Contrary to popular belief, all games (even those featuring wizards, faeries and kithkin) are social creations.  The beauty of Magic the Gathering is, that although some of the game can be experienced alone, it truly shines when it is enjoyed with others.  Aside from the obvious draws of  like minds, competition and genuine friendship, there is another facet of that interplay which I would like to focus on today.   Get four or five fantasy loving, mountain dew drinking guys (or girls*) in a room for a competitive game of Magic the Gathering and you'll understand what I'm talking about.  Trash talk thrives in most metagames and even in competitive play!  We are going to take a look at trash talk in MTG as both a genuine strategy as well as a frivolity.

*yeah right

[caption id="attachment_2746" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Be mindful of who you're trash talking."][/caption]

But before we spiral into a deplorable abyss of "Your Mother" jokes let me first lay down some parameters.  There are particular times and places for talking mad trash.  In a multiplayer game with three of your closest friends, feel free to trash each other's cards, wives and mothers as much as you'd like.  Obviously, in a competitive setting, you're probably going to want to back off a bit.  I'm sure each of us has a story to tell about some punk kid who made a few cracks about your unfortunate mana problems at a Grand Prix.  Don't be that guy.

There are several different approaches one can take when trash talking.  The most common, is to target another player's card/play choices.  When another player plops down a horrible card or makes a questionable play, the obvious reaction is to toss an insult or taunt in that player's direction.  Whatever your reasons, you're sure to get  a reaction.  Most evident in multiplayer, you can use trash talk to get the players around you to do your bidding.  Perhaps a simple "are you just going to take that crap?"  after a particularly nasty attack.  Or possibly some reverse psychology: "He probably can't do anything about that creature anyway..."  The opportunity is there for you to take control of the game through trash talk.

Taunting, daring and provoking are the easiest and most common way of forcing another player's hand.  Got a player hoarding seven cards in his hand in a multiplayer game?  Provoke him with a "playing spells is for suckas, huh?" or a simple "you still in this game, dude?".  You're sure to get a reaction from a hot headed red wizard trying to save his fist-full of burn cards for the grand finale.  The reaction might be 8 damage to your dome so don't pull the trigger on that one unless you'll benefit from the outcome.  Although sometimes 8 quick damage now is much better than 8 well thought out damage later on.  Want someone to attack you so you can Mirror Strike them?  Try this:

[caption id="attachment_2749" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Mothers are the perfect target for provocation."]

[/caption]

Player 1: "Hey you can't tap that!"

Player 2: "That's not what your mother said last night, kid."

How could they possibly refrain from attacking you now?!  His mother's honor is on the line!  I know what you're thinking.  "But Reinhart!  You're so clever and witty, how can *I* hope to come up with zingers like that?!"  Trash talk is less of a science and much more of an art.  It will come more naturally to those donning their blue wizard's robes.  Many of you cruise around the internet leaving clever, biting comments on magic forums and articles.  Just translate those into an ironic or sarcastic remark about one of your games.

Aside from the obvious strategy benefit of talking smack, it's just good old fashioned fun.  A well-timed, insightful insult can both raise the stakes and add drama to your games.  It also adds another layer of strategy and emotion to an already layered game.  Just make sure you're in the appropriate place with the appropriate people before opening your sassy mouth.

Have your own story about talking trash or being talked trash to? Got a particularly dead-pan pun or zinger? Comment on the article.  We want to hear about it!

- - - - - - - -

Zendikar Spoiler Update!: Mark Rosewater tonight answered a few questions about Zendikar that I'd like to highlight.

First, a Hint: Here's my hint. There is a space in Magic design that we've explored on individual cards but have never explored thematically as a block theme. We started with that theme and then crafted a world that made it make sense. Once we had the world, we then made a bunch of other mechanics that made sense in that world. The design and creative did a lot of back and forth work to integrate the mechanical themes into the world. I do feel the world we've create is a resonant one, but not one with pirates or dinosaurs. Or robots. Or ninjas. Or monkeys. Let me wrap this answer up by saying that I'm quite excited with how Zendikar turned out, and once I'm allowed to freely talk about it, I anticipate I'll start getting letters to ask me to stop talking about it.

And second, a note on Planeswalkers in Zendikar:

Q: How many are there?

A: Three, one of which is a planewalker that's appeared previously.

Hope that whets your appetite! Keep an eye on our spoiler page for card updates.