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Posted by Piotr
 - March 28, 2026, 08:37:28 AM
# iMtG User Guide

iMtG is a Magic: The Gathering companion app for iOS.

---

## Main Menu

The main menu is organized into sections. The default layout is:

| Section | Items |
|---------|-------|
| 1 | Life Counter |
| 2 | Deck Builder |
| 3 | Gathering, Multiverse |
| 4 | Card Database, Bookmarks, Expansions, Scan, I'm Feeling Lucky |
| 5 | Magic Binders, My Precious, Needed, Trade Binder |
| 6 | Trading, Price Check, Update Private Page, Potential Trades |
| 7 | Rules, Glossary, Ask |
| 8 | Help, Support and Feedback, Shop, Settings |
| 9 | About |

### Reordering the Menu

Shake the device to enter edit mode. Drag and drop items to rearrange. Shake again to save. A "Reset to defaults" button appears in the bottom-left corner during edit mode.

---

## Life Counter

Tracks life totals for Magic games. Supports multiple players. In two-player mode, the opponent's side is displayed upside-down so both players can read from opposite sides of the device.

Features: adjustable starting life, poison counters, game timer, game log, peer-to-peer connectivity to another iMtG device.

---

## Deck Builder

Opens the deck list. Tap a deck to view and edit it, or create a new one.

Free users can create 1 deck. The Multiple Decks purchase unlocks unlimited.

### Deck Tools

From the deck list gear menu:
- Import from Dropbox (browse and select deck files)
- Copy from Pasteboard (paste a .dec format deck list)

### Inside a Deck

Search cards to add, set quantities, designate sideboard and commander cards. View mana curve, color distribution, and mana symbol breakdown.

### Import/Export Formats

| Format | Extension |
|--------|-----------|
| MagicCards.info | `.dec` |
| CSV | `.csv` |
| iMtG Deck | `.imtgdeck` |

---

## Card Database

Browse and search the complete card library. Data sourced from Scryfall.

### Search

Type in the search bar to find cards by name. Use the filter button for advanced filtering.

### Filters

The filter window offers the following criteria:

- **Text search** — Search by name, types, or oracle text (toggle each scope)
- **Last Print Only** — Show only the most recent printing of each card
- **Colors** — Filter by mana color; options for exact match and exclude unselected
- **Rarity, Type, Subtype, Expansion, Format, Mana Cost, Power, Toughness, Glossary** — Tap to open a selection list; choose one or more values; toggle between Or, And, and Not logic
- **Binder / Deck** — Filter to cards in specific binders or decks
- **Predicate** — Advanced NSPredicate editor for power users (opens full screen)

The shuffle button resets all filters to defaults.

### View Modes

Three layouts, selectable from the gear menu: List, Grid, and Flow (carousel).

### Card Details

Tap a card to see: image, name, type, expansion, collector number, artist, mana cost, oracle text, prices (USD, USD Foil, EUR, Tix), format legalities, official rulings, and which of your decks and binders contain this card.

---

## Magic Binders

Collection management. Each binder holds card entries with quantity, condition (Mint through Poor), foil status, language, signed status, notes, and photo attachments.

Free users can create up to 3 binders. The Unlimited Binders purchase removes this limit.

Binders can be merged (combine two binders into one) and exported via email with CSV attachment.

---

## My Precious / Needed / Trade Binder

These are quick-access views that show cards across your binders filtered by type:

- **My Precious** — Cards in binders of type "My Precious" or "My Precious Trade Binder" (binder types 0, 4)
- **Needed** — Cards in binders of type "Needed" (binder type 2)
- **Trade Binder** — Cards in binders of type "Trade Binder" or "My Precious Trade Binder" (binder types 1, 4)

---

## Scan

Point your camera at a Magic card. The app uses Apple Vision (on-device text recognition) to identify the card name. After recognition, add the card to a deck or binder.

### AR Scanner

The AR Scanner detects multiple cards in the camera view and draws overlays around each recognized card in real time. A haptic tap confirms each new card recognized. Tap "Add to My Precious" to add the current card to your binder without leaving the scanner — a running count shows how many cards you've added this session.

On iPhone Pro models with macro lens capability, the scanner automatically switches to the macro lens when you bring the camera close to a card.

### Autofocus

The scanner uses continuous autofocus that tracks the detected card. Tap the viewfinder to manually refocus on a specific area.

Limited free scans available. Full scanner requires the Scanner purchase.

Requires a device with a camera.

---

## I'm Feeling Lucky

Opens a random card from the database.

---

## Expansions

Browse all Magic: The Gathering sets. Each expansion shows its name, set icon, release date, and card count. Tap a set to browse all cards in it.

---

## Bookmarks

Quick-access saved searches.

### System Bookmarks

- In Collection — Cards that exist in your owned binders
- Not In Collection — Cards you don't have
- In Decks — Cards used in any of your decks
- Not In Decks — Cards not in any deck
- Non-basic Lands — Lands that are not basic lands

### Custom Bookmarks

Save any card filter configuration as a named bookmark. Custom bookmarks sync across devices via iCloud.

---

## Price Check

Shows all cards with their market prices. Sort and filter by price, rarity, and set.

---

## Trading

Trade Magic cards with other iMtG users. The trading system connects your binder collection with the Gathering community to find matches and negotiate trades.

Requires the Trading purchase (or Have it All).

### Trade Binder

Your Trade Binder contains cards you are willing to trade away. Add cards to it from the Binders screen. Cards in a "My Precious Trade Binder" (type 4) appear in both your personal collection and your trade list.

Trade binders display sell pricing -- card values are multiplied by the Sell Price Factor configured in Settings.

### Needed

Your Needed binder contains cards you are looking for. Potential Trades uses this list to find matching trade partners.

### Trading (Trade View)

Opens a two-column trade editor. The left column shows cards you receive; the right column shows cards you give. Cards are displayed in cover-flow carousels.

- **Add cards**: Tap the + button on either side to search and add cards.
- **Remove cards**: Tap the - button to remove the currently displayed card.
- **Clone cards**: Tap the clone button to duplicate the current card entry.
- **Scan**: Use the scan button to add cards via camera recognition.
- **Trade status**: Cycle through agreement states (open, you agree, they agree, both agree).
- **Peer-to-peer**: Connect directly with another iMtG device via Multipeer Connectivity.
- **Chat**: Message your trade partner in real time.

Trade data is saved automatically and persists between sessions.

### Potential Trades

Connects to the Gathering community server to find users whose needed cards match your trade binder and vice versa. Results show:

- Trade partner name and avatar
- How recently they were active
- Number of matching cards (have/want)

Tap a potential trade partner to view details, then start a trade with that user. Use the search bar to filter results by name.

Internet connection required.

### Update Private Page

Posts your current trade binder and needed cards to your private profile page on the Gathering forum, so other users can find you as a potential trade partner.

### Card Counts

In card detail views, the "Trade" count shows how many copies of that card exist across your Trade Binder and My Precious Trade Binder combined (binder types 1 and 4).

---

## Gathering

In-app browser for the iMtG community forum at imtgapp.com. The app remembers your last visited page.

Toolbar buttons: Home, Back, Refresh, Gear (tools menu), Profile, Messages (with unread count badge).

Deck and trade links in the forum open natively in the app. External links open in Safari. The gear menu includes: Share Deck, Update Private Page, Go Safari, and Replies (unread replies).

A search bar with two scopes (Gathering forum search, Google site-restricted search) is available via the filter button.

---

## Multiverse

Map view. Shows nearby players using location data from the Gathering forum.

---

## Rules

The complete Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules, downloaded from Wizards of the Coast. Searchable by rule number or text. Available offline once downloaded.

---

## Glossary

Alphabetical index of Magic keywords and game terms with definitions.

---

## Ask

Opens the Gathering forum's Q&A board (board 14).

---

## Help

Opens the Gathering forum's Help board (board 2).

---

## Try Play

Game recording mode. Records play sessions with game zones.

---

## Support and Feedback

Opens an action sheet with options to report a problem or email the author. Both compose an email with device and app information pre-filled.

---

## Shop

In-app purchases:

| Purchase | What It Unlocks |
|----------|----------------|
| Have it All | All features below |
| Multiple Decks | Unlimited decks (free: 1) |
| Unlimited Binders | Unlimited binders (free: 3) |
| Scanner | Unlimited card scanning |
| Trading | Trading features |
| Translations | Multilingual card names |
| QR Codes | QR codes for binder entries |
| No Ads | Remove advertisements |

Purchases sync across devices via iCloud.

---

## Settings

App configuration: themes (light and dark variants), currency selection, exchange rate, display language, card language, Dropbox backup and restore, database update (re-import from Scryfall).

On first launch, the app automatically selects a dark theme if iOS is in dark mode.

---

## About

Opens imtgapp.com/legal.html in Safari (reader mode).

---

## Offline Use

Once the card database is downloaded, the following work without internet: card search, deck building, binder management, life counter, rules, and glossary. Card images are available offline if previously viewed.

Internet is required for: initial database download, price updates, Gathering forum, Dropbox sync, Potential Trades, and card image first load.

---

## Accessibility

iMtG supports VoiceOver throughout the app. Screen titles are announced on navigation, cards and buttons are labeled, and interactive elements include action hints. The Life Counter labels damage buttons with player names, and the AR Scanner announces recognized card names and prices.

---

## URL Schemes

The app responds to `imtg://` URLs and opens `.dec`, `.csv`, and `.imtgdeck` files shared from other apps.