General Which Shard/Wedge/Guild name is least intuitive to you

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
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I kind of hated all the wedge names when they were released. I've come around on Abzan, Jeskai and Temur, but Sultai and Mardu are still big misses for me. Anyone else have similar mental misfits?
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
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I've spent more time shuffling around on this section of my cube spreadsheet than I'd like to admit.
IDK if that means they're intuitive, but I'm certainly used to them
 
Guilds made the most sense to me from the get-go, clean and easy to remember color schemes that were pretty universal after two Ravnica blocks. Shards took a bit longer since I wasn't playing back then but I understood it with enough exposure to Modern. Finally wedges filled in a gap that existed with no prior naming conventions so it was fine and new to me and most players. Also coincided with the time period I was most involved with Magic in that '13-16 range back when I was at college so they were definitely memorable.

However, I can't name you most "second iterations" of these color combos ala Strixhaven houses or Capenna families though unless it's explicitly in a named card in my cube. Prismari? Oh yeah, that's U/R because Prismari Command. Any other color combination? No clue off the top of my head.
 
What a fun little Monthly Fun Q :)

I love them all and find them all easy to remember. None stick out. From your list.

The newer ones from Strixhaven: School of Mages I am still getting use to. Quandrix I sometimes need a second to remember.

Silverquill
Witherbloom
..?..Quandrix
Prismari
Lorehold

Their theme is squared math. But the other four are perfect!

The newest ones from Streets of New Capenna I am also getting use to.

Brokers
Obscura
Maestros
Riveteers
Cabaretti

For me Brokers, Obscura and Maestros er perfect. Both Riveteers and Cabaretti are a bit odd. Maybe it’s because I don’t fully understand what the words mean.

Riveteers are about about destroying thing and building things. Can someone explain what the word riveteer means?

Cabaretti are about partying and getting paid to host parties. They trick into paying more and if you don’t pay, you are in trouble. Everyone wants to be around a Cabaretti. Can someone explain what the word cabaretti means?
 
A "riveter" is someone who rivets things (builds them with rivets). "Riveteer" to me is a fun play on "riveter" and "privateer" (a hired pirate), which brings together the building and the smashing.

Cabaretti, sounds like an Italian mob-boss style name that is a play on "cabaret" which is a kind of nightclub/restaurant entertainment.
 
Riveteers now makes a lot more sense to me.

I guess maybe partying and square mathing isn't themes I find elegant for a faction. But I guess getting 33 out of 35 spot on is a pretty good hitrate.
 
I think my favorite names for each color combination are:
{W}{U}: Azorius
{U}{B}: Dimir
{B}{R}: Rakdos
{R}{G}: Gruul
{G}{W}: Selesnya
{W}{B}: Orzhov
{B}{G}: Golgari
{G}{U}: Simic
{U}{R}: Izzet
{R}{W}: Boros
{W}{U}{B}: Esper
{U}{B}{R}: Grixis
{B}{R}{G}: Jund
{R}{G}{W}: Cabaretti
{G}{W}{U}: Bant
{G}{W}{B}: Abzan
{U}{R}{W}: Jeskai
{B}{G}{U}: Sultai
{W}{B}{R}: Mardu
{G}{U}{R}: Temur
{W}{U}{B}{R}: Dark Jeskai
{W}{U}{B}{G}: Moist Abzan
{W}{U}{R}{G}: Soaked Cabaretti
{U}{B}{R}{G}: Wet Jund
{W}{B}{R}{G}: Ben Shapiro's Wife
{W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: Five Color
 

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
I think my favorite names for each color combination are:
{W}{U}: Azorius
{U}{B}: Dimir
{B}{R}: Rakdos
{R}{G}: Gruul
{G}{W}: Selesnya
{W}{B}: Orzhov
{B}{G}: Golgari
{G}{U}: Simic
{U}{R}: Izzet
{R}{W}: Boros
{W}{U}{B}: Esper
{U}{B}{R}: Grixis
{B}{R}{G}: Jund
{R}{G}{W}: Cabaretti
{G}{W}{U}: Bant
{G}{W}{B}: Abzan
{U}{R}{W}: Jeskai
{B}{G}{U}: Sultai
{W}{B}{R}: Mardu
{G}{U}{R}: Temur
{W}{U}{B}{R}: Dark Jeskai
{W}{U}{B}{G}: Moist Abzan
{W}{U}{R}{G}: Soaked Cabaretti
{U}{B}{R}{G}: Wet Jund
{W}{B}{R}{G}: Ben Shapiro's Wife
{W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: Five Color
How dare you do Naya like this.
 
What’s wrong with stating the Color’s instead of names? Saves a lot of mental load…
This is honestly my preferred strategy as well, at least for 3+ colors. For 2 colors I'll often use the guild names. None of the newer color pair names have stuck with me at all.
 
Every single one should be two syllables. Selesnya, Golgari, Azorius (which is named after Azor and could have just been that!), and also half the triomes and most of the newer names all fail that.

I'm very, very lazy, you see.
 
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