the mirror: Tormod's Crypt. In about two thirds of the sideboards since April: free graveyard removal that hits Replenish piles, Reanimator and opposing Roars without costing you tempo. It exiles only the graveyard you target, so your own Wonder and flashback cards are safe.
Budget and upgrades
Typical cost: $120–$470. The reference list (Davide Catacchio, Top 8 of 38 at Adriatic Pile, September 18) costs about $470 with its sideboard at the Premodern-era printings tracked here. Most of that is four Squee, Goblin Nabob (about $145), four Yavimaya Coast (about $110) and City of Brass; the spells are cheap. The Survival of the Fittest build adds about $1,750 for four Survival and about $215 for Gilded Drake.
- Start with the madness core: Wild Mongrel, Basking Rootwalla, Aquamoeba, Roar of the Wurm, Deep Analysis and Waterfront Bouncer cost under $1 each; Circular Logic, Daze, Frantic Search and Wonder under $4; Arrogant Wurm about $6 and Careful Study about $5.
- Without Squee, Yavimaya Coast and City of Brass (play basics) and with a cheap sideboard of Naturalize, Chill, Blue Elemental Blast and Annul, the 75 costs about $120.
- Add Yavimaya Coast first for smoother two-color mana, then Squee, which keeps Wild Mongrel fed every turn; almost every list with Squee also plays Survival of the Fittest.
- Survival of the Fittest and Gilded Drake come last; the deck works without them.
Every deck that costs under $500 with reprints is on our budget decks page, priced from a real tournament list.
UG Madness is one of five decks in our guide to your first Premodern deck.
