Title says it all.
I’ve been out of yoyoing for a bit, then when I went back then bam there is this new term. The way I understand it, which could be wrong; meta tricks are sets of “banger” tricks done one after another, mostly assisted by gravity to land the tricks so that it doesn’t “flow” like the traditional definition of a “combo”.
There you go, I just introduced 3 more debatable terms.
What do you think?
*Ooh I get flashback from back when we have long discussion about what is “floaty”.
I would like to hear the definition of everything you just wrote. Thank you 
As I understand it, “the meta” typically refers to the tricks that are in vogue at the moment based on what scores the best in competition.
Meta tricks are basically a catch all term for tricks that score well in competitions. Maximizing for clicks + difficulty + risk and other factors that go into scoring.
If you’re not into competitive yoyo play I wouldn’t think about it too hard. There’s not really much here to debate or discuss unless you want to start talking about how competitions are scored.
It use to be defined as the acronym “Most Efficient Tactic Available” aka META. This would be how to get the most points in a competitive format. The definition has since taken on new meanings with the dawn of the METAverse.
Haters will say it’s a boring uninspired way to play 
Winners will say it’s just a matter of taking a W 
Meta just refers to tricks that many players do in contests to get points because they’re effective for getting clicks. This set of tricks is definitely not static and has changed quite a bit through the years.
Usually meta tricks are kind of copy and pasted from other players, which is why some people look down on the idea of using them. That being said, the best players will use meta tricks but with their own execution or flare or by changing it up a bit, which creates more interesting combos while still scoring well. My opinion is that your ability to do many of the common meta tricks is an indication of your skill, but only using meta tricks in a routine is a bit lazy, it’s best to have a mix.
You can also have a meta combo that flows. There are definitely some slack combos that many people do in comps nowadays that fit this category.
The dialectic says it’s both 
I’ve always been in favor of the more original, more unique tricks. That being said, META tricks can be original and unique in their own way (if not simply by general standards) and although cookie cutter competition freestyles are not the most fascinating to watch, time and time again we still see the best players on the competition circuit filling their routines with not only heavy string hitter tricks but also with more than enough technically savvy combos and downright impressive feats of creativity.
I think it comes from a gaming background where it means „most effective tactics available“
Yep, I first heard it playing Path of Exile.
Meta character builds are what you want if you’re just getting into the game or trying to destroy all content as efficiently as possible until you can get enough in-game currency to fund your own builds.
So yea, meta tricks are for getting clicks.
In role playing games it means to utilize knowledge from outside the fantasy universe to gain an advantage in game. It’s verboten in that context but I believe the term is evolving into competitive endeavors, as before covid I heard mentions of it from the TCG communities like Keyforge and MTG. In that context I believe it means the current most relevant strategy to victory.
To add to this, it is usually called meta gaming, which simply means using knowledge from outside the game to gain an advantage in game. It also applies to games of other genres, such as Among Us, where meta gaming would be using what you know about other players tendencies and habits when they are a certain role to win the game. It can also be as simple as hearing the sound of a kill coming from someone’s mic (if the voice chat is improperly set up) to vote out the imposter.
Currently it’s the parent company of Facebook. But also yeah, it’s a what’s hot at the moment.
I suspect that “most effective tactics available” is a backronym. Meta in other realms of discussion means (as i understand it) to analyze the analysis. So, in the realm of competitive games, instead of simply playing the game, meta gaming is the “game” of figuring out how to play the game a certain way. like speed running. It’s also related to min/maxing stats.
I dunno. I started writing this before reading all the posts, and I think what I’m saying lines up with the last 4 posts, just a different way of saying it that probably doesn’t make as much sense, because I didn’t get enough sleep last night, and I didn’t mean to stay up this late.
So in summary, meta are tricks specifically designed to push the limits on the current judging system to gain as many points as possible?
It’s not really to push the limit per se. Meta tricks give the player a very good balance of risk, difficulty and points. In other words, meta tricks are not too difficult to pull off and aren’t very risky but they get a lot of points from the judges. Tricks that push the limit will likely be very high in difficulty and risk while also giving a huge amount of points if the player pulls it off.
In summary, it’s simultaneously what’s efficient for doing well at a competition, and what’s currently the popular and currently known most effective way to do that.
The key takeaway is that meta tricks aren’t inherently any different from other yoyo tricks and still have “flow” and can be “creative” and several other abstract terms that don’t mean a whole lot.
Meta tricks are just what a lot of people are currently doing in competitive play because it works. And what currently works will change and evolve as people get better and refine their routines. Or try entirely new things that end up being better. Comp yoyoing isn’t “solved” in that there’s a most optimal, or “best” way to do it. So people will try to advance the meta by making a more efficient combo packed with more string hits (clicks), things that are riskier and more difficult, or things choreographed to the music in certain ways. People are trying to push the limit, but that limit hasn’t been reached and keeps getting pushed further back as people get better and better at yoyoing .
If somebody is being anti-meta it doesn’t mean they’re doing non competitive stuff. It can mean they’re trying to build a combo/routine that’s unlike what most players will be expected to do. Anti-meta players and routines will try to be effective and score well while simultaneously being totally new or different. These things can eventually become the meta if they end up being effective and other players choose to start copying them.
Ah! String hits is one of the ways yoyo competitors are judged. That explains why speed combos are a lot of doing and undoing wraps and configurations.
Don’t know what it’s like in Yoyo but I think of meta gaming from a game theory way where you are playing to the rules trying to maximize chances to win etc. but the meta game is what the majority is favoring as the favored strategy or seen as optimal to win and the winners are the very best that challenge the meta game and are aware of it and try to beat it and the meta game adapts to them instead of the other way around idk what it’s like in Yoyo though but that is a common theme in other competitive scenes…don’t flay me please because I’m so far away from competing and don’t have any desire for that but I like watching it and boxing fans don’t need to be boxers to talk boxing technique…just a thought…