Madness in General<\/h2>\n
You\u2019re casting the card when the triggered ability resolves \u2013 this means that you get to ignore normal timing restrictions for the card. For instance, if it\u2019s your opponent\u2019s turn and you discard a creature or sorcery card, you\u2019ll be able to cast it via madness when the trigger resolves, even though it\u2019s your opponent\u2019s turn.<\/p>\n Casting the card for its madness cost is an alternate cost of casting the card. Since you\u2019re casting the card, the cost of the spell can be affected by cost increasers or decreasers. For example, if there\u2019s a Vryn Wingmare<\/a> on the battlefield and you\u2019re trying to cast Biting Rain<\/a> for its madness cost, it will cost 3B to cast instead of 2B. Likewise, if you controlled a Jace’s Sanctum<\/a>, it would cost 1B to cast Biting Rain<\/a> for its madness cost.<\/p>\n If you discard the madness card as part of a cost of casting a spell or activating an ability (for example, Tormenting Voice<\/a>), the madness trigger will go on the stack once you\u2019re done announcing the spell or ability. You\u2019ll deal with the madness trigger before resolving the spell. But if you\u2019re discarding the card because of a resolving spell or ability (for example, Catalog<\/a>), you\u2019ll fully resolve that spell or ability before we put the madness trigger on the stack.<\/p>\n Madness only works if you discard the card, and you can only discard a card from your hand. A card going from your library to the graveyard, for instance, is not being discarded, and you could not cast it for its madness cost. And you can\u2019t just discard a card just because you want to \u2013 some spell or ability has to let you discard. You can\u2019t just choose to discard a Fiery Temper<\/a> because you want to cast it for its madness cost instead of its mana cost \u2013 something else has to let you discard it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I hope this article didn\u2019t drive you to madness. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.<\/p>\n<\/p>Madness is a replacement effect and a triggered ability. If you would discard a card with madness, instead of discarding it to the graveyard, instead you discard it to exile and a trigger goes on the stack. When that trigger resolves, you can choose to cast the card for its madness cost. If you cast it, the card goes on the stack and behaves like any other spell at that point (so it can be countered by something like Cancel<\/a>). If you choose not to cast the card, it goes to the graveyard. You don\u2019t get the opportunity to cast it at a later time, you either cast it while the trigger is resolving or not at all.<\/p>\n
Madness and Converted Mana Cost<\/h2>\n
<\/p>Casting a card for madness is an alternate cost, and casting a card for an alternate cost doesn\u2019t change what the card\u2019s converted mana cost is. For instance, if you discard a Incorrigible Youths and cast it for its madness cost, its converted mana cost is still 5, even though you paid 2R to cast it. That means your Youths can still be countered by a Disdainful Stroke<\/a>, since its converted mana cost is four or more.<\/p>\n
Madness and Processors<\/h2>\n
<\/p>While the madness trigger is on the stack, the card with madness is in exile. If the madness card is no longer in exile when the trigger resolves, you won\u2019t be able to cast it. Therefore, it\u2019s possible to use something like Oracle of Dust to remove the madness card from exile with the trigger on the stack to deny your opponent the opportunity to cast the card for its madness cost.<\/p>\n
Madness and Jace, Vryn\u2019s Prodigy<\/h2>\n
<\/p>One small rules change with Shadows Over Innistrad affected how Jace, Vryn\u2019s Prodigy works with madness. The current rules make discarding the madness to exile mandatory instead of optional. If you have four cards in your graveyard, activate Jace\u2019s ability, and discard a card with madness, you have to put it into exile instead of the graveyard (even if you have no intention of casting it via madness). Since you only have four cards in your graveyard at the point when Jace\u2019s ability checks the number of cards in your graveyard, Jace will not transform.<\/p>\n