Best MTG Card Database: Scryfall, Gatherer, and Grimoria
August 15, 2026
The best MTG card database depends on what you're doing with it. Scryfall wins on raw search power, Gatherer is the only place with truly official rulings, and if you want your search results to also know what you own, what it's worth, and what fits your deck, you need one built around your collection.
What makes an MTG card database good, not just big
Every card database claims to have "every Magic card ever printed." That part is table stakes. What actually separates a good one from a mediocre one is how fast you get from a vague memory of a card to the exact printing you meant, how quickly it updates once a new set goes live, and whether the Oracle text and rulings you're reading are current.
For most players, there's a second question that matters just as much: does the database know anything about you? A search tool that only returns card text is fine for deck theory. A search tool that also knows what's in your binder, what a card is worth right now, and what fits the Commander deck you're building saves you from checking three different tabs every time you want to add a card.
The main MTG card databases, compared
Here's how the tools players actually reach for stack up on the things that matter day to day.
| Database | Best for | Search depth | Official rulings | Prices | Offline | Tracks your collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scryfall | Deep search, printings, art variants | Very strong query syntax | Yes, sourced from Wizards' data | Reference links only | No, web only | No |
| Gatherer | Official Oracle text and rulings | Basic | Yes, the original source | No | No | No |
| TCGplayer / Cardmarket | Live marketplace prices | Basic, listing-focused | No | Yes, live listings | No | No |
| Grimoria | Search plus your collection, prices, and deckbuilding together | Strong, filterable search | Yes, sourced from Wizards' data | Multi-provider, tied to what you own | Yes, card lookup and scanning work offline | Yes |
Scryfall: the search tool most players default to
Scryfall earned its spot as the default MTG search engine for good reason. Its advanced search syntax lets you query by oracle text, mana value, color identity, set, artist, and dozens of other fields at once, and it indexes essentially every printing, including borderless, showcase, and etched variants. It's free, it's fast, and its public API quietly powers a lot of other Magic tools you've probably used without realizing it.
What Scryfall doesn't do is remember anything about you. There's no concept of what you own, no offline mode if you lose signal at a shop, and the prices you see are reference numbers pulled from TCGplayer and Cardmarket rather than tied to a copy you actually hold. It's an excellent search engine and a poor fit if you want your searches to double as collection management.
Gatherer: the official record, worth a bookmark for rulings
Gatherer is Wizards of the Coast's own database, and it's the actual source of truth for Oracle text and official rulings. When a rules question comes down to "what does the card actually say right now," Gatherer is where the answer lives. It got a visual refresh in 2025, with more improvements promised as part of an ongoing rollout.
Day to day, most players still skip it for general search. There's no pricing, no collection tracking, and the search tools are simpler than what you'll find elsewhere. Checking a contested ruling is about the main reason it gets opened instead of Scryfall, which pulls the same official data and presents it with far more powerful filters.
When your card database also needs to know what you own
Finding the card is step one. The friction shows up right after: is this already in your binder, what condition is it in, what would a second copy cost, and does it actually improve the deck you're building. Pure search engines have no opinion on any of that, because they were never built to.
Grimoria's card database covers the same full card pool, every set and printing, but every result is tied to your collection and wishlist. Search a card and you see immediately whether you own a copy, which binder it's in, and what it's worth at today's price. Offline card scanning means you can look a card up at a kitchen table or a shop with no signal, not just on a laptop with Wi-Fi.
Because the database sits underneath the deckbuilder, adding a card also checks it against your Commander deck's synergy graph and flags budget alternatives that do a similar job, useful when a card is out of your price range and you want an honest cheaper option instead of guessing. This isn't trying to out-syntax Scryfall for someone building spreadsheets of oracle text. It's built for the more common case: you're managing an actual MTG collection and want search, pricing, and deckbuilding to share one source of truth instead of three open tabs.
MTG card prices: which source should you trust
No database sets the price, they all report it. TCGplayer reflects the US market in USD. Cardmarket reflects the European market in EUR, drawn from a different pool of sellers and often showing noticeably different numbers for the same card. Both change daily based on real listings and completed sales, so any specific figure you read is a snapshot, not a fixed fact.
If a database shows you one flat price with no date or source attached, be skeptical of it. Grimoria pulls from multiple pricing providers and lets you choose which one and which currency to view, since a player buying singles in Milan and a player selling bulk in Ohio are not looking at the same market.
Choosing the best MTG card database for what you actually do
If you're deep in deck tech and want the sharpest possible search syntax, open Scryfall first and keep Gatherer bookmarked for the rare ruling dispute. Neither one knows or cares what you own, and that's fine, it isn't their job.
If you're managing a real collection, building around a Commander, and want to know what a card is worth before you buy it, a collection-aware database earns its place. Grimoria's card database is free to search, and connecting it to your binder takes about as long as scanning your first stack of cards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best MTG card database?
It depends on the job. Scryfall has the deepest search syntax and covers every printing, Gatherer is the official source for Oracle rulings, and Grimoria connects card search to your collection, wishlist, prices, and deckbuilder so you aren't switching between three tools. There's no single winner, only the tool that matches what you're trying to do.
Is Scryfall the official MTG database?
No. Scryfall is an independent, fan-run project, not something Wizards of the Coast operates. The official database is Gatherer, run directly by Wizards. Scryfall pulls Oracle text and rulings from the same official data and presents it with a far more powerful search syntax, which is why most players use it day to day instead of Gatherer.
Can I search MTG cards offline?
Most web-based databases, including Scryfall and Gatherer, need an internet connection. Some mobile apps, including Grimoria, cache the card database on your device so you can scan and search cards offline, useful at a shop with weak signal or during a busy event. Check an app's listing before relying on it away from Wi-Fi.
Which database has the most accurate MTG card prices?
No single database sets the price. TCGplayer reflects the US market in USD, Cardmarket reflects the European market in EUR, and both change daily based on real listings and sales. Tools like Grimoria pull from multiple providers so you can compare, but treat any number you see as a snapshot rather than a fixed price.
Does a card database track my collection too?
Not by default. Scryfall and Gatherer are pure search tools with no concept of what you own. Collection-aware options like Grimoria layer ownership, condition, and value on top of the same card pool, so a search result also shows whether you already have a copy and where it's stored.