How do you guys proxy?
General forum
Posted on Aug. 26, 2013, 6:39 p.m. by Jay
So I recently built a Legacy deck I really like, but I'm not going to spend $1500 on it. Ever. So I'm gonna proxy it! :D
I know of fancy ways, like Ohthenoises's foil proxies, but I want to know what the best way is to make long-term proxies for as cheap as possible.
Usually I just write on the back of basic lands, haha, but I'm sure there's a better way.
Thanks!
-Jay
MindAblaze says... #3
The card database that MTGSalvation uses allows you to print proxies and if your printer is half decent from across the table you can't even tell. It uses lots of ink though.
August 26, 2013 6:44 p.m.
FaustHarbinger says... #4
you could print out the images of the cards? I have seen some people do that.
August 26, 2013 6:45 p.m.
I print pictures of the cards and cut them out, and then put them in sleeves with basic lands or tokens.
August 26, 2013 6:55 p.m.
Printing is the way to go. If you're going to be using this deck a lot, cutting out the pictures and gluing them to a land or advertisement card is worth it. If not, tossing a black and white proxy in a sleeve over a land or ad card works too.
If you want to get really fancy, grab a sharpie and draw your own. The more ridiculous, the better. When I was building my modern deck, I had a Knight of the Reliquary with the horse yelling "F*ck you I'm a hoooorse!" Playgroup loved it.
And if you want to go all out, get MSE and recreate the cards, but mess with the picture somehow, like adding the awesome face on people.
August 26, 2013 6:56 p.m.
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #7
You could wipe the ink for the art off a number of cards using acetone (I'm guessing this is similar to the foil proxying mentioned above), and then write the name of the card you're proxying where the art used to be.
This method will take a bit of time, and won't look super professional, but it will be a lot easier to read than sharpie on the back of a land.
You could also just take 4 decks of playing cards and use each card as a proxy of a specific card. The aces of hearts could be Deathrite Shaman , for instance. All you have to do is keep track of how each card is mapped, and you can have a proxy deck that never needs to be replaced. This is more useful for playtesting than for what you described, but could still work if you really needed it to.
If you want to get real fancy with this method, you could have the number value of the card be equal to the converted mana cost of the MtG card it represents, and use face cards as lands.
August 26, 2013 7:06 p.m.
How can I be sure that the images will be the right size? Are the ones on MTGSalvation right?
August 26, 2013 7:06 p.m.
MSE images will always print card-size. And if you hit "print proxies" on Salvation they should be good to go.
August 26, 2013 7:09 p.m.
I don't have MSE unfortunately (Mac), but I'll use MTGS. Thanks guys!
August 26, 2013 7:11 p.m.
Printing is the way to go. Otherwise you may leave off some tidbit of information that can cause problems in games (Once had a friend who forgot to include that a proxy was Legendary. Caused some problems later when I tried copying it multiple times).
Sadly I don't have MSE either (Macintosh as well), but I'm going to try running it with Wine. I can let you know if it works or not (Although I would not be able to help you install Wine; my mac had issues enough getting it originally)
August 26, 2013 7:14 p.m.
RedKunoichi says... #12
I like to draw my proxies on plains.
Here are the 4 i like best.
August 26, 2013 7:17 p.m.
I disagree, it depends on what your needs are. Gaming, personal, or family? PC. Productivity, business, or die-hard Apple fan? Mac.Anywho, there is always Parallels or Bootcamp if you really want to get Windows on your Mac. Or Wine to emulate it.
But enough of this pointless banter on which computer is truly better, otherwise it may one day end in Linux overtaking them both.
[/offtopic]
GinjaNinja: That is certainly one way to do it! It almost makes me want to do the same, except for my overall lack of sharpies/decent pens.
August 26, 2013 7:30 p.m.
Schuesseled says... #16
Print out the image of the cards, (getting the size right is a pain, but trial and error works), cut them out, and glue them to basic lands, and/or other worthless cards.
August 26, 2013 7:41 p.m.
TurboFagoot says... #17
Christ, you people go through so much effort. I just grab bulk, write the name of the card on the back of it, and stick it in a sleeve. Done.
If I'm unfamiliar with the card I write more, but I'm not an idiot lol, I know card text.
August 26, 2013 7:47 p.m.
Well I'd like them to look nice, seeing as I'm going to use them a lot.
August 26, 2013 7:52 p.m.
Schuesseled says... #19
till you find out you can't remember and have to go upstairs and surf the internet, pictures are easier.
August 26, 2013 9:05 p.m.
Bobgalarneau says... #20
It also depend of the format... I can understand you know the text of your 4 of deck..... I don't know every damn card in my 12 EDH decks..... If i was to built a new deck and need some proxy before buying, those would probably be old obscure unused cards....
Printing the card is the easiest thing to do
August 26, 2013 9:12 p.m.
KnightsBattlecry001 says... #21
Me personally when I proxy I just get a small piece of paper that I can fit into a sleeve with everything written on it if I can fit it. I know printing is the way to go but it uses a whole lot of ink to get all the proxies I want.
August 26, 2013 9:15 p.m.
Bobgalarneau says... #22
Proxies are like alchool, use them with moderation
August 26, 2013 9:38 p.m.
Also a general statement about proxies. If you're just making the deck to mess around with friends with ridiculously awesome decks, fine. Just don't be that guy that sits down to a casual EDH game with a deck worth 2 grand that's entirely proxied. I once saw someone do exactly that, he even had basic lands proxied. What's worse is that it was a Riku deck, so you know it could crank out an infinite combo turn 4 no problem with things like Sneak Attack and bounce effects. I had been working on my own Riku deck for about a year (with 0 proxies) so I felt pretty insulted. Luckily the concentrated wrath of the table was enough to lock him down.
August 26, 2013 10:55 p.m.
I was thinking just now about using proxies on the small selection of cards I actually put a wee little bit of money into - just in case, you know, if I am playing someone that let's say was playing a deck with the same sleeves I use and either one of us had a deck that steels things for instance ...
I remember my LGS saying that they recommend against proxying, but recently things have gotten way more competitive in EDH at the store and I see almost everyone using proxies.
August 26, 2013 10:55 p.m.
ForPsionics says... #25
i go on gatherer then drag the images onto the computer, then print them out at 106% at fast draft. it workes wonders, and you can clearly see the card text.
August 27, 2013 4:34 p.m.
CastleSiege says... #26
Just take a pen or Sharpie and write over a token or land card lol. Or be creative and do what GinjaNinja did :P
August 28, 2013 1:38 a.m.
If you print the proxies from Salvation, my experience is that the cards are actually slightly too large to fit in a regular sleeve. Scaling them down by 2-4% would probably solve this. Or I might just have done something wrong along the way.
HarbingerJK says... #2
print the card image out, stick it on a token/card you're not using and sleeve it
August 26, 2013 6:41 p.m.