MGN FAQ

Masters Gaming Network (MGN) is an independent platform for Magic: The Gathering players, collectors, deck builders, and fans. The MGN Deck Builder sits at the center: research cards, build and manage decks, organize your collection and wishlist, discover public decks, and test decks with MGN Playtest. MGN also sells Magic cards and products through its official Whatnot and eBay stores.

Yes — the core MGN experience is available to Free Members. MGN Pro ($5/month) is an optional membership that provides additional features and higher or unlimited limits where applicable.

Public areas — Magic News, Card Database, Public Decks, Compare Decks, Members, MGN TV, Shop, Rip / Ship browsing, Learn, About, and this FAQ — can be browsed without an account. Your personal Decks, Collection, Wishlist, Play Now, Messages, buying rips, and your own MGN profile require an MGN account and profile.

No. Masters Gaming Network is an independent, unofficial fan utility. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Search and browse Magic cards with card images, Oracle text and card information, set and printing details, legality, and market references where available. From any card you can add it to a deck, your Collection, or your Wishlist.

Open Deck Builder and create a new deck. Search the card database on the left, add cards to the main deck, sideboard, or commander section, and adjust quantities inline. Assisted deck generation can build a starting deck for you, and your deck saves automatically to My Decks.

Yes. MGN includes a camera card scanner: pair your phone with the CONNECT PHONE QR code and scan physical cards — each scan identifies the card and adds it to your My Collection. MGN Admins use the same scanning to add real cards to the physical Rip / Ship selling inventory.

Yes. When creating a new deck or from the Deck Builder import controls, paste a decklist as plain text or open a .txt decklist file. MGN’s own TXT export round-trips exactly, and common decklist syntax (such as "4 Lightning Bolt" or "Sideboard:" headings) is accepted. Unknown card names are reported rather than invented.

Yes. From the export menu you can download a deck as TXT (with or without set printings) or as CSV, or copy the decklist to your clipboard. My Collection also offers a full JSON backup export of your MGN data (decks, deck cards, collection, and preferences).

All of your decks are in My Decks. Open one in the Deck Builder to keep working on it, duplicate it to experiment, export it, run a quick Draw Test, or use the Play button to launch it straight into Play Now.

Yes. In My Decks, the Play button hands that exact deck to Play Now as your deck — no re-selection needed. From Public Decks, the Play button sets that public deck as the opponent and has you choose one of your own decks to test against it. Compare Decks offers the same direct Play and Test Against actions for either deck being compared.

My Collection tracks the cards you own: quantities, foil copies, condition, purchase price, notes, and estimated value where pricing data is available. Collection exports include CSV and a JSON backup of your MGN data.

My Wishlist tracks cards you may want to acquire later, including wanted quantity, foil preference, priority, and target price, and shows how many copies you already own.

No. Your Collection and Wishlist are private to your account and are never shown to other members. MGN does not include member trading features.

Public Decks is a shared library of deck lists published by MGN members, plus curated sample decks. Browse by format or archetype, view full deck lists, see each deck owner’s public profile, compare decks, save copies to My Decks, or test them against one of your own decks.

Open Public Decks and use the publish option to publish one of your saved decks. Publishing creates a public snapshot of your deck — your private version stays yours, and you can unpublish at any time.

Yes. Use the heart icon on any public deck to save it for later. Your favorites are private to you.

Yes, where supported. Saving a public deck copies it into your own My Decks, subject to your current account limits. You can also copy and immediately test it.

When a member plays one of their published decks in a live public game, that deck’s Public Decks listing shows a LIVE NOW badge that links to the game so anyone can watch it free in view-only Observe mode. The badge only ever appears for decks the player has published — private decks are never linked.

Draw Test is a quick hand-testing utility. Shuffle a deck, inspect an opening hand, and step through draw progression — all without starting a Playtest match. New Hand gives you a fresh random hand for testing and statistics purposes.

Yes — Draw Test uses MGN’s implemented Magic opening-hand and mulligan procedure (London-style: draw a fresh seven, then choose cards to put on the bottom), so the way you mulligan matches the game’s current rules as supported by MGN.

Draw Test only simulates hands and draws — it is fast and lightweight for checking opening hands and mana flow. Playtest is the actual match environment with full turns, combat, and the stack.

Compare Decks shows two decks side-by-side with shared cards, cards only in Deck A, cards only in Deck B, quantity differences, and deck statistics. Hover or click any card to inspect it, and use the available Draw Test, Play, and Test Against actions on either deck. You can open Compare Decks from My Decks or Public Decks — another member’s private decks are never exposed.

Play Now is MGN’s match environment. It offers five ways to play on the same battlefield: Play Now (you vs a computer-controlled opponent — free), Spectate Match (Auto Play, the computer plays both decks; MGN Pro), Hot Seat (two players sharing one device; MGN Pro), Online PvP (a direct real-time challenge against another member — sending and accepting a challenge requires MGN Pro), and Public Games (free open matchmaking — host a game, join a waiting game, and watch live games in Observe mode).

Yes. The default Play Now mode is a manual match against a computer-controlled opponent deck from the Public Deck Library. The computer plays the opponent side while you play your own deck with full manual control.

Public Games is MGN’s open matchmaking hub, free for every registered member. From Play Now, open Public Games to host a game with one of your decks — you can give it a title, hide the deck name, and choose whether observers are allowed — or join a waiting game with your own deck. Joined games run on the same rules engine as every other mode. Hosts can remove their listing at any time.

Auto Play (MGN Pro) lets the computer take over a side of a match — including Spectate Match, where the computer plays both decks and you watch the game play out. Engaged mid-match, it hands one side to the computer while you watch.

Spectate Match (MGN Pro) uses Auto Play to let the computer play both decks while you watch — a hands-free way to see how two decks play out against each other. Watching other members’ live public games in Observe mode is a separate, free feature — see Public Games.

Hot Seat (MGN Pro) is a full rules match between two human players sharing one device. Each player keeps a private hand, and pass-the-device screens keep hidden information (like your opening hand) private between players. It uses the same MGN rules engine and legal-action system as every other mode.

Each match begins with the opening hands and a Keep / Mulligan decision using MGN’s implemented Magic opening-hand procedure. Once both players keep, the match begins.

Play lands and cast spells, respond on the stack, declare attackers and blockers, open the graveyard and exile zones, and follow the game in the Game Log. Auto Pay (automatic land tapping) is available to everyone.

No. Playtest is in active development. It is designed for deck testing and simulated Magic interactions, but it does not yet implement every Magic rule, mechanic, card interaction, or edge case. Rules support continues to expand as development continues.

The Game Log records the match as it happens — plays, attacks, zone changes, and key events turn by turn, ending with a summary of the match. Download Log saves it as a plain-text (.txt) file you can keep or share. Match logs are useful for reproducing gameplay problems, diagnosing how the engine behaved, reporting unexpected interactions to MGN, and improving MGN’s testing.

After a match ends you can review the final playfield — a read-only look at the battlefield as it stood when the game finished. The match screen also offers Restart (with a confirmation) and Concede.

Yes. Online PvP is a real-time head-to-head match against another member. Direct challenges require MGN Pro on both sides — the server verifies the challenger’s Pro when the challenge is sent and the invited member’s Pro when accepting. Declining a challenge is always free.

Open Play Now, choose Online PvP, pick your deck and an opponent from the member list, and send the challenge. You can also use the PVP CHALLENGE button on a member card in Members or on a member profile. Sending a challenge requires MGN Pro.

Both are real-time matches against other members on the same rules engine. Online PvP is a direct challenge: you pick a specific member, and sending and accepting the challenge requires MGN Pro (declining is always free). Public Games is free matchmaking: you list a game publicly, any registered member joins it, and anyone can watch in view-only Observe mode while the host allows it.

Another MGN Pro member challenged you to a match. Pending incoming challenges show a compact sword indicator with a count in the header and on the Online PvP button — click it to go straight to Play Now, where the full Incoming Challenges list lives.

Challenges are asynchronous — they persist server-side. An offline member receives the challenge and sees it the next time they open MGN, along with the header notification.

In the Online PvP lobby: an outgoing challenge has a Cancel button; a match that has not started yet has Cancel Match; an active match has End Match, which asks for a confirming click first. Ending an active match records it as abandoned with your opponent as the winner. Cancelled and ended matches leave your active Matches list but are never deleted — the match history is preserved.

No. Only a match’s two participants can cancel or end it — the server rejects anyone else. Cancelling one match never affects any other match or challenge.

If the match room cannot be reached, the match screen shows the connection stage and a Retry Connection button. Retry re-checks your match, your seat, and reconnects to the SAME room — it never sends a new challenge or creates a duplicate match. The app also keeps retrying automatically.

Yes. Every match includes its own live chat panel for the two players, separate from the game itself — a chat problem can never affect the match.

Only the two participants of that specific match. Every message is server-verified, and the chat is scoped to exactly that match — no other member can read it.

Chat messages are stored with the match. If you disconnect or reload, the chat reloads its history when you return — you do not lose the conversation.

Each MGN member can have a public profile with their avatar, @username, display name, bio, join date, favorite format and colors, a large Player Artwork showcase, and the decks they choose to publish. Your private account information, Collection, and Wishlist are never part of the public profile.

The crown identifies an active MGN Pro member. It does not represent ranking, reputation, seniority, or any special status beyond an active Pro membership.

A member with an ADMIN badge is an MGN administrator — it reflects the trusted admin role on their MGN account, never something a profile can set. Admin is completely separate from Pro: a Pro member does not get the badge, and an admin without Pro does not get the crown.

A member with a MOD badge is an MGN community moderator — a community member who helps keep MGN chats healthy by removing inappropriate messages in MGN TV chats. A MOD badge never grants administrator access: Moderators are not Admins, and moderation is their only staff capability.

Player Artwork is the large fantasy character illustration shown on a member’s Player Showcase. Choose yours from the MGN Player Art gallery in the profile editor — original MGN fantasy characters organized by color theme.

No. Your avatar is the small circular identity image shown throughout MGN. Player Artwork is a separate large illustration for your showcase — one never stretches into the other’s slot. Pro-marked gallery entries are reserved for future MGN Pro artwork.

Private Direct Messages are normally an MGN Pro feature available between two members who both have an active MGN Pro membership. There is one built-in exception: any member — including Free members — can message an MGN administrator, and MGN Admin can message any member, so support is always reachable. Direct Messages are asynchronous private messages — like email — not live chat, not a public chat room, and not a forum. Your inbox and open conversations update automatically while MGN is open, and unread messages are clearly marked in the header.

Yes — to MGN Admin. Any member, including Free members, can start a conversation with an MGN administrator (the members with the ADMIN badge) and reply to them — for questions, problem reports, or to share a playtest log. MGN Admin can also message any member. This is a support channel, not a social network — unrestricted member-to-member Direct Messages remain a Pro feature on both sides.

Every new member automatically receives one welcome message from MGN Admin when they create their profile. It is delivered exactly once through the normal Messages system, and you can reply to it at any time to reach the MGN team.

Yes — Direct Messages support plain-text .txt attachments, and you can download the original .txt file from a received message.

Yes. Download your match log from the Game Log (a .txt file) and attach it to a direct message — Pro members can attach it to any Pro-to-Pro message, and any member can attach one in a conversation with MGN Admin for support. Deck TXT exports can be shared the same way, as ordinary text attachments — receiving one does not automatically import the deck.

Card data, imagery, rulings references, legality, and pricing references are provided by Scryfall, a widely used third-party Magic: The Gathering data source. MGN also links to official reference pages and official marketplace listings where available.

Prices shown in MGN are informational market references from Scryfall’s pricing data. They are updated periodically and may not reflect real-time market conditions.

Not every printing or marketplace has pricing data available. When a price is missing, MGN shows it as unavailable rather than as a zero value.

No. All market information in MGN is informational only. Actual prices vary by printing, condition, marketplace, and timing — always confirm with the marketplace before buying or selling.

Open the MUSIC button in the header. You can play or pause, skip tracks, shuffle, repeat, toggle Music and SFX separately, adjust their volumes, pick from the track list, and reset your audio settings.

The twelve original MGN ambient tracks are free for every member. Pro tracks appear in the list with a crown and PRO tag and play with an active MGN Pro membership.

Settings includes a Background Artwork preference for the subtle page artwork behind MGN screens — turn it on or off to suit your setup.

A Free Member is a registered member using the core MGN tools at no cost: Card Database, Deck Builder (up to 10 saved decks), My Collection (up to 250 unique items), Wishlist, Public Decks, Members, Draw Test, Compare Decks, manual Playtest against the computer with Auto Pay, free Public Games (host, join, and Observe), and messaging with MGN Admin.

MGN Pro is an optional membership that unlocks premium features and higher or unlimited limits: unlimited saved decks, expanded collection capacity, Auto Play, Spectate Match, Hot Seat, Online PvP direct challenges with match live chat, Pro-to-Pro Direct Messages, Pro music tracks, and the Pro member crown. An MGN Pro subscription also helps support the continued development, hosting, maintenance, improvement, and expansion of Masters Gaming Network. It is a standard subscription, not a donation.

MGN Pro is $5 per month or $50 per year. You can choose MGN Pro while creating your profile, or upgrade later from Settings. Subscriptions are handled securely through Stripe and can be managed any time from Settings.

Using MGN earns Activity Points on the MGN Activity Leaderboard. Free members compete for monthly rewards — the #1 eligible Free member each month can win the current physical MTG prize — and Pro members compete for weekly Top 3 physical pack prizes. You can also earn physical MTG packs by referring new members through your personal referral link.

Only what you put on your public MGN profile: avatar, @username, display name, bio, Player Artwork, and decks you deliberately publish. Your email, Collection, Wishlist, private decks, and Direct Messages are never shown to other members.

Yes. Direct Messages are visible only between the two participants. MGN staff does not read member Direct Messages as a normal practice.

MGN does not include public forums, member trading, friends, or follows. Community conversation lives in MGN TV — the Global Chat room for everyone hanging out in MGN TV, plus each creator’s live-session Live Chat — alongside Pro-to-Pro Direct Messages, live chat between the two participants of a PvP match, and free messaging with MGN Admin.

MGN TV is MGN’s community TV hub. It brings together the official MGN Whatnot broadcast, live MGN public matches you can watch free, and MGN Pro creators’ channels — each creator’s public streaming and social links in one place. It is open whenever you visit MGN TV, whether anyone is currently live or not.

MGN Pro members can publish a creator channel: a tagline plus their public YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, X, store, or other links. When a creator is streaming, they use GO LIVE to show a red LIVE dot on their card, and viewers follow the stream through the creator’s own links. Each creator manages their own channel, and END LIVE closes the session while its chat history is preserved.

The red LIVE indicator in the global header marks the official MGN Whatnot broadcast and links to MGN TV. A red dot on a creator card means that individual creator has gone LIVE — it is completely separate from the official MGN broadcast and never affects the global indicator.

There are two separate chats. The MGN TV Global Chat is the general room for everyone hanging out in MGN TV: every member can read it live, and posting is available to MGN Pro members, Admins, and Moderators. Each creator’s Live Chat is attached to that creator’s live session and follows the same posting rule — the creator, MGN Admins, and Moderators can remove inappropriate messages there. Removed messages are hidden as [removed] and the history stays preserved.

The MGN TV Global Chat is one persistent community room — it stays available whether anyone is live or not. A creator’s Live Chat exists only for that creator’s live session, and its history is preserved with that session. They are separate conversations and are never merged.

The MGN Shop links to Masters Gaming Network’s official external sales channels, such as our Whatnot and eBay stores. Purchases happen on those platforms. Additional marketplaces, including a TCGplayer storefront, may be added later.

MGN Merch is MGN apparel and branded merchandise — separate from the Shop. The merchandise collection is currently in preview; designs, sizing, pricing, and ordering are coming soon.

Rip / Ship lets you buy a random rip of real physical Magic cards pulled from MGN’s actual selling inventory — the same stock MGN sells through its stores. You choose an available rip preference (random, or by color or creature), purchase it through a secure one-time checkout, open the MGN virtual pack, and reveal the exact physical cards the server randomly pulled and reserved for you.

Yes. Every rip is generated from MGN’s real scanned physical inventory. The server selects exact physical copies and reserves them for your order the moment your payment is verified server-side — no one else can receive them, and a rip is final once it opens: there are no rerolls.

The server randomly selects exactly the configured number of eligible physical copies from MGN’s selling inventory for your chosen preference — each inventory row can be picked at most as many times as it has real copies. Selection happens entirely server-side, only after your payment is verified.

The MGN Vault holds real physical cards you own that MGN keeps securely for you — for example, rip cards you chose to save instead of shipping. Your Vault is private: it is visible only to you and MGN Admin.

No. The MGN Vault is a record of real physical cards MGN is physically holding for you. My Collection is your normal collection tracking — a private list of cards you own wherever they are. Saving a card to your Vault does not add it to My Collection; the two are never mixed.

Ship to Me sends your exact rip cards to you through MGN’s existing order fulfillment — the cards are queued for shipping. You choose it per revealed card, so you can ship some cards and vault or sell back others.

You can sell back revealed rip cards to MGN for 80% of their market value at reveal time, paid as MGN Store Credit. The exact physical copies return to MGN’s available selling inventory, and the sell-back is final.

MGN Store Credit is account credit on your MGN balance, earned mainly through rip sell-backs. Your current balance and full transaction history are shown with your Vault.

No. Store Credit is account credit — it is not cash and cannot be withdrawn as money.

MGN Deck Builder is currently released as version v3.6.9 — shown in the footer of every page and in the What’s New section of the About page. Core features are live and stable, while features, card interactions, Playtest behavior, and interface details continue to be developed and improved.

Use the Contact page to reach the MGN team, or send a message to MGN Admin from the Messages page. If you hit a reproducible Playtest issue, include what you did and what happened — downloading the match log from the Game Log and sharing the details helps MGN reproduce and fix the issue faster.

MGN Deck Builder is accessible through the web on desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone browsers. Playtest offers a touch-friendly layout on phones and tablets — you can play in landscape after the on-screen device note, though a desktop or laptop browser is still recommended for the full battlefield experience. All other MGN tools remain available on mobile devices.