If you're a developer with a Magic: The Gathering app, the Quiet Speculation API is a great way to add extra value for your users.  You can use our API to retrieve prices, news and the latest content from QuietSpeculation.com. Before you do anything,  you'll need to request an API key.  Our Developer program is brand new, so we are only accepting a small handful of applicants.

Hold up!  Don't know what an "API" is?  Do you think "naps" when you read "RESTful"?   Is "JSON" a weird way of spelling your buddy's name?  If so, this stuff ain't for you, cowboy.  This is for developers who want to weave our data into their apps.  You're probably looking for MTG.GG, our all-purpose Magic app (which, of course, runs on our API).

Apply for your API key here

Once you've been approved and your key has been provided, you will receive a link to further instructions on how to call and implement the API.

Related Articles API

The first API we've released is the Related Articles API.  You can use this API to retrieve headlines and excerpts from Quiet Speculation and embed them in your site.  Using the parameters below, it returns a JSON string you can parse in your app and display however you like.  Our content engine knows which articles are about which cards, so you will always receive articles directly related to the context of your app.

The API is queried by cardname, so the most common use case is on a "card info" page where you might display other data like prices (hopefully from the MTG.GG market API!) and/ or recent tweets (we've got an API for that, too).  You can use these resources to give your app users as much information about a card as they'll ever need.

Rate Limit:  Our API intelligently manages its load and will temporarily revoke your API key if it detects error or abuse.  If your app plans to make large volumes of API calls, please inform us as such when you apply for your key.  We will ensure your rate limit is set sufficiently high.  Commercial apps will be allocated a significantly higher rate limit, though there will be a cost assessed based on volume and implementation.

Parameters

cardname (string, required) - Must be the proper English name of a Magic card.  Should be URL encoded.  If there are articles matching the cardname, the API will return status:1 and the Fields below. If the call is made successfully but there are no articles matching your query, the API will return  { status: 0, status_msg: no articles found } .

limit (int,default: 10) - If you plan  to limit the number of results you display, set the limit parameter.  Only request data you will use.  If omitted, the API will return the 10 most recent articles.

Fields

status (int) :

-1: API call failed.

0: API call successful, no results found for your query

1: API call successful, results returned.

status_msg (string): describes the details of the status code.  For example, if your API key is wrong you will receive { status: 0, status_msg: invalid api key }.  Be sure to use proper error handling in your app to avoid bad user experience and awkward moments.

count (int): the number of results being returned (not the overall number of matches in the database, this is also limited by the limit param).

--

post_title (string) : The title of the post as you would see it on QuietSpeculation.com.

post_name (string): Append this to "https://www.quietspeculation.com" to generate a link to the article.  We suggest constructing a link using post_title as the link text and "https://www.quietspeculation.com/[post_name]"  as  href.

post_excerpt (string): A short description of the article suitable for embedding on your page.  Display this with the headline so your users know what to expect.

post_date (date/time): Formatted YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS, but you can parse this and display this however you'd like.  We suggest displaying at least the day, month and year so your users know how recent the content is.

post_author (string): The author's name, as set on quietspeculation.com.

Example:

api call*:  https://www.quietspeculation.com/tt2/v1/?cardname=Thragtusk&limit=1

*(API key must be provided as POST variable in your code)

JSON: {

"post_title":"Insider: MTGO Market Report for April 12th",

"post_date":"2013-04-12 05:00:06",

"post_name":"insider-mtgo-market-report-for-april-12th",

"post_excerpt":"Matthew Lewis revisits the MTGO-to-Paper metric, and explains how it should inform your buying and selling right now."

}

A usage example, with post_title and post_name as described above.

Market Data API

Details on the market data API will be provided soon.  Indicate that you are interested in this feature when you apply for your API key and if accepted, we'll be sure to let you know when it's available.  When available, you will be able to pull current prices, historical prices and market volume from our various data sources.  Commercial users will have access to more advanced data sets, though there will be a cost based on your app implementation and volume of data usage.

Social Data API

The Social API is also not yet public.  When available, it will allow you to query multiple social networks and our forums to see who's talking about specific Magic cards.  You can see a basic implementation of this on MTG.GG.  If you're interested in this API, indicate as such on your application.

Thanks for checking out the QS Developer program, and we hope to see your sweet new app soon!