Like most hobbies, Magic: The Gathering has developed a lexicon all its own. Go into any game store and you’ll hear players talk about “top-decking” the perfect card, casting “cantrips,” and “splashing” in their draft decks. If you’re new to the game, it can be hard to understand what experienced players are even talking about!
We’ve all been there — we were new once, too! — so we’ve created some fun and informative videos that we hope will help demystify Magic slang. Even if you’re no longer a rookie, we hope you find these videos entertaining.
Episode 1: “Ramp”
In our pilot, Rachael casts her first spell of the game and gets a crash course in “ramp.”
Episode 2: “Fixing”
Rachael learns the importance of including “fixing” in her multicolored deck.
Episode 3: “Splash”
Our players discuss adding more fixing to Rachael’s deck and stumble upon another useful new term: “splashing”!
Episode 4: “Cantrip”
“Cantrips” are spells that draw cards, but not all draw spells are “cantrips”! Rookie helps explain the difference.
Episode 5: “Bomb”
What do you call a card that blows up the board state? A “bomb,” of course! Rookie shares a few classic examples.
Episode 6: “Pump”
Slang comes at you fast sometimes, so let’s take things one word at a time. “Pump” spells give creatures extra power and toughness, pumping them up for battle!
Episode 7: “Pants”
What kind of pants to creatures wear in Magic? Find out in this episode!
Episode 8: “Chump”
Sometimes, in order to win a game of Magic, you need to make some sacrifices. Rookie explains how to “chump” with small creatures!
Episode 9: “Wrath”
Why are cards that destroy all creatures known as “wraths”? Time for a Magic history lesson!
Episode 10: “Mill”
In our final episode, we tackle the origins of a popular Magic slang term and deck archetype: “Mill”!
This concludes Season 1 of “Rookie’s Guide to MTG Slang.” We hope we’ve taught you a thing or two — and made you laugh! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Magic content, including interviews with the Magic community, draft videos with NumotTheNummy, and much, much more!