TLDR: Use unmistakable playtest cards in opaque sleeves, confirm that your group permits them, and keep them out of sanctioned Magic events. Test opening hands, early sequencing, mana, interaction and actual matchups. Change only a few slots between rounds. Buy the cards that repeatedly make the deck function; defer expensive upgrades that do not survive testing.
Learning how to proxy a deck before spending money on the real cards is less about producing a polished imitation and more about running a controlled experiment. Your first version only needs to be readable and mechanically accurate. Its job is to reveal whether the deck casts its spells, executes its plan and competes in the environment where you intend to play.
This guide is specifically about Magic: The Gathering. Other trading card games have their own tournament policies, deck-construction rules and attitudes toward stand-ins.
Set the play boundary before making the deck
Start by deciding where the deck will be played. Wizards distinguishes personal, non-commercial playtest cards from counterfeits and says it does not police personal playtest cards used outside sanctioned events. Its examples include writing a card name on a basic land or putting a printed slip in front of a basic land inside an opaque sleeve. Read Wizards’ proxy policy for the complete distinction.
That does not make a home-produced proxy legal everywhere. Sanctioned Magic events require authentic Magic cards, apart from a narrow exception in which a judge or organizer issues a temporary proxy for a card damaged during that event. A player cannot bring a self-made proxy deck and rely on that exception.
Casual tables, unsanctioned store events and private testing groups can set their own expectations. Ask the organizer or other players before arriving. Be clear that the cards are playtest stand-ins, and do not present them as authentic cards.
Next, lock in the target format. Check the current Magic Banned & Restricted information and official rules rather than building from an old deck list. Card legality is format-specific and can change. Also confirm the format’s deck size, copy limits, sideboard rules and any commander or color-identity constraints that apply to your list.
How to proxy a deck for the first test
Make the cheapest functional version first. Put a basic land or an unwanted card in an opaque sleeve, then place a handwritten note or printed paper slip in front of it. The backing card gives the proxy normal rigidity, while the opaque sleeve prevents its back from becoming a marked-card signal.
Every stand-in should show the information needed to make decisions without repeatedly reaching for a phone. Include:
- The complete card name
- Mana cost and relevant color requirements
- Card type and any important subtypes
- Rules text that matters during normal play
- Power and toughness, loyalty or defense where applicable
- Both sides or all modes of a transforming, split or modal card
- A clear label such as “PLAYTEST” if the design could otherwise be mistaken for a real card
Do not spend the first evening perfecting layouts. If the list changes after three games, time spent polishing cards that immediately leave the deck has not improved the test. Clear handwriting and accurate text are enough for the rough prototype.
Keep sleeves, backing cards and paper thickness consistent across the entire deck. A double-faced card, unusually thick slip or partially transparent sleeve can reveal information while shuffling or drawing. The goal is not visual authenticity; it is a fair test with no identifiable cards.
Test one layer of the deck at a time
Random games can tell you that a deck lost, but they do not always explain why. Break testing into opening hands, solo sequencing and interactive games. Each layer answers a different question.
Start with opening hands and mulligans
Shuffle normally and draw a batch of opening hands. Twenty is a practical first checkpoint, not proof that the ratios are perfect. Record whether each hand has enough resources, the correct colors, a useful early play and a path toward the deck’s main plan. Apply the mulligan procedure you would actually use rather than keeping unrealistic hands to see what happens.
Track functional hands, not merely the number of lands. A three-land hand can still fail if every spell costs five, if the lands produce the wrong colors or if the deck needs a specific enabler. Conversely, a low-land hand may be reasonable when it has cheap selection or reliable resource acceleration.
Goldfish the early turns
Goldfishing means playing without an opponent so you can inspect the deck’s basic sequence. Run several games through the turns when the deck is supposed to establish its engine, threaten a win or stabilize. Note unused resources, cards stranded in hand and turns where you have no meaningful play.
Solo tests are good at exposing curve and sequencing problems. They cannot prove that a deck survives disruption. A combo that works every time against an empty chair may fold to one removal spell, counterspell or discard effect.
Play against relevant opposition
Move to real games against decks that represent your expected environment. If you are preparing for a local metagame, prioritize the archetypes you are likely to face. If this is a casual deck, test against the actual group rather than an imagined competitive field.
When possible, play some games both first and second. A deck that looks smooth on the play may struggle when it must answer an opposing threat before developing its own board. Test post-sideboard games as well when the format uses sideboards; otherwise, you are evaluating only part of the deck.
Diagnose the failure before replacing cards
Keep a short log after every game. You do not need a turn-by-turn transcript. Record the matchup, whether you played first, your mulligan decision, the turn where the game shifted and the resource or effect you lacked.
| Repeated symptom | Likely area to inspect | Useful next test |
|---|---|---|
| Spells remain uncast in hand | Mana quantity, color sources or curve | Count which costs and colors are stranded across multiple games |
| Plenty of mana but little impact | Threat density, card selection or excess resources | Replace a low-impact resource slot and repeat opening-hand tests |
| Deck starts well and then stalls | Card advantage, payoff density or engine reliability | Track which cards extend the plan after the opening sequence |
| Opponent’s key permanent goes unanswered | Interaction quantity, cost or targeting range | Test broader or cheaper answers in the same matchup |
| Powerful cards repeatedly arrive too late | Curve or role duplication | Try a cheaper card that performs the necessary job earlier |
| Deck performs well except in one matchup | Sideboard plan or structural matchup weakness | Test targeted sideboard cards before changing the main plan |
A loss is not automatically evidence that the weakest-looking card should be removed. Ask what job the deck failed to perform. If the answer is “cast two colors on turn two,” replacing a payoff with another payoff will not fix the mana. If the answer is “interact before turn four,” adding a more powerful six-mana card makes the problem worse.
Change only a few slots before retesting
Make the smallest change that tests your diagnosis. Swapping two expensive cards for two early plays can reveal whether the curve was responsible. Rebuilding fifteen slots at once produces a different deck and makes it difficult to identify which change mattered.
Keep one version of the original list so you can reverse an unsuccessful experiment. For each revision, write a simple prediction: “This change should produce more turn-two interaction,” or “This land should reduce hands with the wrong colors.” Retest the same opening-hand and matchup conditions. A change earns its place when it improves the intended problem without creating a larger one elsewhere.
Watch for cards that feel exciting in the best case but sit unused in ordinary games. Expensive purchases deserve a particularly clear role. If a costly card is only marginally better than an option you already own, test both versions before treating the upgrade as essential.
Move from rough proxies to clearer playtest cards only when useful
Handwritten slips are ideal for rapid revisions. Once the list becomes stable, clearer printed stand-ins can reduce reading errors and make longer casual test sessions easier. A provider of printed MTG playtest cards can be useful at that stage, but it should not replace the cheap first draft.
If the list has earned another sustained round of casual testing, PrintMTG’s order flow is the direct next step for creating a more consistent playtest deck. Its published use policy frames these products for casual play, personal use and playtesting, not sanctioned Magic tournaments or resale as authentic cards. Keep confirming that the store, organizer and other players permit them.
Buy the real deck in functional tiers
Do not translate a successful test into an immediate purchase of every premium version. Rank the list by what testing showed actually matters.
- Buy the core engine first: the cards without which the strategy does not function.
- Prioritize necessary mana and enablers, especially when testing showed that color access or sequencing determines whether the deck works.
- Add broadly useful interaction that repeatedly mattered in real games.
- Buy matchup-specific sideboard cards when the relevant matchup is common enough to justify them.
- Leave luxury upgrades, alternate finishes and narrow speculative cards until the deck has survived more play.
Also separate unique effects from replaceable ones. A central combo piece with no substitute is a different purchasing decision from a premium land that improves consistency by a smaller margin. Test the affordable substitute directly when one exists. The games will tell you whether the upgrade changes outcomes or merely makes the list look more complete.
The next step is a test plan, not a shopping cart
Proxying works best when every stand-in answers a spending question. Build the rough deck, verify its legality for the intended format, draw opening hands, test its early turns and then play against relevant opponents. Log recurring failures and revise a small number of slots at a time.
Once the deck consistently performs its intended job, purchase the pieces that repeatedly proved essential. That process will not eliminate every bad matchup or unlucky draw, but it will stop you from paying for a list whose mana, curve or core plan has not yet earned the investment.