forge
An unofficial rules engine for the world's greatest card game.
The Lens
By Erik Loyd, SaaS CEO and former COO/CFO of an AWS Premier Partner.
Updated Aug 2026
Forge is a full rules engine for Magic: The Gathering that runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android for free. This is not a fan-made toy: it enforces the actual game rules across a massive card pool, with draft, sealed, Commander, cube, and a single-player adventure mode in the spirit of the old Shandalar game.
Setup is download, install Java 17 or later, and run. The Android build sideloads and pulls its own assets on first launch. It's GPL-3.0 and community-built, unaffiliated with Wizards of the Coast, which is exactly why it can cover formats the official products never will.
Use it to practice limited formats, test decks against an AI that doesn't embarrass itself, or play Commander offline. MTG Arena stays the polished official experience; Forge covers everything else.
The catch is the obvious one: it lives in Wizards of the Coast's legal shadow and always has. The interface is functional rather than pretty, and the AI still misplays complex board states.
Free vs Self-Hosted vs Paid
fully freeFree tier: Everything. Every format, every mode, the full card database, on desktop and Android.
Self-hosted: It's a desktop app, not a service. Install Java 17, download, play.
Paid: Nothing. There is no store, no cosmetics, no upsell. Compare that to the cost of drafting on MTG Arena and the appeal is clear.
Completely free and open source.
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Trust Signals
License: GNU General Public License v3.0
Commercial OK but must share source of modifications.
Commercial use: ✓ Yes
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