Record a match with placeholder players and decks

Record a match when someone at the table is not a Deckonomicon user or has no published deck yet, using placeholder participants and placeholder decks.

Last updated June 1, 2026

What placeholders are

A placeholder participant is a named stand-in for someone who is not a Deckonomicon user. A placeholder deck is a lightweight deck shell that records a name, format, colors, and commander without a full card list.

Both placeholders belong to one playgroup and can be reused in later records for that playgroup. Use them when a real player or a published deck version is not available yet, then replace them with the real player or deck when you can.

Before you start

This article covers placeholders only. For the full flow, including format, best of, and games, see Record a match.

Open Record match and choose the Playgroup first. Placeholders are scoped to the selected playgroup, so the playgroup decides which placeholder participants and placeholder decks are available.

A match still needs at least two players, and every player needs a deck. A placeholder deck satisfies the deck requirement when a player has no published deck.

Add a placeholder participant

Each player tile holds one participant. Use a placeholder participant for anyone at the table without a Deckonomicon account.

Open Record match.
Choose the Playgroup.
Select add a player if you need another tile.
Select the player avatar to open the player menu.
Choose an existing placeholder under the Placeholder list, or select Create placeholder participant.
Enter the Name, then select Create placeholder participant.

Add a placeholder deck

Open the deck picker for a player tile to assign a deck. The picker lists published decks for each playgroup member. Create a placeholder deck when the deck you need is not listed.

A placeholder deck can be assigned to a real member or to a placeholder participant. It records the deck name, colors, and commander, but not the full decklist. Update the participant to a real player and a published deck later when the record is ready to be exact.

Select Pick deck on the player tile.
Turn on Include other players' decks if the deck belongs to another member.
If the deck is listed, select it.
Otherwise, expand If the deck is not available, create a placeholder and update it later.
Enter the placeholder deck name.
For Commander or Pauper Commander, choose a Commander and, if needed, select Add partner or background. For other formats, select the deck colors.
Select Create placeholder deck.

Result

Deckonomicon adds the placeholder participant or placeholder deck to the match and keeps it available for reuse in the same playgroup. Finish the record by setting the winner and result details for each game, then select Save match.

Placeholders keep the match in Chronicles records accurate enough to track now. Replace them with the real player or a published deck version when the information is available.

Troubleshooting

If you cannot create a placeholder, confirm a Playgroup is selected, since placeholders are scoped to a playgroup. If an existing placeholder participant does not appear in the player menu, it may already be assigned to another tile in the same match. If Save match is disabled, check that every player has a deck and every tracked game has a winner.

FAQs

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