Free MTG Life Counter
Choose a format, tap + or – when life changes, then press Reset game to start a new match.
A life counter is the number you defend at the table. Dice scatter. Paper tears. Phone apps want an install. This page is a dedicated life pad for paper Magic, not a general clicker counter. Use the clicker when you are tallying reps, visitors, or any other count that is not a life total.
The buttons above cover two to four players, poison counters, and commander damage taken from each other player. They do not try to replace a full Commander companion app. If your pod needs dice, plane cards, or a saved league, use a specialist tool for that job and keep this page for the numbers that decide the game.
How to use the life counter
Using this life counter is straightforward. Set the format, then tap as the board changes:
- Choose a starting life preset. Standard constructed formats use 20. Commander uses 40.
- Set 2, 3, or 4 players. Rename each seat if you want names on the pad.
- Tap +1 or -1 for ordinary hits and drains. Use +5 and -5 for larger swings.
- Add poison when a source gives poison counters. The pad flags a player at 10.
- In a 40-life game, log commander combat damage taken from each opponent. The pad flags a player at 21 from one commander.
- Hit Reset game when you start a new match. That restores the current preset life and clears poison and commander damage.
Official starting life totals
Wizards of the Coast publishes starting life in the Magic Comprehensive Rules (rule 103.4 and its format variants). The table below follows those official rules, plus the Commander format page on the Magic site.
| Format | Starting life |
|---|---|
| Standard / Modern | 20 each (103.4) |
| Commander | 40 each (103.4c) |
| Two-Headed Giant | 30 per team (103.4a) |
| Brawl, 2 players | 25 each (103.4d) |
| Brawl, multiplayer | 30 each (103.4d) |
| Archenemy | 40 (103.4e) |
This pad’s Brawl button uses the two-player value of 25. For a multiplayer Brawl table, start a 30-life game by choosing Two-Headed Giant 30, then rename the seats. Two-Headed Giant is a shared team total in the rules. If you are playing 2HG, use one seat per team rather than one seat per player.
How you lose besides running out of life
Life at 0 or less ends the game for that player (rule 104.3b). Two other common clocks show up at Commander tables.
Poison
Ten or more poison counters cause a loss (rule 104.3d). That is a state-based action. It does not wait for a later turn. Infect and toxic still use this same poison total. This page does not track energy, experience, or storm. Those are different objects.
Commander damage
In Commander, a player who has been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses (rule 104.3j and 903.10a). The official Commander page states the same 21 combat-damage threshold and notes that the commander is tracked across zone changes. Non-combat damage from a commander does not count toward that 21. Partner commanders are tracked separately (rule 702.124d). This pad stores one running total per opponent. If a player has two partner commanders, keep a second total on paper or split the names so each commander has its own row.
What this first version does not do
Several ranking life-counter sites add dice, planechase decks, QR sync, or a ten-player grid. This page does not. Clicker Counters is shipping one focused pad so the numbers stay readable on a phone at the table. If you need those extras, pick a dedicated Commander companion. If you only need a tap tally for something other than life, go back to the homepage counter.
Official references: Magic Commander format and Magic game rules from Wizards of the Coast.