mana screw

• mana-screw, manascrew

mana screw (uncountable)

1. (Magic: The Gathering) The condition of having an insufficient supply of (the correct color of) mana.
   • 1997 May 22, Johnny Ace, “Re: My mana screw proposal: a defense”, in rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy‎ (Usenet):

     Because he knows how to design his deck to avoid mana screw (or the opposite and usually equally deadly mana glut).

   • 1999 August 9, Ben Kidwell, “Re: Stat:Randomness Theory [Was Cheating S.O.Bs]”, in rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy‎ (Usenet):

     Also, I think that not enough shuffling in Magic tends to result in very poor hands, characterized by mana screw or mana flood.

   • 2002 February 15, John Hwang, “Re: Traumatize/Haunting Echoes (was Type 2 deck)”, in rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy‎ (Usenet):

     This is why we occasionally experience "mana screw" (too little mana) and "mana flood" (too much mana), even though the mana sources are randomly distributed throughout the deck.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:mana screw.

• mana flood, mana glut

• color screw

mana screw (third-person singular simple present mana screws, present participle mana screwing, simple past and past participle mana screwed)

1. (Magic: The Gathering) To affect with this condition.
   • 1997 November 11, Manuel Bevand, “GP Como (Italy) Report”, in rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy‎ (Usenet):

     Game 1 and 2 I get horribly manascrewed. I never have more than 2 lands.

   • 1998 December, Chris Byler, “Re: [G-Tech] A real try at Oath of Scholars”, in rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy‎ (Usenet):

     Opponent, on the other hand, can't cast more than one spell a turn without manascrewing himself (less than that if you have multiple Breaches), and can never use the Oath or even dump his hand to prevent you from using it.

   • 2006, Michael J. Flores, Deckade: 10 Years of Decks, Thoughts, and Theory!, To Be Continued LLC (2006), →ISBN, page 8 (originally posted 13 October 1996 on Usenet):

     In game 2, I am again sort of manascrewed, as I am held to 3 lands, 2 Springs and a Mountain.