How to Search MTG Cards: Scanner, Filters, and Semantic Search Guide

Finding the right Magic card shouldn't require memorizing 30,000+ card names. This guide shows you three powerful ways to search our database: physical card scanning, traditional filters, and AI-powered semantic search. Each method solves different problems—choose based on what you're trying to do.

Three Ways to Search

1. Physical Card Scanner (Fastest)

Use when: You're holding a physical card and want pricing, alternate printings, or deck suggestions.

How it works:

1. Navigate to /scan or click "📸 Scan" in header
2. Upload photo or use phone camera
3. Get results in 3-5 seconds with:
   • Hybrid matching (OCR text + art similarity)
   • Market prices (instant TCGplayer pricing)
   • Alternate prints (foil, promos, reprints)

Tips for best results:

• Good lighting: Avoid glare on foils
• Card name visible: OCR needs readable text
• Centered framing: Keep art region standard position
• Toggle debug mode: See exactly how the system matched your card

Read the technical deep-dive →

2. Traditional Card Search (Most Precise)

Use when: You know specific criteria (color, type, mana cost, format legality).

Available at: Homepage search box or /cards page

Filters available:

• Text search: Name, oracle text, type line
• Colors: W, U, B, R, G, C (multicolor logic)
• Types: Creature, Instant, Sorcery, Artifact, Enchantment, Planeswalker, Land
• Mana value: Min/max range (0-16+)
• Format: Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander
• Rarity: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Mythic
• Sets: Filter by set code (e.g., blb, mh3, lci)

Power tips:

• Combine filters for laser focus (e.g., "red creatures CMC 3-4 in Modern")
• Sort by released date to see newest printings first
• Use "must block" syntax to find defender creatures
• Grid vs. list view toggle for different browsing styles

3. Semantic Search (Most Creative)

Use when: You know what a card does but not its name. Describe strategy, not syntax.

Enable: Toggle "Semantic Search" checkbox before searching

Example queries:

• ❌ Traditional: "creature +1/+1 counters" → Literal text match
• ✅ Semantic: "grows bigger when creatures die" → Strategy match

How it works: Gemma embeddings analyze card meaning, not just keywords. The AI understands:

• Strategy patterns: "ramp", "removal", "card draw"
• Play styles: "aggro finisher", "control wincon", "combo piece"
• Synergies: "works with graveyard", "benefits from artifacts"
• Commander themes: "token generation", "sacrifice outlets", "tribal support"

Semantic vs. keyword examples:

Your goal	Keyword search (narrow)	Semantic search (broad)
Card draw	"draw a card", "draw cards"	"refill my hand", "dig for answers"
Removal	"destroy target creature"	"get rid of threats", "answer big creatures"
Ramp	"add mana", "search for lands"	"accelerate mana", "reach 7 lands faster"
Combo	Specific card names only	"infinite combo", "win on the spot"

When semantic search shines:

1. Building new archetypes: "cards that reward going wide with tokens"
2. Solving problems: "stop an opponent from winning with combat damage"
3. Finding alternatives: "effects like Counterspell but in green"
4. Cross-format ideas: "Pioneer cards that work in Commander"

When traditional search is better:

1. Exact reprints: "Lightning Bolt in Modern Horizons 3"
2. Specific mana costs: "1-drop creatures in red"
3. Format staples: "most played cards in Standard"
4. Set completion: "all rares from Bloomburrow"

Practical Workflows

Workflow 1: Building a New Commander Deck

Step 1: Find your commander

Traditional search:
- Type: "Legendary Creature"
- Colors: [R, G] (Gruul)
- Format: Commander
- Sort by: Released (desc)

Browse recent options, click one you like.

Step 2: Find synergy pieces

Semantic search: "benefit from +1/+1 counters"
Results: Hardened Scales, Branching Evolution, Conclave Mentor

Step 3: Add removal/interaction

Semantic search: "destroy problem creatures in Gruul colors"
Results: Beast Within, Chaos Warp, Decimate

Step 4: Price check with scanner

• Scan physical cards you already own
• See if you have the right printing (foil, promo, etc.)
• Compare prices: keep, buy, or proxy?

Step 5: Export decklist Navigate to /deck Deck Studio, paste discovered cards, auto-optimize curve and lands.

Workflow 2: Upgrading an Existing Deck

Problem: "My Azorius control deck needs better card draw."

Semantic search: "efficient card draw in white and blue"

Results:
- Rhystic Study (1U, draw when opponents don't pay)
- Mystic Remora (U, cumulative upkeep, massive value early)
- Esper Sentinel (W, tax-based draw)

Filter results:

• Add mana value filter: 1-3 (curve concerns)
• Add format: Commander
• Sort by: Popularity (what others use)

Test alternatives:

• Scan physical alternatives you own
• Check TCGplayer prices
• Pick based on budget vs. power

Workflow 3: Budget Deck Optimization

Goal: Replace expensive cards with functional reprints.

Step 1: Identify expensive card (example: Doubling Season)

Scanner: Upload photo of Doubling Season
Results show:
- Original Ravnica: $45
- Battlebond reprint: $38
- Double Masters reprint: $32

Step 2: Find budget alternatives

Semantic search: "double tokens and counters effects"
Results:
- Parallel Lives ($8, tokens only)
- Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider ($15, counters only)
- Primal Vigor ($12, helps opponents too)

Step 3: Compare functionality Traditional search:

• Type: "Enchantment"
• Text: "token" + "twice"
• Sort by: Price (if integrated, or check scanner prices)

Pick the version that fits your budget and still enables your strategy.

Workflow 4: Collection Management

Sorting bulk after a draft:

1. Scan each rare/mythic → instant pricing
2. $2+ cards: Sleeve immediately
3. $0.25-$2 cards: Bulk storage
4. Sub-$0.25 cards: Trade fodder

Finding cards you already own:

Traditional search:
- Set: [Your recent draft set codes]
- Rarity: Rare, Mythic
- Sort by: Released (desc)

Cross-reference with scanner results to avoid duplicate purchases.

Tracking collection value:

• Scan high-value cards monthly
• Note price trends (use scanner's market prices)
• Decide: hold, sell, or trade

Advanced Search Syntax

Text Search Operators

Exact phrases (quotes):

"when ~ enters the battlefield" → ETB triggers only
"whenever you cast" → Cast triggers, not ETB

Exclude terms (minus):

dragon -legendary → Non-legendary dragons
instant -counter → Instants without "counter" in text

Partial words (wildcards implied):

draw → Matches "draw", "draws", "drawing"
destroy → Matches "destroy", "destroys", "destruction"

Color Filter Logic

Any of these colors (OR):

• Select: [R, G]
• Results: Cards with red OR green (includes Gruul, mono-red, mono-green)

Exact colors (combine with other filters):

• Colors: [R, G]
• Type: "Instant"
• Text: "damage" → Red/green damage instants

Colorless cards:

• Select: [C]
• Type: "Artifact" → Colorless artifacts (Eldrazi, artifacts)

Set Code Shortcuts

Multiple sets (comma-separated):

blb, mh3, lci → Bloomburrow, Modern Horizons 3, Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Recent sets (2024-2025):

• blb – Bloomburrow
• dsk – Duskmourn: House of Horror
• mh3 – Modern Horizons 3
• mkm – Murders at Karlov Manor
• lci – Lost Caverns of Ixalan
• woe – Wilds of Eldraine

Classic sets:

• lea – Limited Edition Alpha
• leb – Limited Edition Beta
• 2ed – Unlimited Edition
• 3ed – Revised Edition

Full set code list on Scryfall →

Search Performance Tips

Faster Results

1. Use cache-friendly queries

   • System caches last 60 searches
   • Identical searches return instantly
   • Adjust page size (12, 24, 48) once

2. Let prefetch work

   • First page search triggers background fetch of page 2
   • Pagination feels instant after first load

3. Toggle filters strategically

   • Start broad, then narrow
   • Each filter adds to query key (may miss cache)

Better Results

1. Semantic search: Be descriptive

   • ❌ "good card" → Too vague
   • ✅ "reliable card draw for control decks" → Specific strategy

2. Traditional search: Be specific

   • ❌ "flying creature" → 10,000+ results
   • ✅ "flying creature CMC 2-3 in blue, rare" → 50 results

3. Combine methods

   • Semantic search to discover strategy
   • Traditional filters to narrow by cost/format
   • Scanner to check owned cards and pricing

Mobile Search Experience

Scanner on Phone

• Camera button activates device camera
• Upload button accesses photo library
• Instant results (3-5 seconds)
• Tap card to see details
• Tap price to buy on TCGplayer

Filters on Phone

• Sticky search bar collapses on scroll
• Swipe cards in grid view
• Tap to expand version selector
• One-thumb operation for quick browsing

Tips for mobile scanning

• Portrait mode works better than landscape
• Natural lighting beats flash
• Hold steady for 1 second (OCR needs clarity)
• Scan bulk fast with practice (sub-5 seconds per card)

Troubleshooting Search Issues

Scanner Problems

"No matches found"

• Try better lighting (avoid shadows)
• Ensure card name is visible and in focus
• Toggle debug mode to see OCR output
• Manually search card name if scan fails

"Wrong card matched"

• Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+Shift+R)
• Check debug output for art similarity scores
• Report issue if consistently wrong

"No price data"

• Card might not have TCGplayer product ID
• Check if card is very new (price cache updates nightly)
• Foreign language cards may lack pricing

Traditional Search Problems

"No results" with filters

• Remove one filter at a time to find conflict
• Check set codes are valid (lowercase, 3-4 chars)
• Verify format legality (some cards banned)

"Too many results"

• Add mana value range (narrows quickly)
• Specify rarity (rare/mythic reduces 90%)
• Use exact text phrases in quotes

Semantic Search Problems

"Results seem random"

• Be more descriptive in query
• Use strategy terms: "ramp", "removal", "card draw"
• Mention colors if relevant: "in Esper colors"

"Missing obvious cards"

• Try keyword search instead
• Semantic model may not cover every card
• Fall back to traditional text search

"Too slow"

• Semantic search requires ML inference (~200ms)
• Use traditional search for quick lookups
• Toggle off semantic for faster browsing

Search Shortcuts & Bookmarks

Save these URLs for instant access:

Commander staples:

/cards?format=commander&sort=name&dir=asc

Recent rares:

/cards?rarity=rare&rarity=mythic&sort=released&dir=desc&size=48

Budget removal:

/cards?q=destroy+target+creature&cmcMax=3&sort=released

Color identity builders:

/cards?color=W&color=U&type=Instant&format=commander

Scanner shortcut:

/scan

Integration with Deck Studio

Search results flow directly into Deck Studio:

1. Find cards via any search method
2. Click card to view details
3. Copy name to clipboard
4. Navigate to /deck
5. Paste into deck list (one per line)
6. Auto-calculate mana curve, color distribution
7. Export to Arena, MTGO, or physical list

Learn more about Deck Studio →

API Access for Developers

Programmatic access available at:

Card search:

GET /api/cards/search?q=lightning&color=R&type=Instant

Semantic search:

GET /api/search?q=efficient+removal+in+red&format=json

Card versions:

GET /api/cards/versions?oracle=<oracle-id>&sort=released

Scanner endpoint:

POST /api/cards/scan
Body: { "ocrText": "extracted text from image" }

Response includes card matches with confidence scores and pricing data.

Privacy & Data

What we collect:

• Search queries (anonymous, no account required)
• Scanner usage stats (no images stored)
• Pricing data (cached locally, no personal info)

What we don't collect:

• Card ownership (not tracked)
• Deck lists (local only)
• Personal information (no accounts)

All searches are anonymous. Your scanned card images are processed client-side (OCR in browser) and never uploaded to our servers—only the extracted text is sent for matching.

Search Tips Summary

Scanner

✓ Use phone camera for bulk sorting
✓ Toggle debug mode to verify accuracy
✓ Check prices before buying
✓ Compare alternate printings

Traditional Search

✓ Start broad, then narrow with filters
✓ Use quotes for exact phrases
✓ Sort by released date for new cards
✓ Combine color + type for precise results

Semantic Search

✓ Describe strategy, not syntax
✓ Use natural language queries
✓ Mention deck archetype for context
✓ Fall back to keyword search if needed

Next Steps

Try these searches right now:

1. Scanner: Scan any Magic card you own
2. Traditional: Search "legendary creature CMC 3-5 in commander"
3. Semantic: Search "protect my creatures from board wipes"

Then:

• Save useful filters as bookmarks
• Build a deck in Deck Studio
• Check prices on your high-value cards

Happy searching! The best method is often a combination—use scanner for physical cards, semantic search for strategy discovery, and traditional filters for precise criteria. Master all three to find any card in seconds.