User:Coffeesaga/Sandbox/List of common game terms
KeyForge players often use a wide number of different game terms and jargon when discussing the game. Although some of these terms originated from other collectible card games, many game terms are unique to KeyForge. This page contains a list of some of the most commonly used jargon among the KeyForge community. These terms are not official and are therefore not included in the Glossary of the Rulebook.
Board wipe/board clear
- A card that removes many creatures from play at once
The term board wipe is typically used when creatures are destroyed, but not always. For example, in some situations, the card Hysteria is viewed as a board wipe, even though the card effect does not directly destroy creatures.
Examples:
Bounce
- To return a card from play to its owner’s hand
Bounce effects have multiple benefits. First, bounce is creature and artifact removal. Second, they cause your opponent to hold extra cards in their hand, creating a potential card advantage by preventing them from drawing at the end of their next turn. Some cards, such as Nature’s Call, also allow a player to bounce their own cards and replay them on the same turn. This is particularly beneficial with powerful combos like Nature’s Call and Dust Pixie.
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Targeted removal/spot removal
- A card that removes only one or a small number of creatures from play at once
Targeted removal does not have to destroy the creature. It can bounce a creature to a player’s hand, reshuffle a creature into its owner’s deck, archive a creature, or place a creature on top of its owner’s deck. In general, decks benefit from having multiple different types of removal.
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Hard removal
- A removal card that destroys or purges (not bounce, reshuffle, etc.)
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Æmber control
- The ability to manage the opponent’s Æmber pool
KeyForge features many forms of Æmber control in the game. A card can cause the opponent to lose Æmber (Bumpsy, Shatter Storm). Some cards steal Æmber (Rad Penny, Urchin). Some cards capture Æmber (City-State Interest, Sequis). Others increase key costs (Grabber Jammer, Faust the Great). A few are designed around unique effects (Curia Saurus, Hypnotic Command) that when played tactfully have the ability to control Æmber. This is not an exhaustive list, as the game developers are always creating new and original types of Æmber control cards.
Examples:
Scaling Æmber control
- A card ability that controls a large amount of Æmber at once
Scaling Æmber control cards such as Too Much to Protect punish the opponent for gaining too much Æmber and can be an important tool against rush decks. The majority of Æmber control in the game is not scaling Æmber control; most Æmber control cards are able to control only one or two Æmber at once.
Examples:
Taxing
- Making the opponent pay additional Æmber to forge a key
Several KeyForge cards increase key costs and can be used to prevent the opponent from forging a key. Taxing, on the other hand, allows the opponent to forge but at an increased Æmber cost. It is effectively a tactic to force the opponent to lose Æmber.
Example: Allowing the opponent to forge for 8 Æmber with a Nyzyk Resonator on the board
Æmber control in all three houses
- Having the ability to control Æmber in all three houses of a deck
Many KeyForge players look for decks that have Æmber control in all three houses. If an opponent goes into check for their final key, having Æmber control in all three houses prevents a player from being forced into one or two house choices. Some players also strongly value having removal in all three houses, because it can reduce the impact of powerful enemy creatures like Restringuntus. In general, having a particular card effect in all three houses increases the flexibility and resilience of a deck.
Key cheat
- A card that can forge a key outside of the usual Forge a Key step during one’s turn
Examples:
Key cost modifier
- An effect that increases or decreases the current key cost
Examples:
House cheating
- Using or playing a card that is not of the Active house
Examples:
Artifact control
- A card effect that can negate the impact of an opponent’s artifact
Artifact control can appear in numerous forms. The simplest forms of artifact control destroy or purge an artifact (Gorm of Omm, Reclaimed by Nature). Others allow players to take control of an enemy artifact (Sneklifter, “Borrow”). Some remove the card from play (Grasping Vines, Barehanded). There are even cards that let a player use and exhaust their opponent’s artifact (Remote Access, Nexus). Some artifact control effects are also quite complex (Blossom Drake).
Examples:
Disruption
- A card effect that limits your opponent’s choices on their turn
Disruption in KeyForge comes in many forms, but the goal is always the same: to prevent one’s opponent from accomplishing their game plan. Disruption cards can restrict the opponent from playing certain cards or houses. Discarding cards from an opponent’s hand is also a form of disruption, because this potentially limits the number of cards they can play.
Examples:
Symmetrical effect
- A card effect that is imposed on both players
Examples:
Recursive effect/recursion
- The ability to replay or return cards from the discard pile
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Hate card
- A card that is very powerful against a particular strategy
While hate cards have a narrow, targeted effect in the game, they can be extremely useful cards when certain strategies are very popular. If a hate card does not target a popular strategy, then often the card is not very impactful.
Examples:
Witch
- A creature that needs to be dealt with immediately
An informal term for creatures that can significantly affect the game state if they're not dealt with immediately. Originating from Untamed cards like Hunting Witch and Witch of the Eye, it has since started to apply to impactful creatures from all houses.
Examples:
Terms Related to Game Concepts and Strategy
Card advantage
- The ability to play more cards each turn than your opponent can
Board advantage
- The ability to use more cards on the board each turn than your opponent can
Tempo
Inevitability
Consistency
Variance
Lockout
-Hard lock -Soft lock
Line
Playing to one’s outs
- When a player is in a position where they are unlikely to win, but plays in a way that still keeps them in the game
Meta
- The types of decks you are most likely to come across at a tournament and the most popular/powerful strategies at a given time
Deck archetype
- A way to categorize a deck based on its strategy, such as Aggro, Combo, Control, Midrange
Rock-scissors-paper
- The idea that many KeyForge decks have good and bad matchups, and sometimes a match is very likely to be one-sided based on the cards in the deck
High roll
- To be lucky and draw the right cards at the right time
Some decks have what is referred to as “high roll potential”. This is a way to describe decks that are capable of winning extremely quickly and efficiently when cards are drawn in the right order. Many competitive decks have the potential to high roll. One competitive strategy is to bring a deck that has high roll potential to an event and hope to draw well.
Deck thinning
- Removing large parts of the deck in order to draw more efficiently the remaining cards. Usually achieved through purging, although it can also be done by archiving.
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