Andy and Anthony talk about the language we use to talk about Magic. Language is fundamental to social experiences, our favorite game included. Creating new language helps us communicate more effectively and helps us think about and compartmentalize concepts, shaping how we thing about things. But jargon has its drawbacks.
View cards mentioned in the episode
Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Mozart’s Cube.
Timestamps:

4:02 — Introduction to language and Magic
4:59 — Pack 1, Pick 1 from Mozart's Cube
9:04 — Why do we use specific shorthand and jargon in the first place?
12:52 — Linguistic relativity: naming things shapes communication and how we think about concepts
15:43 — How specific language can hinder communication
22:16 — Why the most rigorous, theoretical terminology can sometimes be the least useful
24:25 — Why context is critical to all language
25:56 — The dangers of oversimplification
26:55 — Grizzly Bears, Goblin Pikers, and Hill Giants
33:38 — Thinking in terms of card classifications
36:56 — Jargon makes Magic less accessible
38:35 — Magic lingo speed round

Discussed in this episode:

Venn diagrams and Euler Diagrams
Venn diagrams for high number of sets
Radiolab on linguistic relativity
Language Thought and Reality
List of sandwiches
Gravity wells
Patrick Chapin’s Next Level Deckbuilding
Grizzle Bears alignment chart
Andy’s “two mana renaissance” Cube update
Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon
Enigma Machine

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.
You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

Andy’s “Bun Magic” Cube
Anthony’s “Regular” Cube

If you have a question for the show, or want us to do a pack 1, pick 1 from your cube, email us at mail@luckypaper.co. Please include how you’d like to be credited, your pronouns, a link to your cube if relevant. You can also find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord.
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Musical production by DJ James Nasty.