MTG life counter apps are very popular. And not just because losing track of life is a bummer. But also because they can do SO MUCH more. For example, with the Matchpunk MTG life counter, you can create MTG groups among your friends and community.
“What is Matchpunk?”
Matchpunk is an online mtg life counting app and has a unique feature in that the results of the game automatically get recorded in your account and can be used to figure out how you rank against other players.
Why do MTG groups matter?
Mtg is a social game, and is preferably played in person. Your group is who you play against. Defining a group is an important aspect of meaningful ranking. Whenever I use Matchpunk, I select the group that I’m with, so wins and losses in one group have no effect on wins and losses in another group.
Why are groups better than national ELO boards?
In my experience, most magic players are not interested in how they rank against other players that they have never met. So, when players think about how they rank, they are really only looking at how they rank against people in their local group.
What are some examples of MTG groups in your everyday life?
For example, I (Bill here!) have a group of 5 players and we usually meet at one person’s house to play. Usually commander. We use the commander life counter option in Matchpunk, which updates the ranking within our little group after every game. So, we know who the best player is of the 5 of us. My ranking is 2 out of 5.
I also participate in events every week at our local store, and the store has a group associated with it. So, every game I play at the store events should count toward my ranking in the store group and not my small group. There are some really good players at my store, so my ranking in the store group is not as good. I’m about middle of the road: 28 out of 58.
What are some ways my LGS can use Matchpunk’s MTG groups feature?
My store has not done this yet, but it has been suggested that the ranking in the store group be used to seed tournaments. I think that’s a good idea, but because the group of 58 is not large, and rankings don’t vary too much over time, some people would end up playing the 1st round against the same opponents during every tournament.
Maybe there would be a way to use ranking to seed the tournament but incorporate a random feature to it. Or create an Event in the Matchpunk group that lasts for a period of time (e.g., a year), and only the ranking of players in the Event are used to seed tournaments. Or create some other criteria that ranking also includes number of games played, number of opponents faced (shown as cards won in Matchpunk) or some other metric.
“How Does Match Punk MTG Groups Make Playing Better?”
Scorekeeper next to you, not in the middle of the table
Keeps everyone’s score… not just yours
Tracks wins/losses… and ranks them based on player skill
Allows for dcustom groups for each individual event
Removes the majority of pre-event organization
Shows a continually updating leaderboard on your phone.
Instantly determines the winner after the event ends.