Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t matter what form this substitute takes. An MTG proxy could be an Island with the world ‘Black Lotus’ scrawled onto it in sharpie, a Pokémon card covered with a post-it note, or just a red piece of paper pretending to be a mountain. Even a d20 that you’ve turned to ‘19’ to represent the horde of 1/1 deathtouch snake tokens your Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons Commander deck has churned out could reasonably be described as a proxy.
Proxying is a somewhat controversial topic among Magic fans (then again, what isn’t? We’re a fractious bunch.), with many disagreeing on when proxies should be used, if at all. For example, some argue that you should only use proxies for cards that have reached a ridiculous price on the secondary market. Or for Reserved List cards that are almost impossible to get. Others don’t bat an eye at the notion of proxying any card that strikes your fancy.
For now, at least, we’re going to carefully skirt right around the whole ethical debate and stick to the facts. The number one question raised time and time again whenever the subject of MTG proxies comes up is: what does Magic: The Gathering creator Wizards of the Coast think of proxying? In other words, are you allowed to make proxies, or could doing so land you in legal hot water? So, let’s discuss.
Do Wizards of the Coast Allow for Proxy Cards?
Wizards of the Coast doesn’t often talk about proxying, but fortunately, in its last official statement on the subject, made in 2016, the company made its stance pretty clear. Regarding proxies, Wizards doesn’t care about what it calls ‘playtest’ cards outside of sanctioned tournaments and events. Indeed, according to its article: “Wizards of the Coast has no desire to police playtest cards made for personal, non-commercial use, even if that usage takes place in a store.”
In other words, as long as you use the cards for playtesting and your own casual games, Wizards doesn’t care. The problem arises when folks try to pass them off as genuine. Read more about Are Business Cards Still Important?
Can MTG Proxies be Used in Tournaments?
Short answer: no. Long answer: no. Proxies are perfectly fine for personal use in kitchen table Magic or friendly Standard or EDH games, but you can’t take one to an official tournament.
That said, if an official Magic card being used in a tournament is bent, scratched, wettened, lightly charred, or otherwise marked in such a way that its inclusion in a deck is deemed unfair, a judge may grant a temporary proxy. According to the official MTG tournament rules: “When a judge creates a proxy, it is included in the player’s deck and must be denoted as a proxy in a clear and conspicuous manner.”
So, Where can you get Proxy Cards?
From our testing, the best MTG Proxy Cards come from ProxyMTG.com.
They are a company based in the United States, and their cards are super high quality. They are also affordable.
