How to Import a Card Game into Decklab AI (Step-by-Step Tutorial)

If your cards already live in a spreadsheet, you don't need to retype them. This guide shows how to import them into a deck in Decklab AI, and how to match your card images to the right rows.

Before you start: shape your file

Import works best with one header row and one card per row:

Name	Type	Cost	Text	Art	Qty
Fire Drake	Creature	5	Deal 2. Draw 1.	fire-drake.png	2
Ancient Grove	Location	3	Your creatures cost 1 less.	ancient-grove.png	1

• One name per column, no merged cells.
• A quantity column (Qty or Copies) sets how many of each card you print.
• An image column with file names lets you match art later.

Decklab AI reads .csv, .tsv, .xlsx, .xls and .ods files. Quoted fields and other text encodings are handled.

Option A: paste

For a quick start, select the cells in your spreadsheet (header row included), copy them, click a cell in Data mode and paste. A block that runs past the last row adds new rows.

Option B: import a file

Step 1: Open Data mode

Open your deck's tab and choose Data. Then choose Import in the heading.

Step 2: Choose your file

Choose Choose a file and pick your spreadsheet.

Step 3: Map and review

For each column in your file, choose where it goes:

• an existing column in your deck (matched by name automatically where the names are close),
• a New column (give it a name and a type), or
• Don't import.

Step 4: Choose how rows are brought in

• Add rows: keep the rows here and add the file's.
• Replace rows: swap the rows here for the file's.
• Update by key: match rows on a column (such as Name), update them, and add new ones. Map a file column to the key column first.

The summary says what will be added, updated or removed before anything changes.

Step 5: Import

Choose Import. Decklab AI saves a snapshot called "Before importing…" first, and the whole import is one undo step, so you can try it safely.

Match images to your cards

From the heading

In Data mode, choose Match images, then choose your image files (PNG, JPEG, WebP or SVG). You can also drop images straight onto Data mode.

1. Pick the name column to match against, and the image column to fill (or a new "Art" column).
2. Review which file goes to which row. Matching ignores case and file extensions, and reads fire_drake.png as "Fire Drake".
3. Confirm. The images upload and the cells fill in one undo step.

From the image column

If your file already had an image column with file names, upload the images in the Uploads panel (in Design mode, under Assets) and the cells pick them up by name.

Show the images on your cards

The images appear on a card once its design shows the image column. In Design, open Fields and drag the image column onto the card. See How to Add Artwork for Individual Cards.

Exporting your data back out

The footer of Data mode can export your rows as CSV or Excel at any time, and Export has a Spreadsheet format. Image cells are written as their file names, so importing the file again maps them back to the same images.

Bringing rules, not cards?

If what you have is a rules document rather than card data, go to Game overview. With AI, it can draft your pieces and rules from rules you paste in, as a proposal you check before applying.

Try it without an account

The free quick card maker imports the same file types and turns them into a printable deck in your browser:

Quick card maker

Make a deck of printable cards from a spreadsheet: pick a starter template, paste or import a CSV, tweak the design, and download a print-and-play PDF or a PNG of each card. Free, in your browser, with no sign-up.