What do "META" and "OP" mean?

META is an abbreviation that stands for most effective tactic available originally, but people on this forum tend to use it to mean the most common tactic used instead

"Woodroward;c-1240437" wrote:
META is an abbreviation that stands for most effective tactic available originally, but people on this forum tend to use it to mean the most common tactic used instead

This. Because there is a lot of "group think" in many arena shards, some use it to mean the latter, when it really is supposed to mean the former.

"Woodroward;c-1240437" wrote:
META is an abbreviation that stands for most effective tactic available originally, but people on this forum tend to use it to mean the most common tactic used instead

You're so Meta :D

I noticed this as well...
If everyone is doing it, it must be the best!

"Woodroward;c-1240437" wrote:
META is an abbreviation that stands for most effective tactic available originally, but people on this forum tend to use it to mean the most common tactic used instead

I remember meta referring to the best tactics in a game before the acronym was used. It was short for metagame. The acronym showed up with League of Legends.

accidental double post.

"stumpoman;c-1240482" wrote:

"Woodroward;c-1240437" wrote:
META is an abbreviation that stands for most effective tactic available originally, but people on this forum tend to use it to mean the most common tactic used instead

I remember meta referring to the best tactics in a game before the acronym was used. It was short for metagame. The acronym showed up with League of Legends.

That may be where it got coopted by gamers, but I'm willing to bet its origins are in the military.

"Woodroward;c-1240626" wrote:

"stumpoman;c-1240482" wrote:

"Woodroward;c-1240437" wrote:
META is an abbreviation that stands for most effective tactic available originally, but people on this forum tend to use it to mean the most common tactic used instead

I remember meta referring to the best tactics in a game before the acronym was used. It was short for metagame. The acronym showed up with League of Legends.

That may be where it got coopted by gamers, but I'm willing to bet its origins are in the military.

No. Meta is not an acronym. Most Effective Tactics Available is a backronym. It's origin is from the Greek word.

"banjo1071;c-1241756" wrote:

"Huatimus;c-1241231" wrote:

"Woodroward;c-1240626" wrote:

"stumpoman;c-1240482" wrote:

"Woodroward;c-1240437" wrote:
META is an abbreviation that stands for most effective tactic available originally, but people on this forum tend to use it to mean the most common tactic used instead

I remember meta referring to the best tactics in a game before the acronym was used. It was short for metagame. The acronym showed up with League of Legends.

That may be where it got coopted by gamers, but I'm willing to bet its origins are in the military.

No. Meta is not an acronym. Most Effective Tactics Available is a backronym. It's origin is from the Greek word.

True, but the greek word μετά means inbetween or following something. So it has nothing to do with the META in a computergame.

Copy pasta from wikipedia with emphasis on Bold/Italics:
Meta (from the Greek preposition and prefix meta- (μετά-) meaning "after", or "beyond") is a prefix used in English to indicate a concept which is an abstraction behind another concept, used to complete or add to the latter.

Metagaming is any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game.


In a more specific example to swgoh, you could say that you are metagaming the game environment by choosing to use Rex lead vs Zaul Sith teams back when Zaul Sith teams were popular. Knowledge of what teams and characters are popular is knowledge that is beyond what can be found within the game.
At any rate, seems like some people like to perpetuate the backronym that META is Most Effective Tactics Available. Some think that meta is most popular and some think that meta is strongest. I don't think that there'll ever be a consensus and at this point, you just have to decipher what the poster is referring to by reading the rest of his post in context.