I have strong opinions. While I try very hard to present information in a neutral manner, weigh the various pieces of information equitably, and avoid making directly negative statements about other players (and the way they enjoy playing) there are a few topics that I can't maintain that delicate balance.

Like discussing religion, politics, and other hot-button items, even among close friends you'll find topics of conflict amid the world of Magic players. One topic that always becomes a muddled world of views, opinions, and personal decisions is that of using proxy cards in Magic.

Based on the feedback I've received over the years (yes, years) you're probably not going to like where I go.

It Was A Beautiful Lie

Are you familiar with the game of chess? One of the most overused – if for good reason – analogies comparing Magic to a more common game is that "Magic is like chess with over 11,000 different pieces." I think chess compares well for Magic.

I had a plastic chess set growing up. Like most kids, however, I also lost a few pieces that replaced with whatever I had lying around. I could keep playing chess but I noticed some interesting things:

• I'd sometimes forget which rock was what piece – pawn, knight or queen.
• Other friends couldn't keep track properly either
• I never thought to actually replace the set (A whole buck or two)
• I didn't appreciate the really nice chess sets – they were expensive and I didn't see why anyone would pay that much for chess

At the time I didn't really think of these things. I eventually moved away from chess but picked up this card game called Magic: The Gathering.

Playing with something other than the intended piece in chess may not be the best analogy for proxy cards in Magic but the feelings and situations that resulted do compare. I shared my thoughts on proxy cards in this post from a Magic forum (that I no longer post at) quite a while ago, but what I really want to do here is to look back at those ideas – with fresh eyes and a little more experience with even more players. Opinions of proxy cards can vary but they still fall into three clear groupings:

1. Proxies are not to be used at all. Testing or experimentation may be fine but legitimate Magic should use legitimate cards.
2. Proxies can be acceptable but must be limited. Truly expensive cards, such as the original dual lands, moxen, and other valuable cards are reasonable, especially when considering "public" ways of playing like cube drafting.
3. Proxies are an acceptable part of Magic. Few players have access to every card, therefore using proxy cards gives all players a chance to experience any part of Magic.

Let's look at these in reverse order.

Proxies are Acceptable

Let's assume that you may proxy any number of cards in any deck for any event, casual or not. It's an open door to Vintage and Legacy, no EDH deck is without its most powerful cards available, and cube everywhere have any card needed at any time. Sounds amazing, right?

There's a small catch of course: Magic as we know it is dead. I'm not suggesting that Wizards would fold up overnight (or even at all) but let's follow the line of logic out from this new world.

1) Sales of randomized booster packs evaporate.

I saw many of the "semi-professional" players on M11 release day: they cracked boxes for the foils, rares, and a few select uncommon then used the remaining chaff as poker chips.

While I was fortunate enough to scoop up the chaff cards to recycle into common/uncommon playsets what if these guys didn't need rares at all? To make a deck you just write some information onto a blanked card, print it on a sticker, or slip it into a sleeve on a piece of paper. The hottest new rares, like Grave Titan and Fauna Shaman, are just a moment away.

New product sales would likely fall to purists (the few who would still want "real" cards) and those who want Limited. Why bother cracking packs when you don't need to anymore?

When unknown contents aren't required we could guess that Magic would be more like the game Dominion. There are expansions but you know what's inside – the mystery is gone, replaced by known quantities.

2) The monetary system plunges with deflation.

Newly launched DoublingSeason.com is all about the money aspect of cards. In the world of "all proxies all the time" what does it mean for a card to be valuable? The primary drivers behind card prices are demand and scarcity.

Demand for cards all but evaporates because it would much cheaper to simply proxy the one (or many) needed. While scarcity would still play into assigning value to cards would anyone pay (again, aside from purists) $35 (or $10, or $5, or $70!) for an individual card?

The value proposition of a booster pack relies on unknown contents that could be extraordinary value. With Future Sight you played the Tarmogoyf lottery. Worldwake has the Jace lottery. M10 (and now M11) have the Baneslayer Angel lottery. You could win big with just a $4 ticket – plus runner ups like in-demand rares and premium foil cards. In our new proxy world there is certainly no way that pricing could hold water.

The Kelly Reids and Jon Medinas of the world would cease to exist. There simply wouldn't be a large, stable market to move cards in. Prices are deflated on items players don't really need. Trying to turn a buck with the game just because impossible.

3) MTGO really does die.

With proxy cards being legal why would anyone pay retail for digital versions of cards? Alternative software, like those already being used, would suffice for those looking to practice and play competitively. I hear a lot of grumbling about buying packs or drafting on MTGO due to the flat retail cost (you can't "free draft" with winnings with friends like in the real world) and the singles market is already fairly cheap compared to physical cards.

Imagine when the volume of packs being opened drops to critically low levels. With scarcity at an all time high the singles market is not reflective of what would be acceptable for pricing. Part of the appeal of MTGO is that you can assemble a deck with significantly less cash investment than physical cards when you're buying it outright. That model is reversed in the proxy world – and MTGO loses to the economic model of "free cards."

I'm sure some of you will view things slightly different but the ultimate conclusion that the Magic we know, in the forms we know, would change completely is apparent. Specifics are minor details compared to the evident collapse of many of the current systems and checks in place.

Limited Proxies Are Acceptable

Here is where we find a lot of players. If you already own or have the cash on hand for a playset of Underground Seas you are in the minority – by far. Vintage, and to a lesser but still very steep extent Legacy, carries an incredible barrier to entry. The global number of true players with the correct pool to cards to construct any viable Vintage deck is small. It's an exclusive group that includes both notable writers and those who feel it's the only form of "real" Magic.

There already exist many unsanctioned Vintage and Legacy events that "allow" a five or ten proxy maximum. There are even events that just apply an entry fee surcharge for each proxied charged over the given max.

Think about that again: a surcharge for using more than X number of proxy cards. Who's gaining from this? The store running the event isn't turning their inventory so instead they apply what amounts to a fine to players who aren't buying the cards to allow them to play in an event that isn't sanctioned to begin with.

The store may be providing prizes but that should be covered by the baseline entry, not additional proxy surcharges. While it's obvious I don't join these types of events it feels very much like a form of "poor tax" on players. Proxy five for cards a $1 each or buy anywhere from $40 to $400 in cards? It isn't a tough choice when costs are your constraint.

And that's what this view is really all about: opening up some doors. It's not a flood of "every deck with every card for everything" but a trickle of "I have these cards but I'm dual lands short for Legacy." players that provide growth for deep card pool formats. Knowing there is only a limited number of dual lands physically available is just one of the powerful restrictions on the format. Even if every card legal in Legacy was available on MTGO (there are a few exceptions) two facts keep Legacy MTGO from being the tool Legacy players want:

1) You can't turn digital sets of Master's Editions for physical cards.

This means that you can't use Legacy MTGO to qualify for real world events then cash in cards for the deck you need. The real world number of cards needed in Legacy that still exist on the Reserved List will continue to pin down Legacy growth.

2) MTGO Legacy investment is a completely new addition to real world Legacy investment.

Even after acquiring all of the dual lands, copies of Force of Will, and other high value staples from the real world, many of those cards are still the most valuable cards available on MTGO. The costs are not comparable, but the scale in regard to pricing over "normal" decks still exists. Legacy is one of the priciest formats regardless of where you play.

Non-trivial cost is the big component to accepting proxies. Those who build cubes and worry about card theft love that proxy cards are both insurance against direct theft as well as instant availability. Need a Black Lotus? You have it and more with simple scraps of paper (or a nice printed version). Lose to Lotus? It wasn't one to begin with.

And that's the real crux of the issue: no matter how good or positive the use of proxy cards they are not actually Magic cards. I've seen amazing proxy cards that would probably pass closer inspection in sleeves. I've even seen Collector's Edition versions of dual lands and more in cubes and EDH decks. They are certainly close enough to Magic cards to look the part but are still not real Magic cards.

It's just an illusion.

And once you have a proxy, especially when actually owning and using the card is a concern (due to cost or scarcity or whatever have you), where is the incentive to ever replace it with a legitimate copy? Why "ruin a good thing" by exposing the core vulnerability you're avoiding in the first place?

Proxies Are For Limited Transitory Testing

Finally I come to the last option: avoidance. I'm sure we've all roughed out sketches for decks, wondering if they could work. When new sets roll around our creative juices get amped and we jump onto the brewing bandwagon for some good times. Making a few proxies for a deck makes sense when the cards aren't even available.

What about when cards are on order? You have a few more days until delivery but, until then, is it so unreasonable to get acquainted with your deck? Why not run a few games out to see if everything is clicking?

At the highest levels playtest stickers on cards effectively create proxies of cards that don't even exist yet! It's the only way to move forward without resorting to sometimes very abridged card text. There is even an article at Wizards.com all about how this works for those interested.

But that's it – testing. Proxy cards serve as a quick and dirty replacement for something that doesn't yet physically exist.

For those of us not in R&D (which is to say virtually the entire magic playing population) we have little reason to really use proxy cards. While there are obvious disadvantages, as discussed above, there are several clear issues that often get glossed over.

1) Proxy cards are a cop out.

You don't have a playset of Primeval Titan. In fact you may never have a playset of Primeval Titan. Why do you build a deck and force it to have four copies of Primeval Titan? The odds are you're looking at "getting the optimal amount" or "maximizing your chances of drawing it" but the fact is you're running away from the real problem: you don't want to build a deck without them.

When you first start Magic the experience is likely very similar to a Sealed event: a few booster packs, limited variety, and suboptimal choices must be made. Your decks aren't "good" in the constructed sense but Sealed forces you to work within a constrained environment. It's why it's called Limited.

Your collection in sum is a growing pile of cards that can be characterized as a giant Sealed pool. You may have more than a few playsets of certain cards but, ultimately, you don't have them all. It's a simple, true fact and no one should be ashamed when they say "You know, I just don't have four Baneslayer Angels." or "I wish I had three more Jace, the Mind Scupltors for a playset." Really, there isn't a rule that if you don't physically own a playset of Standard you can't build decks for the format. I checked.(As a reminder, the rule is you can't use more than four, not less.)

2) Restrictions breed creativity.

It's something Mark Rosewater has shared so numerously I'm not going to cite it: it's common knowledge. When you're penned into a small box, with limited resources and options, suddenly things start to look a little different. Assuming access to everything, as well as your ability process and parse it efficiently and effectively, is an easy road to being overwhelmed.

If you want to break something you must understand it at a level others don't. I've noticed that the more I play wildly different formats – Standard, Planechase, EDH, Sealed, and Draft, as well as build and discuss my cube – the way I look at cards has changed.

In just a few minutes (less than normal time allotted for deck construction) I built a Sealed deck for M11 that played extremely well. At first I thought it was a fluke, then I thought it was solely in random input I had while building it. Finally I realized: I had disagreed with much of the input and built from my gut. Fast, consistent aggro with a touch of control. I didn't need a "must answer" bomb, or even a stack of the powerful uncommons: I rode to victory strictly on playing a consistent deck well.

I built a Sealed pool correctly.

If it wasn't for the weekly practice with cube Sealed, experimenting and discussing cards in EDH, and reviewing the new brews budding for Standard I would have built the same type of slower, inconsistent deck that I used to.

My restricted card pool made it easier for be to determine what belonged and what didn't, and that theory holds true to bigger cardpools. When was the last time you sat down and tried to build a deck from random one-of's and other "good stuff" for a semi-competitive event? The guy who showed me the cube would make a Standard legal deck from his cube then play it in FNM – and win more matches than not. The cards force your options, but they also force your play.

Restriction breeds creativity. I firmly believe exploring creativity breeds experience.

I've Had it With These Monkey-Fighting Proxies

I don't believe I can change your outlook or use of proxies. I don't even believe many of you agree with me. But the fact remains: proxies are not real cards. No matter the reason, no matter the justifications, your fake card is fake and I won't like it.

To ignore or trivialize the long term damage significant caused by the abuse of proxy cards is the same as ignoring our incremental contributions to pollution. While I won't suggest that unless we abandon all proxy cards Magic will end (though it surely will if we proxy all!) if we curb our individual use and apply general social force towards "Using what we got, brewing with what we can." we'll not only help ensure that the health of the game stays higher than ever before but we'll grow as individual players.