Uncle's Craftin' Proxies- And So Can You

Today I want to talk about Proxies.

There's plenty of blather, I'm sure, abound on the Interwebz, but I wouldn't feel right sending you out blind without some of my own tips, experience, and opinion.

I'm gonna use BIG BOLD TITLES so you can scroll down. This article will be a little big, but that's the nature of doing something a little more-encompassing.

So People Just Allow Proxies Wherever You Go? That's Cool?

No. Actually, far from it.

Though I'm going to talk about a process of printing your own versions of cards, making fake cards can have serious implications at the table if you ask people, and even more serious implications if you plan on selling them to make rent or whatever.

However, don't let that discourage you. There's a perfectly legal and fun way for you and your friends to enjoy alternate art versions of the cards you love if you so choose.

Additionally, there's some "guidelines" that I've created- a little set of standards that should be pretty conducive to helping you sit down and play effective games with proxies and the like.

The Do's and Don'ts Of Proxies, According To UL

Do:

1. Make Proxies of your Commander. This is a card that's basically going to be out a lot of the time, and if you're so inclined to have a more fun piece of art on the table, do it- especially if it's got bad art, or something that doesn't make sense. Also, as long as it's your Commander, the expensive cards like Portal 3 Kingdoms and whatever the competitive players are playing like Geist of Saint Traft are now accessible.

2. Make Proxies of Cards You Have. Some people spend a lot of money getting cards like Revised dual lands, Time Walks, etc. I don't know why you wouldn't just straight up play it to impress your friends, but if you're in the mood to pimp out a preexisting version of something you have, nothing should stop you. Just make sure it looks better than your original. Also, if a card is in another deck, don't just slip a piece of paper with its name into a sleeve with a basic land. Do work.

3. Make Proxies of Cards You Seriously Intend To Own. At the very least, be clear about your intentions with the card or deck. If you're only making the deck for a couple games, sure that's fine. Especially if it's Timetwister, Imperial Seal, or Maze of Ith, and is rather expensive. It's not fun at all when you make fake cards you don't intend to own.

4. Let Your Opponents Know If There Are Proxies In Your Deck. More importantly, ask them if it's okay. Then listen to them.

Don't:

1. Proxy Too Much Per Deck. I think a safe rule, at least for me, is something like 4 cards + your General. That seems fair, though I think there's definitely cases that fall on both sides of the fence. I've seen and made beautiful proxies I never want to stop looking at, and I've also seen and made some quick ones with ripped paper. Less of the latter is preferable, though understandable in a quick fix "I've got the card, but it's at home," kind of situation.

2. Proxy Without Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due: Magic is still property of WotC. Make sure you don't get into copyright trouble. Put some disclaimer at the bottom of the card like, "Not For Sale, property of WotC, etc." Also, if you didn't make the art, find the person who did, and put their name/username on it.

3. Play The Deck Without Your Opponent's Consent. If people want you to make a deck with real cards, then play the deck with real cards. It isn't a difficult request. It isn't a big deal. Prepare a deck with inoffensive things in it.





HOW DO YOU MAKE PROXIES?

Honestly, this process is a pretty quick 10-step process, contrary to most of the internet information.


MY PROCESS

Much of my method is based on a CommanderCast Article by Brionne and her "mentor," one of the guys that runs a proxy forum.

The idea is pretty simple. Strip foil off card, design image, print on window decal, stick it on, cut it out.

However, for those with higher-quality laser printers, you can actually print right onto the card. This requires a little more skill, almost 100% alcohol, and double-stick tape, but cuts out the need for window decals. Both look good in sleeves though.

Requirements:

Inkjet Printer (with ink)
Printable Window Decals
Computer w/Magic Set Editor, or a comparable program
Foil Cards
X-Acto Knife
Acetone
Q-Tips
Cotton Balls
Spray Adhesive

1. Take a foil card you don't want, and place it in a nice space where you won't run risk of chemical damage. In case you spill Acetone.
2. Dip a Q-Tip in Acetone, and carefully rub it along the side edge of the card to loosen the foil.
3. Using the X-Acto knife, find the layer between the cardboard and the foil sticker, and separate enough of the sticker from the card to peel the foil off.
4. Most of the time, there will be foil residue left. If so, dip a Cotton Ball in Acetone and carefully wipe it. That should clean it.
5. Design your proxy card in a program like Set Editor.
6. Copy your design into something like Microsoft Word, where you can adjust the size of the image. "3.49 x 2.52" seems to be the magic numbers here.
7. Load Window Decal paper into your printer. Make sure to adjust your settings to Best Quality and Transparency or their equivalents.
8. Print and Peel backing off Window Decal. Use spray adhesive to add additional glue to the sticky side, to ensure that the card sticks to the decal. Make sure to get the coat relatively even.
9. Take foil-stripped Card and stick it to the back, making sure to line it up with the card.
10. Use X-Acto knife and cut out the card.

Proxies I've Made

Here's to the Firefly fans. I actually photoshopped the background on this one cause I thought blue would be better. And it was.

This card really is beautiful in real life too. Plus, Inara's last name is Serra, which just invites all kinds of divine aforethought. She was predestined to be a pretty white card. And I love her. And the card.

 Found some sweet steampunk art for ol' Geisty. Thought it beat having some goody-two-shoes in a church praying with candles. I always pictured the Geist with more of an edge. This art did the trick. There's also a full art version, where you get to see a canary on top of his humongous hat. It's pretty alright too.

Flavor happened here. A mega flavor explosion. I had to edit the background in Photoshop to make sure Norin wasn't poking out. This is what happens when two artists make completely different things, and Then I put them together. This is what I imagine rappers do when they sample things. With some exception, this is much cooler than the majority of that genre though. There's good crossovers, and bad ones. This is the former.

 I got a special request to re-do a Vampiric Tutor for one of my friends in a local group I play in. I decided more Blade and less Edward was the style.

Thematically, I felt it really would fit in well. Her previous proxy of Vampiric was misspelled, which is metaphorically the equivalent of Team Edward when compared to Blade.

Spell your words kids. Be a Daywalker. That's what I'm saying is Badass.

More Flavor Art. I was tasked with making up something for that Better Deckbuilding segment I did some months back.

This is the result. Well, the serious one. Cho-Manno becomes Luke Skywalker. With sweet flavor by Admiral Akbar.

Lastly, this is a card I made for a good friend of mine who lovaduh Rafiq.

Human Knight isn't exactly the most flavorful part, but I think everything else speaks for itself. And I wanted to get the picture of the second, piss-poor version of Rafiq that came out when FTV: Legends thought it was cool to take huge dumps on what he originally was.

So now I've made him the Hero of Time. Which isn't too far off.

And naturally, I had to change the flavor-text. Further pleasure can be found if you've even seen one episode of NBC's Heroes.




Alright. Well, that's all I got for today.

Stay tuned and ready for Thursday, where I'll be doing a segment on designing your own cards for EDH, and how you and your friends can have fun with that.

So tell your EDH-playing friends, or Commandeer their Interwebz and give them no choice but to keep the family together.

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In the words of Captain Planet, "The Power Is Yours."

-UL