Gatherer is the canonical source for Magic: The Gathering card details. While useful, it lacks an interface for retrieving this data programmatically. The lack of an API makes creating Magic-related applications unnecessarily difficult.
Tutor is a simple JavaScript interface for Gatherer.
API
tutor.card
tutor.card(id, callback(err, card))
tutor.card(name, callback(err, card))
tutor.card(details, callback(err, card))
The first and second forms are shorthand for tutor.card({id: id}, ...) and
tutor.card({name: name}, ...) respectively. The callback is passed an object
representing the specified card. Version-specific metadata such as flavor text
and rarity are included for cards specified by id. Attributes not applicable
to the card type (e.g. lands have no mana cost) or not present (e.g. certain
creatures have no rules text) are omitted.
tutor.card 'Demonic Tutor', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Demonic Tutor"
console.log card.mana_cost
# => "{1}{B}"
console.log card.text
# => "Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle your library."Split cards
Because the two sides of a split card share a Gatherer id, it's necessary to provide the name of the desired side:
tutor.card id: 27165, name: 'Fire', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Fire"
tutor.card id: 27165, name: 'Ice', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Ice"Retrieving either side of a split card by name is straightforward:
tutor.card 'Fire', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Fire"
tutor.card 'Ice', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Ice"Flip cards
Retrieving the top half of a flip card by id is straightforward:
tutor.card 247175, (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Nezumi Graverobber"Either half of a flip card can be retrieved explicitly by setting which to
"a" (for the upper half) or "b" (for the lower half):
tutor.card id: 247175, which: 'b', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Nighteyes the Desecrator"When retrieving a flip card by name rather than id, one may simply provide the name of the desired half:
tutor.card 'Nighteyes the Desecrator', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Nighteyes the Desecrator"Double-faced cards
Either face of a double-faced card can be retrieved by id:
tutor.card 262675, (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Afflicted Deserter"
tutor.card 262698, (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Werewolf Ransacker"Or by name:
tutor.card 'Afflicted Deserter', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Afflicted Deserter"
tutor.card 'Werewolf Ransacker', (err, card) ->
console.log card.name
# => "Werewolf Ransacker"tutor.set
tutor.set(name, callback(err, set))
Scrape cards from the set specified by name. For example:
tutor.set 'Homelands', (err, cards) ->
console.log cards.length
# => 115
console.log Object.keys(cards[0]).sort()
# => [
# "converted_mana_cost",
# "expansion",
# "gatherer_url",
# "image_url",
# "mana_cost",
# "name",
# "power",
# "rarity",
# "subtypes",
# "supertypes",
# "text",
# "toughness",
# "types",
# "versions"
# ]tutor.formats
tutor.formats(callback(err, formatNames))
Provides the names of all the game's formats:
tutor.formats (err, formatNames) ->
console.log formatNames
# => [
# "Brawl",
# "Commander",
# "Legacy",
# "Modern",
# "Pauper",
# "Standard",
# "Vintage"
# ]tutor.sets
tutor.sets(callback(err, setNames))
Provides the names of all the game's sets:
tutor.sets (err, setNames) ->
console.log setNames
# => [
# "Aether Revolt"
# "Alara Reborn",
# ...
# "Zendikar",
# "Zendikar Expeditions"
# ]tutor.types
tutor.types(callback(err, types))
Provides the names of all the game's types:
tutor.types (err, types) ->
console.log types
# => [
# "Artifact",
# "Basic",
# ...
# "World",
# "You'll"
# ]CLI
npm install tutor --global will make the tutor command available globally.
$ tutor card 'Demonic Tutor'
Demonic Tutor {1}{B} Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle your library.
$ tutor card 'Demonic Tutor' --format json | jq '{name,mana_cost,types,text}'
{
"name": "Demonic Tutor",
"mana_cost": "{1}{B}",
"types": [
"Sorcery"
],
"text": "Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle your library."
}
$ tutor card 666 --format json | jq '{name,mana_cost,types,text}'
{
"name": "Lich",
"mana_cost": "{B}{B}{B}{B}",
"types": [
"Enchantment"
],
"text": "As Lich enters the battlefield, you lose life equal to your life total.\n\nYou don't lose the game for having 0 or less life.\n\nIf you would gain life, draw that many cards instead.\n\nWhenever you're dealt damage, sacrifice that many nontoken permanents. If you can't, you lose the game.\n\nWhen Lich is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you lose the game."
}
$ tutor set Alliances | head -n 2
Aesthir Glider {3} 2/1 Flying Aesthir Glider can't block.
Agent of Stromgald {R} 1/1 {R}: Add {B}.
Example of using the CLI from other applications:
Running the tests
$ make --jobs="$(nproc)" fixtures
$ make test
$ make testcli