Mayhem is a new MTG ability introduced with Spider-Man set. In this article, we’ll talk about everything you need to know about it:
How Does Mayhem Work?
You can cast a card for its mayhem cost from your graveyard, if you’ve discarded it this turn. (The timing rules still apply.)
Most mayhem costs are cheaper that the card’s regular costs. So, you’re actually saving on mana, if you can discard a mayhem card.
Normally, discarding a card is a real cost — you’re giving up a card from your hand. (Think cards like Thrill of Possibility and Bitter Triumph.) But if the discarded card has mayhem, and you can afford to play it, you aren’t really down a card.
Thus, if you’re discarding a mayhem card, you aren’t just saving on mana. In fact, you’re turning a drawback into advantage.
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples for better understanding.
Examples
First up, Raging Goblinoids — a fairly straightforward card with mayhem.
One way to cast this card is for its regular cost. You pay five mana for a 5/4 Goblin with haste. That’s obviously quite bad rate for constructed. However, it can be playable in limited (draft, sealed).
Thankfully, mayhem cost is just three mana. This means that you can play Raging Goblinoids from your graveyard, if you’ve discarded them this turn. Note that you can only do so in your first or second main phase, as timing restrictions still apply.
You end up with a three mana 5/4 haste, which is a much stronger card. Additionally, the discard was actually a part of a cost, which means you’re getting even more value from the card.
Speaking of value, here’s a much stronger mayhem card, that certainly delivers on that front. Plus, Carnage Crimson Chaos can actually be your commander.
You can pay four mana to get a 4/3 trampler, that also returns a creature costing up to three mana from your graveyard. That’s already fairly powerful, even if the returned creatures gets a couple of downsides.
But what’s even better is that you can cast Carnage from your graveyard for just two mana! This means, you can potentially get a 4/3 trampler and a three-drop, while paying for a discard cost.
Now that’s absurdly high value, with some really fun play patterns. You can expect Carnage to end up being of the best mayhem cards and a popular commander.
MTG Mayhem – FAQ
Now you know about the basics of this mechanic. In this section, we’ll answer some additional specific questions you might ask about it. As usual, feel free to leave a comment below, if you won’t find what you were looking for.
Only if it’s an instant or it has flash, as the timing restrictions still apply with mayhem.
If an opponent makes you discard a mayhem card (be it with cards like Thoughtseize or Liliana of the Veil), you can cast them from your graveyard until the end of turn by paying their mayhem costs.
Keep in mind, that you can only cast instants and cards with flash on your opponents’ turns.
Yes, as long as you have enough mana to do so.
Once you cast a card with mayhem, it’s put on the stack. At that point, the card is no longer in your graveyard, so even if the grave is exiled, that doesn’t affect the card.
Yes, there is. You will need top transform Norman Osborn into Green Goblin or cast the Goblin right away. If you can manage that, all of your nonland cards in your graveyard get mayhem costs equal to their mana costs.
Wreck Mayhem!
That’s all about the mayhem mechanic. Now know how it works, so you’ll be able to use it to your advantage and wreck mayhem upon your opponents.
If you like mayhem cards, and your friendly neighborhood super-hero, you might want to order a Spider-Man Play booster box. You’ll likely end up with a bunch of mayhem cards, plus some amazing Spider Heroes.
On top of that, if you want more information about this set, check the following articles:
- MTG Soul Stone Odds (Learn how likely you are to pull the best card in the set.)
- Spider-Man Comic Panel Cards (Discover the amazing alt-arts.)
- Spider-Man Bundle Contents (What’s inside the regular and the Gift bundle?)
Until next time, have fun and may you always have the perfect discard outlet to enable your mayhem cards.