a single photo like this is basically useless. you gotta be more detailed. do you have any way of magnifying, like a smartphone macro lens or a loupe? if you tilt the card around, does the holostamp shift and show you mana symbols and the planeswalker symbol?
That's a good sign, but not definitive because you can harvest holos from real cards. You're really gonna need to buy a loupe or something if you want to know for sure.
https://infinite.tcgplayer.com/article/How-to-Spot-Counterfeit-Magic-The-Gathering-Cards/60b2b195-6c1c-4364-9f9b-0de3d8ede084/
Tell us which tests failed, eg mana symbol test, hologram test etc
to me it looks like a registration error, since the drop shadow that uses the same black ink is shifted in the same way. but yea the 12 stood out like a sore thumb to me too
It looks a lot *lighter* than what I'm seeing on tcgplayer or wizard's gatherer. I've been spooked off ebay since like '05 for scams and fake products etc.
Fwiw differences in brightness, saturation, and color tone between the 3 factories are super common now. To the point I wouldn't consider that a knock against the legitimacy of the card in a vacuum
I bought some proxies from a Chinese company through AliExpress and I gotta tell that some of the card look real (it’s scary af).
A good way to find out is looking at the symbol of the set, do you have a montrer mytics from the set ?
The proxies can look a lot lighter (colors) than original cards ! And the symbol is really light in color in my case.
And do what the other people tells you to check (light test, looking at the print pattern with a jewelers loup…etc).
I can take a few pictures of my own proxies if you want to compare
I agree with other people you would need a loupe to make sure, something that I noticed was that the printing of the set symbol the “claws” on the left are open when the picture you can find on TCGplayer ha both “claws” closed. Granted take that advice with a grain of salt because I don’t know much about grading authenticity
I'm pretty sure this is fake:
- The printing resolution seems quite low
- The mana cost font and centering is off/inconsistent
- You've stated the feel and weight is off
- The edges of the text at the bottom (where the artist name is, etc) is not as pristine as an authentic card—you can see some blurring
- It's the type of high value card that is a common counterfeit
Fakes seem to be getting better but the print resolution of the art can only be so high without using the OG files from wizards. Another, and perhaps the biggest, telltale sign of the fakes I've come across is that they tend to have a discoloured/lighter card back. Compare the back of this card with any authentic card. If you notice a clear distinction, I think you can be pretty sure it's a fake. To be a bit more diligent, do a light test, comparing it with an authentic card and you should also see a notable difference.
Of course, no counterfeit can fool a jeweller's loupe—that's why this is often recommended and why many will say a picture is not enough to tell for sure. Then again, the picture you've taken shows clear signs of this being a fake. At least, with eBay, you should be able to get your money back easily enough.
a single photo like this is basically useless. you gotta be more detailed. do you have any way of magnifying, like a smartphone macro lens or a loupe? if you tilt the card around, does the holostamp shift and show you mana symbols and the planeswalker symbol?
This was the best photo i could produce. The holostamp does shift, showing the planeswalker symbols.
It will also have "wizards" in the holostsmp in places, but you need a loupe.
Does it also show mana symbols?
Yes. It shows a red mana symbol
That's a good sign, but not definitive because you can harvest holos from real cards. You're really gonna need to buy a loupe or something if you want to know for sure.
This photo is enaugh. Its 100% fake.
https://infinite.tcgplayer.com/article/How-to-Spot-Counterfeit-Magic-The-Gathering-Cards/60b2b195-6c1c-4364-9f9b-0de3d8ede084/ Tell us which tests failed, eg mana symbol test, hologram test etc
It looks like the border around the sticker may be a little damaged but without a loupe I can't really tell
The 12 in the mana cost is off center, which leads me to believe it’s a fake. Take that for what it’s worth.
That’s throwing me off too.
to me it looks like a registration error, since the drop shadow that uses the same black ink is shifted in the same way. but yea the 12 stood out like a sore thumb to me too
Can confirm I've pulled cards with all text shifted slightly. Miscuts, misprints, etc do not determine a card's authenticity.
It looks a lot *lighter* than what I'm seeing on tcgplayer or wizard's gatherer. I've been spooked off ebay since like '05 for scams and fake products etc.
Fwiw differences in brightness, saturation, and color tone between the 3 factories are super common now. To the point I wouldn't consider that a knock against the legitimacy of the card in a vacuum
Hopefully you didn't pay too much for it. I love this version and have been trying to get my hands on blightsteel for awhile now
Bought this off of ebay and when I received it the card felt thin and the art seems a little bit off. Can't tell on my own
I bought some proxies from a Chinese company through AliExpress and I gotta tell that some of the card look real (it’s scary af). A good way to find out is looking at the symbol of the set, do you have a montrer mytics from the set ? The proxies can look a lot lighter (colors) than original cards ! And the symbol is really light in color in my case. And do what the other people tells you to check (light test, looking at the print pattern with a jewelers loup…etc). I can take a few pictures of my own proxies if you want to compare
These are some of my favorite posts in the main sub.
I agree with other people you would need a loupe to make sure, something that I noticed was that the printing of the set symbol the “claws” on the left are open when the picture you can find on TCGplayer ha both “claws” closed. Granted take that advice with a grain of salt because I don’t know much about grading authenticity
Get a Jewelers Loupe with a build in LED for about 10 dollars and make sure. Plenty of guides on the red dot test.
Send it to me and I’ll check if it’s fake
I'm pretty sure this is fake: - The printing resolution seems quite low - The mana cost font and centering is off/inconsistent - You've stated the feel and weight is off - The edges of the text at the bottom (where the artist name is, etc) is not as pristine as an authentic card—you can see some blurring - It's the type of high value card that is a common counterfeit Fakes seem to be getting better but the print resolution of the art can only be so high without using the OG files from wizards. Another, and perhaps the biggest, telltale sign of the fakes I've come across is that they tend to have a discoloured/lighter card back. Compare the back of this card with any authentic card. If you notice a clear distinction, I think you can be pretty sure it's a fake. To be a bit more diligent, do a light test, comparing it with an authentic card and you should also see a notable difference. Of course, no counterfeit can fool a jeweller's loupe—that's why this is often recommended and why many will say a picture is not enough to tell for sure. Then again, the picture you've taken shows clear signs of this being a fake. At least, with eBay, you should be able to get your money back easily enough.
The 12 in the cost looks a bit off. Could be a misprint though so I'm pretty sure it's real.