Lotus ScanDragon Shield Review 2026
Is Dragon Shield the right MTG card scanner for you? Our detailed review covers scanning accuracy, pricing, features, and more.
Dragon Shield, the company best known for premium card sleeves, also offers a companion scanning app for iOS and Android. Its standout feature is augmented reality translation for foreign-language cards, which is genuinely unique in the MTG scanner space. However, the app has persistent issues with identifying the correct printing of reprinted cards. This review breaks down what Dragon Shield gets right and where it consistently frustrates users.
Quick Facts
Ios, Android
Free (100 card storage limit)
100 cards
Casual collectors who scan foreign-language cards or have small collections
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Augmented reality translation for foreign-language cards is unique and useful
- +Clean, modern interface with good visual design
- +Daily price updates from four major marketplaces
- +30-day price history charts for trend tracking
Cons
- −Consistently misidentifies the correct printing of reprinted cards
- −Free tier limited to only 100 cards in collection
- −No export to MTGGoldfish, TappedOut, or Archidekt
- −Cannot track sealed product in your inventory
Detailed Ratings
Scanning Accuracy
Basic card recognition is fast and works well for single-printing cards. The AR translation feature for foreign-language cards is impressive and genuinely useful for international collections. However, the scanner is notably poor at selecting the correct version of reprinted cards, which is a dealbreaker for collectors who care about specific printings.
User Interface
Dragon Shield has a clean, modern interface that reflects good design sensibility. The scanning screen is easy to use, and navigating your collection is intuitive. It feels like a well-designed app from a company that understands its audience.
Price Tracking
Prices are sourced daily from TCGPlayer, CardMarket, Card Kingdom, and MTGMintCard, providing solid market coverage. The 30-day price history charts are useful for tracking short-term trends. However, price accuracy is undermined when the scanner selects the wrong printing, since different printings can have vastly different values.
Collection Management
The 100-card storage limit on the free tier severely restricts collection management for anyone beyond casual use. There is no export to popular platforms like MTGGoldfish, TappedOut, or Archidekt, which limits interoperability. Sealed product tracking is also absent, which is a missed opportunity.
Value for Money
The free tier is too restrictive at only 100 cards to be useful for most collectors. The premium subscription removes this limit and adds meaningful functionality. For the price, it offers decent value if you need the AR translation feature, but competitors offer more generous free tiers.
Final Verdict
Dragon Shield delivers a polished app with the genuinely unique AR translation feature that no competitor currently matches. Unfortunately, the persistent issue with reprinted cards undermines trust in the scanner for serious collectors. The 100-card free limit also makes it hard to evaluate properly before committing to premium. It is worth considering if you frequently deal with foreign-language cards, but other scanners are more reliable for general use.
Looking for a Better Alternative?
Try Lotus Scan for iPhone — AI-powered card recognition, real-time prices, and collection management in one app.