What does playing with matadors mean in skat?

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In the card game skat, matadors are the consecutive top trumps starting from the jack of clubs. They are used to calculate the game's value, which is a multiplier in the scoring process.

Whether a player is playing "with" or "against" matadors depends on the highest trump they hold:

Playing "with": If a declarer holds the jack of clubs, they are playing "with" as many consecutive top trumps as they possess. For example, holding the jack of clubs but missing the jack of spades means the player is "with one."
Playing "against": If the declarer’s highest trump is not the jack of clubs, they are playing "against" the missing top trumps. For instance, if the highest trump held is the jack of spades, the player is "against one."

The game value is affected by the total number of matadors involved, regardless of whether the player is playing "with" or "against" them. In a suit-trump game, there is a maximum of 11 possible matadors, while in a "grand" bid, there is a maximum of four.1