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🎮 Deck Simulator (Goldfish Testing)

Practice and test your decks in a solo environment without needing an opponent. The Deck Simulator lets you playtest opening hands, practice sequencing, evaluate mana curves, and see how consistently your deck performs.

What is Goldfish Testing?

Goldfish testing means playing your deck solo. You focus entirely on your deck's performance—how it draws, plays out, and executes its game plan—without worrying about opponent interaction.

Why goldfish test: - Test new deck ideas before playing against real opponents - Practice complex sequencing and play patterns - Evaluate how consistently your deck performs - Check if your mana curve works in practice - Learn your deck's capabilities and weaknesses

Getting Started

Launching the Simulator

  1. Go to Decks
  2. Tap on the deck you want to test
  3. Tap the simulator icon (play icon) in the top bar
  4. The simulator loads your deck and draws an opening hand of 7 cards

Game Zones

The simulator organizes cards into realistic game zones:

Hand

Cards you've drawn and can play.

Actions: - Tap any card to see action options - Play to battlefield - Move to graveyard (discard) - Move to exile - Return to top of library

Battlefield

Cards you've played, separated for easy management:

Lands Section: - All lands appear here - Tap/untap for mana - Visual rotation shows tapped state

Non-Lands Section: - Creatures, artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers - Tap/untap for abilities or attacking - Move to graveyard or exile

Actions: - Tap card to toggle tap/untap - Long-press for additional options (move to graveyard, exile) - Flip double-faced cards with flip icon

Library (Deck)

Your remaining deck of cards.

Card count displayed - See how many cards remain

Actions: - Draw cards manually - View top card without drawing - Mill top card to graveyard - Search for specific cards - Shuffle anytime

Graveyard

Cards that have been discarded or destroyed.

View anytime - Tap graveyard to see all cards

Card count displayed - Track graveyard size

Exile

Cards that have been exiled or removed from the game.

View anytime - Tap exile to see all cards

Card count displayed - Track exile zone size

Playing a Game

Opening Hand

When you start the simulator: 1. Your deck is automatically shuffled 2. 7 cards are drawn to your hand 3. Turn counter starts at 1 4. Opponent life starts at 20

Turn Flow

Next Turn Button: - Advances turn counter - Automatically untaps all your permanents - Automatically draws one card - Simulates the start of a new turn

Manual Actions: - Draw additional cards anytime (for testing) - Play cards from hand - Tap/untap permanents - Move cards between zones

Playing Cards

From Hand: 1. Tap any card to play it, long press any card in your hand 2. Action dialog appears with card image 3. Choose an action: - Move to Battlefield - Play the card - Move to Graveyard - Discard it - Move to Exile - Exile it - Move to Deck (Top) - Return to library - Flip Double Sided Cards - Flip the card

Auto-Sorting: - Lands automatically go to the Lands section - Non-lands go to the Non-Lands section - Makes battlefield organization effortless

Tapping and Untapping

Tap Cards: - Tap any card on the battlefield to toggle tap/untap - Tapped cards appear rotated - Use for mana, abilities, or attacking

Untap All: - Use the Next Turn button to untap everything - Simulates the untap step

Advanced Features

Double-Faced Cards

For transforming cards (like Delver of Secrets):

Flip Icon: - Appears on cards with a back face - Tap the flip icon to transform the card - View either face anytime

Auto-Detection: - Lands are detected based on the visible face - Transformed lands appear in the Lands section

Library Manipulation

Simulate tutoring, scrying, and other library effects:

View Top Card: 1. Tap the eye icon on the library 2. See the top card without drawing it 3. Options to: - Draw it to hand - Mill it to graveyard - Leave it on top

Search Library: 1. Tap the search icon on the library 2. Browse all cards in your library 3. Select a card to: - Move to hand (tutor effects) - Move to battlefield (ramp effects) - Move to graveyard (mill effects) - Move to exile 4. Library automatically shuffles after search

Shuffle Library: - Tap the shuffle icon anytime - Randomizes your library - Use after searches or for testing variance

Tracking Opponent Life

Life Counter: - Displayed at the top of the screen - Starts at 20 - Tap to adjust (+ or - buttons) - Track how fast your deck threatens lethal

Testing Strategies

Test Consistency

Opening Hands: 1. Play through a few turns 2. Reset and try again 3. See how often you get playable hands 4. Identify if you need more/fewer lands

Mana Curve: 1. Track which turns you can cast spells 2. Note if you're missing land drops 3. Check if you have too many expensive cards

Draw Quality: 1. See how often you flood (too many lands) 2. See how often you're mana screwed (too few lands) 3. Evaluate if your land count is correct

Practice Sequencing

Play Order: 1. Test different orders of playing cards 2. Find optimal sequencing

Evaluate Speed

Goldfish Clock: 1. Track which turn you can threaten lethal (20 damage) 2. See if your deck is fast enough for its format 3. Compare different builds

Turn-by-Turn Analysis: 1. What happens on turn 1, 2, 3, etc.? 2. When does your deck "go off"? 3. How consistent is your game plan?

Iterate Deck Builds

Before/After Comparisons: 1. Test current deck build 2. Make changes in Deck Builder 3. Test new build 4. Compare performance

Card Evaluation: 1. See how often you draw specific cards 2. Evaluate if they're impactful when drawn 3. Identify cards that underperform

Tips for Effective Testing

Run Multiple Games

Don't judge your deck on one game: - Test at least 5-10 opening hands - Track how many are keepable - Note patterns in your draws

Focus on Specific Questions

Examples: - "Can I consistently cast my 3-drop on turn 3?" - "How often do I have turn 1 plays?" - "Do I draw enough creatures vs spells?"

Use Reset Frequently

Quick Iteration: - Reset after each test game - Try different mulligan decisions - Test various scenarios rapidly

Track Your Findings

Mental Notes: - Which cards felt good to draw? - Which cards sat in your hand? - What turn did you typically win?

Deck Adjustments: - Too slow? Add cheaper cards - Flooding? Cut lands - Mana screwed? Add lands or ramp

Common Use Cases

New Deck Testing

Before playing against opponents: 1. Test the deck's basic functionality 2. Verify the mana base works 3. Practice the deck's game plan 4. Identify obvious issues

Pre-Tournament Practice

Before a tournament: 1. Refresh your memory on sequencing 2. Practice complex turns 3. Test sideboard configurations 4. Build confidence in your deck

Deck Brewing

When building new decks: 1. Test initial concept 2. Iterate on card choices 3. Fine-tune mana base 4. Validate the strategy works

Learning a New Deck

When picking up an unfamiliar deck: 1. Understand the game plan 2. Learn card interactions 3. Practice optimal plays 4. Familiarize yourself with the deck

Limitations

What Goldfish Testing Can't Do:

  • No opponent interaction - Can't test against removal, counterspells, or disruption
  • No combat - Can't test blocking or combat tricks
  • Limited for control decks - Control decks need opponents to react to

Resetting and Starting Over

Reset Button

What it does: - Shuffles your original deck - Draws a new opening hand of 7 cards - Resets turn counter to 1 - Resets opponent life to 20 - Clears all zones

When to use: - After finishing a test game - To try a different opening hand - To test multiple scenarios quickly

Next Steps