Given how longMagic: The Gatheringhas been around, many of the cards in it have been given nicknames. Some of them are to make long card names easier to say, while others have a more detailed history that the community has run with.
The fun nicknames of creatures range from simple names like Gary to much more unique ones like The Sad Robot. Generally, nicknames are attached to older cards, as it’s much harder for the nicknames of new cards to catch on compared to back in the day. Regardless, creature nicknames help to make the Magic community a bit more connected by everyone using them.
10Superman
Morphling
Looking at Morphling, it being called Superman might seem very odd. It earned its nickname for how powerful it was back in the early days of the game. It’s nothing special now, but back then, it was the best creature you could play, hence why it was named after the Man of Steel. Morphling was that good of a card.
It goes a step further, with the Aura Pemmin’s Aura granting a creature Morphling’s effects. Fans of anagrams may notice that Pemmin’s Aura is an anagram of “I am Superman” based on the community nickname.
9Steve
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Sakura-Trider Elderis a rather lengthy name, and one that can’t be easily shortened, as there are two other cards that start with “Sakura-Tribe.” So, the community came up with the name Steve.
Steve is taken from the first letter of each word (Ste) and, since that was close enough to a real name, the community decided to give him a “proper” name, and thus the Steve nickname was born. It’s also been referred to as “Saccy Tribe Elder,” but Steve is far and away the most popular nickname for Sakura-Tribe Elder.
8Mom and Steppe-Mom
Mother of Runes and Giver of Runes
Mother of Runes is a bit of a mouthful of a name, so the community decided to simply give her the title of Mom. The card is very popular, so the usage of Mom spread rather widely, and even spread to another card.
Giver of Runes is sometimes referred to as Steppe-Mom due to its similar effect to Mother of Runes. The reason for the spelling of “Steppe” instead of “Step” is because she’s on the plane of Zendikar, where Kor live in the steppes. Mix all of that together, and you get Steppe-Mom.
7Bob
Dark Confidant
You might wonder how anyone got “Bob” out of thename Dark Confidant, and that’s because it has nothing to do with the name. The nickname Bob comes from who is represented on the card. Winners of the top invitational tournaments would get a card based on their likeness.
The winner of the 2004 Magic Invitational was Bob Maher, who both designed the card and is the man on the original artwork for Dark Confidant. Other cards with similar backstories are sometimes referred to as the name of who’s on them, but Bob is by far the most popular.
6Gary
Gray Merchant Of Asphodel
Gray Merchant of Asphodel is both a very long name and one that can be hard to pronounce for some. So, the community came up with a solution to that problem, simply call him Gary.
Gray is close enough to Gary, and makes the card feel more like a friend you’re excited to see than one that’s come to kill you, something that Gray Merchant of Asphodel often did when it hit the battlefield inmono black decks. Perhaps Gary was partially born from players who wanted to avoid “salt” when it hit the battlefield, but whatever the reason, Gray Merchant of Asphodel is more often known as Gary than anything else.
5Prime Time
Primeval Titan
For anyone who has played against aPrimeval Titan deck in Modern, you are likely very familiar with just how long the turns can be. That’s part of the reason Primeval Titan earned the name Prime Time (on top of Primeval Titan sounding close to Prime Time).
With how long Primeval Titan turns take, it was like watching a show during Prime Time, long and flashy. A lot of decks built around Primeval Titan are simply called Prime Time, with that name being used much more than Primeval Titan itself.
Solemn Simulacrum
Solemn Simulacrum has a few different nicknames. It’s a prize card for the 2002 Magic Invitational winner Jens Thoren, so it’s sometimes referred to Jens or Robo-Jens. However, its most popular nickname is Sad Robot, due to the pensive and saddened look the robot has on the card.
The original art is one of the fewversions of Solemn Simulacrumwith a face. The Doctor Who Universes Beyond brought the nickname to life when Emojibots were depicted on Solemn Simulacrum showing a crying robot, the most Sad Robot of them all.
3Tim
Prodigal Sorcerer
If you’re not familiar with Monty Python,“Tim” coming from Prodigal Sorcerermight be very confusing as to how he got to that nickname. Magic players noticed that Prodigal Sorcerer had a resemblance to Tim the Enchanter from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail and started calling him Tim.
Years after the release of Prodigal Sorcerer, the nickname came full circle in 2024, where Magic released a Universes Beyond crossover with Monty Python, where Prodigal Sorcerer got a reskin as Tim the Enchanter, bringing the decades-long nickname to life, allowing you to play with Tim for real.
2Young Peezy
Young Pyromancer
Young Pyromancer sounds like it could be a DJ name, and the Magic community thought so to, giving it the nickname of Young Peezy. It’s catchier than the full name of Pyromancer, and gives it a much nicer ring.
The card art for Young Pyromancer looks like the character depicted could be a DJ as well. The big orange goggles and necklace, even the expression screams “DJ,” which is why Young Peezy was able to stick as a nickname for it. Others have tried to nickname other cards as “Peezy,” but Young Peezy is the only one that has ever stuck.
1Skittles
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
The name Skithiryx is both a hard word to pronounce and spell. Calling Skithiryx simply “The Blight Dragon” doesn’t have the greatest ring to it either. So, players decided to run with the nickname Skittles for Skithiryx, named after the candy of the same name.
Is there any relation at all to Skittles aside from the word looking like Skithiryx? No, not at all. However, the nickname stuck because, frankly, it’s fun to call a big, infectious dragon Skittles. The joke has seen many Skithiryx alters of the dragon shooting out rainbows from its mouth or buried in a pile of the brightly colored candy.
