Glossary
A working vocabulary.
We assume the engaged hobbyist who came here on purpose. We do not gloss every term on every page. When a phrase on the site is non-obvious, the definition lives here and the page links to it.
How we score
The numbers on tier lists and card pages, demystified.
- Games in Hand Win RateGIH WR
- Win rate when a card is in your hand or topdecked during the game. The single best public signal of a draft card’s power, because it controls for whether the card was actually playable.
- Tier (S, A, B, C, D, F)
- Letter grade for a card’s power in a specific Limited format. S is first-pickable. A means a strong pick in colors. B is a solid playable. C is filler. D is last-pickable. F is unplayable.
- Format snapshot
- A periodic capture of a constructed or Limited format: which archetypes are leading, which are rising, how fast games end. We refresh snapshots as new tournament data or community signal arrives.
- Format speed
- How quickly the average game ends. Slow formats reward grindy control and combo. Fast formats reward aggression. We tag every snapshot with slow, medium, or fast so a reader knows the climate before drafting into it.
Card anatomy
The labels and identifiers we use when describing a single card.
- Oracle text
- The current canonical rules text for a card, as maintained by Wizards of the Coast. Oracle text supersedes whatever was printed on the physical card, which is why an old printing and a new one can look different.
- Printing
- A specific physical version of a card, identified by set and collector number. The same card name can have dozens of printings; we show all of them on the card’s page.
- Mana valueMV
- The total mana cost of a card, including all colors and generic. Replaces the older converted mana cost (CMC); they mean the same thing.
- Color identity
- Every mana symbol a card requires across its cost and rules text, including hybrid and split costs. Used to enforce Commander deck-building legality: a card is only legal in a deck whose commander’s color identity covers it.
- Type line
- The line below the art listing card types and subtypes (Creature, Artifact, Goblin, Wizard, etc.). Drives a lot of rules interactions and most search filters on this site.
Format vocabulary
The formats we cover, and the language people use to talk about them.
- Standard
- Rotating constructed format. Legal card pool is roughly the last two years of premier-set expansions. New sets enter; old sets leave on a published schedule.
- Pioneer
- Non-rotating constructed format. Legal pool is everything from Return to Ravnica (2012) forward. Slightly older card pool than Standard; faster than Modern.
- Modern
- Non-rotating constructed format using sets from Eighth Edition (2003) forward. Deep card pool, fast meta, the format people mean when they say "eternal but not infinite."
- Commander
- Singleton, hundred-card, multiplayer format built around a legendary creature commander. Most-played casual format. Color identity (above) is the central deck-building constraint.
- Limited
- Umbrella for any format where the card pool comes from packs opened at the event. Includes booster Draft (eight players pass three packs) and Sealed (six packs, build a deck from what you open).
- Archetype
- A deck identity defined by strategy and colors. UW Tempo, Mono-Red Aggro, Esper Midrange. We track archetypes per format and per Limited environment.
Site vocabulary
Labels and section names you’ll see on Moxonomy, in case the editorial choices need translation.
- Field Notes
- Our label for editorial articles. Roughly: an essay with a point of view. The lede on the homepage is usually a Field Notes piece.
- Today’s Pick
- A daily-rotating card spotlight with a paragraph of editorial commentary. Deterministic per UTC day, so two people checking the site on the same Tuesday see the same card.
- From the wire
- Short-form news and announcements. Same level of scrutiny as Field Notes, shorter form.