This MTG life counter tracks life totals for 2-4 Magic: The Gathering players, with optional commander damage and poison counter tracking. State persists between refreshes.
Game Setup
How to Use the MTG Life Counter
Set up your game by selecting the number of players and starting life total, then click Start Game. Each player card shows their life total with large +1 and -1 buttons. Hold down the button for rapid clicking during large life gain/loss events.
Commander Damage
In Commander format, a player loses if they receive 21 or more combat damage from a single commander over the course of the game. The life counter tracks commander damage separately — use the CMD counter on each player card to track incoming commander damage. When the counter reaches 21, it turns red as a warning.
Poison Counters
A player with 10 or more poison counters loses the game immediately, regardless of life total. The poison counter tracks this separately from life total. Infect creatures deal damage as poison counters to players (and -1/-1 counters to creatures).
Starting Life Totals
Standard Magic (60-card constructed) and Modern both use 20 starting life. Commander/EDH uses 40 because the larger card pool and commander damage make 20 too fragile. Brawl uses 25. Select the right starting life before clicking Start Game to configure all player cards automatically.
FAQ
Is this MTG life counter free?
Yes, completely free with no account required. State is saved to your browser so you can continue a game after locking the screen.
What starting life total should I use?
Standard Magic and Modern: 20 life. Commander/EDH: 40 life. Brawl: 25 life. The counter defaults to 20 but you can change the starting total before the game begins.
What is commander damage tracking?
In Commander/EDH format, a player loses if they take 21 or more combat damage from a single commander over the course of the game. The tracker records commander damage separately from regular life loss so you can track this threshold accurately.
What are poison counters?
In standard Magic, a player with 10 or more poison counters loses the game. Poison counters come from Infect abilities and some specific cards. The tracker includes a separate poison counter for each player.
How many players can I track?
The life counter supports 2, 3, or 4 players. Use the player count selector before starting the game. For larger multiplayer games (5-8 players), the game-night-score-tracker tool may work better.