Export a deck

Export a deck, sideboard, tokens, or maybeboard in a built-in or custom text format, with optional missing-copy quantities.

Last updated September 15, 2026

Before you start

Use deck export when you need a portable decklist for another tool, a tournament client, a message, or your own records. Open a deck from Brewing, then select Export.

Exporting does not change the deck or publish a version. Deck owners export the current working deck; other viewers export the latest deck version available to them.

Choose the content

Content controls which part of the deck appears in the export. The available choices reflect the deck being viewed.

Deck exports all core deck zones: maindeck, sideboard, command zone, and companion.
Sideboard appears only when the deck has sideboard cards.
Tokens exports the deck token list.
Maybeboard exports cards kept as possible additions.

Choose an export format

Deck can use any built-in format or a custom line format. Sideboard, Tokens, and Maybeboard exports use the custom format so each output line follows the format you specify.

Deck export formats
Format	Best for	Output
Plain text	Simple lists and messages	A readable quantity-and-name decklist.
MTG Arena	Importing into MTG Arena	Arena-compatible sectioned text.
MTGO	Importing into Magic Online	An MTGO `.dek` decklist.
Deckonomicon	Deckonomicon records and round trips	A `.dckn.yml` file with structured deck data.
Custom	Lists tailored to another tool or workflow	One text line per selected printing allocation.

Custom line format

Use braces to mark the end of a token: ${quantity}x ${name} reads or writes 4x Lightning Bolt. Prefixes such as x${quantity} work too. Short aliases such as ${q} and legacy formats such as $q $n and optional $set? still work; $quantityx is an unknown token.

Put ? inside braces for an optional field, such as ${set?}. ${name}? instead adds a literal question mark. Use $$ for one literal dollar sign and $${name} for the literal text ${name}. Unknown names and malformed placeholders are rejected.

For imports, separate variable-length values with spaces or punctuation. Braces delimit the tokens in the format, not the values in the file. Quantity and name are required for imports; exports may select fewer fields. Neither quantity nor name can be optional when included.

The default custom line format is ${quantity} ${name} (${set}) ${collector_number}, which produces lines such as 1 Sol Ring (LTC) 279.

You can combine supported tokens with punctuation and spaces. Put ? inside the braces of an optional field when that field and its preceding separator should be omitted if empty. ${quantity} and ${name} cannot be optional when included.

A custom export can be read back by Import a deck using the same line format. Zones and roles only survive that round trip when the format includes ${zone} or ${role}: without them the list is flat, and re-importing it puts every card in the maindeck.

Deck line format tokens
Field	Supported tokens	Values
Quantity	`${q}` `${quantity}`	A whole number of copies.
Card name	`${n}` `${name}`	The printed card name.
Set code	`${s}` `${set}`	For example `LTC`.
Set name	`${sn}` `${set_name}`	For example `Magic 2010`.
Collector number	`${cn}` `${collector_number}`	For example `279`.
Language	`${l}` `${language}`	For example `en`.
Finish	`${f}` `${foil}`	`nonfoil`, `F`, or `etched`.
Deck zone	`${z}` `${zone}`	`maindeck`, `sideboard`, `command_zone`, or `companion`.
Slot role	`${r}` `${role}`	`commander`, `companion`, `oathbreaker`, or `signature_spell`. Empty for ordinary cards, so mark it optional with `${role?}`.

Default custom deck export

1 Sol Ring (LTC) 279
2 Lightning Bolt (M10) 146

Quantity suffix with `${quantity}x ${name}`

1x Sol Ring
2x Lightning Bolt

Re-importable export with `${quantity} ${name} (${set}) ${collector_number} ${zone} ${role?}`

1 Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm (CLB) 655 command_zone commander
1 Sol Ring (LTC) 279 maindeck
2 Abrade (HOU) 83 sideboard

Export only missing copies

Turn on Only missing copies when you want the export quantity to be the difference between the selected content and your inventory. If the selected content requires four copies and you own three, the export contains one copy rather than all four.

The shortage is calculated separately for each printing, finish, and language. Fully owned allocations are omitted, and enabling the option requires the custom format.

Copy or save the export

The Preview updates when you change the content, format, custom line format, or inventory filter.

Open a deck and select Export.
Optionally turn on Only missing copies.
Choose Deck, Sideboard, Tokens, or Maybeboard under Content.
For Deck, choose an export format.
If Custom is active, review or edit the line format.
Select Copy to clipboard or Save to a file.

Result

Plain text, MTG Arena, and custom exports save as .txt. MTGO exports save as .dek. Deckonomicon exports save as .dckn.yml.

The saved filename is based on the deck name. Copy to clipboard uses the same text shown in Preview.

FAQs

19 searchable answers

Frequently asked questions about using Deckonomicon.

Read the FAQs