MTG Arena Reference
MTG Glossary
New to MTG Arena or brushing up on the terminology? This glossary covers the strategy terms, deck archetypes, colour combinations, and Arena-specific concepts you’ll encounter as you play.
Each term links to a full explanation. Browse by category below, or use your browser’s find function (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) to search for a specific term.
Looking for a specific term?
Use Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) to search this page, or browse the categories below.
Browse by Category
Fundamental MTG Arena concepts — how the game works, what the platform offers, and the basics every player needs to know.
Browse terms →
Standard, Historic, Explorer, Alchemy, Draft, and more — what each format means and how card legality works across them.
Browse terms →
Mana curves, land ratios, sideboards, and how to think about the cards that make up a competitive deck.
Browse terms →
Aggro, control, midrange, combo — the strategic identities behind every deck and how they play against each other.
Browse terms →
The five colours, their two-colour guild pairs, three-colour shards and wedges — and what each combination tends to do strategically.
Browse terms →
Tempo, card advantage, board states, sequencing — the in-game concepts that separate good decisions from great ones.
Browse terms →
Wildcards, gold, gems, mastery passes, and how to build your collection efficiently without spending a fortune.
Browse terms →
Jank, spikes, brewers, and the rest of the vocabulary the MTG community uses that you won’t find in any rulebook.
Browse terms →