Scryfall Set Information Scraper

Scryfall Set Information Scraper

Scrape Magic: The Gathering set metadata from Scryfall, including card counts, release dates, icons, and set codes. Every set comes with its type, block, parent set, and digital availability flags. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Magic: The Gathering has hundreds of expansion sets, each with its own code, release date, and card list. Scryfall catalogs them all, but browsing set by set or pulling the data through a general API takes manual work. This Actor reads the full set list from Scryfall in one pass and returns every set as a structured row, ready for your spreadsheet or database.

Who uses it	What they scrape Scryfall for
MTG collectors	Build a personal checklist of every set they own or still need to complete.
Deck builders and content creators	Pull the latest set codes and release dates to keep their tools and articles current.
Market analysts and store owners	Track set releases and card counts to plan inventory and pricing strategies.
App developers	Seed a database with canonical set metadata for a deck tracker or collection manager.

What it does

This Actor collects every Magic: The Gathering set listed on Scryfall and returns each one as a flat row with its code, name, release date, card count, and type.

• 🗂️ Complete set catalog: every expansion, core set, masters set, and promotional release Scryfall knows about.
• 📅 Release dates and timelines: the exact day each set launched, plus its block and parent set relationships.
• 🎨 Set icons and symbols: SVG icon URIs for each set, ready to render in your own UI.
• 🔢 Card counts and types: total cards, digital-only sets, and whether a set is foil-only or available on Arena.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with Scryfall data

📋 Build a set checklist.

A collector runs the Actor once, exports to CSV, and imports the rows into a spreadsheet to track which sets they have completed.

📆 Monitor new set releases.

A store owner schedules a weekly run to catch newly added sets and updates their pre-order page before the next spoiler season.

🖥️ Seed a collection app database.

A developer pulls the full set catalog, stores the codes and icons, and uses them as the foundation for a deck-building or inventory tool.

🔍 Cross-reference set legality.

A content creator filters by set type and release date to confirm which sets are currently Standard-legal for an article.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
Set code	The three-letter shorthand used on every card and API call
Release date	When the set became legal or available, in ISO format
Card count	How many cards are in the base set, excluding variants
Digital availability	Whether the set exists on MTGO, Arena, or both

How it compares

No other Store actor targets Scryfall the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	Scryfall Set Information Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When Scryfall changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Control the run with a single maxItems limit. The Actor reads the full Scryfall set list and stops after the number of rows you specify. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
 "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
 "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.0089 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$0.89
1,000 results	$8.90
10,000 results	$89.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the Scryfall Set Information Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Scryfall through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/scryfall-set-information-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting only 10 results?

Free Apify accounts are capped at 10 items. Upgrade to a paid plan and increase the maxItems input to get the full set list.

The run finished but my dataset is empty.

Check that maxItems is set to at least 1. If Scryfall's API was temporarily unreachable, wait a minute and retry the run.

A newly announced set is missing from the results.

Scryfall adds sets when Wizards of the Coast officially publishes the product page. If the set is not yet on Scryfall's website, it will not appear in the Actor's output.

The set icon URI returns a 404 when I open it.

Scryfall occasionally changes icon paths. The URI is provided directly from their API. If a link breaks, it likely changed upstream, and a fresh run will return the updated URI.

Can I run this on a schedule?

Yes. Apify supports scheduled runs. Set the Actor to run weekly or monthly to catch new set releases automatically.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Does this scrape every card in each set?	No, this Actor returns set-level metadata only: the set name, code, release date, card count, and related properties. It does not return individual card data.
What is the difference between set code and set name?	The set code is a short, unique identifier like 'MH3' or 'BLB'. The set name is the full, human-readable title like 'Modern Horizons 3' or 'Bloomburrow'.
Does this include Secret Lair drops and promotional sets?	Yes, Scryfall lists all official releases, including Secret Lair, promos, and box-topper sets. They appear with their own set codes and types.
Can I filter by set type, like only core sets or only expansions?	The Actor returns all sets. You can filter the resulting dataset in your spreadsheet or code by the set_type field after the run completes.
How often is the Scryfall data updated?	Scryfall updates its set list as soon as Wizards of the Coast announces a new product. Run the Actor any time to get the latest data.
Is an API key required?	No. This Actor reads the public Scryfall set list. You do not need to register an application or provide credentials.
What output formats are supported?	You can export the results to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify dataset tab.
Does this Actor respect Scryfall's rate limits?	Yes, it makes a single request for the full set list and does not hammer the server. It is designed to be a good API citizen.
Can I get the set icon as an image file?	The Actor returns the SVG icon URI provided by Scryfall. You can download the SVG separately using that URI.
What is the maxItems limit for free users?	Free Apify accounts are limited to 10 items per run. Paid plans can request up to 1,000,000 items, which covers every set Scryfall has ever listed.

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Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Scryfall, LLC. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.