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An XMage alternative, for the half of you who should switch
People look for an XMage alternative for two different reasons, and they want opposite things. One group wants the rules enforced but cannot live with the download, the interface or the cards that are not implemented yet. The other group has realised they do not want the rules enforced at all — they want a quick table with a friend, the way paper works. Untap.in is an answer for the second group and not for the first, and it is better to say so on the first screen than to have you find out in a game.
Play-test a deck nowin your browser · nothing to install
Stay on XMage if
You are learning the rules, or testing whether an interaction works the way you think, or you play with people who argue. A rules engine settles all of that, and XMage is the free one. Its costs are the download and the interface, and the occasional card that is missing or wrong, and for a lot of players those costs are worth paying. Nothing on this page will give you enforcement in a browser; the only other enforced client is Magic Online, which is official, Windows-only, and costs money for cards.
Switch if
| XMage | Untap.in | |
|---|---|---|
| Rules | Enforced: stack, priority, triggers, legality | Your table decides |
| Runs on | Desktop, Java | Browser, phone and tablet |
| New cards | When a volunteer implements them | The day they are in the database, every one |
| Commander | Yes, 3–10 seats | Yes, 4 seats free, 6 with Power Up |
| Solo | Against the AI | Solo goldfish, or Deck vs Deck with your own lists |
| Undo | Within what the rules allow | Rewind the whole table to any earlier action |
| Replays and voice | No | Every game recorded; voice in the table |
| Other games | Magic | 60 card games |
You want to play-test a list tonight, in a browser, with a friend who will not install Java. You want a brand-new card to work the moment it is spoiled rather than when it is implemented. You want to try a line, see it go wrong, and rewind the table to try the other one. You want the game recorded. You play more than one card game. Those are the things a shared table does and a rules engine does not, and they are what Untap.in is for.
What a trusted table does instead of enforcing
It does the bookkeeping and leaves the decisions. 43,916 Magic cards carry a script: a button that does what the card's text asks for — the draw, the token, the counter — through your own actions, and asks before a trigger fires. Every card in your hand shows its cost, and Pay taps the lands that cover it and floats the rest. Counters, life, commander damage and the log stay in sync for every seat. None of it stops an illegal play, which is the whole difference, and the whole point for the people who want it.
Moving over
XMage decks are text files. Open one, copy the list, paste it into Decks → Import on Untap.in. If the list lives on Moxfield, Archidekt or one of 32 other sites, paste the URL instead. New Game → Magic → send the link, and the friend joins in the browser.
Frequently asked questions
Does Untap.in enforce the rules like XMage?
No. Untap.in is a shared table that trusts the players, like paper. If you want enforcement, XMage is the free option and Magic Online the paid one.
Is there a browser version of XMage?
No. XMage is a Java desktop client. Untap.in runs in the browser but does not enforce rules.
Why would I give up rules enforcement?
Speed and completeness: every card works immediately, a game sets up in a minute, and a misclick is a Rewind away. Most play-testing wants that; most rules learning does not.
Can I play Commander on Untap.in like on XMage?
Yes. A table opens with 4 seats, 6 with Power Up, with voice, counters and a replay of the game.
Can I import my XMage decks?
Yes. They are text lists; paste one into Decks → Import.
Can I use both?
Plenty of people do: XMage when the question is about the rules, a table when the question is about the deck.
Bring a list
Import a deck, goldfish a few hands, then open a table and send your pod the link. It runs in the browser, and the first play-test takes about as long to set up as reading this did.
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