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{{TOCright}}In ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', a '''card''' is the standard component of the game and one of its [[resource]]s. The word ''card'' can refer to an individual physical or digital card, or the identity of a card by name without having a specific instance of it in mind. As a game entity, cards exist in most [[zone]]s of play, but theoretically not the [[battlefield]] or [[stack]]. Official ''Magic'' cards conform to a specific style on their two faces, whereas other card-like objects like [[token card]]s are technically not ''Magic'' cards at all. ==Description== [[File:Card profile.jpg|right|thumb|Profile of a ''Magic'' card]] Tournament-legal cards are sized like [[Wikipedia:Playing card|playing cards]].<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/720533346386673664|title=Was the size of the cards something that could have been changed?|June 19, 2023}}</ref> They measure 2.5 x 3.5 inches (6.35 x 8.89 cm) and weigh 0.064 ounces (1.814 grams).<ref>{{DailyRef|ask-wizards-april-2007-2007-04-01|Ask Wizards - April, 2007|[[Kelly Digges]]|April 24, 2007}}</ref> Non-foil cards are approximately 0.012 inches (0.305 mm) thick. ''Magic'' cards, like regular playing cards, are made from two layers of cardboard joined together by an opaque blue adhesive so that they're opaque even seen in direct sunlight. The card stock allows the cards to be handled and shuffled without losing their "bounce", or bendability.<ref name="Card Board">{{DailyRef|feature/playing-card-board-2018-05-17|Playing Card Board|[[Tom Wänerstrand]]|May 17, 2018}}</ref> The corners of the card are cut with a radius of 1/8 inch (3 mm). [[Foil card]]s have an extra layer on the card that highlights certain parts of the artwork over others, the "white under-print plate", or "WUP."<ref name="Building a Card">{{DailyRef|feature/building-card-2018-06-29|Building a Card|[[Tom Wänerstrand]]|June 29, 2018}}</ref> A print coating - a very thin, clear protective finish - is applied over the top of printed materials.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/playing-card-coatings-2018-04-26|Playing Card Coatings|[[Tom Wänerstrand]]|April 26, 2018}}</ref> Official ''Magic'' cards always have a ''Magic'' [[card front]] and a ''Magic'' [[card back]], unless they are [[double-faced card]]s or [[meld card]]s. Rules inserts and [[token]]s lack these, so they are not technically cards. They're also made of different cardstock than gameplay cards, not having the opaque layer in the middle. ''Magic'' cards pass global toy safety regulations for heavy metals and other hazardous chemicals. The cards are non-toxic and completely safe for normal use and foreseeable abuse for children 8 years and older.<ref>{{DailyRef|ask-wizards-march-2008-2008-03-03|Ask Wizards - March, 2008|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|March, 2008}}</ref> Non-foil cards (including the blue adhesive "core") are fully recyclable.<ref>{{YouTubeRef|tEDQFM0BD9U|Sustainable MTG Packaging & Something New in Secret Lair!|channel=[[Good Morning Magic]]|date=November 24, 2021}}</ref> ==Rules== A card is only referred to as a "card" by game rules or effects when in a player's hand, [[library]], [[graveyard]], [[exile]], or [[command]] zones. [[Token]]s are never considered cards, even if cards are used to represent them. When a card has been [[cast]] and is on the [[stack]] waiting to resolve, the game refers to it as a "spell." When a card is on the [[battlefield]], the game refers to it as a "[[permanent]]," or simply by its [[type]] or [[subtype]]. Very old card text may refer to interacting with cards on the battlefield, but they have received errata to refer to "nontoken permanents" instead since all non-token objects on the battlefield are indeed represented by cards. {{CR+G|Card|s}} ==Parts of a card== [[File:Building a card.jpg|right|thumb|Physical elements of a ''Magic'' card]] On a card face, several elements can be distinguished.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-academy/anatomy-magic-card-2006-10-21|Anatomy of a Magic Card|[[Ted Knutson]]|October 21, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|feature/convertible-design-2009-06-15-0|Convertible Design|[[Ken Nagle]]|June 15, 2009}}</ref> {{main|Parts of a card}} ==Misprints== {{Main|Misprint}} A [[misprint]] is a mistake in a printed card resulting from editorial or mechanical failures of some kind. ==Marked cards== A '''marked card''' is a card in a deck that can be identified by some means other than looking at its face. Protective sleeves can also be considered marked similarly. Marked cards are illegal in all tournament play because there may be a chance that the player is cheating by knowing all the marks and may predict their draws. Some examples of features that make a card "marked" include excessive wear, patterned wear, pen markings, card curvature, or card-back color saturation. Card curvature can matter when using foiled premium cards, as early foil cards would warp differently than normal cards. Card-back color saturation can matter when using cards from different sets, especially when combining older and newer cards. Older cards tend to have a more varied and lower saturation to the card back while newer cards have a more homogeneous and higher saturation to them. Card [[sleeve]]s could also be marked, e.g. if the part of the sleeve is creased deliberately. A card in a marked sleeve is treated as a marked card.<ref>{{WebRef |url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/04/yuuya-watanabe-disqualified-from-mythic-championship-ii-london-for-marked-cards/|title=Yuuya Watanabe Disqualified from Mythic Championship II London for Marked Cards|author=David McCoy|date=April 28, 2019|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref> ==Altered cards== Some players and collectors have their cards signed by [[artist]]s, written on by celebrities, drawn on, or otherwise "embellished". In recent years it has become a popular pastime to erase parts of a card, leaving the name bar, [[Power/Toughness|P/T]], or any other pertinent information intact, before applying layers of colored ink by hand with a wide variety of pencils, pens, or markers and thus creating extended or original art. Sometimes, the [[foil]] layer from one card is carefully peeled away, trimmed down, and glued onto another card for visual effect ("foil peel"). In tournaments, it is always the head judge's call as to whether a card is "disruptively" altered. Cards with just a signature on them are almost universally acceptable; the fuzziness starts when the whole text box is covered or if the art is obscured too much. Even if the card name is readable, altered cards can be ruled illegal if they seem deceptive to your opponent from a distance.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/customizing-your-collection-2002-04-16|Customizing Your Collection|[[Aaron Forsythe]]|April 16, 2002}}</ref> ==Traditional vs nontraditional cards== Nontraditional magic cards (like [[Scheme]]s and [[Plane]]s) are typically [[oversized]] as opposed to traditional magic cards. {{CR|glossary|Traditional Magic Card}} {{CR|glossary|Nontraditional Magic Card}} ==Counterfeits== If a non-foil ''Magic'' card is bent corner-to-corner (or top-to-bottom), it will not crease, and will bounce back to its original state instead.<ref>Warning: Magic Counterfeiting on the Rise, [[The Duelist]] #8, December 1995</ref> This is one way in which people test for counterfeit cards, although it should be carried out with caution, as even a genuine card may fail after repeated bending. If you put the card up to a strong light, you should be able to see through the card. If no light passes through the card, the card is likely fake. Another test is the "Green Dot" dot test: You need a jeweler's loupe. Put it on the green dot on the [[card back]] of the card and look for an L-shaped set of red dots within that green dot. If the pattern isn't there, the card is likely fake.<ref>[https://www.detecting-the-fakes.com/checking-details/green-dot-check/ Detecting Fakes: Green Dot test]</ref> Illegal counterfeit boxes of ''Magic'' as well as counterfeit single cards have been produced and distributed. Most counterfeits are easily distinguishable as fakes by a different color, gloss coating, or texture.<ref>{{DailyRef|buyer-beware-2004-04-26|Buyer Beware|[[Mike Elliott]]|April 26, 2004}}</ref> [[Wizards of the Coast]] takes legal action, when appropriate.<ref>{{DailyRef|protecting-you-counterfeits-2014-07-22|Protecting You from Counterfeits|[[Elaine Chase]]|July 22, 2014}}</ref> In November 1995, the Windsor, Ontario Police in Canada were informed that two men were running a counterfeiting operation in the area. The police seized 40,000 counterfeit ''Magic'' cards, as well as film plates for the reproduction of more. Eighteen rare cards (including [[moxes]] and [[dual land]]s) were printed 2,200 times each. The men were charged with eighteen counts under the Canadian Copyright Act.<ref>[[The Duelist]] 15 (February 1997), p. 17</ref> In 2002, white-[[border]]ed versions of regular black-bordered cards were sold as exclusives. It turned out it was possible to "erase" the border off of a card using transparent tape and a good eraser.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/white-borders-2002-11-29|White borders?!|[[Magic Arcana]]|November 29, 2002}}</ref> ==Authorized cards== {{rules|''[[Tournament Rules]]''|February 2, 2024—''[[Murders at Karlov Manor]]''|3.3 Authorized Cards Players may use any Authorized Magic Game Cards from Magic: The Gathering expansions, core sets, special sets, supplements, and promotional printings. Authorized Game Cards must be regulation-sized, genuine Magic cards publicly released by Wizards of the Coast. Cards that are not Authorized Game Cards are prohibited in all sanctioned events. Cards that, unaltered, feature gold borders on their front or back, and cards from the “Heroes of the Realm” and Theros block “Challenge Deck” series (usually denoted by a different card back), are not Authorized Game Cards. Silver-bordered cards and cards with an acorn-shaped security stamp or acorn-shaped symbol may only be used in casual events and only when the format explicitly permits them. Cards labeled “Not for constructed play,” “Playtest”, or featuring a playtest sticker or picture of a playtest sticker on another Magic card may not be used in Constructed events. Wizards includes additional game material in packs, intended as game aids and not as traditional cards. Examples include tokens, title cards, dungeons, and art cards. These are not required for play and players are welcome to use any representation that is clear to both players when they are needed in the game. Players may use otherwise-legal non-English and/or misprinted cards provided they are not using them to createan advantage by using misleading text or pictures. Official promotional textless spells are allowed in sanctioned Magic tournaments in which they would otherwise be legal. Artistic modifications are acceptable in sanctioned tournaments, provided that the modifications do not make the card art unrecognizable, contain substantial strategic advice, or contain offensive images. Artistic modifications may not cover or change the mana cost or name of the card. The Head Judge is the final authority on acceptable cards for a tournament. If a player is required to replace a card in their deck and is unable to find a replacement, the player may replace the card with a card named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest of their choice. This also applies to cards that are lost and must be replaced to have a legal deck. The Head Judge of a tournament may issue a proxy (see section 3.4) for a card that has become worn or damaged during the tournament. }} ==Proxies== {{Main|Proxy card}} A [[proxy]] is a card that represents another card in [[casual]] play. They are forbidden at [[DCI]]-sanctioned [[tournaments]].<ref>{{DailyRef|news/proxies-policy-and-communication-2016-01-14|On Proxies, Policy, and Communication|[[Elaine Chase]]|January 14, 2016}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} {{CR Navbox|100}} [[Category:Cards|Cards]]
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