How to Make the BEST TCG Proxies!

Professor Caleb is here to teach you the best way to make good quality proxies for cheap!
DISCLAIMER: These are for PERSONAL use (games with friends, play testing) and are not legal for any sanctioned play. Do not try to pass these off as real cards.
Links to sites for printing proxies:
philo-jh.github.io/MTG-Proxy-...
dejauxvue.github.io/YGOProxyG...
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#yugioh #MTG #TCG

[@AndrewCrimefighter]

Netrunner and digimon hyper colosseum are two TCGs I know of that allow for proxies in competitive play. In both cases players effectively took control of competitive play and once tournaments are being run by people invested in the competitive side of the game rather than the financial side there's just no reason to disallow proxies

[@ponymaster2939]

As a mtg player,that kind of stuff always bums me out, since I'm a big proxy believer, but a big part of the community is so unwilling to change and adapt, even for casual play.

[@Noah-hz9cx]

​@@ponymaster2939 Huh? Edh players literally accept ANY number of proxies in your deck.

[@homecomin]

​@@Noah-hz9cxThat veeeery much depends on your playgroup. I have seen people not even wanting to play with proxy tokens

[@CatManThree]

Netrunner is entirely run by the playerbase in the first place.

[@CatManThree]

​@@ponymaster2939 Its pretty aggrevating to encounter an ass who proxied a high tier deck in commander they never could have afforded otherwise and then brang it to your tablr of more averae powered decks.

[@casinoroyal93]

Me with 9 copies of bonfire

[@happyfat4620]

450 yen for an OCG S:P babyyyyy

[@damianrogowski5519]

How much is 450yen

[@johnnycapote9817]

You get robbed around me

[@KLR-rp6pn]

Me with one copy of bonfire and 8 proxies

[@alicepbg2042]

@@damianrogowski5519 cents

[@Aigis31]

If you end up making a separate holo proxy video, I would be very interested in seeing you compare the tried and true acetone method with real cards vs holographic sticker paper, if possible. I think the latter is much more convenient, but maybe using real foils ends up looking nicer

[@calebdotexe]

I've done a good bit of proxying with holo cardstock and I've found it looks better than a holo sticker paper you put over a proxy. Only issue is getting good transparent vinyl that doesn't scratch easily, but that's an issue the acetone method has as well.

[@Hi_Im_Tally]

Amazing video bud! Honestly thought pretty much all of this was harder than this, but you’ve made it look so simple bud!

[@calebdotexe]

Gotta make it as simple as possible so you can mass produce decks to playtest with!

[@BlackwingStorm900]

Wondered about this for years and this just happened to pop up on my recommended. Awesome video! Super clear and straightforward. Will definitely make some of my own proxies thanks to you

[@eamonnkernahan4183]

I wanted to do proxies a few years back. I had wiped my foils off with acetone just like you, but I didn't know about the process of vinyl paper. Great vid, I'm gonna try and pick this up again 👌

[@metis7534]

Me doing this for the sole purpose of showing up to my non existent locals and using the new Yubel support:

[@yuseifudo6075]

Just in time for bonfire

[@belojah2]

This has honestly given me more confidence to do this than any other video. Thanks bro!

[@athanasios-mariosmarougkas6625]

I started designing my own games a while ago. My most recent one, is a tabletop wargame that combines cards and miniatures. I must admit, this video helps A LOT! Thank you!

[@user-ug3zb1sl3b]

I want yo know the game

[@simplyyunak3189]

Great video. I sometimes play with OCG cards since one of my friends lives in Korea and has easy access to those cards. He even got me the dragunity structure deck :)

[@waq3362]

Man this is such a good video. I had no clue how to do this and kept hearing everyone say to just proxy cards without explaining. 👍

[@Tedaus20]

Man this video was so good. Such great quality and well edited. Thank you so much!

[@casualtheeduelist]

thank you caleb. I did tried sometime to do my own proxies using the same method that you did here. Also, I think it would work as well to print on regular paper and then glue/stick that printed paper on ygo common cards. that also can save some time

[@DramaticCrossroad]

Thanks for the cool and informative video and useful tips. Custom artworks and custom cards or OCG exclusive testing are not a mirage anymore!

[@HotZaProd]

Great vid! I printed off a bunch of mtg proxies a few days ago but I don't own a printer so I got a sheet done at my local printers! Cost me $6, then I glued them all to junk commons. Didn't think about using clear to print holo, might give that ago if I get access to a printer.

[@King_Of_Games]

Appreciate this. Wanted to do a goat format with friends this is perfect

[@rez-1270]

nice vid, I have used sticker paper to make proxies too and put them on like fodder cards but that made the card to thick and sturdy so im gonna try your vinyl sheets

[@mikigzaielart]

Thankyou for making this video! Really opens up more games to more people! I buy english proxy versions of Japanese OCG Duel Masters cards! Really helps me introduce more people to a game that died in the west a long time ago (and to hopefully create hype around the game again and eventually bring it back!) Greetings from Sweden 🇸🇪

[@kinoalove5817]

Just wait until yugioh has a bad format to revive Duel Masters. The only reason Cardfight Vanguard has a following in the west is because Yugiohs DInoRabbit format was so enragingthatit made so much people leave and migrate to other games.

[@mikigzaielart]

@@kinoalove5817 Yeah exactly. And it's so weird that nobody here in the english speaking part of the world knows that Duel Masters is one of the most popular TCGs in Japan (Definitely top three), and now with all these new TCGs coming out from Bandai and they brought back Battle Spirits and released Shadowverse Evolve and even Disney got a card game now... Something makes me think that WOTC are scared that DM will surpass MTG in popularity or something...God I hate Wizards Of The Coast...I mean Takara Tomy are introducing the game in other countries in Asia too so maybe that will have a ripple effect. Seriously if DM gets released in the west again I'm only gonna focus on Duel Masters and quit yu-gi-oh.

[@obadijahparks]

One day... I'll invest in a printer....

[@COTOCards]

Pretty impressive, I'm going to give this a shot for fun, I love it!

[@Billy_Wyatt]

I've done proxies with cheaper methods in the past for yugioh but this one is much better. Very informative video, thanks for sharing.

[@2iq371]

you can go to a printing shop. they have much higher quality printer. and there is almost always some dude who knows what his doing well enough to help you if you say you want it to look like X he will help you. and any city has at least one of those around. sure it may cost a bit more,but you get much better quality.

[@calebdotexe]

This is true! I cut that from the original script since I wanted to make this about cheap production!

[@2iq371]

@@calebdotexe yeah understandable. i would also add that if you can you should bring an example card,that can help you and them understanding what you want.

[@ReidvinK]

@@calebdotexe I've got a printing shop nearby, and it costs about $1usd for a tabloid size print and each tabloid holds about 18 cards (3.5x2.5 inches) i spent a whole $6usd printing a whole commandramon set + extras of everything that looked useful

[@heresyseed]

What would you say the average cost per card would be at a print shop?

[@2iq371]

@@heresyseed honestly it would change from place to place. one thing i could say is if you print print in block,because that would prob be cheaper. ask for a test turn and if it comes out well print a bunch of those you need.

[@cardsandcoffeetcg]

Great video! I love the presentation and appreciate your knowledge ☕️

[@calebdotexe]

High praise from the goat, thank you!

[@LG22475]

Proxies are really helpful for playtesting upcoming cards as well

[@timothy6583]

This is nice might try this to play with my brother

[@ryankim1999]

Great video 👍👍 What’s the approximate startup cost for all the equipment?

[@chungwong2736]

This is great..Thanks.. Btw any suggestion for printers??

[@NickMagoteaux]

Thank you for making this video!!!

[@woofwoofdoggo]

Subscribed. Well done, duelist.

[@imvroum]

Might use this to make shiny tokens, great vid ty

[@dustbustr91]

this is great. everyone should do this. paying hundreds of dollars for cardboard is dumb. everyone should get to use all the cards

[@Themrfuzzypants]

Holy shit those proxies look good. Easy too. Definitely doing it this way from now on

[@ruru0770]

ooo this is gonna be fun !

[@numberoneappgames]

Thank you, Caleb!

[@calebdotexe]

You're welcome :)

[@Puffzilla777]

This is so cool!!

[@SuperJoMario64]

Appreciate you, sir

[@YuraVesperaVT]

Thank you, Professor.

[@calebdotexe]

You're so welcome my student. Have a great semester!

[@tov472]

Hello, if i use good product and a good printer do you think ppl can see its proxy with 2 layers of sleeves ? Ygo is in a state of being so mcuh expensive i need good proxy, ty for the video bro

[@Aigis31]

Have you ever had issues with a paper guillotine's blade getting the adhesive parts of the vinyl sticker paper stuck on it? Maybe it's because I cut the sticker paper first before applying it to a card core (since I preferred to slip the cards into a sleeve), or maybe it's an issue with my paper guillotine or the holographic sticker paper I chose being too thick. Thank you for this tutorial! This is INCREDIBLY helpful. I've seen other YGO-oriented proxy guides before that sounded like too much effort or were too confusing. Ultimately I just want my cards to be legible lol.

[@calebdotexe]

Over time you might have some adhesive buildup, but it isn't something I've had too much of an issue with for the paper products I'm using. It may just be the paper you're using if you're finding it to be too much of an issue. Glad the video was helpful! The goal is really just to have nice legible proxies for playtesting :)

[@BleedeelB]

Nice work

[@YRUDYING.]

Hey dude! Listen, you blew my mind. Wizards have stopped printing for my country and do not officially release any new sets here anymore. Mtg is pretty much gone. THIS is a lifesaver video for those of us who want to make fun decks and play with friends here. I am gonna buy my first printer for this and have already ordered the 300 gms paper and vinyl paper to make proxies. Thank you so much! Do you have any recommendations for the best quality of printing? What Ink to use or what settings?

[@7itemstone]

Sick! I wonder If you lower the opacity on the clear vinyl it could see the holo background better? Gotta try it ✅

[@calebdotexe]

This is a really good idea, between having higher quality paper and maybe lowering the opacity you could probably get a more true-to-original QCSR effect (minus the stamp)

[@SnackMuay]

Thank you 🙏

[@fullgoldalchemist9780]

Hell yeah 🧙🏼‍♂️

[@kinoalove5817]

Great video fam, if Konami doesn't want to print Chronomaly support imma just do it myself.

[@taino175]

Lmaooo power to the players

[@thatlonewolfguy2878]

Honestly I'd love to see someone make a whole physical version of Hearthstone with the mechanics that would translate well over to a physical game since I think its about time that Hearthstone gets a physical TCG and I'm convinced it would work and just playing at a kitchen table with friends I think playing with some really good looking proxy cards would be super fun

[@cv4126]

Cool video 👍

[@casuallybad7019]

So what kind of printer would you recommend for this?

[@DawiThumbnails]

How did you remove that Ink so easily I have the same QCR as you (granted in German) and pure Acetone but it doesn’t come off at all.

[@jayjayhooksch1]

How far does a fresh cartridge of ink go? Will it do all 50 vinyl sheets that come in a pack? Trying to figure out cost effectiveness vs printing from china; i usually get my proxies like that for about 35c US per card after shipping and everything. I know they will be better quality than printing them myself, but I think I'd sacrifice that quality to not have to wait the 3 weeks for manufacturing and shipping, especially if its cheaper.

[@drewhugginsmusic423]

For things such as cEDH (Competitive Commander) proxies are the norm as in order to keep up with the pace of the game expensive cards are required, I have proxies entire decks where if I were to buy the actual cards it would be well over $10,000

[@alexb.1372]

Honestly i believe ,at least for yugioh, that Konami deserves players that uses only these kind of proxies in official tournaments . The real fraud is the cards prices...

[@ippoverse]

Konami shills will snitch on you if you use proxies in a tournament and you’ll get banned from playing I hate it here

[@alexc3231]

Yo this works for printing foil cards for your own original game or custom cards

[@gastonramseyer4559]

question any printer is good or need an specific one. i have a shitty one so i wanna know XD

[@guzvar]

Thank you so much for making this video, I only play with friends and really like Fire Kings, but no way i'm buying bonefires for over 100 dollars a piece

[@calebdotexe]

You're the exact person this video is for! Glad it's helpful :)

[@brandoe61]

what's the "good" printer you used?

[@Blaze575]

Thanks for the video! I just tried to make a sheet but the words on the yugioh cards are really blurry. Would this be due to my printer? Looking at the PDF file itself and its not high quality either so maybe its the cards I am choosing?

[@calebdotexe]

Likely a printer issue, if you're using the site I recommended I have not had any issues with the print quality off of their pdfs. I'd also check the print settings you're selecting

[@dsouth7754]

It's a bit more involved, but look into deviantart template files to use in a photo editor or, preferably, a desktop publisher application. These will allow you to print the text part of the card as it were text rather than part of the image.

[@sepheiba]

reminds me of my childhood

[@keatonjohnston7258]

I dont own a traditional printer what cheaper end type and better type are you using? Id love to print some clear proxies onto some blanked foils

[@calebdotexe]

The lower quality printer I used in the video is an HP M180NW and the nicer one is an HP Officejet 7610

[@MrTreb88]

what is the setting for YGO proxie card scale size?

[@ilynatto]

I'm about to make my entire deck 🗿

[@ilynatto]

what printer do you use

[@gameking647]

Im so down to spend money on this juat to spite Konamni

[@JanjoZone]

Do you recommend any specific printers?

[@calebdotexe]

Anything that puts ink on paper should work!

[@lukawalker3229]

How can I put a card back? Where can i find a file that can print card backs and put it into a card? It can be a custom image or a default one. Just when you want to play without sleeves or with clear sleeves.

[@calebdotexe]

I recommend not doing that as at that point the card could be harder to distinguish from a real one and enters potential counterfeit territory. The goal is to make proxies for personal use, not deceive people into thinking they're real.

[@nerdbyrd7816]

Can't be used for tournament play, but I could make some sick ass Yu-Gi-Oh Tokens with this at least lol

[@CptManboobs]

Mark Rosewater is going to personally send the Pinkertons after you for this,

[@calebdotexe]

Ruh roh

[@Demgam]

Is there any trick to blocking off the foil in areas like the description? With Yu-Gi-Oh and all it's wording the holo fooling.can make it hard to read.

[@calebdotexe]

You have a handful of options, but essentially the idea is if you put white underneath the color you print it blocks out the holo. You can print white on transparent vinyl stickers and then print the proxies on top of that if you have a printer that can do white (or if you go to a print shop). You could probably just use a white marker or white vinyl on the holo card as well as a cheaper option.

[@SuperDynamicGaming]

I've been working with masking off foils quite a bit. I personally use transparent paper (not sticker paper) when making my custom cards. The ink moves and scratches when trying to apply any sharpie or paints, so I use a fast drying Polyurethane spray to coat the ink before painting. After the coating, I can use a white paint to go over the areas I don't want any foil. Then I put that over the blank foil card and glue it on! This works pretty well! My current road block is figuring out a way to accurately mask the card names out. caleb has a good idea in the other comment. I could make the masks digitally, then print it out and put the card art over it. So the order would be like this: [foil card blank

[@AlucardRicardo]

Is it possible to make proxies of YuGiOh Tokens?

[@TheMorbidHobo]

What printer do you use, even for the "bad" proxies? My printer is absolute garbage.

[@Adlexi]

When you say cheap printer how cheap are you talking? With that vinyl paper will a cheap walmart printer work or do you need something in the $200-400 range for quality? Thanks though awesome video.

[@calebdotexe]

I think just about anything that can print on paper should work! I'd be surprised if there was an issue with the vinyl paper.

[@davidmesa7008]

You should have tried making Amazon affiliate links for the paper and sticker sheets you use for your proxies.

[@calebdotexe]

Thought about it but I'd rather not make money off of a video like this :)

[@Weh-Zeh-Ente]

​@@calebdotexe but really thank you, this one is the best proxy tutorial!

[@xionaxa]

What is the name of the tool you used to round the corners?

[@calebdotexe]

It’s called a “corner rounder punch”

[@tracerVG]

could you share the peinter model used in the video?

[@calebdotexe]

I use an HP M180NW

[@dixonnass2443]

Love ridge racer 4

[@calebdotexe]

Ayyyy glad someone noticed :)

[@teamroninz3108]

I just need to get the eye of anubis...

[@jamestiedye9890]

1:00 mr beast

[@calebdotexe]

I can't stop doing the pose, it just happens

[@thiccupcake]

mr dzeef

[@heresyseed]

I need a homie at kinkos or staples on speed dial….

[@parpour9717]

U mentioned transparent vinyl paper where could i go about purchasing that?

[@calebdotexe]

If you look up "printable transparent vinyl sticker paper" you can find lots of options! Available in most online stores that I can see.

[@parpour9717]

@@calebdotexe Thank you very much 😃

[@No__Vanity]

bro you dont need quarter century rares to make starlights. the mega tin secret rares are the exact same foiling

[@aaronzhou05]

Does the proxys feel different than a real card

[@calebdotexe]

Outside of a sleeve yes, inside of a sleeve you can't distinguish it from a real card in terms of thickness.

[@lukawalker3229]

How can i proxy an pre-errata card?

[@calebdotexe]

Find an image of the pre-errata card to print

[@RetroTeddyBear]

It's wild how much hate players give proxies in MTG, when the Head Designer for the last 21 years (but worked there since MTG was only 2 years old) encourages proxies so everyone has access to playing MTG at any level. The best MTG player in the world is most likely unknown because they can't afford the cards needed to play in a tournament.

[@SewFiii]

[@suntzu6122]

Wizards: Hey proxies are bad. Also wizards: Suck the life out of the game for some $$$$$$$

[@thekittenfreakify]

That is hilarious. All the games are going up in price andbpeople are proxying more.

[@davidmesa7008]

Why not just stick the sticker onto a penny bulk real card? Oh I get why

[@Aigis31]

It's likely cheaper to buy these sheets of paper than a bunk of bulk. If nothing else, it's equivalent. And using unofficial backs ensures there is no confusion on the legitimacy of these cards.

[@calebdotexe]

This is the exact reason, way easier to make sheets of proxies in bulk instead of putting stickers on cards, stickers on cards also increases the thickness so they're noticeable in a deck, and finally to avoid making cards look too real because the goal here is to make acceptable proxies, not create identical replicas.

[@davidmesa7008]

@@calebdotexeas soon as you brought out the sheet cutter, I was like “oh duh. That’s probably way easier”.

[@PrimordialTuna]

Why is this so popular? Maybe cause the algorithm knows yugioh is expensive

[@StaceyIsles]

Proxies are only cool when you do your own art and not just make a card using the already existing card Have fun with the proxy

[@PsychoKern]

Now only thing left to figure out is how to make the golden Eye Of Anubis rectangle at the bottom right and you then know how to print your own legit Yugioh cards!

[@calebdotexe]

Don't do this!! This not only can get you banned from playing but could cause Konami to take legal action against you!

[@mrplumbe7318]

Fun fact: If you use magic proxies at any game store that has WPN status, WOTC can revoke that status and stop all magic orders with that store.

[@9thR8Duelist]

That’s the case with any card game, not just magic. Dont bring proxies to tournaments of course, but at locals you should be cool.

[@calebdotexe]

WotC in the past has stated that as long as proxies aren't used for sanctioned play, it's okay to use proxies. Even in game stores. Unless that's changed in the past couple years, that is what they've stated in official communication.

[@mrplumbe7318]

@@9thR8Duelist All the local game stores in my area don't allow proxies full stop for the above reason.

[@josephcourtright8071]

​@@calebdotexethey also described a proxy as a card someone wouldn't confuse for real for a moment.

[@calebdotexe]

@@josephcourtright8071 Yeah, that's why my proxy method only prints to one side. The other side is completely white so you'll never confuse it for a real card!

[@ippoverse]

It sucks that Konami shills will snitch on you if you use them in Tournaments. Yugioh is pay to win unfortunately. MTG is more chill with proxies I might just switch over because fuck Yugioh

[@redkun5]

Imo, Proxy should be shitty and easily seen as that

[@CB-ke7eq]

Just order them from China.

[@StevieBlunderReal]

holy shit infinite money glitch

[@zacharyduncan6118]

“Proxies” lmaoo

[@madddawgg2]

my only response to this, and in your case with the homemade ones, is that it's probably pretty obvious yours are fakes, but when using a real back, that is going into counterfeit territory that could be harmful. i would make sure that the front has somewhere explicitly written *NOT A REAL* card or ***PROXY USE ONLY*** something like that so these don't find their way into circulation.

[@calebdotexe]

Yeah! That's why I never put a cardbacking on and leave it white, it's clear it's not real as to avoid any confusion.

[@madddawgg2]

@@calebdotexe cool cool thanks for clarifying!

[@fencingfireferret1188]

realistically if people are playing and circulating counterfits in your cardgame of choice - it's a failure on the company's part for not pricing it's product within an affordable range

[@OhVicanne]

TCGs (namely Yugioh...) take players for rich idiots

[@Reppen555]

Personally i dont like proxy at all cause Its like playing with fake cards.