HOW TO SPOT FAKE MAGIC: THE GATHERING CARDS (MTG)

Peer and Patrick from Mage go through 5 methods of spotting fake Magic cards that we use at Magemarket.com to authenticate cards.
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© Mage Market™ is a registered trademark of Mage App Inc. Mage Market is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. Magic the Gathering is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Magic the Gathering and all magic images are copyright © Wizards of The Coast, Inc.
*Authentication is currently only available in Europe. Read more about the delay here (magemarket.com/blog/na-wareho.... While our mission is to fight 100% fakes on the market, there is a non-zero percent chance a fake item can slip through our process. If this occurs, we will investigate and refund immediately.

[@DB-dw7zx]

I just ripped my black lotus card in half to check if it’s real as per advice in video. It was real.

[@cardfreak8925]

Tyvm, I think this is the most accurate video of spotting them.

[@lostintherace6152]

this video helped me with 2 fake fetchlands i got from eBay. Thank you!

[@hanzomein7300]

The light test worked relly well thx for the help

[@BcrossWorkshop]

thx for the explanation n showcase 🙏 i was just started be the collector of MTG

[@LEWIS1992]

Really helpful, thanks!

[@mizzogames]

So sad we come to a world full of scams, even with our beloved hobbies.

[@_Tamas]

yeah its sad but some stuff's gotten a little out of hand with pricing lately so I don't really blame em but still messed

[@Weaver_Games]

@@_Tamas IMO proxies should have a very identifiable and obviously fake card back. I've seen some that are the MTG back but with a giant "FAKE" super imposed on it. I have no issue with that. Like I totally get it, if you want a Gaea's Cradle in your deck you probably aren't going to blow a thousand dollars on a single card.

[@_Tamas]

@@Weaver_Games yeah 100% agree. Me personally I'm not gonna get a fake or print one just so I don't support that part of the game because of the negatives people do like trying to sell fakes as legitimate cards. But I'm also not gonna buy any cards over 100 as that's just too much. I would never play the card because I would be scared I would devalue it lol. I'm all about that Friday night draft, unbelievably fun 😁

[@angelogrotti]

The real scam is the prices of the legitimate cards lmao people found a “work around” and they just butthurt

[@blackmage471]

@@Weaver_Games I think you're confusing proxies and counterfeits. That's how proxies are: they're obviously fake in some way. Pro's will use them because they don't want to damage their real copies. Counterfeits are used by scammers. The only surefire way is to never trade cards with people, or buy on Ebay. Buy from official vendors only. But if you play casual, you can talk with your group about building and playing only with decks on a limited budget. Scammers aren't going to bother with cards worth less than a dollar or two, there is no profit in it. I'd start getting wary at $4 and up. And you'll save yourselves hundreds of dollars by not chasing after high value cards.

[@jamesosborne8945]

That light test is curious, because it's the exact opposite of the Pokemon light test. With these you want the light to shine through, with Pokemon, it ain't supposed to. haaha!

[@errrzarrr]

Because Wizards have fooled players into lower quality thinner cards. Sturdy and Quality = Fake. Cheap material = real.

[@obeliske4334]

I'd like to know what the best way to check a foil is.

[@travisrose2277]

Don't. 😂😂

[@Polemion]

i still wanna buy proxy ture dual lands. i wont spend 1200 for those

[@11epicnoob]

Ngl, I wouldn't mind having one of those fakes. Useful for building a cube

[@just_unnamed]

I resently got a smothering tithe that after all tests seems to be an original but the front side is much darker than another one I got from a booster. Does that mean it's fake or is it some kind of missprint or different print process from wotc, like japanese cards feel very different from europeen cards

[@tacky4237]

i have no issue with proxy/fake cards as long as nobody tries to sell them as real ones. if they look indistinguishable and someone says "these are proxies" no issue there. personally i like them indistinguishable from the front but with a different cardback (for example removing the mtg logo text and just having the blank cardback)

[@angelogrotti]

Agreed.

[@joaoMansur-ot8lp]

i've made a vintage cube with all proxyes having a blank back and thats the best thing anyone can do

[@BattlesforAll]

You wouldn't happen to be a madness player would you? Lol

[@LightBender777]

If it has a real back and a holo stamp, it's just a counterfeit or fake not. Proxy should be clearly distinguishable from a real card.

[@mcbrummel2]

intrestring topic, cuz there is such a thing as different print runs or company's that print the cards from EU to US. I recently got a card i i tought was fake, real easy to spot., Took it to big MTG store/dealer and assure me card was real.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

IMO, the way WotC has handled reprints, and the RL as well, have only exacerbated the problem in terms of giving counterfeiters fuel to keep refining their warez.

[@Sandovian]

Nothing justifies theft. If a product does not present a value to you, don't buy it. Thievery doesn't need apologetics

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

@@Sandovian Not a statement on counterfeiting being good or bad, literally JUST stating how they are contributing to their own problem.

[@Sandovian]

@@DanknDerpyGamer as selling counterfeit cards is morally and legally bad, I didn't think there was a debate on it. It's just that the fault here is only on the people who make and sell counterfeits. Full stop.

[@unholycritter3448]

Thank you

[@MichaelSuperbacker]

Where did you guys go?

[@harrisunthomas6647]

Cheers boys

[@Dontlikenaimepas]

Is there differences between EU and USA cards? I actually received a american bundle and they really seems like fake to me (I’m from UE)

[@matthewluebeck4112]

Where can I get that scale you use or a modestly priced one that would serve the purpose?

[@ak2298]

Mmmh, the Backside is often a bit different from series to series, or am I wrong? I often see normal cards (nothing expensive) which have a slightly different brightness on the back.

[@shaunmcisaac782]

Correct, there's variation depending on what facility printed it (they use multiple companies)

[@Weaver_Games]

Even the smell is different between the Japan and USA printings. I like to play a fun game to see if I can guess where a fresh pack was printed based on the smell lol

[@Boromir-xf3xr]

I blame wizards for the fakes to be honest. Its a game more than a collectors item and holding onto things like the reserved list just b.c people hoarded cards like stocks pushed people out of the game which i dont like at all.

[@alesztra937]

So you blame every big company ever for the fakes being made of their products? Apple. Louis Vuitton. Gucci. Prada.

[@cindyl3297]

Thank you!!

[@kreios878]

I bought a reviesed Plateau and i have no clue if it's real or fake. I did the light test but i'm still skeptical. The condition of the card looks to good to be real. I also have no other old card to compare. Hopefully a lokal game store can help me

[@omgitsdavid578]

Get a loupe... L test works perfectly with 5 dollar loupe...

[@thomasfields2336]

Thanks I just got sent a fake from tcg. I've bought a good amount over the years first fake. Hope they fix it😢

[@constastar1660]

Welp I guess I didn’t get a present that totally didn’t cost 200 dollars and got scammed

[@raileyhenry4532]

I'm having such an issue with authenticating some MH3 cards, the quality is all over the place. Some authentic cards even fail most of these tests.

[@ImmortalRevenant]

I had to look this up i havr no experiance with magic cards and im buying already used cards for my bf. The guy thats selling me them is selling them cause he says he wants to get rid of them and idk i just want to make sure he isbt ripping me off. He is also giving away some series 2 gen 1 cards which is why my alarm bells went off cause those can be worth quite something, so giving them away just like that is odd.

[@tapmanabirds]

No L test on the green symbol?

[@marumiyuhime]

i have never had a smart phone. you can keep your tracking devices

[@mizzogames]

How about cards like Chandra, Pyromaster (SDCC 2013) is it possible to apply the same methods?

[@Docswavestranslucent]

How come they where showing you old school cards with modern cards. When they where clearly Don afterwards. Also most intriguing is . Just copying the same method creates cards through a individual who past worked there etc.

[@mattjohnston7299]

I got a lot of fakes from my local Walmart

[@indigofremont]

Yeah I'm not going to tear a card in half to test its authenticity

[@MrDavidmauck]

Not trying to be a pessimistic here cause I appreciate what you are trying to do but I would be willing to be there are times you think something is fake and it is not and vice versa. A lot of tests beyond the magnifying glass are not good tests. The cards throughout time are printed differently. Even now people say fresh cracked cards feel glossy. So are they fake from wizards? The bend test is not bulletproof either because cars temp matters as an example. Age of the card matters. Condition. Etc. saying an old dual does not bend like a brand new card…well yeah that card was printed 30 years ago. The concern comes from putting this video out and now you flood the market with people saying “everything of value is fake” and if someone bends or rips and whatever to a nonfake…oops.

[@maxiom7476]

Well I traded much of my collection for a fake media promo mana crypt

[@christophercardenas8081]

You can’t get arrested they’re just cards no judge or cop is really going to put you under arrest over some little ass shit

[@TheDreamTwist]

Lmao i just bought 17 tibalts trickery off tcgplayer and as soon as i touched it i knew it was fake

[@justinconn1214]

Some of them are hard. And some of them r real thin and sandy

[@bismarckbonedaddy6899]

Much sadness has arrived to me today...

[@tamaskisely9122]

I don’t use “fake” cards, but usually play proxy cards in our local community if it is allowed. But. Saying that don’t use fakes because of WotC will have less money?!? They are so fckn ignorant about the game and the community… why should we care about them? I know some use fakes because the price of the cards are extremely high on the competitive lvl. This is why I use proxy cards. I won’t pay hundreds of dollars for a few lands. It’s absurd and could be easily solvable by reprinting them again and again in every sets. But no. Wizzard lets some very basic and “have to have” cards to be over 50 dollars?! Or even hundreds? Yeah. Poor wizzard. They could easily create a land box set and earn a lot but they don’t care so I don’t care. I can print my proxies and enjoy the game without paying for an ignorant company.

[@fasttorwa]

Don't buy squishy cards!

[@glueman2431]

Don’t ever do the bend test to any card

[@obeliske4334]

Odd I've done it plenty of times with no issues.

[@puttputt524]

I just got my first fake! It was NOT a high end card. Cheap cards are not worth faking, expensive cards are scrutinized. It is an eBay gravecrawler, a 4 to 6 dollar card. Your video was helpful to me in making this catch. The black inking looks wrong and it fails the light test.

[@dwightpatch4441]

lolz wizards is getting their money regardless. They "Can't" reprint the reserve list anyways so...

[@undeaddreadlord1]

Really sad you only have as many views. This is sad, because I wanted to spell quality but it wouldn't let that happen

[@ThePestilentDefiler]

Haha Wizards not having enough money for tournaments and events. Thats rich... biggest year for them ever and they cut the meager prize pool of 1 million dollars down to $250,000. To hell with them and their need to manipulate the secondary market for their own profits. To hell with them for taking advantage of creators and professionals.

[@pers0na_355]

Don’t really think buying fake reserved list cards is hurting wotc’s bottom line. In fact it might help bring people into cedh or legacy, which will bring people into the game. With that being said people who intentionally sell bootleg magic cards as authentic are scum and deserve criminal chargea

[@rommelwolf9754]

Idc if it's fake. I just like collecting cards lol

[@TheMrPrankyoass]

This is the worse video I’ve seen

[@etgameshome2750]

The reason why the fakes are getting so good is because the fake creators see videos like this. It's like ur doing a run down on what these scammers are doing wrong so they can fix their mistakes. Kinda messed up u can't share this kinda info these days without having that issue. Magic will probably magically disappear. Unless the creators come up with something unique and can't be copied. I'll be sure to use these techniques for now to help with that issue that's for sure.