Magic: The Gathering Life Calculator
🃏 Magic: The Gathering Life Calculator
Track combat damage, life gain, commander pressure, and poison counters across every turn.
Life Math
Net life swing
Damage is reduced first, then life gain offsets the remainder of the hit.
Net = (Damage × (1 - Prevention)) - Life Gain
Projected life
Use your selected turn window to test the life total you still have left.
Life after N = Current Life - (Net × Turns)
Zero-life clock
If the net swing is positive, divide life by the per-turn loss to get the clock.
Turns = Current Life / Net Swing
One-shot lethal
This shows the raw damage needed to punch through prevention and life gain.
Raw damage = (Life + Gain) / Prevention Factor
Preset Matchups
Calculator Inputs
Remaining life
0
after selected turns
Net swing
0
life each turn
Zero-life clock
Stable
turns to zero
One-shot lethal
0
raw damage
Pick a preset or enter your own life state to see the clock.
Effective damage is reduced first, then life gain is applied to the net swing.
| Metric | Value | Meaning |
|---|
Life Track Grid
20
Duel life
40
Commander life
21
Commander cap
10
Poison cap
Reference Tables
| Format | Start life | Alt loss | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duel | 20 | 21 cmdr | 1v1 race |
| Limited | 20 | 10 poison | Draft and sealed |
| Commander | 40 | 21 cmdr | Longer table |
| 2HG | 30 team | Shared | Team total |
| Net dmg/turn | 20 life | 30 life | 40 life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 turns | 30 turns | 40 turns |
| 2 | 10 turns | 15 turns | 20 turns |
| 3 | 7 turns | 10 turns | 14 turns |
| 5 | 4 turns | 6 turns | 8 turns |
| Tracker | Threshold | Current | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life | 0 | 20 | Normal loss |
| Commander | 21 | 7 | Voltron hits |
| Poison | 10 | 4 | Infect swings |
| Team life | 30 | 30 | 2HG pressure |
| Pattern | Damage | Gain | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burn | 5 | 0 | 4 turn clock |
| Midrange | 4 | 1 | 7 turn clock |
| Lifegain | 3 | 3 | Stable |
| Shielded | 6 | 2 | Slower bleed |
Tip Boxes
Life gain shifts the clock
Even a small heal can add turns when the incoming damage is low or heavily reduced.
Separate the alternate losses
Commander damage and poison counters do not care about your life total, so track them separately.
Full visual tracking it is possible for a duel, whole group or party for brooks. Various ways exist for control life totals and damage points. Some favor classic tools as paper, dice or change.
But many find this routine too monotone. Digital solutions abound, for example the Nexus Life Counter website and app, that removes the need install a mobile program or ask life totals of some during a stream game.
Life Counters for Magic: The Gathering
For the game Magic: The Gathering are several special tools. LifeCalc are one from them, scoreboard for two players. It has restart-buttons, that sets both life totals in 20 or 40 after two seconds of press, for escape casual restarts.
Lotus app operate as companion for Magic: The Gathering. It follows life totals and Commander damage for until 10 players. The app also bid fast changes of life totals and custom initial health.
It lodges different counters as poison, experience, charge and storm. In addition it includes game timer with turn tracking for each and can cast custom dice of D4 until D20.
Some players choose free online PWA for follow until 6 players with life totals, Commander damage, poison or energy-counters. You can share it by means of QR-code. Apps as Lifetap operate for 2 until 6 players.
At Tabletop Simulator certain tables have life counters, Commander damage-controls and bags of markers with dice. They help to arrange the game. For Magic: The Gathering you find support by means of mana calculator or life and mana calculator.
Mana calculator even helps to estimate mana curve.
Seriously know, that some head judges can before tournament ban electronic life keeping devices as calculators or iPhones. During Commander-games some uses playgroup.gg for note funny statistics. Alter initial life totals affect, that decks or cards compete.
Some self created counters, for instance box with 20 upper light buttons for set total. Others disegned utility with planetary mechanism, that follows life totals of 20 until 0.
