<p>The canonical name for these seems to be 'Mana Rocks', probably so named after one of the very first, <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=247152">Fellwar Stone</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-29T09:58:29.897Z
The number of Google results is impressive. This does indeed appear to be an accepted term.
ikegami
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-29T10:58:28.977Z
Does a Mox count as a "Mana Rock"?  How about a Black Lotus?  Surely not!
thesunneversets
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-29T14:13:42.720Z
I'm pretty sure the name refers to the Moxes, not Fellwar Stone.
bwarner
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-29T20:37:33.470Z
I'm less sure it refers to the Moxes (though not entirely sure it refers to Fellwar Stone either); the term seems to have primarily originated in EDH/Commander play, where moxen are outright banned.  It's more likely than anything else, I suppose, to be an offshoot of 'brown' as the color of artifacts and the notion of artifacts as generically being mineral of some sort or another.
Steven Stadnicki
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-06T20:57:18.960Z
"Mox" is typically a term to itself meaning a 0-cost artifact that produces mana.
WLPhoenix
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-29T07:44:45.080Z
2012-11-29T07:44:45.080Z
Steven Stadnicki
<p>"Mana Rocks" might be a genuine term, but I don't think it's a particularly useful one, as it's not very descriptive of the <em>use</em> of these cards.</p>

<p>If I was talking about this class of card, in a way more likely to explain why I'd want to include some in my decks, I'd just go for "artifact-based mana acceleration".  I know this answers your question less well than Steven's answer, but on the other hand I, and I'm sure many others, would never use the term "mana rocks"!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-29T11:04:26.393Z
2012-11-29T11:04:26.393Z
thesunneversets
<p>Some terms have an unofficial but widely known meaning in Magic jargon. For example, a &quot;cantrip&quot; is a spell that lets you draw a card, and a &quot;bear&quot; is a vanilla 2/2 (with &quot;vanilla&quot; having its own meaning!)</p>
<p>What about a card that produces mana like <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sol%20Ring">Sol Ring</a>, <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rakdos%20Signet">Rakdos Signet</a>, or <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Talisman%20of%20Indulgence">Talisman of Indulgence</a>? Do they have an unofficial name?</p>

<magic-the-gathering><terminology>
Is there an unofficial term for an artifact that produces mana?
corsiKa
# Is there an unofficial term for an artifact that produces mana?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-11-29)

Some terms have an unofficial but widely known meaning in Magic jargon. For example, a "cantrip" is a spell that lets you draw a card, and a "bear" is a vanilla 2/2 (with "vanilla" having its own meaning!)

What about a card that produces mana like [Sol Ring](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sol%20Ring), [Rakdos Signet](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rakdos%20Signet), or [Talisman of Indulgence](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Talisman%20of%20Indulgence)? Do they have an unofficial name?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering, terminology


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2012-11-29. Score: 11

The canonical name for these seems to be 'Mana Rocks', probably so named after one of the very first, [Fellwar Stone](http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=247152).

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: The number of Google results is impressive. This does indeed appear to be an accepted term.  
> **username_3**: Does a Mox count as a "Mana Rock"?  How about a Black Lotus?  Surely not!  
> **username_4**: I'm pretty sure the name refers to the Moxes, not Fellwar Stone.  
> **username_1**: I'm less sure it refers to the Moxes (though not entirely sure it refers to Fellwar Stone either); the term seems to have primarily originated in EDH/Commander play, where moxen are outright banned.  It's more likely than anything else, I suppose, to be an offshoot of 'brown' as the color of artifacts and the notion of artifacts as generically being mineral of some sort or another.  
> **username_5**: "Mox" is typically a term to itself meaning a 0-cost artifact that produces mana.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2012-11-29. Score: 2

"Mana Rocks" might be a genuine term, but I don't think it's a particularly useful one, as it's not very descriptive of the *use* of these cards.

If I was talking about this class of card, in a way more likely to explain why I'd want to include some in my decks, I'd just go for "artifact-based mana acceleration". I know this answers your question less well than username_1's answer, but on the other hand I, and I'm sure many others, would never use the term "mana rocks"!


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