The XMage deck editor is a full-featured deckbuilding workspace embedded directly in the client. It gives you access to the entire card database — over 31,000 unique cards and 91,000+ reprints — and lets you build, refine, validate, import, and export decks without leaving the application. The editor is used both for pre-game deckbuilding and during in-game draft and sideboarding phases, so the same interface covers every stage of play.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/magefree/mage/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Opening the Deck Editor
You can reach the deck editor from several places:- Main menu bar → Deck Editor — opens a standalone editor window at any time, even while other games are running.
- New Table dialog — when you create or join a game that requires a deck, the editor opens inline so you can select or build one before confirming.
- Draft/Sealed phase — the editor opens automatically after a draft or sealed pool is generated so you can build your limited deck.
The Card Selector Panel
The left side of the editor contains the Card Selector — a filterable, searchable browser of the full XMage card database. Filters update the card list in real time.Search
The search bar accepts card names, mana cost symbols (e.g.{W}, {U}, {C}), rules text, and card types. Use quotes for an exact-match search. Checkboxes beside the search bar let you restrict matching to:
- Names — card name only
- Types — type line (creature type, card type)
- Rules — oracle text / rules box
- Unique — collapse reprints to show only one copy per card name
Filter Toggles
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Color | White, Blue, Black, Red, Green, Colorless, Multicolor — click to toggle; Ctrl+click to solo |
| Type | Land, Creature, Artifact, Enchantment, Instant, Sorcery, Planeswalker, Battle — click to toggle |
| Rarity | Common, Uncommon, Rare, Mythic, Special — icon buttons in the toolbar |
| Expansion / Set | A searchable set picker (the expansion search button) lets you filter by one or more sets |
Building a Deck
Open the Deck Editor
From the main menu, click Deck Editor. An untitled deck tab opens. The left panel shows the card database; the right panel shows your deck and sideboard.
Search and filter cards
Type a card name or keyword in the search bar, or use the color, type, and rarity toggles to browse. The card count label updates as filters are applied.
Add cards to the main deck
Double-click a card in the selector to add one copy to the main deck. Right-click for additional options (add multiple copies, add to sideboard). Drag-and-drop is also supported.
Build the sideboard
Click the Sideboard area at the bottom-right of the deck panel and double-click cards from the selector to add them there. Most constructed formats allow up to 15 sideboard cards.
Select a deck format for validation
In the Legality panel, choose a format (e.g. Constructed – Standard, Variant Magic – Commander). The validator immediately highlights illegal cards and reports deck-size violations.
Format Validation
The Deck Legality panel runs the same validators used by the server when you sit down at a table. Select any supported deck type from the dropdown, and the panel immediately shows:- ✅ Cards that are legal
- ❌ Cards that are banned or not in the selected format’s card pool
- Deck size and sideboard size compliance (e.g. 100-card singleton for Commander, 60+ for Standard)
- Color-identity violations (Commander formats)
Importing Decks
XMage supports two import methods:- Import from File
- Import from Clipboard
Click the Import button (deck-in icon) in the deck editor toolbar, then choose Import from file. A file chooser opens that accepts:
.dck— XMage’s native deck format.dck_info— XMage deck format with additional metadata
Exporting Decks
The Export button (deck-out icon) offers two options:- Export to file — opens a save dialog. Choose from all formats registered in
DeckFormats, including.dck(XMage native) and.dck_info. The client remembers the last export folder. - Export to clipboard — opens the
DeckExportClipboardDialog, which shows the deck list in plain text ready to copy into any external site or tool.
Card Preview
Hover over any card in the card selector or the deck list to see a full-size card image with complete oracle text in the Big Card preview panel. Clicking a card also updates the preview. The image is downloaded on first view and cached locally; configure your image source in Preferences → Images.Cube Lists and Draft
When participating in a Cube Draft tournament, the deck editor opens in draft-pick mode. The left panel shows the current booster pack; double-click a card to draft it. After the draft, the editor switches to construction mode where you build your 40-card deck from the cards you picked. You can also import a cube as a.dck file and use it as the card pool for a Cube From Deck draft tournament — see the Tournaments page for details.
The Deck Generator
The deck editor includes a built-in Deck Generator (accessible via the toolbar). Supply a color combination and a format, and it automatically builds a sample deck from available cards. This is useful for quickly spinning up a test opponent or generating a starting point you can refine manually.Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Add card to deck | Double-click |
| Remove one copy | Right-click → Remove |
| Search | Type in the search bar, press Enter |
| Save deck | Ctrl+S |
| Import | Ctrl+I (or toolbar button) |
| Export | Ctrl+E (or toolbar button) |