Which way do you tap?

[The Chosen One]

Just out of curiosity. Which way do you turn your cards when you tap? Does your location in reference to the equator make you do the opposite than those on the other side like water draining? We will find out!

[LotusHead]

I tap my cards counter-clockwise because I am right handed.  And my cards are always rotated the full 90 degrees.

[GrandpaBelcher]

Funny... I tap my cards clockwise because I am right handed.  Or at least I always figured that's why it was.  Maybe I'm left handed and don't know it.  And my cards are always rotated the full 90 degrees.  It really bugs me when people tap to that muddy area between 30 and 60 degrees so you can't really tell what mana's been spent and what creatures attacked.

[Edit] Oh yeah, sometimes I tap my creatures in opposite directions to distinguish ones that attacked from ones that used an activated ability.  Attackers usually go clockwise.

[Mr. Nightmare]

I tap my lands/mana in the opposite direction of my creatures.  I don't know why.

[Bob The Builder]

Belgium (to know what side of the equator I am)
Tap 90° clockwise.
Am Righthanded

[nataz]

Just out of curiosity. Which way do you turn your cards when you tap? Does your location in reference to the equator make you do the opposite than those on the other side like water draining? We will find out!

Unless you have a HUGE body of water, it doesn't really work like that. Something like a sink or even a bathtub won't cut it. :-p

That being said, right handed, tap right, for everything. 

[diopter]

  clockwise.

[ELD]

Unless you have a HUGE body of water, it doesn't really work like that. Something like a sink or even a bathtub won't cut it. :-p

That being said, right handed, tap right, for everything.

.

Really?  I saw that on Mr. Wizard when I was a kid and so I always thought it was true.  I've gained the majority of my scientific knowledge from that show.  I am very concerned about the quality of my education if this is proven to be false. 

[The Chosen One]

I tap my cards counter-clockwise because I am right handed. And my cards are always rotated the full 90 degrees.

I am right handed and I tap counter closkwise, activated abilities clockwise, but I also move attackers forward on my playmat so they are more easily ditinguished. Maybe handedness(?) has nothing to do with it. Interesting.......

It would make more sense to tap towards your non-dominant side instead of turning away from your body ie. tapping clock-wise if you are a righty.

[nataz]

Really?  I saw that on Mr. Wizard when I was a kid and so I always thought it was true.  I've gained the majority of my scientific knowledge from that show.  I am very concerned about the quality of my education if this is proven to be false. 

Really really. In frictionless enviroment, with no other force vectors, it would work. Problem is, over small areas things like friction, and changes in how water comes out of your faucet, different sized drain holes, etc., will all have much more of an effect. The theory is sound, but its not always applicable on a small scale with conflicting forces.   

Oh, and as for the tap thing. I tap right because thats what the picture tells me to do.

 

[forests failed you]

Always clockwise.

[Mr. Nightmare]

Paired with side-dominance, I think it has to do with where you grip the card when you tap.  A right handed person grabbing on the bottom corner of the card will tend to turn counter-clockwise:



While gripping at the top corner tends clockwise:



Left-handed people have the opposite configuration, with the top grip rotating counter-clockwise:



and the bottom-grippers tapping clockwise:



I think this explains my take, as I generally grip my land/mana by the top-right corner, and my guys by the bottom-right corner.

[Polynomial P]

One time I got mindslavered and at the end of my turn, my opponent reached across the table and tapped some of my lands in the clockwise fashion. I took all my tapped permanents that were tapped counterclockwise, rotated them 180 degrees to the clockwise tapped position and simultaneously then "correctly" tapped all my permanents into the counterclockwise position. I wasnt even thinking about it, but it amused my opponent.

So, Counterclockwise, 90 degrees. I am right handed.

[andrewpate]

I find it interesting that the  symbol and the old "T" symbol both seem to indicate clockwise tapping, but when I have seen Richard Garfield play, he taps counterclockwise.

I tap clockwise; I'm right-handed.

[GrandpaBelcher]

It's not a question of where he grips it... It's a simple question of weight ratios!

Usually I put my (right hand) fingers and thumb on the card and spin it clockwise like I'm turning a doorknob.  It's awkward to spin the other way because the thumb doesn't move far enough.  Hence, clockwise.

[parallax]

I tap clockwise by putting the index and middle finger of my right hand on the card, with the index finger in the center of the card and the middle finger directly above it, and pulling my middle finger clockwise.

[Matt]

I tap whichever.

Handedness does not really predict anything, the counterargument being, I use my dominant hand to hold the cards in my hand.

[Royal Ass.]

I have always tapped counter clockwise.  I'm not sure why i started that way considering the T was slanted to the right when i started playing.

I find it interesting that the  symbol and the old "T" symbol both seem to indicate clockwise tapping, but when I have seen Richard Garfield play, he taps counterclockwise.

When Alpha came out there was no tap symbol!!  So then you tapped whichever way you wanted.  I probably tap counter clockwise becasue that't the way i was taught.  Since I learned during revised, the people who taught me learned before the advent of the T symbol.

[Flospers]

I tap whichever.

Handedness does not really predict anything, the counterargument being, I use my dominant hand to hold the cards in my hand.

Same case here. I'm right handed but I only use my right hand for tapping when I've put my hand of cards on the table or when I hold no cards at all. The funny thing is, in those cases my right hand taps 90° clockwise, just like my left hand usually does. I guess I developed that habit because I like my permanents to be neatly organised, all facing the same direction.

[Dr_Tongue]

Well I initially saw this thread when it was on top of the Basic User Forum in the Global View.The Headline ran as follows:

Which way do you tap... (SpaceSpace SpaceSpaceyougetthepicture) by Royal
Ass

Hope y'all can see the humor there as the last poster was Royal Ass and it read kinda funny if you know what I mean.

To be on the subject though, I used to like those little "Pente" (?) game stones and use those but turning them "To the left, to the left.." is my approach now.

[wethepeople]

I tap mine a full 450 degrees, clockwise, of course.

Well, actually, I only do that when I am incredibly bored. BUT, I usually tap my lands to the right (clockwise), because it's easiest to me. When the time comes, my creatures go to the left, or counter-clockwise. I have a feeling this is so I don't get any of my permanents mixed up, not that it makes much of a difference.

[T00L]

I tap things counter clockwise. I can only imagine the reason i do this is because when i was taught how to play magic about 10 years ago my friend who taught me to play was sitting across from me and would tap things for me most of the time during demonstration. He was tapping my things the "correct" clockwise fashion but to me appeared counter clockwise. Atleast thats my theory for why i completely disregarded the instructions in the little tap picture

[Bram]

I tap things clockwise because in my mind, if it's lands, the mana won't come out otherwise (and if it's creatures, they'd be falling over rather than attacking).

Also:

Problem is, over small areas things like friction, and changes in how water comes out of your faucet, different sized drain holes, etc., will all have much more of an effect.

I'll grant you that the Coriolos effect isn't very "strong" in the sense that its influence is orders of magnitude smaller than many other factors (like the ones you describe), but I'd assume those other factors' effects would be random. Some websites describe how the "drain direction" is a function of the way water is added in the first place. Now for a toilet (where water is added under a specific angle as it is drained), I can believe that. But that doesn't hold true for a draining bath, where no water is added while draining. That leaves stuff like geometry of the bath, which I totally can't imagine would result in a preferred direction because there are lotsa types of baths with minor design variations (location of drain etc.) and yet I've never observed the water draining away counter clockwise. And don't gimme any of that "angular momentum" crap those same website throw at you - that only determines the speed of the water in the drain - not the direction. Until someone shows me through rigorous empirical research that the direction is more or less random for draining baths, I still think it's the hand of God or something.

[LotusHead]

I tap clockwise blah blah blah

You guys are weird...

[Limbo]

Somehow my first thought on this subject was "what do I care which way the beer goes, as long as its into the glass..."

Anyway, I am righthanded and tap clockwise.

Also:

Also:

Problem is, over small areas things like friction, and changes in how water comes out of your faucet, different sized drain holes, etc., will all have much more of an effect.

I'll grant you that the Coriolos effect isn't very "strong" in the sense that its influence is orders of magnitude smaller than many other factors (like the ones you describe), but I'd assume those other factors' effects would be random. Some websites describe how the "drain direction" is a function of the way water is added in the first place. Now for a toilet (where water is added under a specific angle as it is drained), I can believe that. But that doesn't hold true for a draining bath, where no water is added while draining. That leaves stuff like geometry of the bath, which I totally can't imagine would result in a preferred direction because there are lotsa types of baths with minor design variations (location of drain etc.) and yet I've never observed the water draining away counter clockwise. And don't gimme any of that "angular momentum" crap those same website throw at you - that only determines the speed of the water in the drain - not the direction. Until someone shows me through rigorous empirical research that the direction is more or less random for draining baths, I still think it's the hand of God or something.

I once asked a similar question to the professor in my advanced flow classes (for Bram's info: Gertjan van Heijst). He told some people actually did some experiments both on the northern and southern hemisphere with a circular tank of water, leaving the waters to rest for multiple days (could have been a week). With such a sufficiently prepared environment, the formation was actually completely random. Crisis averted!

[zeus-online]

Never really thought about it, so i opted for "Both".

It dosn't matter anyways, aslong as it is clear which cards are tapped and which is not...i hate it when my opponent got a messy board and i have to continuosly ask him about his board.

/Zeus

[The Chosen One]

One time I got mindslavered and at the end of my turn, my opponent reached across the table and tapped some of my lands in the clockwise fashion. I took all my tapped permanents that were tapped counterclockwise, rotated them 180 degrees to the clockwise tapped position and simultaneously then "correctly" tapped all my permanents into the counterclockwise position. I wasnt even thinking about it, but it amused my opponent.

I do exactly the same thing if someone moves my cards. This thread has brought up some interesting results......

[Harlequin]

Both, Right handed.

When I tap a single card I tap clockwise, because I use my index, and ring finger in the center of the card to tap it.  So basically I pin the card down with my index finger and draw my middle finger in to tap the card.

When I tap multiple cards at the same time, I tap them counter clockwise.  Usually because I stack up the cards, then lift the pile, turn it and drop it.  Again, with my right hand, it would be very un-natural to turn the card clockwise without over extending my wrist .. and looking generally foolish.


I will say that after a long turn I often have to use some time durring my opponent's turn to re-configure my cards.  Because with both left and right tapps durring a single turn .... this just look sloppy.  When I re-arrange the cards they typically go right - unless there are only a few cards going right and a large ammount going left, then I just go with majority rules. 

[Norm4eva]

Unless I'm goldfishing, 90 to the right.  If I goldfish sometimes I don't even tap shit, I just keep track of manas in my head.  For some reason it seems arduous if no one's sitting across from me.

[Methuselahn]

clock-wise.

What I find more interesting is whether a person sets their deck to the right or left.  Personally, I'm right handed, hold the cards in my left hand, and place my deck horizontally in front of me and on the right side.   My experiences tell me that this isn't the norm, however.  Most seem to place to the left.