For the last few months, I was considering stepping away from Magic the Gathering as the hobby has become increasingly more expensive and new releases seem to drop every month, if not more rapidly. I love playing MTG and I primarily play the Commander format these days, but as the price of the format, staples continue to rise as expensive cards fail to find spots in the reprint slot with each new set. I, like many others in my local scene, have considered buying MTG proxy for these staples, but for the longest time, those proxies were poorly printed or relatively expensive in their own right, if not both. Well, look no further, because that problem now has a solution however in the form of Printing Proxies.
A Wealth of Options
Are you looking for a certain artwork for your deck or want that Secret Lair treatment but missed the short window on ordering? Printing Proxies has you covered there as they have art available from nearly every printing, including foreign language exclusives and limited edition promos. And if they don’t have the artwork that you are looking for you can upload your own and have them print it for no additional cost! New art and higher definition images are being added all the time, so there will be a crisp, clear option for your favorite card art. My personal favorites include full-art treatments, especially some of the really unique styles that have been coming out with recent Secret Lair drops, and I know I can always find them on Printing Proxies.
Speaking of artwork, you can even upload your own custom cards and have them printed to the same excellent quality they offer for all of their other proxies. Have some cool art you want to use for your own Squirrel tokens? Upload it! Want to have a unique elephant token for your Pheldagriff deck? Upload it! Want to customize your whole deck to fit a unique theme? Upload it! Printing Proxies is the place to go to buy MTG proxies, even if those proxies are of your own design!
Effect on the Community
What about the effect this has on your LGS, I have been asked. Well, I have considered this, and I don’t see it as a negative for the community. Collectors are still going to collect, people still need to buy sleeves and deck boxes for the decks they are building, and there is nothing quite like playing in a prerelease event or a Friday Night Magic event. People aren’t going to stop buying Magic cards because of the presence of well-priced proxies. In fact, many people like myself are going to keep playing Magic because they can buy MTG proxies for the over-priced staples for their decks, keeping them in their local scenes, and attending game nights at their LGSs.
This effect is not limited to jaded MTG elders like myself either. Magic has been growing in popularity over the last few years and more people are coming into the community than ever before. However, many newcomers find the price of format staples to be a daunting barrier of entry and get dissuaded from staying involved in the scene. This is another place where buying MTG proxy cards is a benefit to the community. These eager newcomers can print these expensive staples and try them out before deciding to invest further in this hobby, and I believe that most of them will stick around if they do. Playing paper Magic with your friends is like no other experience and the more players the merrier.
Let’s be clear on another thing as well, these proxies are distinguishable from legal MTG cards in a few ways, most notably being that they do not have the MTG card back, nor do they have the unique holographic stamp found on modern Rares and Mythics. These proxies are clearly for personal use and enjoyment and not made to replace cards for official sanctioned use at Wizards of the Coast events nor are they attempting to come across as anything other than what they are: high-quality MTG proxies.
Possibilities with Proxies
MTG Proxy opens up a whole wealth of potential opportunities for players looking to try new play styles and formats without having to invest a fortune in something that they may not actually like playing. Take building a Cube for example: consisting of at least 360 unique cards and sometimes containing upwards of 720 cards, these collections are made specifically for the purpose of creating a unique, repeatable draft experience. Many Vintage or Legacy cubes can cost upwards of $10,000, especially if they contain any of the illustrious Power 9 cards. That same cube can be created with proxy MTG cards for a fraction of the cost, less than a dollar a card if they are printed all in the same order. Import a cube, get it printed, and try it before you drop the price of a used car on the real thing.
For me, I buy MTG proxy as a way to try out new Commander strategies, especially during spoiler season for the next set. With spoiler season for Streets of New Capenna wrapping up as I am writing this, I am currently doing some deck building around the new mono-white Angel legendary – Giada, Font of Hope. My personal collection is lacking in some of the best angels and angel tribal cards and so I am going to get those missing pieces as proxies so I can try out the deck a few times with my play group before I start purchasing the singles I am missing. With the rising cost of singles, especially when they spike right after a new, interesting Commander is spoiled, buying MTG proxies is the way to go to save money and potential grief if the deck is not quite what you were looking for.
Pricing
This site has the best prices I have seen on the market, hands down, with prices starting at $2.00 for a single card but quickly dropping as low as $0.75 a card when you order 200 cards or more. I rarely see other printing services offered at two to three times that price and certainly not at the quality offered by Printing Proxies. I long considered the option of owning a solid Legacy cube a dream never to come to fruition, but when I can buy MTG proxies at this price, I can craft the cube of my dreams! You can import your whole deck list or cube directly into their system and they will populate your cart in moments, giving you the option to change editions for each card individually to get the exact one that you are looking for.
I was surprised at how fast they delivered my order as well! In my case, it was less than 48 hours before I got my shipping notification and I ordered a whole Commander deck to playtest and try out with my friend group. They even offer international shipping for those playing MTG around the globe. Anyone anywhere can buy MTG proxy cards from Printing Proxies.
Ultimately, Printing Proxies is a great and welcome addition to the proxy market and the community as a whole, keeping jaded elders and eager newcomers involved in the growing MTG scene. Whether it is for a few cards or for a full cube, Printing Proxies is the place to go to Buy MTG Proxy cards online!
