Deck Builder Blog
Guides, tips, and release notes for scanning, managing, and shuffling your card decks.
What's new in Deck Builder 3.8.1
Deck Builder 3.8.1 fixes a crash that stopped the app opening on some devices, and the browser version gains Deck Store publishing, art uploads and multiple Pass and Play games.
What Is a Custom Deck Builder? How to Build Your Own Card Deck
How a custom deck builder works, and how to create a virtual card deck free in your browser or on Android: add cards, shuffle, draw, and print.
How to share several cards at once as card files
Move a hand-picked set of designed cards between devices with card files, keeping every Card Designer scene editable, and import a whole batch in one go.
What's new in Deck Builder 3.8.0
Deck Builder 3.8.0 brings the full app to your browser in 17 languages, adds bulk card-file sharing, and makes Pro follow your account.
How to build a deck in your browser
Build a card deck in the Deck Builder web app: create it, add cards, then shuffle and draw, all at your desk with no phone and no install.
What's new in Deck Builder 3.7.0
Deck Builder 3.7.0 makes the first launch instant with a built-in demo deck, opens Deck Store publishing to everyone for free, and fixes deck splitting so your cards keep their original order.
The Best App to Make and Playtest Your Own Card Game
The best apps to make your own card game, compared: design cards, playtest the deck, and export print-ready PDFs. Which one fits you?
How to Turn a Physical Deck Into a Digital Deck of Cards
Turn any physical deck into a digital deck of cards you can shuffle, draw, and play on your phone. How a deck simulator works, and why.
How to Make Your Own Card Game: A Step-by-Step Guide
Make your own card game step by step: the idea, the card list, designing card faces, building the deck, and playtesting before you print.
How to Shuffle a Deck of Cards Fairly (and Why True Randomness Matters)
How many shuffles make a deck fair? Seven riffles by hand, or one Fisher-Yates pass in a digital shuffler. Here is the math behind it.
Design better cards: borders, fonts, and pixel-precise controls
Deck Builder's Card Designer now has preset borders, per-text fonts and sizes, and a Fine-tune panel to move, scale, and rotate any object by exact steps. Here is how to use all three.
Share a Deck Store deck with a link that opens the app
Deck Builder 3.6.0 adds a Share action to every Deck Store deck. Send the link to a friend and, on Android with Deck Builder installed, it opens straight to that deck. Here is how.
Smoother, faster card draws and swipes
Deck Builder 3.6.0 makes drawing and swiping cards in a deck simulation feel instant, with the draw pile keeping up even during rapid swipes. Here is what changed and how to feel it.
What's new in Deck Builder 3.6.0
Deck Builder 3.6.0 supercharges the Card Designer with preset borders, per-text fonts and pixel-precise nudging, makes card draws and swipes smoother, and lets you share Deck Store decks with a link that opens the app.
Set a custom card back in Deck Builder
Give a deck its own card back, or a single card a back of its own. Here is how custom card backs work in Deck Builder, and the one-tap way to make a back the deck default.
Group your decks into collections in Deck Builder
A Deck Collection lets you draw from several decks in one session, with each deck keeping its own rules. Here is how to create a collection, add decks, and manage it in Deck Builder.
Every way to add cards to a deck in Deck Builder
Five ways to add cards to a deck in Deck Builder: search Magic cards, design a card, add photos, scan with the camera, or import a file.
Start faster with Card Designer layout presets
Deck Builder's Card Designer now offers preset layouts (Title & Text, Trading Card, Creature Card, Monster Card) so you can start a new card with the text already arranged.
How to import a deck from a CSV or JSON file
Import a whole deck from a CSV or JSON file in Deck Builder. Map each column to a card field, and see the exact format with examples.
Export and import a single card in Deck Builder
Share one card as an image, PDF, JSON, CSV, or Deck Builder file, and import single cards back into any deck. Here is how single-card export and import work in Deck Builder 3.5.0.
What's new in Deck Builder 3.5.0
Deck Builder 3.5.0 adds single-card export & import (image, PDF, JSON, CSV), CSV deck import with a column mapper, preset layouts in the Card Designer, opening .dbpd/.dbpc files from other apps, Deck Store license credits, and bug fixes.
How to turn any deck into print-ready cards
Deck Builder 3.4.0 can export any deck as a print-ready PDF with cut guides at real card size, or as an editable bundle of PNG fronts and backs plus an SVG per card for Affinity and Adobe.
How to play with friends on one device with Pass & Play
Play multiplayer on one phone: Pass & Play gives 2 to 4 players their own deck and board, and shows only the active player's hand.
How to publish your deck to the Deck Store
Deck Builder 3.4.0 lets you publish decks you build, including Card Designer creations, straight to the Deck Store so other players can discover and download them.
What's new in Deck Builder 3.4.0
Deck Builder 3.4.0 adds Pass & Play local multiplayer, print-ready PDF export, editable image bundles, publishing Card Designer decks to the Deck Store, saved layouts, and bug fixes.
What's new in Deck Builder 3.3.0
Deck Builder 3.3.0 adds per-card life tracking in the In-Play zone, typo-tolerant search, a Discord community link, install links on shared decks and cards, smoother animations, and several bug fixes.
How to playtest your print-and-play card game before you print it
Playtest and balance your print-and-play card game digitally in Deck Builder first, then print the final version. Save ink and paper on throwaway prototypes.
How do I scan a physical Magic card into Deck Builder?
Scan a Magic: The Gathering card with your phone camera. Deck Builder reads it with OCR and adds the exact printing to your deck.
How to do tarot readings on your phone with a digital deck
Do tarot and oracle readings on your phone: a real shuffle, reversed cards, and any spread, using your own scanned deck.
What's new in Deck Builder 3.2.0
Deck Builder 3.2.0 adds a guided first-run onboarding, a per-deck Notes screen, in-session card search, deck split & merge, new card gestures, a deal-out reveal animation, and more.
How do I merge two decks in Deck Builder?
Merge another deck into the one you are playing in Deck Builder, so the cards of both decks share a single draw pile during the game.
How do I search my cards during a game in Deck Builder?
Learn how to search the cards in your hand, discard pile, and in-play area mid-game in Deck Builder, so you can find any card instantly instead of scrolling.
How do I split a deck into smaller piles in Deck Builder?
Step-by-step guide to splitting a deck's draw pile into several smaller piles in Deck Builder, great for dealing out hands or setting up encounters.