About MTGCheap
An independent project helping Commander players find budget-friendly card alternatives.
What this site does
MTGCheap compares expensive Magic: The Gathering cards against cheaper functional alternatives. Every recommendation page shows real market prices, mana and type comparisons, shared mechanics, and computed savings — so you can judge for yourself whether a swap fits your deck. The site is run by Zachary, a Commander player who loves brewing, especially on a budget — hence the creation.
Where the data comes from
Card data and imagery come from Scryfall. Prices are market values refreshed from Scryfall bulk data, with our own price history tracked over time. Mechanics tags are assigned from rules text. When data is missing or stale, pages say so instead of guessing.
How recommendations work
Alternatives are ranked by a transparent formula: rules-text similarity, shared mechanics, mana-curve proximity, and card-type fit, filtered to your commander's color identity and budget. Match bands (Very strong, Strong, Partial, Budget stretch) rank picks against each other — they are not measurements of competitive power, and the methodology is printed on every guide. Nothing here is sponsored placement: affiliate links never change which cards are recommended or how they rank.
Fan content
MTGCheap is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. It is not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. Magic: The Gathering is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast.
Contact
Found a bad recommendation, a stale price, or a broken page? Email Zachary at zach@mtgcheap.com, or open an issue at github.com/friendlyonion/cheapmtg — both are read by the person who runs this site.