As I’ve been writing these articles, I’ve actually been surprised by the limited number of Magic: The Gathering applications on the Android Market. The platform is far more open than the iPhone when it comes to development, and the entry cost is far lower. Still, when I went searching for card databases and deck-builders, I was only able to come up with three reasonable pieces of software, one of which I reviewed back in my original article on life counters.

When dealing with Android applications, your choices are a little more limited than when using the iPhone. If you want a specific feature, chances are you’re only going to find it in one app, so do your research! I’m hoping we see some Android developers pick up the pace with new Magic apps, because there’s room in the market for someone to make a serious impact.

Name: Magic TG Tracker Pro

Price: free/$1.45 (Free Version / Pro Version)

Card database: yes

Deck-builder: yes

I have reviewed this awkwardly named product before, and what I said in that article still stands true. It’s a great life counter. So how do the other features stand up? Not bad. Searching and adding cards to the deck is relatively easy, but the workflow can feel a little disjointed. Once you’ve created a deck, the stats that are shown are pretty basic. What I do like is that when you use the life counter, you can set which decks you and your opponent are using. The app keeps track of wins and losses for each deck, and you can view these stats from the deck editor.

The card database can be accessed from anywhere in the app by clicking on the magnifying glass in the upper-right-hand corner of the software. The search features are pretty robust, and you can choose to filter results by color, set and type. After selecting a search result, the Oracle wording for the card will come up, along with other pertinent card information. You can click the image tab to view a full-sized image of the card, and there is the option to view the card in Gatherer or MagicCards.info. Viewing the card info will open up a Web view, but it doesn’t drop you out of the app. This is currently the only way to view card prices in MTG Tracker Pro.

The app is good, and still the best all-around app on the Android platform.

Name: MTG Deck Forge

Price: $4.29 (Android Marketplace)

Card database: yes

Deck-builder: yes

Mobile applications that cost more than $2 make me cringe when I purchase them. On the Android Market, especially, software quality can be kind of mixed due to Google’s lack of an application-approval process. However, MTG Deck Forge is a solid app and works hard to earn your money. The deck-building portion of the app is probably the best in class on Android, allowing you to quickly search and add cards to whatever brew you are working on. There are detailed statistics for whatever you are working on, and there are rudimentary functions to show you a sample hand and how the deck would draw out.

A cool part about the sample-hand part of the application is that it includes a life counter and turn clock, so you can tell exactly how fast your deck goldfishes. There is also a pricing tab that will price out the entire deck and show you prices for individual cards.

The card-search feature is probably the best of any Android app that I’ve seen. Tabs at the top of the card-information page allow you to view Oracle rulings and different editions of the cards. This is also the only Android app I found that has updated card pricing without having to go to an external website.

This app could definitely use the touch of a graphic designer. All of the interfaces seem to be default Android UI for the most part, and the layout is a bit confusing. Especially for its price, I would have expected the developer to pair up with an artist to make the app looks like it deserves.

If you are looking for a card database without any other bells and whistles, this one is very good. If the price doesn’t scare you off, it’s worth the download.

Name: MTG Tutor

Price: Free (Android Market Link)

Card database: yes

Deck-builder: no

Rounding out the software that I’m reviewing today is MTG Tutor. It has a built-in, offline card database for quick access to Oracle readings, and a fairly unique way of displaying them that is clear and easy to read. Unfortunately there is no way to see card prices, nor is there a deck-building feature within the application. Still, the app is free and sports polished graphics and an easy-to-use interface.

The most interesting part of this application, and one of the reasons I’m including it in the review, is that it includes a rules database and glossary. This is very useful for new players, or even experienced players who need to settle an argument.

Wrap-Up

That’s it for this week! I’m not sure what I’m going to be covering in my next article, so if you have an idea for something you’d like to see, send me an e-mail at spork at thehappywalrus dot com, or message me on Twitter @The_Spork.