As recently more and more fakes have become available on the market, I consider 
it time to make available to everyone my knowledge on fake cards.

Note: Fake cards can be OK for playing with for fun, but:

 A) In a tournament, it is not allowed to have any fake cards in your deck,
    having so will disqualify you.
 B) While there is no general problem with owning fakes, proxies, counterfeits, 
    whatever you call them, it is illegal to reproduce them due to their 
    copyrighted nature and it is called fraud, thus a crime, to try getting 
    rid of them (selling/trading) as genuine cards.

In my early days, when I did not have a lot of cards, I resented to photocopying 
all cards that I could not get a hold of as often as I needed them. People soon 
got angry at my copies because my decks became more like a photocopy gallery than 
a genuine deck. I wondered how everyone immediately realized I was playing fakes.

Also, my first trade was an Icy I just got from a booster against a howling mine. 
Later, I learned the mine was a fake as well. Printout, from a color deskjet, 
glued to a card. Now that I have what I need, and with the years, I gained 
experience on specific types of fakes.

Let me share my knowledge:

Standard tests:

The visual:
Oftentimes, holding a fake is realized by the card looking differently. While 
there are some cards that have odd coloring, the pattern should always be the 
same. If a card name is fuzzy, it could be a fake, but...

The Magnifying test:
If the visual fails due to a bad printing of a genuine card, you can take 
magnifying glasses and look what the pattern of the printing looks like. Compare 
with a card of the same edition you know is real.

The bend-test:
Most widely spread, by bending a card most fakes can be recognized.
You take a card, then bend it so the edges of the card on top and bottom touch.
Fakes will start to go apart in the center area. I hate this test. 
Reason: If you do this to any card 5-6 times, it will start to go apart. Try it 
with a Fallen Empires common from a pack. Card quality in Arabian Nights
was so bad that a Bird maiden failed after I did this the 4th time. 
If I'd sell a mox, I wouldn't let my customer do that. What if he doesn't like the 
mox, another comes along, and this happens 5 times? I wouldn't be able to sell the 
mox as VP condition later....

By not bending the card from edge to edge, some fakes can pass through.

The Light test:
By far the most so-phisticated in recognizing fakes, if you hold a genuine card 
onto a bright white light (80+ watts) at close distance, most fakes can be detected. 
Printed fakes have no blue plastic sheet in the middle, as do all genuine cards.  
I have never heard of printed counterfeits that passed this test. Cards faked 
otherwise might...

The Microwave test:
Cards that passed the Light test, but are still suspicious might be glued versions
of genuine cards. Put the card in doubt into a microwave for 20 secs at 600 watts. 
Glued cards will start burning!

WARNING: If a card isn't genuinely dry due to wet fingers, it's pattern might get 
ruined. The card may lose it's face at the place where it wasn't dry. Do this at 
your own risk!!!

The Heat test:
Just heat up the card a little (oven comes to mind), then try bending the card just 
slightly. In a heated state, glue is very likely to give way, and glued cards can be 
detected...


1) Photocopy cards
The easiest and most common way to fake a card is by simply color-copying the original,
then gluing it on top of a genuine card. How to find out?
They are thicker than genuine cards. Just go compare.

What if they aren't?
Probably someone took off the front layer of a card, then glued the copy on it.
They tend to have a different pattern than genuine cards. Oftentimes it can be seen 
with the bare eye with little practice.
They tend to fail bend and Heat test...

2) Printed cards created with color printers.
Tend to be the same as Photocopies, maybe higher quality.

3) Cards printed on a press.
The hardest to discern, some of these cards could as well be real. It happens to the
best professionals on the field that they fail to recognize these.
Bad versions of these prints can be discerned visually.
Better versions are cases of doubt in vision pattern.
Some press cards even pass the bend test.
I'd yet have to see a press card pass the light test, unless glued on a genuine card.
Pass heat test, unless glued to a genuine card.

4)Collector Edition cards glued to the back of a genuine card.
You can fool anyone with these. They certainly are unrecognizable in
tournaments, if glued properly. I still wouldn't advise you play with them...
sportsmanlike conduct and stuff.
Pass Light test.
If made with *lots* of care, they pass the bend-test.
Fail heat-test.

If you are in doubt of a card despite all this, or have additional information,
send me a message.

email me:  Michael Kuesters

To Michael Kuesters' M:TG page