"The Play" is the moment in a game of Magic the Gathering that a
Death and Taxes style deck takes control of the game to the point where there's a less than 25% chance of recovery.
This usually comes from breaking parity or a specific hate piece resolving,
Death and Taxes decks win several turns before
the game is over.
"...and there is The Play, after 9 turns of
back and forth removal Steve finally resolves a Leyline of the Void, all but ensuring his victory."
"While we didn't know it at the time, The Play this game was a turn 2 winter orb. Who could have guessed an
artifact deck would have such a
hard time against it?"