Why DeckCheck's Ratings Work

What Makes This Way Different?

Magic: The Gathering is a game where players often disagree about how strong decks are. You might hear players say "My decks a 7" - but what does that really mean? DeckCheck's aproach fixes this problem by being designed around an objective measure: what turn a deck can win on.

This is not a new idea either. But, for the first time, we have the tools to meansure all decks in this way, accurately, and at scale.

How It Works

We estimate how quickly a deck can win a game by looking at all the cards in the deck and evaluating the deck holistically. Additionally, we don't just look at how fast a deck can win in a vacuum (aka "goldfishing"), we look at how fast it can win vs 3 other players at the same power level.

Let's use an example:

• Deck A might win on turn 4 when testing alone
• But when accounting for other players using removal spells or counterspells, it might not win until turn 8
• This deck would get a lower power rating because it's easily disrupted

Meanwhile:

• Deck B might also win on turn 4 when testing alone
• When other players try to stop it, it still wins around turn 5-6 because it's built to be more resilient
• This deck would get a higher power rating because it's harder to stop

Why This Way Works Better

1. It's Measurable: Instead of saying a deck "feels strong," we can accurately estimate the actual turns it takes to win
2. It's Universal: Every deck, no matter what strategy it uses, can be measured this way - which levels the playing field for everyone
3. It's Realistic: We don't just look at perfect scenarios - we consider how decks perform against typical amounts of interaction at each power level

Common Misconceptions

A deck that creates lots of creatures or does impressive things might feel powerful. But if it takes 12 turns to win, it's actually less powerful than a simple (but often considered boring and predictable) deck that wins turn 4.

This common saying exists because previous methods of defining power are fundamentally flawed. Here's why they failed:

1. Subjectivity: Previous methods relied on assuming everyone agreed on what's considered "powerful." But, two players could look at the same deck and give completely different ratings
2. Lacked Universal Meaning: Without clear benchmarks, numbers became meaningless. That's why "power level 7" became a joke in the community - it could mean almost anything
3. Void of Perspective: Many methods focused on things like individual card power or price rather than how cards worked together to win games

Understanding our Numbers

Each power level number tells the story of:

• When the deck typically wins
• How much interaction it can fight through
• How consistent it is at executing its strategy

For example:

• Power Level 4: Wins around turns 10-12 through combat or slow combos
• Power Level 6: Wins around turns 7-8 with protection and backup plans
• Power Level 8: Wins or locks down the game by turns 3-4

Our #1 Goal

By focusing on win turns rather than how "strong" a deck feels, we create a system that:

• Sets clear benchmarks for each level
• Sets clear expectations for game tempo and length
• Makes power level discussions universal

The goal isn't to say certain decks are "better" than others. Rather, it's to help players understand exactly what to expect when someone says "This is a power level 5.5 deck."

Our #1 goal is to transform vague power level numbers into meaningful information about how games will actually play out.

Finally, some "rules" about our ratings

No power level system is perfect - Magic is a complex game! But with these rules in mind, you're likely to find DeckCheck's ratings work like a charm:

• For matching, use the high end of the power level (PL) of your deck to compare to (e.g., a deck that's 5.5-6.0 is a power 6.0 for matching purposes).
• For balanced matches, pair with decks that are within ± 0.5 of each other.
• Our system assumes a typical range of interaction levels, with a slight bias toward caution to prevent underestimating decks. This helps ensure fairer matchups, even in pods with less disruption.
• It's typical for most decks to vary in their PL range by ± 0.5. More specifically, if you were to keep re-doing the analyis of a deck, you'll likey see it's power range shift up or down by 0.5. This is a reflection of how unpredictable a singleton 100-card format can be.

Games where decks are all within 0.5 of each other ensures that every person at the table has an honest chance at winning the game.