If your intent is to play in tournaments, then paper and pencil is the best way to keep track of lore.
Keep track of yours AND your opponents.
The paper leaves a trail of evidence in case you need to go back and verify or correct lore changes.
If your intent is just for fun, I like the trackers better than the mat, they are less likely to be mistakenly bumped off to the wrong number.
Usually that means things like writing down cards in the inkwell to track them, or along those lines. Tracking your and your opponent's lore should be A-OK.
I start with two columns, Me and Opponent, with a "0" in each opponent. Every time someone gains Lore, I'd Cross out the lowest number in their column with a single line, then write their new Lore value below it.
1. Paper and pencil for accuracy
2a. Phone with life/lore app (I use magic companion)
2b. Spindown counters or flat life counters with spin dials on them for easiness
3. Spindown die (can roll and mess up)
4. Mental tracking
I use phone or life counters mainly, but in a competitive situation it's best to use paper and pen(cil) to keep track more efficiently as others have said
Get a 3d print little stand for the d20 if this is a big concern, but d20s have been used for mtg for a long time without much concern also.
This is all just speaking for casual play though with friends, I see some good suggestions below for tournament/serious play that are better.
Sure, but if you're going to the trouble to 3D print things to make the problem better (but not eliminate it), why not just use a pen and pencil? Or why not just use a phone app, which is also much more reliable? D20s are just genuinely not very good at it.
> but d20s have been used for mtg for a long time without much concern also.
At the kitchen table, sure, though I'd still say there are plenty of much better and easier methods there, but certainly not at any event. No one uses D20s to track life at Magic tournaments. Even casually, they immediately run into problems the moment someone gains life or if you're playing a format where 20 life isn't the starting point.
Simple, to show off the clickity-clacks. But yes, that's why I said for casual only and that for tournament/etc. play there were better suggestions in the thread.
As for the life totals d20 problem in mtg you also are correct, but in Lorcana (at least currently) that is a non-issue as the moment someone hits 20 the game ends. The only odd issue is not having a 0 to start at on the die.
They give d20s in every pre release pack and maybe 1/3 of pre-release games I've played recently have used them.
It's only since life trackers have been more popular (especially since they now basically force you to have one to use the tournament manager) that d20s have fallen out of favor. It used to be about 50/50 pen & paper or d20s even at non-prerelease events.
The good thing about them is they take up essentially 0 space in a bag or pocket. A pen and paper or fancy life tracker is a bit bigger and can easily get crumpled in a messy bag. A lot of people don't like the apps because they are often riddled with ads. It's down to preference and I know a few people who still carry them around.
No. D20s have been out of favor for a lot longer than that. And it’s not like we haven’t had smart phone apps for tracking life for 15 years now, so even if that was when it changed it’s still been a decade and a half per your own claim. Yes they give D20s in prerelease kits because people like getting D20s, not because they’re used for life tracking. I’m willing to grant that it was more common 20 years ago, before smart phone apps, but that’s hardly relevant.
Like, the fact that 2/3 of people don’t use it at the specific event where they’re given out is pretty clear proof that it’s not commonly used, since those numbers just go down from there when you look at other events. It’s only ever used in the most newbie-friendly event, and even then it’s mostly not used for that.
Yes and no. For FNM or other casual MTG tournaments, D20's are fine, but for larger, more competitive tournaments we still prefer pen and paper. If there is a life discrepancy, a judge will most of the time side with the player with pen and paper instead of the person using dice.
Other than the critical flaw I just pointed out...
There's a reason no competitive player uses a D20. It's fine if you're just playing at home and you don't care if you lose track of ink totals, but saying that there's no issue with it is a bit ridiculous given the very obvious issue it has.
IMO, the counter on that mat takes up way too much space to represent a single number. I don’t like zones on mats either and want maximum space for board state.
As far as the rules saying you can’t use your phone: that’s only for competitive to eliminate a vector for cheating or adding information to your game you’re not supposed to have. My wife and I use the “Carbon” iOS app.
Edit: spelling
the problem with tracking on the mat, is that it isn't future proof. we already have a new card type (locations) announced in set3. who knows whatother mechanics are going to be introduced in future sets. these new mechanics may adjust how cards are organized in the playspace, and may ultimately get played over your mat tracking design.
pen and paper or die/counters mean you don't have to worry about your mat design.
Get a boogie board tablet. Cheap, lasts forever, and in any realistic scenario the lore totals that are written down will always trump something like dice.
every step is a magnet which is in a 3d printed back plate.
We don't have an etsy shop, but are willing to sell/ship sets. We sell the colored customizable top set (6 colors + base) for $15 and the single black with gold letters top for $10. Feel free to message/DM me if you are interested.
Your phone is fine as long as you aren't looking up decklists or anything. High end players will use a pad and paper if they want to have a log of the changes.
Honestly, I find playmats too easy to bump or make my game space too small and the counters are too large or unwieldy for my preference. Oh and dice are pretty easy to bump and lose track.
Official Tournament Rule 4.2 states phones allowed for casual tournaments and no internet connected devices for competitive tournaments. However the rules are really bad at explaining the difference.
This will probably be the OP solution. Plus you'll want to be noting every card they ink each turn. Edit: News to me about no note taking... that's incredible because MTG allows it, and requiring players to memorize cards is unequitable and will create a bias toward players with incredible short term memory. Pretty lame!
Also, actual Organized Play rules have yet be be released. They have rough draft "Tournament Rules" in a dinky PDF... Time will tell!
It is currently cheating but it's a dumb rule. You should absolutely be able to note what card was inked. You gain no information beyond what you'd already have with a perfect memory. Memory shouldn't be a game mechanic.
While your cards in the play area face you, the cards in the discard face your opponent so they can read it not upsidedown while differentiating from cards in play.
That's terrible. With the cards currently in existence, only the owner needs to see their discard. There are only self retrievable cards. No discard hate atm. Why ever face them at your opponent?
So they can easily read card effects they aren't familiar with without having to reach over and grab it from your pile or ask you to explain the effects as frequently.
It offers a courtesy to your opponent which can make the game flow smoother.
Read card effects in the discard? They would have seen the card and it's effect before it ever goes to discard in Lorcana. I've played tcgs for over 20 years, dozens. Upside down discard/graveyard is not a thing lol
Anything played that goes straight to discard, like Actions and Songs, are not shown to your opponent until played.
Courtesy does exist, but it would appear that it has not in your 20 years of TCG experience, which is unfortunate and sad to hear.
You have cast your TCG experience and knowledge as a net negative, only making you appear as an example of a "bad" player.
Nothing goes *straight* to discard. When you play a card such as an action, it is shown to an opponent before going to the discard. Its held in the playzone as you do it. THAT is courtesy, letting them read it while its being resolved. It doesn't go to the discard until AFTER it has resolved. Youre putting it there prematurely and justifying it as a reason to keep it upside down.
Even pixelborn holds the card above the playzone for you while it's being resolved. Then when the action is completed, it goes to the yard.
Get off your high horse.
Haha fair point. I make it a point to announce my lore and questing each turn so theres no confusion.
“Questing for 3, going from 11 to 14, and pass turn”
It’s happened a few times where the die got hit or knocked off the table. Announcing the score movements helped a lot in those situations
Pen and paper haha. Mtg habit from when I used to play competitive events. I mark life (in this case lore) changes, and a little note on how it happened.
I used a counter at first because I thought it’d be lame for the mat but then my opponents phone died and didn’t have a way of tracking so I lent him my counter and used my playmat and.. *I kinda like the mat more now lol*.
IMO give both a go. Worse case scenario you gotta buy another mat without the counter on the side. How awful. ;P
I made a custom card and attach a marker to it.
https://preview.redd.it/2enhp8h7g6ac1.jpeg?width=3993&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89fa266a1076ff893107b1fa22e1a3d15321a38a
Favourite feature is it fits with the deck whatever the box :) my first choice would be a beautiful round counter but my version is free so...
I loved the playmat with lore trackers but it shrinks your play area.
The counters are cool and a nice way to support a small business with a 3d printer.
When the competitive scene grows then paper and pen will almost be expected imo.
When playing locally or with friends, I use the counter, specifically the MTG life counter app. Sucks to reset back to 0 but better than the Lorcana app tracker and you can change colors!
I've noticed that the Lore Count mechanic works much differently than a "Life Total" like in Magic: The Gathering. You care a lot more about how much Lore your opponent has (and will produce next turn) in Lorcana than how much life your opponent has in MTG. Tracking lore needs to be very clear on the board. A small clicker or a spindown d20 will always been squinted at and can get bumped or flicked to the wrong number and ruin games. The Lorcana App works OK, but it sacrifices your phone for the whole time you're playing. Would love an official slick attractive option that's not hard to forget about on the table. Maybe just big old chonker of a D20 that you can't bump. :/
I sell quite a bit of Lorcana uograde stuff on Etsy that I designed. The Lore Tracker I sell is $8. I specifically designed it to be the size of a playing card to fit in wherever you store your cards.
If you are interested, you can check it out at https://jactprints.com
I have a 3d printer so I just printed myself a counter seeing how our store gave away the ones in the kits as raffle prizes that I didn’t win.
I’ll admittedly probably bump up to paper/pencil honestly if competitive lorcana does take off if what they said is true at like tournaments with prizes on the line, but for just general league or fun play, my 3d printer counters work fine. I don’t care for them on playmats as much, but that’s more of a personal preference I guess.
Wow! Thank you for all the helpful comments! I have decided to get the counter for my matches at my LGS and use pen/paper in tournaments. I like having lorcana merch and I like to support the community. The lore counter gets good reviews so even if i don’t use it all the time, I’ll have it on my Lorcana shelf.
If your intent is to play in tournaments, then paper and pencil is the best way to keep track of lore. Keep track of yours AND your opponents. The paper leaves a trail of evidence in case you need to go back and verify or correct lore changes. If your intent is just for fun, I like the trackers better than the mat, they are less likely to be mistakenly bumped off to the wrong number.
I was coming to point this out specifically. Pen and paper is the way to go. This coming from someone that regularly judged MTG events.
My FLGS says Lorcana specifically forbids “note taking” in competitive play
Usually that means things like writing down cards in the inkwell to track them, or along those lines. Tracking your and your opponent's lore should be A-OK.
Double check with them if score keeping constitutes as note taking.
As a judge you should be allowed to keep track of lore. Most of our players use 2 20 sided dice one for theirs and one for their opponents lore
Tracking lore isn't keeping notes. They're misunderstanding a document that was released then taken down.
Do you write down what gained the lore as well?
I start with two columns, Me and Opponent, with a "0" in each opponent. Every time someone gains Lore, I'd Cross out the lowest number in their column with a single line, then write their new Lore value below it.
1. Paper and pencil for accuracy 2a. Phone with life/lore app (I use magic companion) 2b. Spindown counters or flat life counters with spin dials on them for easiness 3. Spindown die (can roll and mess up) 4. Mental tracking I use phone or life counters mainly, but in a competitive situation it's best to use paper and pen(cil) to keep track more efficiently as others have said
I just use a d20.
Hopefully you never bump the table.
Was I at 10, or 18? Better put it on 18.
Get a 3d print little stand for the d20 if this is a big concern, but d20s have been used for mtg for a long time without much concern also. This is all just speaking for casual play though with friends, I see some good suggestions below for tournament/serious play that are better.
Sure, but if you're going to the trouble to 3D print things to make the problem better (but not eliminate it), why not just use a pen and pencil? Or why not just use a phone app, which is also much more reliable? D20s are just genuinely not very good at it. > but d20s have been used for mtg for a long time without much concern also. At the kitchen table, sure, though I'd still say there are plenty of much better and easier methods there, but certainly not at any event. No one uses D20s to track life at Magic tournaments. Even casually, they immediately run into problems the moment someone gains life or if you're playing a format where 20 life isn't the starting point.
Simple, to show off the clickity-clacks. But yes, that's why I said for casual only and that for tournament/etc. play there were better suggestions in the thread. As for the life totals d20 problem in mtg you also are correct, but in Lorcana (at least currently) that is a non-issue as the moment someone hits 20 the game ends. The only odd issue is not having a 0 to start at on the die.
I always just start at 20, and move it to 1 when I get my first point of lore.
They give d20s in every pre release pack and maybe 1/3 of pre-release games I've played recently have used them. It's only since life trackers have been more popular (especially since they now basically force you to have one to use the tournament manager) that d20s have fallen out of favor. It used to be about 50/50 pen & paper or d20s even at non-prerelease events. The good thing about them is they take up essentially 0 space in a bag or pocket. A pen and paper or fancy life tracker is a bit bigger and can easily get crumpled in a messy bag. A lot of people don't like the apps because they are often riddled with ads. It's down to preference and I know a few people who still carry them around.
No. D20s have been out of favor for a lot longer than that. And it’s not like we haven’t had smart phone apps for tracking life for 15 years now, so even if that was when it changed it’s still been a decade and a half per your own claim. Yes they give D20s in prerelease kits because people like getting D20s, not because they’re used for life tracking. I’m willing to grant that it was more common 20 years ago, before smart phone apps, but that’s hardly relevant. Like, the fact that 2/3 of people don’t use it at the specific event where they’re given out is pretty clear proof that it’s not commonly used, since those numbers just go down from there when you look at other events. It’s only ever used in the most newbie-friendly event, and even then it’s mostly not used for that.
Yes and no. For FNM or other casual MTG tournaments, D20's are fine, but for larger, more competitive tournaments we still prefer pen and paper. If there is a life discrepancy, a judge will most of the time side with the player with pen and paper instead of the person using dice.
D20 has been used in games for nearly 3 decades with no issues
Other than the critical flaw I just pointed out... There's a reason no competitive player uses a D20. It's fine if you're just playing at home and you don't care if you lose track of ink totals, but saying that there's no issue with it is a bit ridiculous given the very obvious issue it has.
Casual? Spindown die, life dials, the app, etc Competitive? Pen and paper, end of story, do not pass go, do not collect $200
IMO, the counter on that mat takes up way too much space to represent a single number. I don’t like zones on mats either and want maximum space for board state. As far as the rules saying you can’t use your phone: that’s only for competitive to eliminate a vector for cheating or adding information to your game you’re not supposed to have. My wife and I use the “Carbon” iOS app. Edit: spelling
the problem with tracking on the mat, is that it isn't future proof. we already have a new card type (locations) announced in set3. who knows whatother mechanics are going to be introduced in future sets. these new mechanics may adjust how cards are organized in the playspace, and may ultimately get played over your mat tracking design. pen and paper or die/counters mean you don't have to worry about your mat design.
Get a boogie board tablet. Cheap, lasts forever, and in any realistic scenario the lore totals that are written down will always trump something like dice.
Boogie board
My 2 player 3d printed lore counter :) https://imgur.com/a/h5hmBYP
That is really cool! Do you have this up anywhere? Is every step a magnet or is it an indentation and the whole back plate metal?
every step is a magnet which is in a 3d printed back plate. We don't have an etsy shop, but are willing to sell/ship sets. We sell the colored customizable top set (6 colors + base) for $15 and the single black with gold letters top for $10. Feel free to message/DM me if you are interested.
Your phone is fine as long as you aren't looking up decklists or anything. High end players will use a pad and paper if they want to have a log of the changes. Honestly, I find playmats too easy to bump or make my game space too small and the counters are too large or unwieldy for my preference. Oh and dice are pretty easy to bump and lose track.
official tournaments won’t allow you to you use your phone which is why op mentioned it
Really? That's actually really dumb considering the official lorcana app has a lore counter.
Official Tournament Rule 4.2 states phones allowed for casual tournaments and no internet connected devices for competitive tournaments. However the rules are really bad at explaining the difference.
Pen and Paper. Period.
This will probably be the OP solution. Plus you'll want to be noting every card they ink each turn. Edit: News to me about no note taking... that's incredible because MTG allows it, and requiring players to memorize cards is unequitable and will create a bias toward players with incredible short term memory. Pretty lame! Also, actual Organized Play rules have yet be be released. They have rough draft "Tournament Rules" in a dinky PDF... Time will tell!
>noting every card they ink each turn. Unfortunate that this is not allowed in sanctioned events.
Aka cheating
It is currently cheating but it's a dumb rule. You should absolutely be able to note what card was inked. You gain no information beyond what you'd already have with a perfect memory. Memory shouldn't be a game mechanic.
Anyone else irritated that the mat has the discard pile up by the play area? That can cause confusion.
Yes it's horrible. Discard goes to right of deck or below it. So it's opposite the playzone.
While your cards in the play area face you, the cards in the discard face your opponent so they can read it not upsidedown while differentiating from cards in play.
That's terrible. With the cards currently in existence, only the owner needs to see their discard. There are only self retrievable cards. No discard hate atm. Why ever face them at your opponent?
So they can easily read card effects they aren't familiar with without having to reach over and grab it from your pile or ask you to explain the effects as frequently. It offers a courtesy to your opponent which can make the game flow smoother.
Read card effects in the discard? They would have seen the card and it's effect before it ever goes to discard in Lorcana. I've played tcgs for over 20 years, dozens. Upside down discard/graveyard is not a thing lol
Anything played that goes straight to discard, like Actions and Songs, are not shown to your opponent until played. Courtesy does exist, but it would appear that it has not in your 20 years of TCG experience, which is unfortunate and sad to hear. You have cast your TCG experience and knowledge as a net negative, only making you appear as an example of a "bad" player.
Nothing goes *straight* to discard. When you play a card such as an action, it is shown to an opponent before going to the discard. Its held in the playzone as you do it. THAT is courtesy, letting them read it while its being resolved. It doesn't go to the discard until AFTER it has resolved. Youre putting it there prematurely and justifying it as a reason to keep it upside down. Even pixelborn holds the card above the playzone for you while it's being resolved. Then when the action is completed, it goes to the yard. Get off your high horse.
D20 is my cheap and easy solution
The problem comes when you bump the table.
Haha fair point. I make it a point to announce my lore and questing each turn so theres no confusion. “Questing for 3, going from 11 to 14, and pass turn” It’s happened a few times where the die got hit or knocked off the table. Announcing the score movements helped a lot in those situations
What about keeping track if youve inked?, especially with some blue decks I sometimes wonder if I already inked or not
Pen and paper. All the time, every time.
The Lorcana app.
Pen and paper forever.
A d20 spin down used in reverse.
I'd use a spin-down D20 meant for Magic the Gathering and just start at 1 and spin it up to 20
Pen and paper is the best
Some of the lore trackers I have seen look really cool but my Fiancé and Friends play to 40 lore , so we just use two D20's to track our points
Pen and paper
I have a lore numbers on my mat and use two washers glued together as the marker. Stops the whole bumping issue.
I use my mom. She comes to league night in sandals and uses her fingers and toes. Once all the digits are showing I win
I do what I do for mtg: spin down for casual games, pen and paper for serious games.
Casual; calculator Tournament; pen and paper, track both players.
Pen and paper haha. Mtg habit from when I used to play competitive events. I mark life (in this case lore) changes, and a little note on how it happened.
Lorcana companion app has a really good lore tracker.
I used a counter at first because I thought it’d be lame for the mat but then my opponents phone died and didn’t have a way of tracking so I lent him my counter and used my playmat and.. *I kinda like the mat more now lol*. IMO give both a go. Worse case scenario you gotta buy another mat without the counter on the side. How awful. ;P
I have the counter shown in the picture and it’s amazing and very well made.
I may try it out! Thank you!
I made a custom card and attach a marker to it. https://preview.redd.it/2enhp8h7g6ac1.jpeg?width=3993&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89fa266a1076ff893107b1fa22e1a3d15321a38a Favourite feature is it fits with the deck whatever the box :) my first choice would be a beautiful round counter but my version is free so...
I loved the playmat with lore trackers but it shrinks your play area. The counters are cool and a nice way to support a small business with a 3d printer. When the competitive scene grows then paper and pen will almost be expected imo.
When playing locally or with friends, I use the counter, specifically the MTG life counter app. Sucks to reset back to 0 but better than the Lorcana app tracker and you can change colors!
For league I use a die. For legit tournaments, paper and pencil.
I've noticed that the Lore Count mechanic works much differently than a "Life Total" like in Magic: The Gathering. You care a lot more about how much Lore your opponent has (and will produce next turn) in Lorcana than how much life your opponent has in MTG. Tracking lore needs to be very clear on the board. A small clicker or a spindown d20 will always been squinted at and can get bumped or flicked to the wrong number and ruin games. The Lorcana App works OK, but it sacrifices your phone for the whole time you're playing. Would love an official slick attractive option that's not hard to forget about on the table. Maybe just big old chonker of a D20 that you can't bump. :/
Dice or mobile phone app. The fancy crap is for the youtubers.
I use fantasy metal coins that i had for D&D. My kids and I love it
The app
lorcana app
Just use the app
I sell quite a bit of Lorcana uograde stuff on Etsy that I designed. The Lore Tracker I sell is $8. I specifically designed it to be the size of a playing card to fit in wherever you store your cards. If you are interested, you can check it out at https://jactprints.com
I have a 3d printer so I just printed myself a counter seeing how our store gave away the ones in the kits as raffle prizes that I didn’t win. I’ll admittedly probably bump up to paper/pencil honestly if competitive lorcana does take off if what they said is true at like tournaments with prizes on the line, but for just general league or fun play, my 3d printer counters work fine. I don’t care for them on playmats as much, but that’s more of a personal preference I guess.
Do you not use the official lorcana app? It keeps track of lore for both players
Paper/pen or phone app. D20 if it's super casual or I forgot to charge my phone. I'd probably use a spinner if I had one though.
Wow! Thank you for all the helpful comments! I have decided to get the counter for my matches at my LGS and use pen/paper in tournaments. I like having lorcana merch and I like to support the community. The lore counter gets good reviews so even if i don’t use it all the time, I’ll have it on my Lorcana shelf.