Why this project?
As much as I appreciate the projects I built during my time at NYCDA, my portfolio needed something more sophisticated—something that reflects what I’ve learned over the past seven years as a professional developer. I wanted to build a project with real utility—something I’d actually use, not just something to show off.
So I decided to solve a problem from my own life: tracking life totals in Magic: The Gathering. And with that, this life counter project was born.
But first, a little background.
What is Magic: The Gathering?
Magic: The Gathering is a strategy card game where players take on the role of powerful wizards ("planeswalkers") who summon creatures, cast spells, and try to defeat each other.
Each player starts with a set amount of life (usually 20 or 40), and the goal is to reduce your opponents' life to zero (or win through other game mechanics).
What is Commander?
Commander is a popular multiplayer format of Magic. Here's what makes it special:
- Multiplayer — 3 to 6 players, not just 1v1
- More life — Each player starts with 40 life
- Unique decks — Each player builds a 100-card deck around a legendary creature called their “Commander”
- Commander Damage — If one Commander deals 21 damage to a player, that player loses, even if they still have life left
- Poison Damage — In some cases, players can also lose if they take 10 poison counters
Why a Life Tracker?
With so many players and different ways to lose (life, poison, commander damage from specific players), it’s hard to keep track of everything with pen and paper or dice.
My life tracker app makes it easy to:
- Track life, poison, and commander damage
- Manage multiple players at once
- See everything clearly, even if you're across the table (rotate feature)
- Reset and customize quickly
Other life-tracking apps are out there, but they always seemed to miss the mark in one way or another—or were just too bloated for my taste. What I like about this project is that it’s something I’ll actively use and continue to refine over time. I plan to keep adding features, and since I’ll be using it during actual games of Magic, I’ll be able to observe live user interaction and make improvements based on real-world use.