Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Magic: The Gathering VS Cockatrice

Compare Magic: The Gathering VS Cockatrice and see what are their differences

Magic: The Gathering logo Magic: The Gathering

The classic card-trading strategy game brought to the PC.

Cockatrice logo Cockatrice

Cockatrice is an open-source, multiplatform program for playing tabletop card games over a network.
  • Magic: The Gathering Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-23
  • Cockatrice Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-02

Magic: The Gathering features and specs

  • Strategic Depth
    Magic: The Gathering offers complex and strategic gameplay that appeals to players who enjoy deep, tactical decision-making.
  • Diverse Play Styles
    The game provides a variety of formats and deck-building options, allowing players to choose their preferred play style and strategies.
  • Community and Events
    The game has a vibrant community with numerous local and international tournaments, fostering social interaction and competition.
  • Art and Lore
    Magic: The Gathering features rich storytelling and high-quality artwork, enhancing the immersive experience for players interested in fantasy worlds.
  • Constant Innovation
    With regular new sets and mechanics being released, the game stays fresh and keeps evolving, providing continuous new content for players.

Possible disadvantages of Magic: The Gathering

  • Cost
    Magic: The Gathering can become expensive, especially for those looking to build competitive decks or collect cards.
  • Complexity Barrier
    The game's complexity and large pool of rules can be daunting for new players, creating a steep learning curve.
  • Metagame Dominance
    Certain formats may have dominant strategies or decks, potentially reducing diversity and fun for players who face the same opponents repeatedly.
  • Rotation and Obsolescence
    Standard format cards rotate out of legality, which means players need to continually purchase new cards to stay competitive.
  • Time-Intensive
    Games can be lengthy, and building competitive decks often requires significant time investment for research and practice.

Cockatrice features and specs

  • Free to Use
    Cockatrice is open-source software, which means it's free to download and use. This makes it accessible to a broad audience without any financial barrier.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    The software is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, which allows users to play regardless of their computer’s OS.
  • Card Database
    Cockatrice has a comprehensive card database that is regularly updated, allowing users to play with the latest cards from Magic: The Gathering.
  • Customizable Gameplay
    Users have the ability to create custom decks and participate in online games, facilitating a personalized gaming experience.
  • Community Support
    A strong community exists around Cockatrice, offering user support, plugin development, and community tournaments.

Possible disadvantages of Cockatrice

  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex for new users as it requires manual installation and updates of card databases.
  • User Interface
    The user interface may feel outdated or unintuitive for some users, affecting the overall user experience.
  • No Official Endorsement
    Cockatrice is not officially endorsed by Wizards of the Coast, the creators of Magic: The Gathering, which may lead to potential legal issues or discontinuation threats.
  • Limited Features Compared to Official Platforms
    Lacks some of the premium features and official card rulings enforcement found in official platforms like Magic: The Gathering Arena or Magic Online.
  • No Offline Play
    Cockatrice requires an internet connection for multiplayer gaming, which restricts offline play with AI or bots.

Magic: The Gathering videos

Is It Worth It To Buy A 2021 Arena Starter Kit...And Which? A Magic: The Gathering Product Review

Cockatrice videos

(Beginners) The Basics Of Cockatrice!

More videos:

  • Review - Cockatrice Showcase - Ice and Fire Mod 1.12 - Minecraft
  • Review - Cockatrice Review!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Magic: The Gathering and Cockatrice)
Marketing Platform
39 39%
61% 61
Gaming
36 36%
64% 64
Games
100 100%
0% 0
Game Servers
32 32%
68% 68

User comments

Share your experience with using Magic: The Gathering and Cockatrice. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cockatrice should be more popular than Magic: The Gathering. It has been mentiond 40 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Magic: The Gathering mentions (15)

  • Which video games do you believe have the best worldbuilding?
    I might be cheating a little with this one, but I'm a big fan of Magic: the Gathering's various "planes", from the aetherpunk stylings of Kaladesh) to the gothic horror(ish) Innistrad) to the drunken magical frat parties of Strixhaven University and everything in between and beyond. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Magic: The Gathering
    { "id": 0, "name": "Magic: The Gathering", "description": "Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game created by Richard Garfield and originally published in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. It was the first trading card game created.", "links": { "website": [ "https://magic.wizards.com/en/", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_of_the_Coast" ], ... Source: over 2 years ago
  • What exactly is Mana? (In Gaming Culture)
    The popularity of "Mana" continued to grow, as by 1993, Magic; The Gathering (M: tG) was created. M: tG is a trading card game that continues to be extremely popular today. Mana is a focal point of this game, where players had to harvest it and use it to activate certain cards. Of course, this was a clear homage to Larry Niven's "Magic Goes Away" series. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What it takes to be a world renowned #scifi illustrator: (2022 Interview)
    After several rejections from various publishers, a serendipitous opportunity was presented to them! Szikszai’s wife stumbled upon the phone number of a popular illustrator Jeremy Crawford, and informed him about the duo. Crawford requested for their portfolio, and the rest is history. Their first work was Magic The Gathering. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Gandalf, by Anato Finnstark
    Magic: The Gathering - strategy card and deck building game owned by Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. There may also be a digital version, but I'm not sure, as I've never played. There's a 40K crossover going on now. Source: over 2 years ago
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Cockatrice mentions (40)

  • State of Izzet phoenix
    I'd suggest going to any deck browsing site (like https://www.mtggoldfish.com/metagame/pioneer/full#paper) and glancing at the top decks and seeing which one interests you. It's okay to post and ask questions about decks if you're not sure how one works (I personally struggled understanding how legacy control decks can seem to run 0 win conditions but also have no issues winning games for instance). When you find... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Found a way to “play” any kind of deck with friends
    Props for your resourcefulness, but you could just use Cockatrice, or XMage. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Not Magic, not Pokémon: Moonfarmer, our own cardgame!
    Go to https://cockatrice.github.io/ and download the software, installing it afterwards;. Source: about 2 years ago
  • [MOM] Invasion of Alara
    Https://cockatrice.github.io/ - haven't used this too much myself but this one does have built in servers and decent controls. Source: about 2 years ago
  • I sometimes miss the fun of low-cost Magic, but have realized the hobby is really expensive. Are there any low-cost ways to play?
    My favorite is Cockatrice even though you sound like a mostly in person seeking fellow. It is a web application that is like a card game simulator, it plays magic and can auto update to show you card images, doesn't cost a dime and theoretically could play other games like Android Netrunner if you really wanted to, downside is it sometimes changes domains if the authorities try and shut it down, but the last one... Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Magic: The Gathering and Cockatrice, you can also consider the following products

Hearthstone - Pick up your cards and throw down the gauntlet!

XMage - XMage allows you to play Magic against one or more online players or computer opponents.

Card Hunter - Card Hunter is a fresh card gaming spin on classic tabletop RPGs.

ForgeMtG - Forge is an implementation of Magic the Gathering that lets you play against a computer AI opponent using most of the rules of a real game. You can construct decks for you and the computer to play with, or play in a draft or a sealed deck format.

Infinity Wars - Infinity Wars is a Turn-based Strategy, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing, Collectible and Trading Card video game published by Lightmare Studios.

Evoker: Magic Card Game - Evoker: Magic Card Game is a Collectible Card, Action, Combat, Single and Multiplayer video game created and published by Flare Games.