History FanNickname / MagicTheGathering

** Mana Weaving - Arranging your deck so that there is a land for every few cards in the deck, "weaving" a land in-between cards. Although most tournament rules require that you give your opponent an option to shuffle your deck before the game actually begins, some people still express disdain to mana weaving practice.

* Cycle -- Not to be confused with Cycling ability, a cycle is a group of cards, usually five or ten with each member having distinct color/color combination, that have significantly similar design. How similar the cards in a cycle are to one another vary from cycle to cycle: Some cycles have obvious and strict patterns among them (such as [[https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&order=name&q=battlemage+%28game%3Apaper%29+set%3Apls the battlemages from Planeshift set]]; notice the similar pattern in the mana cost for casting and ability, shared name, similar rarity, similar power/toughness etc), while other cycles have members that are so distinct from one another that it may be contentious to call them a cycle ([[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=253 Healing Salve]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=95 Ancestral Recall]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=54 Dark Ritual]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=209 Lightning Bolt]] and [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=153 Giant Growth]] are one-mana instants whose abilities include the number 3, but not only their names and effects are wildly different, Ancestral Recall is rare unlike the rest that are common)

* Cycle -- Not to be confused with Cycling ability, a cycle is a group of cards, usually five or ten with each member having distinct color/color combination, that have significantly similar design. How similar the cards in a cycle are to one another vary from cycle to cycle: Some cycles have obvious and strict patterns among them (such as [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&name=+[battlemage]&set=+[%22Planeshift%22] the battlemages from Planeshift set]]; notice the similar pattern in the mana cost for casting and ability, shared name, similar rarity, similar power/toughness etc), while other cycles have members that are so distinct from one another that it may be contentious to call them a cycle ([[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=253 Healing Salve]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=95 Ancestral Recall]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=54 Dark Ritual]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=209 Lightning Bolt]] and [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=153 Giant Growth]] are one-mana instants whose abilities include the number 3, but not only their names and effects are wildly different, Ancestral Recall is rare unlike the rest that are common)

** Path to Frogzile -- [[https://scryfall.com/card/c15/102/rapid-hybridization Reapid Hybridization]], a functionally identical card to Pongify, playing on [[https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/25/path-to-exile Path to Exile]], which is similar to the above-mentioned Swords To Plowshares.

* WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls has become a common fan nickname for the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=240034 Red]], [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=240208 Blue]], and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=240033 Green]] angels printed in ''Avacyn Restored'', to the point that it was [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/192 even acknowledged on the main website.]]

* Butt -- As mentioned in the Specific cards section, creatures with big power/toughness are sometimes called fatties, and their toughnesses are often referred to as their butts.

** Other decks get names like Suicide Black, Señor Stompy, Red Deck Wins, Big Red, White Weenie and so on, which denote a narrow (but not single-card specific) focus.

* "Scam" is a Modern Rakdos deck that focuses on getting the powerful Elemental Incarnations [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=522163 Grief]] and [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=525348 Fury]] on the battlefield early by evoking them and using a card like [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=540986 Undying Malice]] to keep them on the battlefield for a single mana. Simultaneously, Grief exiles problematic cards from the opponent's hand, while Fury mops up opposing creatures, making it hard to answer the deck from any angle. The deck also tends to feature the incredibly powerful one-drop [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=611326 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer]]. Instead of being named after a card or a mechanic, the deck seems to bear this name simply because when it goes off, it feels like you're scamming the opponent out of playing the game.

* Urzatron (usually shortened to Tron) -- Collective term for [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=83314 Urza's Mine,]] [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=2893 Urza's Power Plant,]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=83316 Urza's Tower,]] a trio of lands that give more mana if you have at least one of all three in play. Also the name of the deck archetype that focuses on getting these three lands into play as quickly as possible and start playing huge colorless threats.

** "Tribal" decks are named after the Tribal supertype introduced in the Lorwyn block, which gave creature types to noncreature cards. They're usually called "X Tribal", X being the creature type the deck is built around, like "Goblin Tribal" or "Wizard Tribal". Some of the sillier lists have X be more than just a creature type; for instance, "Siege Rhino Tribal" uses 4 copies of Siege Rhino and numerous ways to clone it, and "Chair Tribal" runs nonland cards that depict chairs in any sort.

* Urzatron (usually shortened to Tron) -- Collective term for [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=83314 Urza's Mine,]] [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=2893 Urza's Power Plant,]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=83316 Urza's Tower,]] a trio of lands that give more mana if you have at least one of all three in play.

** Hatebears -- Bears that have a restrictive ability like [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=209287 this]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=174931 this]]. The term has been loosened a little with some newer cards not strictly adhering to the 2/2 for 2 mana ratio, but still being referred to as such for hosing specific interactions.

* "Pod" decks are decks designed around a toolbox approach, searching up creatures out of your deck to your hand/directly in to play by sacrificing weaker creatures. The creatures included in the deck typically have a wide variety of edge case uses, allowing player to craft their game plan by using silver bullets to specific situations. Named for the card [[https://scryfall.com/card/nph/104/birthing-pod Birthing Pod]].

* Phage the Unplayable -- [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=382324 Phage the Untouchable]], due to her AwesomeButImpractical ability that causes you to lose the game if you don't play her from your hand.

** Similarly, Jace the Wallet Sculptor for [[http://magiccards.info/wwk/en/31.html Jace, the Mind Sculptor]], which was worth around $100 for a time up until it was banned from the Standard format. (Also known as Jace, the Mind-Raper; Jace, the Metagame Sculptor; or Jace, the Gamewinner.)

*** And when he was unbanned in the Modern format, he spiked to $150 ''again''. Briefly, before it was found that he just wasn't as good in that format as expected...where he fell to "only" $125 and continues to hover around that price.
* Baby Jace for [[http://magiccards.info/m11/en/58.html Jace Beleren]], which ''isn't'' broken, and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=398434 Jace, Vyrn's Prodigy]] which ''is.'' The first one is also known as "Party Jace," since its first ability affects all players -- players in a multiplayer format are generally inclined to leave it alone for as long as its controller keeps providing them with symetrical draws. The second one is also known as Flip Jace, as the card is double-sided.

** "(Number)(Cardname)" decks, such as Twelvepost, Eightwhack, Eightrack, etc. are named such because they contain numerous cards with an effect that is important to the strategy, and are usually named after the most famous card that produces that effect. Twelvepost, for instance, features [[https://scryfall.com/card/mrd/280/cloudpost Cloudpost]], [[https://scryfall.com/card/som/227/glimmerpost Glimmerpost]], and [[https://scryfall.com/card/tsp/281/vesuva Vesuva]] and relies on getting numerous Cloudposts to generate large amounts of mana quickly; 8-Whack is an aggressive deck featuring [[https://scryfall.com/card/zen/125/goblin-bushwhacker Goblin Bushwhacker]] and [[https://scryfall.com/card/ogw/116/reckless-bushwhacker Reckless Bushwhacker]] to power huge attacks out of nowhere; 8-Rack features numerous discard spells and cards which punish players for having few to no cards in hand, such as [[https://scryfall.com/card/tsb/113/the-rack The Rack]] (the actual number of Rack-like cards varies, as there are actually numerous cards which can produce a similar effect, but you only need to play 8-10 of them to achieve the necessary amount of threat).

* "[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/Voltron Voltron]]" decks (not to be confused with "Tron" decks, which are usually Urzatron decks as mentioned in the Specific Cards section) have the goal of casting one creature, then using other cards such as Auras and Equipment to enhance that creature and making it a true threat to the opponent. Voltron decks can be found in any format, but are usually the most effective in the Commander format, due to several rules (you always have access to at least one creature in the form of your commander, and if your commander deals enough damage to a player they lose, regardless of how much life they may have). Cards which give a creature evasion — such as providing flying or trample — are key, as well as cards that boost power and toughness and/or protection from removal.

** There are cards ,such as [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=394497 Assault Formation]], [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=244674 Doran the Seige Tower]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=447348 Arcades, The Strategist]], and [[https://scryfall.com/card/war/230/huatli-the-suns-heart Huatli, The Sun's Heart]], that let creatures deal combat damage with their toughness rather than their power. This has led to the risque-sounding term of "butt-fighting".

* Nonbo -- A combination of cards that ''seems'' to work together synergystically at a glance, but when analyzed and actually executed fails because some parts of the combo violates rules or doesn't actually do things the way it's envisioned.

* Nonbo -- The opposite of a combo -- two cards that just do not work with each other or create a disadvantage when played together.
* Bombo -- A combination of cards that seems to work as a combo on a glance, but when analyzed and actually executed fails because some parts of the combo violates rules or doesn't actually do things the way it's envisioned.

* Netdecking -- A deck list copied from the internet, usually implying one that has won or at least placed highly at a Magic tournament. Often used as a pejorative by players who feel using premade decklists to win games cheapens the experience.