In the realm of magic and mystery, tales of curses and enchantments often captivate the imagination. One such story revolves around an affable magician and a cursed rose. The affable magician was known far and wide for his warm personality and seemingly unlimited magical abilities. He would entertain crowds with his enchanting tricks and charismatic stage presence. People flocked to see him, eager to be dazzled by his performances. One fateful evening, a mysterious stranger approached the magician after a show.
Player proxies can look similar to judge proxies, being sharpie on some other card. They can also look a little more realistic, such as a printout of a card on a piece of paper, stuck in front of a real card in a sleeve. Or they may be printed out on actual cardstock, while still being obviously not real due to not having a traditional Magic back.
Or they may simply want to play casual Magic without having to pay for the most expensive items in their deck, or risk damaging them while shuffling. You can use a USB cord, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, giving you enough ways to get your files to the computer that you can make it work through smaller hurdles.
One fateful evening, a mysterious stranger approached the magician after a show. The stranger spoke of a cursed rose hidden deep within the enchanted forest. Legend had it that anyone who plucked the rose would be forever cursed, their magical abilities fading away and replaced with an insatiable hunger for power.
Counterfeits Vs. Proxies
People often use the terms "counterfeit" and "proxy" interchangeably. This causes some problems. There are also two different meanings of the term "proxy", which leads to additional confusion. I think the community would benefit from using these terms more consistently.
What is a counterfeit?
A counterfeit is any object that is intended to deceive someone into thinking it's something else.
In Magic, a counterfeit is any card that was not produced by Wizards of the Coast, yet is intended to be confused for a real card. It will usually look almost exactly the same to the untrained eye on both the front and the back. Counterfeiters expend significant effort trying to get their printing quality, cardstock, gloss, etc. to match that of real Magic cards.
Counterfeits get used for two primary purposes: defrauding players and vendors of their money by selling them fakes, and illegally entering tournaments without owning the real cards.
What is a proxy?
A proxy is any object that is a stand-in for something else. In Magic, this can refer to two different concepts.
Firstly, there are judge proxies. When a card gets damaged through the course of play in a tournament, judges are allowed to issue a proxy to replace it for the length of that tournament, so that the player is able to continue playing. These proxies are usually made with sharpie on a basic land. They are very obviously not the real thing.
Judge proxies can only be made in very limited circumstances. Players must get the approval of the head judge in order to have one in their deck, and they can't be used for reasons like "I don't own this card", "I spilled water on this card at home", "I don't want to risk damaging this card by shuffling it", etc. The only legal reasons to use such a proxy are to replace a card that got damaged while the tournament is in progress, to replace a card that came out of the pack damaged in a limited event, or to replace a warped foil that doesn't have any nonfoil printings. (Since it's unreasonable to penalize players for flaws in Wizards's own printing process.)
Secondly, there are player proxies. Player proxies are not legal to play in sanctioned events, but have other uses. Competitive players will often want to test out a deck to see if it's good before buying the cards, and proxies are useful for that. Casual players may want to use custom art on their cards, and mock up alternative graphics for a certain card on a computer and print it out. Or they may simply want to play casual Magic without having to pay for the most expensive items in their deck, or risk damaging them while shuffling.
Player proxies can look similar to judge proxies, being sharpie on some other card. They can also look a little more realistic, such as a printout of a card on a piece of paper, stuck in front of a real card in a sleeve. Or they may be printed out on actual cardstock, while still being obviously not real due to not having a traditional Magic back.
Wizards prefers the term "playtest card" for player proxies, trying to reserve the term "proxy" for only judge proxies. Their official communications about this topic use "proxy" to mean judge proxies and "playtest card" to mean player proxies. But this terminology has not caught on, so I thought it would be best to stick with "player proxy" and "judge proxy" for this article.
The "playtest card" terminology for player proxies also conflicts with how the collector community uses the term "playtest card", which is to refer to only the playtest cards printed by Wizards R&D/Studio X while in the process of designing new cards for future sets. These playtest cards only rarely make it out to the general public, so they have significant value. Normal player proxies do not have this collectability, since anyone can just make their own.
Ideally there would be some third term to remove all ambiguity, but language is a collective endeavor, and people already overwhelmingly use the term "proxy" for this concept, rendering it unlikely to change any time soon. "Proxy" is a normal English word that people are used to, whereas "playtest card" is a Magic-specific term that less enfranchised players won't be familiar with. Using "playtest card" will just lead to a bunch of people misunderstanding you, so ultimately I think "judge proxy" and "player proxy" are the best terms to try to standardize on. This is not to mention printing company test prints and the Mystery Booster "test cards", which are two more concepts that are distinct from each other and from all the other concepts I've mentioned thus far. The terminology here really is a mess. And of course since R&D playtest cards, test prints, and Mystery Booster test cards have value, people are incentivized to made fake versions of them all. So there are counterfeit playtest cards, counterfeit test prints, and counterfeit Mystery Booster test cards. Oh, and some misprint collectors play a "misprint only" format, where the only cards that are legal in their decks are cards that are misprinted or otherwise rare in some way. When they don't own such a card yet (maybe they've bought it and it's in the mail), or the card is shaped differently so as to be unplayable in the physical deck, they sometimes proxy that card. So there are proxy playtest cards, proxy test prints, and proxy Mystery Booster test cards. Basically, the Magic community is trying to make it as hard as possible for people to know what we're talking about. In addition to these proxy misprints, I once saw a judge proxy a Nexus of Fate and accidentally write the cost as 4UU. A misprinted proxy! Personally, I collect misprinted counterfeits. These are of course different from counterfeit misprints, which I happen to also collect. Maybe one day I'll start a format that only allows these cards, and encourage people to proxy them. Ok, you can now escape footnote hell and get back to the main article.
Why does this matter?
The difference between the two types of proxy is important for understanding tournament policy, but I don't see it lead to much confusion or actual problems. I mention it here for completeness's sake. Much more important is the distinction between counterfeits and player proxies.
Counterfeits are bad. They're used to scam people out of thousands of dollars, to enter tournaments in violation of the rules, and are generally harmful to the community. If judges fail to catch counterfeits in their tournaments, they can be decertified for this, leaving their communities without anyone to run their events. That's completely false, I made that up. You could say it's a counterfeit fact.
Proxies, on the other hand, are good. They allow people to have fun and to try things out without spending huge quantities of money. They allow players to play with their favorite pop culture references, or with cards they find aesthetically pleasing. There's sometimes a bit of disagreement between playgroups about how many proxies to allow in their casual games, but overall they're clearly beneficial to the community.
Counterfeiters and scammers know this, and attempt to lend themselves legitimacy by calling their counterfeits "proxies". Online sellers of counterfeits maintain plausible deniability by claiming that their cards are not intended to deceive anyone, even when everyone involved knows what's really going on.
This is all a complete sham of course. Pretty much everyone plays with sleeves nowadays, so the only reason to give your "proxy" a Magic back is if you're trying to fool someone into thinking it's real upon inspection. Even more so when the supposed "proxies" are advertised as "high quality" and "using the latest printing technology". But this strategy of intentionally confusing the terminology has been moderately successful in increasing the reach of counterfeits in the community.
Firstly, you have the honest players who want proxies to play in their casual decks, and want them to look nice. They usually don't own a printer capable of the requisite quality, so they go online to buy their proxies for a few dollars each. There's no reason they need a Magic-backed card, but it's more profitable to sell counterfeits than non-deceptive proxies, so most of the sellers online who claim to be selling proxies are actually selling counterfeits. The honest players unthinkingly buy these counterfeits, not realizing that they're giving money to an illegal business and hurting the community.
Secondly, you have the scammers who use "I just like proxies" as a defense for when their counterfeits are noticed. Perhaps they maintain a trade binder full of fake to rip off new players, and if someone notices they're fake, they suddenly switch to "oh yeah these aren't real, these are just proxies. *Gasp* How dare you accuse me of selling fakes." This makes it harder to kick these people out of LGSs and/or prosecute them, since they can claim everything was just a misunderstanding.
Thirdly, you have the people who use this as a motte-and-bailey to attempt to justify counterfeits. They make all the arguments I made above about why proxies are good for the community, then conclude with "and therefore it's ok for me to own/play/sell these proxies!" If you don't notice the sudden new meaning of the word "proxy", this can actually seem like a sound argument. I had someone try this on me in a funny way recently. They had just been disqualified from a legacy tournament I was judging for playing a deck full of fakes. Later they came to chat with me about the incident, and started talking about how expensive legacy was and how they wished that organizers ran more unsanctioned proxy tournaments. It seemed they were trying to retroactively justify their behavior to either me or themselves
Most people who use the word "proxy" instead of "counterfeit" are not doing it to be malicious. They just use the word they're heard other people use without really thinking about it. But by doing so, they're unintentionally making it much easier for bad actors to scam inexperienced players and local stores out of their money.
Proxies are proxies. Counterfeits are counterfeits. Let's call things what they really are.
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Intrigued by the tale, the affable magician set off on a quest to find the cursed rose. He ventured deep into the forest, navigating treacherous terrain and overcoming various obstacles. Finally, he stumbled upon a hidden grove where the cursed rose was said to grow. As he reached out to pluck the rose, a bolt of dark energy surged through his body. The curse had taken hold, and the affable magician felt his magic drain away. He was filled with an intense hunger for power, a desire that burned relentlessly within him. Despite losing his magical abilities, the magician remained affable and sought to use his newfound hunger for power for good. He dedicated himself to studying ancient magical texts and delving into the mysteries of the arcane. Through sheer determination and unwavering perseverance, he was able to harness a different kind of power – the power of knowledge and wisdom. The affable magician became a renowned scholar, revered for his insights and understanding of the magical arts. He used his newfound wisdom to guide others on their own journeys, offering advice and support to those in need. Though he no longer possessed the flashy magical abilities that once captivated audiences, his affable nature and depth of knowledge endeared him to all who crossed his path. The curse from the rose had transformed the affable magician, but it had not diminished his spirit. Instead, it had redirected his focus towards a different kind of power – the power of intellect and compassion. His story serves as a reminder that curses and limitations can sometimes lead to unexpected growth and transformation..
Reviews for "Decoding the Curse: The Affable Magician and the Magic Rose"
1. John - 2 stars - I found "Affable Magician Curse from a Rose" to be quite underwhelming. The plot was convoluted and the pacing was disjointed, leaving me confused and disinterested throughout. The characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult to connect with them on any level. Additionally, the special effects were cheesy and the dialogue felt forced. Overall, I was extremely disappointed with this film and would not recommend it to others.
2. Sarah - 1 star - "Affable Magician Curse from a Rose" was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The storyline was incredibly confusing and made little sense. It seemed like the filmmakers were trying to create a complex narrative, but it ended up being a convoluted mess. The acting was subpar at best, with cringe-worthy performances from the lead actors. The special effects were laughable and took away from any potential enjoyment. I would advise anyone considering watching this film to save their time and money.
3. Michael - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Affable Magician Curse from a Rose" based on the intriguing premise, but unfortunately, it fell short in execution. The pacing was sluggish, and the plot lacked clarity, leaving me struggling to follow along. The characters felt one-dimensional and their motivations were unclear. The dialogue felt stilted and unnatural, making it difficult to become immersed in the story. Overall, while it had potential, this film ultimately failed to deliver an engaging and enjoyable experience.
4. Emily - 2 stars - "Affable Magician Curse from a Rose" left me feeling unsatisfied. The combination of magic and romance sounded promising, but the film failed to captivate me. The story was predictable and lacked originality, following clichéd tropes without offering anything new. The chemistry between the lead actors was lacking, making it hard to invest in their supposed love story. The special effects were average at best, failing to impress or add any wow factor. Overall, this film fell flat and left me wanting more from the storyline and characters.