Who makes the best MTG Proxies?
After extensive testing, our picks for the best MTG proxies are the following:
- ProxyKing.biz – Best Realistic MTG Proxy Cards
- TrinketKingdom.com – Best Custom Magic Proxy Cards
- MakePlayingCards.com – Best to Make Your Own Printed Proxies
We will jump into the details on each of our picks, but first, let’s cover our testing.
What is an MTG Proxy Card?
MTG Proxy cards are cards you use in place of regular cards in your decks. In other words, a proxy is a card that represents another Magic card in casual play (they generally aren’t allowed in sanctioned competitive play).
MTG proxy cards can be replicas of originals, basic lands (or any bulk card) with a different card name sharpied onto the front, or custom printed cards with unique art.
What Goes into a High-Quality Proxy Card?
High quality proxy cards are harder to come by than you may think. There are a lot of folks out there who sell proxies, from Etsy to Reddit to sellers with their sites. We determined our best picks based on:
- Print Quality
- Art Quality and Selection
- Price
- Size and Weight
- Shipping times
ProxyKing: Best Realistic Magic the Gathering Proxy cards
Our top pick is ProxyKing.biz. Proxy King makes excellent quality proxies at an affordable price. They are also based in the United States, so fulfillment and shipping times are amazing.
Print Quality: the print quality of Proxy King cards was solid across the board. We bought over 20 different cards from them, almost all of them look excellent.
Art Quality:Â Proxy King MTG cards mirror real MTG cards. They do a great job of ensuring each of their proxies matches the original card – from the mana symbols to the actual official art to the text. They are highly realistic.
Price:Â Proxy King was in line or cheaper than most other proxy makers. Given that their cards are high quality, the price is very reasonable.
Size / Weight – The dimensions align with real cards almost perfectly. Sleeved, you can’t tell that they are proxy cards. They are using a high-quality paper stock.
Shipping Times:Â Proxy King shipped our order within one day, and we got our cards about five days after ordering. This is with standard shipping. They are one of a few sellers in the US, giving them a significant advantage over other proxy sellers.
TrinketKingdom: Best Custom Magic Proxies
Trinket Kingdom is our choice for custom proxy sites. They have an excellent and unique selection of cards with their designs and artwork.
Print Quality:Â All of the custom cards we got from Trinket Kingdom had super high resolution and color. They genuinely look stunning.
Art Quality:Â This is based on their art selection. They have talented designers and artists. Their collection of cards also covers some excellent crossovers. For example, they have a Dark Souls series of card images. In addition, they have other neat video game and movie-themed proxies.
Price:Â Trinket Kingdom prices were about average for single cards: $3-4. But where you can save money is on their sets and bundles. This lets you get a bunch of proxies for cheap. For example, a collection of dual lands is around $20.
Size / Weight:Â The texture is slightly different from regular Magic cards, but the size and weight line up very closely. The only slight difference is that the corners are cut very slightly differently. However, sleeved, this makes no difference.
Shipping Times: Quick shipping by Trinket Kingdom. It took around 5 business days to receive the order.
MPC: Best Site to Make Your Own Printed Proxies
MakePlayingCards stood out among the providers of this service. They will print any playing or game cards, but we used them for proxies.
Print Quality:Â They use high-end commercial printing presses, so their print resolution and color are excellent.
Art Quality:Â This doesn’t apply since you will upload images of your own designs to print.
Size / Weight: They offer a few different card stocks and many different sizes. Our closest match is their 63×88mm dimension combined with the (S33) Superior Smooth card stock. This combination matches Magic cards very closely.
Shipping Speed:Â They are somewhat slow because they have to print and produce all the cards upon receiving your order. They are also based in Hong Kong, so unless you spring for expedited shipping, it can take a while.
What are Proxy Cards Used For?
Magic the gathering is an expensive hobby. No two ways about it. MTG is a trading card game with a long history and a vast assortment of cards.
The rarest cards, like the Alpha / Beta Black Lotus, are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even staple cards like fetch lands and shocks are worth $10-50. With that context, let’s cover some key reasons people may want to create or buy proxies.
Playtesting
With the price of high-end and staple cards, it doesn’t make sense for people to buy these cards with the hope that they fit in well with their deck. Instead, Playtest cards let you try out high-end cards in your deck without having to spring for expensive cards.
Magic Proxies Save Money
This goes back to the rising prices of MTG cards. Many folks want to enjoy the game without being limited by their budget. MTG proxies do just that.
Boost Your Deck Power
MTG proxies give you a great way to boost the power of your existing decks.
If you are on the search for good ways to pump up your deck, swapping in a set of fetch lands for basic lands will do the trick.
Kitchen table magic
Wizards of the Coast has said that MTG proxies aren’t allowed in sanctioned events.
But using them for personal use and with friends is completely fine. You can order a bunch of MTG proxy cards for a cube or casual formats like Commander.
Should I Make My Own Proxies or Buy Them Online?
This comes down to personal preference.
You can potentially save money if you make them using a service like MPC, but it’s also more time-consuming as you have to provide your own print files.
In general, we recommend buying your own MTG proxies from the likes of Proxy King or Trinket Kingdom. You get a high-quality product for a great price.
