Most Magic decks would rather keep their cards in hand. Mad Dog has other ideas.

This green-white Premodern deck uses discard abilities, madness creatures, and cards that remain useful in the graveyard to keep its attacks moving. If you enjoy creature combat with a few surprises, Mad Dog gives you plenty to work with.

How Mad Dog wins

Start developing your battlefield early, then make combat difficult for your opponent. [[Savannah Lions]] applies quick pressure, while [[Wild Mongrel]] can grow and change color by discarding a card.

That discard can do more than power up your attacker. [[Basking Rootwalla]] and [[Arrogant Wurm]] have madness, which lets you cast them for their madness costs when you discard them. With the right cards and available mana, one action can improve a creature you already control and add another threat to your board.

[[Patrol Hound]] and [[Tireless Tribe]] give you additional ways to discard. [[Call of the Herd]] can create an Elephant token, then provide another one later through flashback. The deck asks you to think about the value of a card in your hand, on the battlefield, and in your graveyard.

The cards that make it click

[[Wild Mongrel]] is a central piece. It is an attacker, a discard outlet, and a source of difficult combat decisions for the opponent. You decide which cards you can afford to discard and whether the payoff is worth it.

[[Arrogant Wurm]] gives your attacks some extra muscle. Its madness cost makes it particularly appealing alongside a discard outlet, but you still need the mana to cast it. Plan before discarding it.

[[Glory]] does its most distinctive work from the graveyard. Its activated ability can give your creatures protection from a color of your choice for the turn, helping them survive certain removal spells or get through blockers of that color.

Your first game

An appealing opening hand has early creatures, a workable mix of green and white mana, and a plan for its discard cards. You do not need every engine piece immediately, but you do need plays you can make.

Avoid throwing away lands simply because Mongrel gives you the option. Casting your next creature or activating Glory may matter more than one extra point of damage now.

Pay attention to the timing of your madness plays, too. A creature entering during combat does not automatically become an attacker. Think about what the new creature will actually accomplish before spending your mana.

Sideboard options

[[Armadillo Cloak]] can help you race another creature deck, while [[Prismatic Strands]] provides a way to prevent damage from a chosen color. [[Disenchant]], [[Naturalize]], and [[Tranquil Domain]] offer answers to troublesome permanents. [[Tormod's Crypt]] gives you graveyard interaction.

Choose your answers without losing the aggressive creature plan that makes the deck work.

Gamelandia’s Mad Dog loaner decklist

[deck title="Mad Dog | Gamelandia Premodern Loaner"]

Main deck
4 Arrogant Wurm
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Brushland
3 Call of the Herd
3 Forest
1 Gaea's Cradle
3 Glory
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Patrol Hound
5 Plains
1 Rancor
4 Savannah Lions
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Tireless Tribe
2 Wasteland
2 Wax // Wane
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Windswept Heath

Sideboard
1 Absolute Law
2 Armadillo Cloak
1 Crumble
1 Disenchant
1 Naturalize
2 Orim's Chant
2 Prismatic Strands
1 Reprisal
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Tranquil Domain

[/deck]

Give your discard pile a purpose

Try Mad Dog at a Wednesday Premodern event at Gamelandia in Palo Alto. Ask about loaner availability before your visit, especially if this is the deck you would like to play.

See upcoming events and register.