It was my birthday yesterday, but I think my trivia request may have been too vague. So, any trivia on one of my favorite cards, Millstone, or on milling in general?

When Millstone was first translated into Italian (in a core set I believe), it was translated as “Magic Stone Machine”. We liked the name so much, we came up with this plan where we just used translated names for new English names and have an endless supply of new names. : )Happy Belated Birthday!

It’s my birthday so may I request anything on Grindstone? It’s the first card I acquired through a series of trades with multiple people.

I designed Grindstone, in Tempest, because I wanted a Millstone (an artifact that put cards from the library into the owner’s graveyard) that you didn’t know the outcome. It would always mill two cards, but it had the potential to mill even more. I liked that the color requirement was particularly effective against a one-color deck. Happy Birthday!

You've often said that Mill is an unlikely keyword because grinding grain has little to do with putting library cards into the graveyard. As a Ph.D. in rhetoric who's taught grad courses in both the History of English and Linguistics, I'd like to emphasize that the English verb mill means *a lot* more. There are, after all, paper mills and textile mills still humming. And either way, grinding one's knowledge or memories and turning them into dust is pretty evocative. Millstone aside, why baulk?

There isn’t a great need to keyword the ability because it’s not used in a place where we need the conservation of words. We’re only going to keyword it if we find a word that naturally helps players understand what it means. Testing has shown “mill” is not that word.

Has there ever been any actual research done into the viability of "mill" as a keyword, or has it just been assumed not to work? is there a difference if the cards involved carry direct "mill" imagery (millstone, grindstone, etc) as opposed to those that don't (mind funeral, glimpse the unthinkable, etc)?

Shadows over Innistrad tried out keywords for “mill” (put into graveyard from library) in design playtests but they all read as discard as much as mill.

Italian speaker here, I would say millstone more closely translates back in english to magic milling stone, "machina" is machine and "macina" is mill :)

Say it isn’t so. No Magic Stone Machine?

Birthday Trivia: Any kind of curiosity about the Millstone (or even just about the "milling mechanic" really)? Thanks!

In Italian, Millstone translates back into English as Magic Stone Machine. I keep talking about making that a card name. Of course, the problem is what would the call it in Italian? : ) Happy Birthday!

Wouldn't "Mill" stop being slang if you MADE it a Keyword and made sure to print the card "Millstone" with the ability on it?

The issue is the word in a vacuum doesn’t make sense. Evergreen keywords (an keyword actions which is what this would be) are aided greatly by the flavor of the word helping remember what the mechanic does.

"If that were true instead of haste we’d have “celerity” and instead of vigilance it would be “the Serra ability”" But you've also named mechanics after cards (Provoke). And Mill is derived from Millstone.

But the word provoke has an English meeting that matches expectations.  The word mill is used in slang because the card Millstone was the first card with the ability. Millstone is at best a metaphorical tie to what is mechanically happening and a loose one at that. Look at the flavor text. It always talks about people going crazy listening to the sound of the millstone.  Mill means “to grind up” as into physically crush something. It has nothing to do with the mind. It doesn’t even convey the idea of an attack. It doesn’t have anything to do with a mental process.  Anything will sound natural if you use it enough so I get why people who have been saying mill feel it feels okay, but we choose word for mechanics  because they are evocative of what the mechanic does. Most keywords that existed as mechanical concepts before they were named had nicknames. Very few of those were chosen when we finally named the mechanic, and in all cases, players came around to the point where that new name sounded normal.

But The definition of mill is pretty close. "A machine to grind, crush or pulverize" also as a "to grind into smaller pieces" the flavor of millstone is spot on and it be a shame to lose it.

I’ve tried the experiment with newer players where I ask them what they think “mill” would mean. They guess and guess and guess and never get to  putting cards from the library to the graveyard.

What's your favorite design from Antiquities? Mine is Millstone.

I have a soft spot for Tetravus and Triskelion. I also adored Mishra’s Factory back in the day.