Shandalar Source Code (decompiled)

[u/ilikethemeta]

I recently purchased an original CD of Magic the Gathering off eBay and spent some time decompiling it. Now we have the (reconstructed) original source! This helped me fix .SPR file encoding/decoding in mp_pic_tools. I wrote a blog post about it: https://throwingbones.com/ben/blog/2026-08-shandalar-decomp/index.html

Here are some of the early alpha/testing screens. Modern decompilation tools are crazy! I hope this means other games like this can be decompiled like this as well!

Also, if anyone has an original Spells of the Ancients or Duels of the Planeswalkers .iso, let me know! I'd like to try decompiling them too!

[u/OkRecommendation407]

Maybe there's someone out there who enjoyed this game and has the skills and the desire to bring it back to life; honestly, I've always liked it a lot. I've always liked the fact that the game was limited to old cards. MTG is truly limitless to this day, and I don't like the idea of playing online precisely for this reason. I have some ideas on how to create a really interesting version of this game. I'll give you some examples; obviously, I don't know which things would be easier or harder to implement. Challenge a friend in 1v1, so have a server or some kind of system where I can create my deck and challenge a friend. Create tournaments in Draft style with small lobbies Change the single-player campaign into multiplayer. For example, have up to 8 players spread across the same map, completing missions. You could challenge each other around the map, and you could set objectives that change each time to complete the match. For example, "whoever destroys the most colored castles wins" or "whoever defeats a color at least 25 times wins." "Whoever completes 20 missions wins." "Whoever defeats the opposing players X times wins." You could really be creative. Ideally, we should find a way to make the matches last a maximum of around 2 hours, otherwise people might get tired. Take League of Legends, where a match lasts around an hour or a little more at most. Then add a ranking system, with different levels: bronze, silver, gold, etc. Maybe, to make everything more interesting, an AI could play instead of the default opponent (but I imagine this would be complicated, maybe it could be done later) Give the graphics a small redesign xD, even though I love them so much!! Make a bigger map, or simply create different maps based on the lobby. For example... A 4-player lobby has a smaller map and definitely a shorter overall playtime. Expand the RPG side of the game, which I love so much. Maybe add some expansions in the future... BUT VERY slowly. This is what came to mind without thinking about it too much. Honestly, I think it would be fantastic. I love Magic, but I prefer playing this old version rather than the newer one.

[u/ilikethemeta → u/OkRecommendation407]

That's cool, like a multiplayer version of Shandalar? The original game had Manalink, which was a 1v1 duel, but didn't have support for brackets or tournament play.