Pseudonerding

I'm writing this on Monday night, and I'm watching a Magic deck construction in progress. I haven't really played any of the last Magic set (like at all) and am feeling a little overwhelmed and uncomprehending. I'm quiet since I don't really have anything to contribute to this conversation, and I'm wondering if perhaps I've been out of the loop too long. I'm about to see a Devastating Titans deck charge against a discard deck (I think), which should be highly entertaining.

I suspect my problem is that I was introduced to nerding too late in life. My first exposure to popular fantasy culture came from Lord of the Rings (one could argue that was part of my first exposure to life in general), and while I can play Magic and Dungeons & Dragons and Runescape, there are other parts of my nerd education that I fear may be too late to catch up on. I've listened to people talking for hours about different comic book worlds and characters and Star Wars this and Star Trek that and I fear that I may never reach the point where I can sort the Marvel heroes from the DC heroes with anything resembling accuracy.

Aaaaand both decks just discarded three cards and Devastating Titans take six to the head. Discard deck is shaking his head; it appears as though we have an interesting situation shaping up.

I've been called a nerd before, but it is for these reasons that I feel I am not worthy of the title. I simply was not indoctrinated in the comic / roleplaying world at an early enough age. The most I can hope is to be a pseudonerd--able to say Hello, Where is the Restroom? but unable to give a doctoral thesis in the Language of Nerding.