I was looking for a thread on this, and I apologize if this is already a thing, but I couldn't find one and I'm sorta new to the forum posting thing.
I've been compiling a list of slang and lingo that Magic players use in and around the game. Example - "swing" for 4, "Punt" the game, "Topdeck", etc. Here's what I have so far - http://badmagicplayer.com/the-lingo-list/
Anyone have any words you hear people say in Magic games/events that you don't hear used in other games (like Poker, for example)? I'm also curious if there are 'regional' terms used in the game, like how we all use different words for carbonated soft drinks in different parts of the U.S. (I prefer Pop, not soda).
That's sorta different, it's mostly card abbreviations and nicknames for people and decks. I'm looking at terms we use, almost like shortcuts, during game play.
Magical Christmas Land: Scenarios that are extremely rare, but when they happen, are quite amazing. (Or something like that. Coined by Evan Erwin)
Goyf: Tarmogoyf
Bob: Dark Confidant
Hoser: A card (typically sideboard) that helps stop a specific strategy or type of deck. (i.e. Chill or Leyline of the Void or Energy Flux) a.k.a. Hate Cards
That's sorta different, it's mostly card abbreviations and nicknames for people and decks. I'm looking at terms we use, almost like shortcuts, during game play.
If you looked through the thread, there was a link to the Encyclopedia Magica which was an attempt for card abbreviations, tournament lingo and general magic lingo. I'll post the link again:
There have been several threads created over the years for this same thing and all can be easily viewed simply by using the Search function. The thread mentioned earlier is the "Official" thread for card abbreviations and lingo. One of the best things to remember in here is before you post a new thread, just do a thorough search to ensure it hasn't been brought up multiple times because chances are it has.
A durdle can not only refer to a below-average player but also below-average creatures - typically unimpressive vanilla creatures. "Thraben Purebloods is such a durdle." You can also use it as a verb to describe lack of activity in a game - "I sat behind Fog Bank and just durdled around until I drew my dragon and crushed him."
On that note, a dragon is a creature class similar to bear, grey ogre, and hill giant. Dragons are typically 5/5 or larger, 6CMC or higher, and evasive in some way. Shivan Dragon, Akroma, Angel of Wrath, and Geth, Lord of the Vault could have the label of dragon.
The red zone is where a creature goes when it attacks - so called for the play mats for high-level tournaments that have an area in red to show which creatures are attacking. "Odric, Master Tactician just flat-out dominates the red zone."
That's a good list you've got. Most of the other slang dictionaries are too crowded with card nicknames and/or are woefully out of date.
Bash: [i]v tr/intr[/i] To attack. "I'll bash you with Delver of Secrets." (See SWING.)
Beat down: 1. [i]v intr[/i] To attack. "I'll beat down with Delver of Secrets." 2. [i]v tr[/i] To threaten to beat another player by attacking. "He was really beating me down, but then I topdecked Wrath of God."
Beatdown: 1. [i]adj[/i] Aggressive, as a deck. "I lost in the second round to a monowhite beatdown deck." 2. [i]n[i] The player who, if both players play well, should take the more aggressive role in a game.
Dead on board: [i]adj[/i]: In a position where the opponent can force a win. "He could have won if he had drawn a wrath, but instead he drew and played a land, leaving him dead on board."
DI: [i]adj[/i] See INFINITE. [i]Etymology[/i]: From German slang "Der infy".
Dome: [i]v tr[/i] To deal damage (esp. lethal damage) to a player using a burn spell. "I was ahead in the race until he drew Lava Axe and domed me." [i]Etymology[/i]: Refers the domed shape of the skull of the player whom the burn spell targets.
DOB: [i]abbr[/i] Dead on board.
Gui (rhymes with "Squee"): [i]excl[/i] A declaration of intent to go to one's end step. [i]Etymology[/i]: Short for "Go, you idiot."
ID: [i]abbr.[/i] Intentional draw.
Infinite: [i]adj[/i] A lot. "My draft deck had infinite removal, but not enough ways to actually win."
Misclick: [i]n[/i] A misplay allegedly caused by a momentary lapse of concentration. "I had the win, but I misclicked and said "Combat?" before I played my haste creature." [i]Etymology[/i]: An attempt to draw an analogy to a misclick on Magic Online (perceived by some as a "less serious" kind of error).
Monguise (pronounced "mohn-GWEE-seh"): [i]n[/i] A person not noted for intelligence or perceived as a waste of space. Usually used affectionately. "How did I end up playtesting with all these monguises anyway?" [i]Etymology[/i]: Probably coined by Luis Scott-Vargas.
On-board: [i]adj[/i] Visible to all players. See DEAD ON BOARD. "I don't know why I attacked my 3/3 into his 4/4. It was on board -- I just didn't see it."
Snap: [i]adv[/i] To take an action quickly, without apparent thought. "I snap blocked his attacker, because I didn't care if he had a trick."
Value: [i]n[/i] Equity; advantage. Often refers specifically to card advantage. "When he played a 1/1 and a 2/2, I was able to cast Arc Trail for value."
And I might as well weigh in on the controversy:
"Durdle":
To durdle is to take actions that are not immediately relevant, but may have some purpose in the longer term. Examples: "I durdled around with Divinations and Archeomancers until I finally drew my bomb." "You can't afford to durdle around against an infect deck -- they're just too fast."
"Eat" also has another definition. It also means "To block a creature so that the attacking creature dies and the blocking creature does not." That is, it's the opposite of "chump".
The proper Conley-approved phrase is, I believe, "Stone noodly-boodlies" and it is a mutation of "stone-cold nuts", which is from poker (meaning the best thing possible).
Board referring to thecards in play is a noun, where as boarding and all this in term with sideboard are a verb, and thus are separate words.
Bomb doesn't mean a 'fantastic game winning creature' it means either a giant creature, such as scaled wurm, or something, or sometimes a planeswalker which has a devastating effect.
Bounce means specifically to send something to your hand. Not 'where it came from'.
I'm sorry, but you made a lot of mistakes. You're basically assembling a dictionary, but it reads poorly and many terms are just misdefined.
Bomb doesn't mean a 'fantastic game winning creature' it means either a giant creature, such as scaled wurm, or something, or sometimes a planeswalker which has a devastating effect.
I have heard it being used for anything that wins the game. Could be sands of delirium, though admittedly used loosely. Could be thundermaw hellkite and craw wurm's, but also wrath of god, which is an indirect win, to more apparent bombs like garruk, primal hunter.
In short: a card that swings the game heavily in your favor.
Other additions:
- Blown out, referring primarily to combat situations where one player's side is significantly crippled by a combat trick.
- Brick, referring to a card drawn from your library that does not affect the board significantly. Used primarily by LSV.
- Clanky/clunky, a deck that has no particular strategy or predominantly has inefficient cards that don't play well together.
- Crackback, a counterattack by one player following an all out attack initiated by the other player. Used to extrapolate likely gamestates.
- Godhand, an extremely powerful hand, that establishes an early dominance in the game or an early win.
- Go deep, committing to a particular decktype or colour. Used primarily in draft environments.
- Like a donkey, referring to a badly played game.
- On board tricks, referring to activated abilities of permanents on the battlefield that affect combat. Sometimes players overlook these and thus may "lose to on board tricks".
- Overcommit, to play more cards than necessary to secure a win.
- Overcosted, cards that are adequate, but are severely hampered in its applications by its high mana cost.
- Pressure, a boardstate that forces an opponent to make unfavorable plays or blocks.
- Underpowered, cards that have a minimal effect compared to their mana cost.
- Value, to get the most effect for a single card
Corrections:
- Alpha strike, does not mean attack with all creatures. It refers to an attack with all creatures, barring other effects, with the outcome of one player winning the game.
- Hoser, also used for a card that specifically targets a colour or strategy. Examples are choke vs blue, tormod's crypt vs graveyard and blood moon vs non-basic lands.
- Mise, is derived from "might as well", not "mind as well"
Awesome, I added many of the definitions and will work on getting some of the others up too. I also made nearly all of the corrections you all suggested, and threw some credit up at the top of the page. Thanks, and this is really interesting, I've never heard some of these terms and I've been playing since Urza's Block! (yet somehow I'm still really bad at the game, go figure)
ha, I've never heard that before. which one do you use/hear used more often?
as in "Armada Wurm is the Stone Noodles in this deck?"
I've heard it as "the nuts", "nutty", "stone (cold)" ,or "noodles" used as intensifier for a good card. I think some people smashed the phrases together getting "stone (cold) nuts" and "stone noodles. " Aparently Conley Woods is fond of the last one.
Also consumption of stone nuts and stone noodles should be kept at a minimum.
'Beatstick': A creature that is notable for hitting things hard and little else. Geist of Saint Traft and Tarmogoyf are beatsticks.
'<Insert non-creature card>: A creature that mimic the effect of a famous card while still having a body to attack and block with. The "stick" part comes from "beatstick". The term is also used for permanents that can repeatedly replicate the effect of an instant or sorcery (Usage originating from Isochron Scepter).
'Ramp': To accelerate your mana, usually through putting lands into play with spells. The name seems to come from Rampant Growth.
'French Vanilla': A creature with an evergreen ability (Trample, Flying, etc.) and nothing else. This was originally a designer term, but it is now used by players.
'Evasion': Any ability that allows a creature to hit the opponent past blockers, such as Flying and Trample.
A 'bombo' or a 'nonbo' is a combo somebody comes up with that actually doesn't work.
Shocklands, fetchlands, karoos, (original) duals, and painlands are all consistent slang to refer to specific land cycles. Other land cycles really haven't had as much success with slang names.
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I've been compiling a list of slang and lingo that Magic players use in and around the game. Example - "swing" for 4, "Punt" the game, "Topdeck", etc. Here's what I have so far - http://badmagicplayer.com/the-lingo-list/
Anyone have any words you hear people say in Magic games/events that you don't hear used in other games (like Poker, for example)? I'm also curious if there are 'regional' terms used in the game, like how we all use different words for carbonated soft drinks in different parts of the U.S. (I prefer Pop, not soda).
Modern - Living End
Main EDH Generals
- Mayael the Anima Fatty Fun - Zedruu Political Multiplayer
- Jeleva Oops All Spells - Roon the Bouncing Rhino
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=33793
"Wipe/Sweep" your board, for effects like Wrath of God, Day of Judgement and Supreme Verdict.
EDIT: Also the thread listed above, I had totally forgotten about that...
DCI Judge L2 - Minneapolis
Thanks to Megabug/Sgt Chubbz and Kracked Graphics for the Sig
Legacy
RUBFaithless Dredge
That's sorta different, it's mostly card abbreviations and nicknames for people and decks. I'm looking at terms we use, almost like shortcuts, during game play.
Modern - Living End
Main EDH Generals
- Mayael the Anima Fatty Fun - Zedruu Political Multiplayer
- Jeleva Oops All Spells - Roon the Bouncing Rhino
[Clan Flamingo]
ha, I've never heard that before. which one do you use/hear used more often?
as in "Armada Wurm is the Stone Noodles in this deck?"
Modern - Living End
Main EDH Generals
- Mayael the Anima Fatty Fun - Zedruu Political Multiplayer
- Jeleva Oops All Spells - Roon the Bouncing Rhino
Goyf: Tarmogoyf
Bob: Dark Confidant
Hoser: A card (typically sideboard) that helps stop a specific strategy or type of deck. (i.e. Chill or Leyline of the Void or Energy Flux) a.k.a. Hate Cards
RGGruul Aggro
WSoul Sisters
WBTokens
BUGRRestore Balance
BMono-Black Infect
EDH:
RGWMayael, the Anima
GWURoon of the Hidden Realm
BDrana, Kalastria Bloodchief
If you looked through the thread, there was a link to the Encyclopedia Magica which was an attempt for card abbreviations, tournament lingo and general magic lingo. I'll post the link again:
http://mtgsalvation.com/126-encyclopedia-magica.html
There have been several threads created over the years for this same thing and all can be easily viewed simply by using the Search function. The thread mentioned earlier is the "Official" thread for card abbreviations and lingo. One of the best things to remember in here is before you post a new thread, just do a thorough search to ensure it hasn't been brought up multiple times because chances are it has.
Blink or Flicker - The Cloudshift like ability.
Bounce - Return a permanent to it's owner's hand.
Play with my food before I eat it - The game is pretty much mine to win, and I will do it in good time after I have humiliated you for a while.
Standard:
WBRG Aggro-Reanimator Humans GRBW
Modern:
UR Twinning RU
G Venus Fly Trap G
U Artifacts Aggro U
Legacy:
B Reanimator B
WU Stoneblade UW
EDH
WBGGhave, Guru of SporesGBW
URGRiku of the Two ReflectionsGRU
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonGRBUW
Casual
Far too many to list
On that note, a dragon is a creature class similar to bear, grey ogre, and hill giant. Dragons are typically 5/5 or larger, 6CMC or higher, and evasive in some way. Shivan Dragon, Akroma, Angel of Wrath, and Geth, Lord of the Vault could have the label of dragon.
The red zone is where a creature goes when it attacks - so called for the play mats for high-level tournaments that have an area in red to show which creatures are attacking. "Odric, Master Tactician just flat-out dominates the red zone."
That's a good list you've got. Most of the other slang dictionaries are too crowded with card nicknames and/or are woefully out of date.
Erebos B | Ghost Council WB | Grimgrin UB | Jhoira UR
Jor Kadeen RW | Melek UR | Mimeoplasm GUB | Rasputin WU
Savra BG | Sisay GW | Teneb BGW | Thada Adel U | Wort BR
I draft and play EDH. If a Standard player can't understand who a card is for, it's probably for me.
I also write things about good films.
Check out Odds//Ends - My articles on Quirky Cards and Oddball Builds
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Currently playing Knight of the Reliquary - Retreat to Coralhelm Combo
That is 100% correct, I've only heard Conley Woods say it, but it caught on with me and my friend group, it's a pretty fun phrase.
and Stone Noodles is probably the most popular.
Bash: [i]v tr/intr[/i] To attack. "I'll bash you with Delver of Secrets." (See SWING.)
Beat down: 1. [i]v intr[/i] To attack. "I'll beat down with Delver of Secrets." 2. [i]v tr[/i] To threaten to beat another player by attacking. "He was really beating me down, but then I topdecked Wrath of God."
Beatdown: 1. [i]adj[/i] Aggressive, as a deck. "I lost in the second round to a monowhite beatdown deck." 2. [i]n[i] The player who, if both players play well, should take the more aggressive role in a game.
Dead on board: [i]adj[/i]: In a position where the opponent can force a win. "He could have won if he had drawn a wrath, but instead he drew and played a land, leaving him dead on board."
DI: [i]adj[/i] See INFINITE. [i]Etymology[/i]: From German slang "Der infy".
Dome: [i]v tr[/i] To deal damage (esp. lethal damage) to a player using a burn spell. "I was ahead in the race until he drew Lava Axe and domed me." [i]Etymology[/i]: Refers the domed shape of the skull of the player whom the burn spell targets.
DOB: [i]abbr[/i] Dead on board.
Gui (rhymes with "Squee"): [i]excl[/i] A declaration of intent to go to one's end step. [i]Etymology[/i]: Short for "Go, you idiot."
ID: [i]abbr.[/i] Intentional draw.
Infinite: [i]adj[/i] A lot. "My draft deck had infinite removal, but not enough ways to actually win."
Misclick: [i]n[/i] A misplay allegedly caused by a momentary lapse of concentration. "I had the win, but I misclicked and said "Combat?" before I played my haste creature." [i]Etymology[/i]: An attempt to draw an analogy to a misclick on Magic Online (perceived by some as a "less serious" kind of error).
Monguise (pronounced "mohn-GWEE-seh"): [i]n[/i] A person not noted for intelligence or perceived as a waste of space. Usually used affectionately. "How did I end up playtesting with all these monguises anyway?" [i]Etymology[/i]: Probably coined by Luis Scott-Vargas.
On-board: [i]adj[/i] Visible to all players. See DEAD ON BOARD. "I don't know why I attacked my 3/3 into his 4/4. It was on board -- I just didn't see it."
Snap: [i]adv[/i] To take an action quickly, without apparent thought. "I snap blocked his attacker, because I didn't care if he had a trick."
Value: [i]n[/i] Equity; advantage. Often refers specifically to card advantage. "When he played a 1/1 and a 2/2, I was able to cast Arc Trail for value."
And I might as well weigh in on the controversy:
"Durdle":
To durdle is to take actions that are not immediately relevant, but may have some purpose in the longer term. Examples: "I durdled around with Divinations and Archeomancers until I finally drew my bomb." "You can't afford to durdle around against an infect deck -- they're just too fast."
"Eat" also has another definition. It also means "To block a creature so that the attacking creature dies and the blocking creature does not." That is, it's the opposite of "chump".
The proper Conley-approved phrase is, I believe, "Stone noodly-boodlies" and it is a mutation of "stone-cold nuts", which is from poker (meaning the best thing possible).
Modern Junk Primer
Legacy ANT Primer
L1 Judge
Bomb doesn't mean a 'fantastic game winning creature' it means either a giant creature, such as scaled wurm, or something, or sometimes a planeswalker which has a devastating effect.
Bounce means specifically to send something to your hand. Not 'where it came from'.
I'm sorry, but you made a lot of mistakes. You're basically assembling a dictionary, but it reads poorly and many terms are just misdefined.
I have heard it being used for anything that wins the game. Could be sands of delirium, though admittedly used loosely. Could be thundermaw hellkite and craw wurm's, but also wrath of god, which is an indirect win, to more apparent bombs like garruk, primal hunter.
In short: a card that swings the game heavily in your favor.
Other additions:
- Blown out, referring primarily to combat situations where one player's side is significantly crippled by a combat trick.
- Brick, referring to a card drawn from your library that does not affect the board significantly. Used primarily by LSV.
- Clanky/clunky, a deck that has no particular strategy or predominantly has inefficient cards that don't play well together.
- Crackback, a counterattack by one player following an all out attack initiated by the other player. Used to extrapolate likely gamestates.
- Godhand, an extremely powerful hand, that establishes an early dominance in the game or an early win.
- Go deep, committing to a particular decktype or colour. Used primarily in draft environments.
- Like a donkey, referring to a badly played game.
- On board tricks, referring to activated abilities of permanents on the battlefield that affect combat. Sometimes players overlook these and thus may "lose to on board tricks".
- Overcommit, to play more cards than necessary to secure a win.
- Overcosted, cards that are adequate, but are severely hampered in its applications by its high mana cost.
- Pressure, a boardstate that forces an opponent to make unfavorable plays or blocks.
- Underpowered, cards that have a minimal effect compared to their mana cost.
- Value, to get the most effect for a single card
Corrections:
- Alpha strike, does not mean attack with all creatures. It refers to an attack with all creatures, barring other effects, with the outcome of one player winning the game.
- Hoser, also used for a card that specifically targets a colour or strategy. Examples are choke vs blue, tormod's crypt vs graveyard and blood moon vs non-basic lands.
- Mise, is derived from "might as well", not "mind as well"
Modern - Living End
Main EDH Generals
- Mayael the Anima Fatty Fun - Zedruu Political Multiplayer
- Jeleva Oops All Spells - Roon the Bouncing Rhino
EDH: Xenagos, God of Revels.
There has to be some new term people are using when they miracle that thing, or if there isn't yet, I'm sure there will be this fall.
Modern - Living End
Main EDH Generals
- Mayael the Anima Fatty Fun - Zedruu Political Multiplayer
- Jeleva Oops All Spells - Roon the Bouncing Rhino
I've heard it as "the nuts", "nutty", "stone (cold)" ,or "noodles" used as intensifier for a good card. I think some people smashed the phrases together getting "stone (cold) nuts" and "stone noodles. " Aparently Conley Woods is fond of the last one.
Also consumption of stone nuts and stone noodles should be kept at a minimum.
'Beatstick': A creature that is notable for hitting things hard and little else. Geist of Saint Traft and Tarmogoyf are beatsticks.
'<Insert non-creature card>: A creature that mimic the effect of a famous card while still having a body to attack and block with. The "stick" part comes from "beatstick". The term is also used for permanents that can repeatedly replicate the effect of an instant or sorcery (Usage originating from Isochron Scepter).
'Ramp': To accelerate your mana, usually through putting lands into play with spells. The name seems to come from Rampant Growth.
'French Vanilla': A creature with an evergreen ability (Trample, Flying, etc.) and nothing else. This was originally a designer term, but it is now used by players.
'Evasion': Any ability that allows a creature to hit the opponent past blockers, such as Flying and Trample.
A 'bombo' or a 'nonbo' is a combo somebody comes up with that actually doesn't work.
Shocklands, fetchlands, karoos, (original) duals, and painlands are all consistent slang to refer to specific land cycles. Other land cycles really haven't had as much success with slang names.
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