May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor

May the odds be ever in your favor refers to a memorable quote and catchphrase, originating from The Hunger Games series, used for wishing luck for both the contestants and those betting against them.

Online, the quote is widely used as a reaction image, or as an animated GIF, reacting to people attempting to perform an unlikely feat.

It is also often used cynically, likening certain aspects of capitalism, like Black Friday to The Hunger Games.

via MEME

The expression first emerged upon the release of The Hunger Games book in 2008, written by Suzanne Collins.

It also appears in the movie adaptation of the novel, the first of which was premiered in the United States on March 12^th, 2012.

Not long after the film premiere, a separated clip of the scene was uploaded to YouTube, depicting Effie Trinket (portrayed by Elisabeth Banks) is saying “May the odds be ever in your favor”, right after the tributes of The Hunger Games have been chosen – or have volunteered.

The video was shared by smilecloseup on August 31^th, 2012.

Over the years, fans of the series have been using the expression as an alternative to saying “good luck” both in real life conversations as well as online.

Alternatively, the scene has been turned into a popular reaction image macro and GIF on meme sites like 9GAG and FunnyJunk, as well as image and message boards.

Discussions and image macros featuring the phrase are still present online on sites such as Reddit, or Tumblr.

The online popularity of the quote was capitalized upon by the pop punk band Meet Me @ The Altar, when they released their song “May The Odds Be Ever in Your Favor” on April 10th, 2020.

The line was first defined on Urban Dictionary on October 9th, 2020.

• Woodwardenglish.com – May the odds be ever in your favor
• IMDb – Quotes of Elizabeth Banks: Effie Trinket