Blake is the content manager for DailyMTG.com, making him the one you should email if you have thoughts on the website, good or less good (or not good). He's a longtime coverage reporter and hasn't turned down a game of Magic in any format ever.

Today—yes, today—we are kicking off the open beta testing period for a new app we're calling Magic: The Gathering Companion. Companion is being built for Magic fans right in front of them—and we want your feedback!

We're starting the open beta with the app's first functionality, a home tournament organizer that empowers players to organize and scorekeep their own events. You'll be able to run events with anywhere from 2–16 players with much of the functionality of an organized tournament.

The app is available for open beta testing on both iOS and Android devices in all languages in which Magic publishes. To download the app, you can click here for iOS or here for Android. iOS testers will need to download the TestFlight app from Apple first.

That's just the first step. Later iterations of the app are going to start expanding on that functionality, empowering stores to better manage their events through mobile devices synced with players who have access to the app. Imagine playing an event in a store and handling pairings, results, and more right through your mobile device!

Even later iterations will include more features, more functionality, and more ways to make your playing experience smoother. For now, with the home tournament organizer, our focus is on solving a unique challenge often requested by players and users that also helps us test services and technology we'll be rolling out later this year.

But the app is not complete yet, and that's where we want your input! We'll be taking feedback through an email available in the app's settings. Please share features and functionality you'd like to see there, in addition to any other feedback on current features you might have.

This raises the question, for many of you, about Portal, an app we announced a while back and did not release. While creating Portal, it became apparent it did not meet the needs of players in the right way. That team's efforts were valuable in guiding the process for the Magic Companion app, and we learned a lot that would ultimately guide where we're at today.

We're excited to see Magic: The Gathering Companion in the hands of fans, and we're looking forward to your feedback! So download the app (here for iOS or here for Android), and let us know what you think!