Collectible Card Game Headquarters

Hello fellow Magicians!

After a recent move/relocation into the boonies, I don't have much access to the inter-city anymore and therefore, have been forced into finding ways to entertain myself. Enter Magic the Gathering! A few days ago I stumbled upon this awesome website and within a few minutes, had installed Shandalar. I've been playing ever since! However, yesterday, after looking into "drafting" a bit, I found & installed Forge. Needless to say, I've been having an absolute blast drafting the MTGO Cube format against the AI! This brings to the questions I would like to ask you guys. If any of you are well versed in all of the different Mtg software, there is some information I would be interested in:

(Note: Unfortunately, I am quite short on cash so I am unable to get into 'MTG Online' as much as I would love too. Therefore, I am looking into free/cheap alternatives for the time being)

1) What are the differences between all of the different software options? Specifically the top-tier ones such as Forge, ManaLink 3.0, XMage, MagArena, MtgDoP, MultiVerse & MagicGrove?

2) Which one would be the best/most entertaining for constructed play vs the AI? Both Shandalar and Forge's "Quest Mode" are awesome examples of things I really enjoy. Starting with a small pool of cards, and then challenging the enemy AI in order to win more money/cards to enhance your deck is a great idea and experience. Are there any other modes that are similar to this in any of the other software?

3) Which software is best for limited formats, such as drafting? I am in love with drafting the Vintage/Legacy Cube formats, and Forge seems to have a good mode for drafting this Cube vs the AI, however the AI doesn't exactly play very well. Does any of the other software allow drafting? Specifically Vintage/Legacy Cube? Does any of the software allow for drafting Cube in a multiplayer setting vs other humans?


I am just trying to become familiar with the plethora of software options that are available. If anybody is able to help me get these questions answered, I would be incredibly grateful. Thanks to everybody in advance. I really appreciate this website and all of it's contributors!

Your fellow Magician,
PsyintZ

I started a handy dandy comparison table http://www.slightlymagic.net/wiki/List_of_MTG_Engines the only caveat is I have no idea where xmage is getting their card count since somehow they are claiming thousands of more cards than exist in magic.

Other than that you'll probably just have to try them and find out

Sweet list, Friarsol! That's certainly a great start. Thank you very much, I appreciate it!

Do you mind if I ask what you personally prefer to play? What tends to be the most fun for you?

PsyintZ wrote:Sweet list, Friarsol! That's certainly a great start. Thank you very much, I appreciate it!

Do you mind if I ask what you personally prefer to play? What tends to be the most fun for you?

I mean, this post is in the Forge boards, and I'm one of the Forge developers. I haven't tried the others all too much, but the thing I like the most about Forge is the Quest mode. The AI isn't as good as some of the others, but we do have more card coverage than they do. Different people have priority in different areas.

Oh, wow, you're one of the Forge devs? That's awesome! Yeah, you guys have created an amazing piece of software. Ever since I discovered your Vintage Cube drafts, I haven't been able to put it down

I will also be looking into starting a quest here soon, once I've become a little bit more familiar with some of the newer cards. I took a few years off, so I have a lot to catch up on. Anyhow, thanks again for your help bud. I really appreciate it.

Cheers,
Psy

P.S. Is there a donation button anywhere inside of Forge? I don't have much, but I certainly wouldn't mind tossing a few bucks at you guys to help show my support for such a great product.