Naming a Deck

As you get into Magic, you quickly learn that an unofficial nomenclature has developed around naming a deck.  That decks have names at all may seem silly, but it makes sense: people need a way to quickly identify and differentiate their decks.  Knowing this nomenclature is important, and the subject of today's post.

What's in a Name

There are two parts to a Magic deck name: [color(s)] [feature], where

• [color(s)] = the color or guild/shard name of color combinations
• [feature] = whatever makes the deck tick, which can be a deck type, card name, mechanic, or tribe

Let's look at each in turn.

Color(s)
I covered the color combinations of Magic in a previous post.  In a nutshell, if your deck features

• only one color, it would be called "mono-[x]," where [x] = white, blue, black, red, or green.
• combinations of two or more colors, use the below chart to identify the color combination name.  These names are based on guilds and other things seen in older sets (the above link explains where each arose). 

image from here

Feature
"Feature" tells the reader something about your deck's theme.  A feature can be:

• Deck type: aggro, control, mid-range, or combo (see the decks page for more on these types)
• Card name: if your deck centers around one key card (like 'Fires of Invention'), it's typical to name the deck after it.  Sometimes the card name is abbreviated.  
• Mechanic: if your deck centers around a certain mechanic (like 'madness' or 'flying'), you'll see decks named for it.
• Tribe: there are many tribes in Magic ('goblin', 'elf,' 'vampire,' 'angel,' etc.).  Tribal decks will be named for that particular tribe.

Examples
As of this writing, a very popular deck in standard is 'Jeskai Fires.'  From the above, you should be able to figure out that Jeskai = white/blue/red, Fires = Fires of Invention.  This name tells the Magic veteran that it's a deck featuring spells of white, blue, and/or red colors, and it's centered around the Fires of Invention card (below).

Here are other example deck names:

'Azorius Flyers' [a white/blue deck featuring flying creatures and cards that are based on flying]

  

'Simic Flash' [a blue/green deck featuring the 'flash' keyword]

'Boros Feather' [a white/red deck featuring Feather, the Redeemed, and cards that pair well with him]

'Mono-white Aggro' [a white aggressive deck, with cheaper cards that can pack a punch]

  

'Mono-blue Control' [a blue control deck with lots of ways to mess with your opponent]

'Temur Elementals' [a blue/green/red deck featuring the Elemental tribe, like the below]

When looking for decks of interest, I recommend using the above nomenclature when searching on the Internet- it will return much more relevant results.