Deep IQ vs M LifeCounter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Deep IQ
This app simulates a Magic: The Gathering opponent for solo play with physical cards. It uses dice rolls and lookup tables to determine opponent actions, allowing you to test your decks without a live player.
- Virtual opponent for solo play
- Simulates opponent actions with dice and tables
- Deck testing tool for physical cards
- Supports multiple rule versions
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Play Magic: The Gathering solo. Deep IQ is the second player. You bring the deck and the table. Deep IQ brings the opponent — a virtual adversary that rolls a d10 each turn against its current action table and resolves whatever it lands on: summoning creatures, casting setbacks, growing its board, attacking, and graduating to harder tables as the game goes on. There is no decision-making AI to second-guess; outcomes come straight from the dice and the tables, exactly like the pen-and-paper Deep IQ system that players have hand-rolled since 1996. The app just does the bookkeeping — faithfully, instantly, and without a single missed trigger. REBUILT FOR 2026 This year Deep IQ was rewritten from the ground up: • A clear two-phase turn cycle — watch Deep IQ take its turn, then take yours. The board locks while it's thinking and hands control back when it's your move. • A living board — tokens fly in as Deep IQ summons them and out as they leave, with life totals, counters, and a running turn log you can follow at a glance. • A responsive layout that reshapes itself for phone, tablet, and desktop, with the turn log docked beside the board on larger screens. • Six brand-new color rule sets — mono White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green plus a colorless build — each with its own flavor of opponent. • Multiverse Trial: a tougher, modern rule set with layered mechanics. • A built-in help and reference section that explains every screen and rule set. 14 BUILT-IN RULE SETS Every published Deep IQ variant, faithfully implemented: Rick Moscatello (1996), Bruce Richard (2013), Andy Tuque (2016), Nevan Vermillion (2016), Phill Webb (2017), John Taylor (2022), Wrath of Zorr (2021), the 2026 color suite, and Multiverse Trial. PLAYS YOUR WAY • Pick a rule set, choose Deep IQ's colors, and start a game in seconds. • Adjust life, apply setbacks, and manage the board with a tap. • Settings persist instantly — locale, theme, log position, and more. • Available in 11 languages. DEEP IQ PRO Everything above is free. Deep IQ Pro is a one-time in-app purchase that unlocks the custom rule set editor — build your own action tables from scratch, tune the mechanics, and import or export them as JSON to share with other players. If you have ever wanted to design your own solo opponent, this is the workshop. Bring a deck. Deep IQ brings the fight. Deep IQ is an unofficial fan tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC.
M LifeCounter
This app is a dynamic life counter for card games, supporting up to four players. It offers real-time synchronization between devices, a game history log, and multiple game modes. Enhance your gaming sessions with its user-friendly interface and engaging graphics.
- Up to 4 player support
- Real-time device synchronization
- Game history log
- Multiple game modes (classic, infect, modern)
- Friendly interface
- Impressive graphics
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Welcome to M LifeCounter, the ultimate life counter that's changing the rules of the game! Get ready to experience something big in the world of magic counters. M LifeCounter is not your typical boring life counter; it's a powerful and fun tool for your games. Play with up to 4 friends in classic, infect, or modern mode. Worried about losing track of the game? No problem, our history system has everything under control, so you can focus on what's important: enjoying and winning. The coolest part is the real-time synchronization between devices. Everyone in your group can interact with it from their own devices, making each game a shared and vibrant experience. So, leave behind the old counters and welcome M LifeCounter! With a friendly interface and impressive graphics, it's ready to take your gaming experience to another level. M LifeCounter is not just a counter, it's your ideal companion to take your card games to the top. It's time to play like never before!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Deep IQ at 4.8 against M LifeCounter's 4.0. Deep IQ also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). M LifeCounter's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 27 months). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Deep IQ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and M LifeCounter sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Deep IQ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Deep IQ has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Deep IQ ships an update every 27 months, M LifeCounter every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Deep IQ | M LifeCounter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (5 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 27 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | John Taylor | Jorge Jimenez Martinez |
Customer experience
Deep IQ
M LifeCounter
In-app purchases
Deep IQ
- Deep IQ Pro$2.99
M LifeCounter
- No ads$0.99
- M LifeCounter Pro$3.99









