20 years after I joined the TCG community, the biggest threat that Magic The Gathering card collectors still face is the presence of fake Magic The Gathering cards – and the problem isn’t going away any time soon. I have found the best, and only real way, to protect yourself from fake mtg cards is to arm yourself with the knowledge of how to spot fake Magic cards.
The best way to tell if a Magic The gathering card is fake is to use a magnifying tool to check the printing pattern of the card. MTG sets have a unique printing pattern on cards that is hard to replicate. However, other methods can be used to identify fake cards.
I’ve spent over 2 years working for a company that exports goods like trading cards across the globe and have seen more than my fair share of customers get swindled by fake trading cards.
Below is everything I know on how to spot fake Magic The Gathering cards and although there may be more methods out there than listed here, the information in this article should arm you with everything you need to know to avoid getting scammed by fake Magic cards.
How Common Are Counterfeit Magic The Gathering Cards
I’m starting here as I think it’s extremely important for you to be aware of just how likely it is for you to potentially encounter a fake Magic card in your TCG career.
Too many times have I heard stories from other TCG collectors I know personally that have fallen victim to buying counterfeit Magic cards, not because they don’t know how to spot fake cards, but because they weren’t even on the lookout for them.
None of the information in this article is going to help you if you’re not vigilant.
And the main reason most TCG collectors let their guard down is that they aren’t aware of just how commonplace fake cards have become.
In 2020, I performed an online survey with a group of 159 TCG collectors from around the world and asked them if they had ever come across a fake card in their collection.
54.1% of collectors answered “Yes” – They had been a victim of either purchasing or trading into a fake card.
15.7% of collectors answered “Almost” – They didn’t have any fakes in their collection, but they had seen or come into contact with fake cards while buying or trading cards.
Which means, 69.8% of collectors I surveyed had come into contact with fake cards!
Those aren’t great odds for those of you hoping just to get lucky and never be confronted with a fake Magic The Gathering card.
Although the survey I conducted at the time was broad and included card collectors from across the world, my sample was small enough that it couldn’t be considered a scientific study – so take the exact numbers in this survey with a small grain of salt.
However, that doesn’t mean you are off the hook or things have gotten better with regards to fake TCG cards since I did that survey. In fact, it pains me to say that things have only gotten worse.
Check out this video from November 2021 where Airport security confiscated 7.6 tons – yes, Tons – of fake trading cards intended for English-speaking collectors.
I’m not telling you this information in an attempt to scare you away from collecting Magic The Gathering cards, far from it. However, I do think it is important for people to keep this information in mind when they plan on spending their hard-earned cash on MTG products.
All is not lost though, in fact, just being vigilant about fake MTG cards and products is about 80% of the battle. Often when you know what to look for, you can spot fake cards in a matter of seconds.
Use the information below to keep yourself safe and you shouldn’t have any issues with fake Magic cards ending up in your binders.
- How Common Are Counterfeit Magic The Gathering Cards
- Check The Cutting Method of Fake MTG Cards
- Unusual Fonts On Fake Magic Cards
- Spelling Mistakes On A Counterfeit Card
- Rebacked Cards: Magic The Gathering Fakes
- The Black Light Test
- The Water Test
- The Light Test
- The Bend Test
- The Rip Test
- MTG Green Dot Test / Microscope Test
- Final Thoughts
Check The Cutting Method of Fake MTG Cards
A fake Magic The Gathering card is almost always made in an inferior way to the genuine thing.
For almost all counterfeits cards you will ever come across, there will often be some kind of deficit in the way the card was made and that often shows itself in the way the card was cut during production.
Fake MTG cards can oftentimes look like they’ve been punched out of a sheet of cardboard – due to the fact, that they more often than not, have been.
Pay attention to the borders and edges of Magic The Gathering cards. If you spot tiny pieces of cardboard “fluff” or a series of dots on the edges of a Magic card, it’s worth taking an extra couple of seconds to inspect the card further.
If you have ever tried to tear a coupon voucher from another piece of cardboard, you will have a good idea of what I am talking about. For those of you who are a little uncertain of what I mean, check out the image below.
If you are in a position to actually get your hands on the card, you may want to take note if one side of the card is thicker than the other.
The thickness of a genuine Magic card should be fairly consistent throughout the cardboard, so if the left and right sides of the card feel different, pay attention!
Pro Tip: It’s always a good idea to have a real card on hand to compare. With a bit of practice and familiarity with cards you know are real, you should be able to feel the difference fairly quickly. If you run your fingertips along the edges of counterfeit cards they can have a different feel to the real thing.
Now and then, you will come across a “miss cut” card from the official factories that do print Magic The Gathering cards or some other error that has occurred during the manufacturing process.
Because of this, just checking the edges of a Magic card isn’t a full-proof way to verify whether a card is real or counterfeit. These official printing defects are still relatively uncommon so it’s best not to assume immediately that a card is just a misprint if there is something usual about it.
Checking the edges of a card can be a great first initial check, but I highly recommend combining that check with other methods on this list before coming to any conclusions about the authenticity of the MTG card you’re inspecting.
Unusual Fonts On Fake Magic Cards
Fake Magic The Gathering cards will often use incorrect font types of genuine cards they are trying to mimic.
This can be really hard to pick out if you don’t have a genuine version of the card nearby to compare to – which you often won’t have access to.
However, there are a lot of great websites out there that have images and scans of every Magic the Gathering card ever printed and all of their alternate versions.
Here are a few websites you can search up on your phone if you ever need an image to check against:
If you have a reference for what a card’s font should actually look like, then this method can be incredibly effective at spotting text that is the wrong shape or even text on a card that is bigger or small than it should be.
Oftentimes, if the card is using the wrong sized font, the text on the card will actually be in a slightly different position than it should be or line up in a way that is different from the genuine card.
Pro Tip: Start by checking the first and last words of each sentence on the Magic card. Make sure the words match the real card and that they’re aligned in the same position.
Spelling Mistakes On A Counterfeit Card
You might think this tip is a no-brainer, but it’s probably the fastest and most reliable way to spot a fake Magic The Gathering card.
It’s easy to make the assumption that, if someone is going to go to the trouble of producing counterfeit MTG cards, then they surely wouldn’t have made simple spelling mistakes – wrong.
While there are groups of people out there producing better and more realistic fake cards, the vast majority of fakes out there haven’t gone through a professional round of proofreading and editing, making them full of errors.
My best piece of advice here is, don’t assume.
Take the extra couple of seconds to read through cards you are inspecting thoroughly and you’ll likely avoid a fair few fake cards that come your way.
It’s a lot harder for our eyes to accurately spot errors in the image or coloring of cards than it is to spot mistakes with the words.
Rebacked Cards: Magic The Gathering Fakes
One of the most popular methods for creating fake MTG cards originally was using a technique called “rebacking.” Rebacking entails attaching the real back of an un-marked card to the front of a marked one. You will often see this being done with Collector’s Edition cards.
The two separate cards are sliced down to match and then commonly bonded together, typically using some kind of glue. The aforementioned method was originally used with older sets, such as Alpha and Beta. While it is true that these fakes have been around for a long time, they are still easy to identify.
Take precautions if the card doesn’t have the same level of worn-ness throughout each section of the card. If the front of the card is near perfect, but the back has been severely used or vice versa, it should raise a red flag.
Furthermore, because rebacks are generally heavier and thicker than real Magic cards, they may have trouble passing the bend test.
Although I don’t recommend for most Magic The Gathering players to use the bend test to determine if a card is authentic – I highly recommend leaving the bend test to more experienced card inspectors as it is easy to go wrong.
However, rebacks can be spotted by inconsistencies throughout their edges. If you have a microscope or loupe and bend a rebacked MTG card, the glue that binds the edges should split somewhat and the various layers should become evident.
The Black Light Test
One of the most reliable tests for determining the validity of Magic cards is the black light test.
The major disadvantage is that it requires access to blacklight (or ultraviolet light), but if you’re unsure about lots of cards, this is a fantastic method to check cards quickly and efficiently.
UV light is commonly used in this situation much like how a Cashier in a bank might employ it to quickly authenticate high-value bills.
When exposed to ultraviolet light, Magic cards glow because of the card stock’s printing process.
When compared to genuine Magic cards, most fakes will not become fluoresce.
As time goes by, more ambitious counterfeit card manufacturers may try to mimic this property in the fake Magic cards they produce. However, I would be surprised if you run into many fakes that will turn fluorescent in the same style as real Magic The Gathering cards do, so it’s always a good idea to compare them against a real card.
The Water Test
This may come as a bit of a surprise to most, but the moisture tolerance of magic cards is quite good.
Now I’m not recommending that you suddenly drop your collection of Magic cards in the bathtub,
but when a drop of moisture spills onto the surface of an MTG card, it’s pretty good at handling small amounts of water without deforming or wrinkling.
Nothing should happen to the card if you use a damp Q-Tip or piece of cotton to clean the border or edges of a real Magic card.
When exposed to water, real cards do not bleed ink at all; while fakes, especially low-quality ones, may have ink from the card smudge due to its inferior printing process.
NOTE: This isn’t really a test I recommend for beginners as we are still dealing with cardboard and water – It doesn’t take much to overdo it and have things go wrong. There are other tests I would suggest doing before this one, but for the sake of providing as much helpful information as I can, I have included the water test in this post.
The Light Test
The light test has been becoming more popular recently, especially when compared to the bend test, and for good reason.
The light test is simple to conduct and easy to do. Anyone with access to a light bulb can complete it.
Not only that, but you don’t have to worry about potentially damaging your cards from doing tests like the Water or Bend tests.
Take a light source, such as a bright lamp, and hold it up to the front of the card so you are looking at the back. The Magic card should appear to be translucent if you use a strong light source, which is what we are hoping for.
ProTip: It’s recommended that you use a halogen light source for this test, though other types of light sources may work too.
Under the correct lighting conditions, Magic: The Gathering cards will allow some light to pass through them but not so much that the text on the other side of the cards is readable.
The light test has been around for a while now and while I look it better than some of the other tests on this list it is not my favorite. This is more due to the fact that fake MTG card manufacturers have started to try and print cards in a way that can pass the light test, and although they may not be perfect at it, they may be good enough that a fake card may slip by you on an initial check.
If you are wondering what doing a light test may look like in person, here is a video of some demonstrating the light test on a fake card.
The Bend Test
When any discussion about counterfeit TCG cards comes up, you’ll undoubtedly hear someone bring up the “bend test.” Some swear by it, while others argue that it is no longer relevant.
I personally don’t like this test.
Even though I know what to look for in a bend test, every time I have performed it, I haven’t felt that I have made any significant process in determining whether a card is genuine or not.
The bend test involves pressing both ends of the Magic card together. A lot of fakes, because they aren’t as flexible, will usually bend and cause damage to the card’s structure in the form of a crease, whereas real Magic cards can frequently be bent without any damage being done.
Here is my issue with the bend test.
All Magic The Gathering cards will ultimately crease after enough bend testing. This is definitely true when it comes to older Magic cards, which tend to be the more valuable cards that you want to check are actually real.
You also want to avoid performing the bend test on foil Magic The Gathering cards! The foiling process that is used on foil cards doesn’t typically respond well to the bend test even if the card is real.
That’s why when I’ve done bend tests in the past and the card fails to pass, I can’t help but have a little bit paranoid that I may have just performed the bend test on a real card that has been tested a few too many times.
This test has been around so long and widely talked about in the Magic community that I’m almost certain most decent counterfeit card manufacturers are making their fakes in a way that they can survive a bend test or two.
Since this test may involve damaging your, or worse, someone else’s cards, but often provides us with an inconclusive result – I don’t recommend this test, but you can add it to your tool belt of fake finding methods to check.
A great video example of why I’m not the biggest fan of the best test can be seen in this short video below.
The Rip Test
The tear test is perhaps the most well-known and controversial of all. When you rip a Magic: The Gathering card in half, you are supposed to see a blue filament between two white layers of card.
Although this test is clearly useless in most situations for a variety of reasons, the tear test can act as the final confirmation that a card is fraudulent and should be destroyed and removed from circulation.
The only practical application for this test I can suggest is if you are buying a large amount of MTG cards in bulk, you can perform this test on a random card from the group. Statistically speaking, if you want to feel confident that the group of Magic cards you bought isn’t counterfeit, you should perform the tear test on a range of cards from the group.
However, I’m not sure how comfortable I feel about ripping multiple cards when there are other tests on this list you can use instead that don’t involve destroying something you just paid for.
However, if you have any reservations about the card you suspect to be fake or don’t even own the card in question, do not utilize this test… there is no going back after a rip test.
You can see what to expect from a real rip test in this short video.
MTG Green Dot Test / Microscope Test
If you were going to ask me to recommend one, and only one, test to determine the authenticity of a card, this would be my pick.
The appearance of a real Magic The Gathering card is determined by distinct dot patterns, which differ from set to set. Comparing one card to another may be one of the most useful tools we have for detecting counterfeits.
Using a high-quality microscope to examine the unique Magic card print patterns, particularly when compared to cards from the same set you are confident are genuine, is an excellent method of identifying forgery.
The patterns used by Wizards of the Coast to print card fronts are difficult to duplicate, which is why most counterfeit cards appear different from them. If the card’s alignment is correct and has the same print pattern as a card you are sure is real, it’s likely genuine!
A loupe is a magnifying glass that you can buy online for a relatively cheap price, bring to events, and use in the same way as microscopes.
You may examine print patterns with a loupe. Although, depending on which one you get, they sometimes aren’t high enough resolution for a thorough examination, but all of them are ideal for verifying the edges of Magic The Gathering cards, which should resemble other cards you’ve checked.
If you’re interested in this recommended method of identifying genuine and fake Magic The Gathering cards, I’ll put a link below to an affordable, high-quality loupe that is portable and ideal for using on Magic Cards.
When looking through the magnified view of a Magic card, the blue filament layer within every real Magic The Gathering card should be visible.
Magnifying your loupe over the green dot on the back of any Magic card should reveal a yellow region. Within this section yellow section, there should be four red dots arranged in an “L” formation. If there are no dots in this section of the card, or it is entirely covered with them, this is an indication that the card you are inspecting is likely fraudulent.
It’s worth noting that the process of producing cards requires pressing various layers of ink onto the cardstock. One advantage of this is that all of the information (text, mana symbols, etc.) is imprinted on the rosette design as a distinct layer.
If you look at the text on these cards under a loupe and discover that they have the card stock pattern running through the ink, then the card is most likely counterfeit. The text should be a distinct solid black layer atop the pattern.
Magic cards from different sets have distinct patterns, so comparing cards that are printed from the same set is critical, but knowing what you’re searching for is crucial.
The main drawback of photographs given to you or images of the card that you see online is that high-res scans are required to properly evaluate a Magic card’s dot patterns. This is especially important when buying or trading cards through the web – You simply won’t have this test option available to you until after you have already paid for the card and had it sent to you.
If you want to start using a loupe to check whether or not a Magic card you come across is real or not, check out this video that walks you through an example of using a loupe on a real and fake MTG card.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to sporting fake Magic The Gathering cards, information and vigilance is your best friend.
9/10 times encountering a fake card is easy to spot when you know what you are looking for and take the time to perform the proper checks. I mentioned a bunch of different methods you can use to spot MTG cards in this post, but, for me, the most practical and effective method is to use a loupe.
There is no need to guess when it comes to using a loupe or putting your cards at risk by splashing water on them, or god forbid, ripping potentially valuable cards. Just throw the card under your microscope and then trade/buy cards without the fear that you may have just have gotten scammed.
That’s just my recommendation though, find the method that works best for you and makes you feel comfortable. That way, you can spend less time worrying about fakes and more time shuffling cards.
