Magic’s Star Trek Commander decks are on the way, and every serious Commander player knows the pattern: the new set drops, a hundred new legendary creatures show up on EDHREC, and the deckbuilders scramble to catalogue what changes. The right tool for building a Locutus of Borg deck or a Kirk voltron list is not the same as the tool for the Precon upgrade your friend asked for last week. We tested seven of the best desktop-friendly Commander deckbuilders across two weeks of set-release chaos and picked the ones that hold up under real brewing pressure.
None of these apps are strictly desktop-only. Commander deckbuilding lives in the browser, and the “app” here means a mature, actively developed tool that works well on a full-size screen with keyboard shortcuts. All seven are free at the useful level, several ship native desktop clients, and a couple double as playtesting environments so you don’t have to sleeve up a 100-card deck to see whether the ramp package is actually enough.
What to look for in a Commander deckbuilder
- Fresh card database that catalogues new sets within hours, not days.
- Native Commander mode with a colour-identity checker, singleton enforcement, and partner support.
- Bracket scoring or curve tools so you can honestly gauge power level before you shuffle up.
- Playtesting inside the app or a one-click export to a virtual tabletop.
- Public deck sharing with tags so you can find similar builds from the community.
- Import/export for the other formats you use, so you don’t rebuild the deck twice.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free | Bracket scoring | Playtest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moxfield | Everyday brewing, clean sharing | Yes | No | Yes |
| Archidekt | Bracket-driven power tuning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EDHREC | Discovering staple picks | Yes | No | Via export |
| TappedOut | Long-form deck primers | Yes | No | Via export |
| MTGGoldfish | Meta and prices | Freemium | No | Yes |
| Deckstats | Probability and math nerds | Yes | No | Yes |
| TopDecked | Cross-device brewing with a companion | Freemium | No | Yes |
| Cockatrice | Playtesting new brews for free | Yes | No | Yes (multiplayer) |
The apps
1. Moxfield, best all-around Commander deckbuilder
Moxfield is where most competitive and casual Commander players end up. The editor is fast, the card catalogue updates the day a new set is spoiled, and public sharing is friction-free. The Commander view auto-flags colour-identity violations, tracks partner and background rules, and shows a distinct sideboard for reference cards. Star Trek set data was in the database the day the first leaks landed.
Where it falls short: No native bracket score, so you’ll cross-reference with Archidekt if you’re worried about power level. Import from other tools is text-only, so decorations and notes don’t survive.
Pricing: Free. Optional Patreon-style membership unlocks premium themes and analytics.
Platforms: Web (works fully on Windows, macOS, Linux).
Download: Moxfield
Bottom line: Start here. It’s the safest default and where most decks you’ll want to reference live.
2. Archidekt, best for bracket-driven Commander
Archidekt is what you reach for when the pod asks “what bracket is this deck?” and you want an honest answer. The bracket score accounts for tutors, fast mana, combo lines, and staples, and it’s transparent about how it calculates each contribution. The auto-categorisation into ramp, draw, removal, and win conditions saves an evening of manual labelling.
Where it falls short: The interface takes an hour to learn, and heavy brewing sessions push it a bit slower than Moxfield. Some categories mis-tag niche cards, which trains you to spot-check.
Pricing: Free. Optional membership unlocks analytics and larger deck folders.
Platforms: Web (works on all desktop OSes).
Download: Archidekt
Bottom line: The pick for brewers who care about power level as much as the deck itself.
3. EDHREC, best for discovering staple picks
EDHREC is the reference database for what real players actually run in each commander. Search a commander, get the top synergy cards, the top new inclusions from the last set, and average lists sorted by budget. For a Star Trek release, EDHREC is where the first “here’s what everyone is running with Locutus” article materialises.
Where it falls short: Not a deckbuilder in the strict sense. The path is usually EDHREC first for card ideas, then Moxfield or Archidekt to build the actual list.
Pricing: Free. Membership hides ads and unlocks the recommender API.
Platforms: Web.
Download: EDHREC
Bottom line: The reference layer. Everyone brews with an EDHREC tab open.
4. TappedOut, best for long-form deck primers
TappedOut predates most of the modern Commander tools and remains the natural home for long-form primers, the multi-page write-ups that explain a deck’s lines, sideboard reasoning, and matchup notes. If you plan to publish a deck as a piece of content, the editor supports proper HTML formatting and stable URLs.
Where it falls short: The editor UX shows its age next to Moxfield and Archidekt. Auto-categorisation is manual.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Web.
Download: TappedOut
Bottom line: The place to write a deck primer people will still read in a year.
5. MTGGoldfish, best for meta and prices
MTGGoldfish covers every format, and for Commander it’s the tool to check whether a card you like is about to spike. The price tracking is the deepest of the free tools, and the meta pages show which commanders are trending. Deck import from other sites is one-click.
Where it falls short: Premium unlocks the analytics you actually want (mana curve, cross-format overlap, custom lists). The free tier is fine for building but limited for research.
Pricing: Freemium.
Platforms: Web.
Download: MTGGoldfish
Bottom line: The pick when the question is “how much will this deck cost, and where is it heading?”
6. Deckstats, best for the math
Deckstats shows the probability distributions no other free tool bothers with: chance of drawing your land count, chance of drawing a specific card by turn X, and Bayesian analysis of your mulligan choices. For competitive Commander, that math changes deckbuilding decisions.
Where it falls short: Interface is dense and takes a bit to acclimate to. Not the tool for casual brewers.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Web.
Download: Deckstats
Bottom line: The pick if you want to answer “how often does my deck actually do the thing?”
7. TopDecked, best for cross-device brewing
TopDecked is the deckbuilder plus companion app you’d expect if MTG was a first-party mobile product. It ships native clients for macOS and Windows alongside iOS and Android, syncs everything across devices, and hosts a full playtest engine with hand simulator, mulligan tracking, and life-total logging. Commander decks benefit from the multiplayer life tracker built into the same app.
Where it falls short: Full features (playtest, sync, export) sit behind a subscription. The free tier is enough to build and share, but not test.
Pricing: Freemium.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web.
Download: TopDecked
Bottom line: The pick for people who want the phone and the laptop to see the same deck without effort.
8. Cockatrice, best for playtesting free-to-download
Cockatrice is an open-source virtual tabletop for Magic. It’s the way to actually play the deck you just built without waiting for pod night, and multiplayer support handles Commander cleanly. Local card database means it works offline once installed, and community servers cover matchmaking.
Where it falls short: No official set data, so you rely on community card database updates that lag a few days behind official releases. Playtesting only, not for tournament-legal play.
Pricing: Free, open-source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Cockatrice
Bottom line: The free playtest environment that closes the loop between building and playing.
How to pick the right one
Most Commander players will end up with three tabs open. Pick these:
If you’re brewing a new deck: start on EDHREC for staple discovery, then move to Moxfield to build the list. That’s the modal path.
If you care about power level: build in Archidekt so you get the bracket score. Cross-reference Deckstats if you want the probability math.
If you’re writing a primer: draft in Moxfield for the deck itself, then move to TappedOut for the write-up.
Add MTGGoldfish when the question is prices. Add Cockatrice when you want to actually test a build before spending on the cards. Add TopDecked if you brew across a phone and a laptop and want them to stay in sync.
FAQ
What is the best Commander deckbuilder for beginners?
Moxfield is the easiest starting point. The editor is fast, the auto-suggest picks up your intent, and public decks are easy to search when you want a proven list to modify. EDHREC pairs with it for card ideas.
Is there a free MTG deckbuilder that includes bracket scoring?
Archidekt is the one. The bracket score is exclusive to Archidekt at this point and available on the free tier.
Can I import a Moxfield deck into Archidekt?
Yes, and vice versa. Both tools support the standard text-list import format. Notes and categories usually don’t survive the round trip, so plan to re-tag once.
What is the best way to playtest a Commander deck for free?
Cockatrice is the closest thing to sitting at a table. It’s a virtual tabletop with multiplayer support and free downloads for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Community servers handle matchmaking.
Which app is best for tracking my physical Commander collection?
Moxfield and Archidekt both handle collections. GrimDeck is worth a look if you want scanning your physical cards to feed a deckbuilder directly.
