For a casual deck, Cube update, or playtest batch made from existing Magic printings, ProxyFoundry is a practical fit: you can paste a decklist, choose quantities and printings, and order without a stated minimum. The safest workflow is to export plain text, reduce every card to a quantity and name, import it, and then audit the resulting order instead of assuming the parser understood every line.
That final audit matters. Deckbuilding software organizes information for deckbuilding; a physical order needs an exact card count, one resolved printing for every entry, and a clear decision about commanders, sideboards, maybeboards, tokens, and double-faced cards. “The list looked right in my deckbuilder” is not quite the same as “the cart contains the right cardboard.”
Define the physical project before exporting
Start by deciding what you are actually ordering. Is this one complete casual deck, twenty replacements for an existing deck, a Cube update, or several test copies of the same card? ProxyFoundry presents complete Commander decks, Cube updates, and playtest batches as normal use cases, but its verified workflow is for selecting existing Magic printings. Its FAQ says custom-card printing is not currently available.
- Write down the expected physical card total before importing.
- Decide whether the commander is included in that total.
- Exclude maybeboard and considering cards unless you genuinely want to buy them.
- Decide whether sideboard cards belong in the order.
- Identify cards for which a particular set, collector number, treatment, or art is essential.
- Count each double-faced card once rather than entering its two faces separately.
ProxyFoundry says double-faced cards are printed on both sides, so entering both faces as separate cards can create a duplicate. It also describes the finished cards as standard trading-card size, approximately 2.5 by 3.5 inches.
Use quantity plus card name as the default format
The most reliable import format is one card per line with the quantity first and the card name second. ProxyFoundry gives “1 Sol Ring” as the basic pattern. Its importer can understand several major deckbuilder formats, but section labels, comments, unusual punctuation, metadata, and secondary piles create more opportunities for mismatches.
If you need a refresher on cleaning list syntax, follow the plain-text MTG decklist import workflow before moving to the order page.
| Export approach | Best for | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity and card name only | Most decks and the easiest troubleshooting | You select the desired printing after import |
| Name, set code, and collector number | Orders where exact printings matter | A malformed or unsupported identifier can cause a mismatch |
| Manual card search | A few unresolved or unusual cards | Slow for a full deck, reliable for targeted corrections |
A set-specific line such as “1 Shock (M21) 159” can preserve printing information, but it also adds two more fields that can go wrong. For most orders, use clean names first and choose artwork in the ordering interface. Keep set codes and collector numbers only when printing specificity saves more work than it creates.
Choose the right export from your deckbuilder
Moxfield
ProxyFoundry recommends Moxfield’s Copy for MTGO output as broadly compatible text. Avoid treating Copy for MTGA as a universal paper-deck export: Arena-oriented output may omit cards outside Arena’s available card pool, which is a serious problem for many Commander lists. Wizards confirms that Arena supports clipboard deck importing, but that convenience is designed for Arena rather than a complete physical-card order.
Archidekt
Archidekt provides text deck display and export functions, as documented in the Archidekt FAQs. Before submitting the text, remove maybeboard, considering, and custom categories that are not part of the physical order. ProxyFoundry identifies those extra categories as a common source of unintended imported cards.
Other deckbuilders
Whatever tool created the list, inspect the exported text rather than trusting the export label. Delete headings, comments, blank metadata, prices, category notes, and other text that is not a card entry. If the importer struggles with a zoned list, separate the commander, main deck, and sideboard, then import or verify each section deliberately.
Worked example: a 100-card casual deck
Suppose your saved project contains one commander, 99 main-deck cards, a ten-card maybeboard, and three double-faced cards. Your intended physical order is the deck only.
- Export the commander and main deck as plain text.
- Remove the maybeboard entirely rather than leaving its heading and entries in the file.
- Confirm that each double-faced card appears once, under the card’s normal entry.
- Count the quantities in the cleaned text. The expected total is 100.
- Paste the list into the importer and review any unresolved or ambiguous entries.
- Select the intended printing or art for every card where that choice matters.
- Confirm that the order still totals 100 cards before checkout.
If one set-coded entry fails, simplify that line to quantity plus card name and search for the desired printing in the card entry. ProxyFoundry documents manual name entry followed by printing selection as the fallback for failed or ambiguous matches.
Audit the physical order, not just the text file
Check the displayed checkout price rather than estimating from an unrelated quantity tier. ProxyFoundry currently displays 500 cards at $190, or $0.38 each, while its FAQ lists much higher per-card prices for very small orders. The available information does not support extrapolating a 100-card total from the 500-card rate.
The vendor describes its current cards as using high-resolution printing, UV coating, high-quality cardstock, and precision die cutting. Those are published product specifications, so use them to understand the offering rather than treating them as independent test results.
Keep the intended play environment in view
These cards are positioned for casual play and playtesting, not sanctioned tournament use. The official Magic Tournament Rules generally require genuine, authorized Magic cards in sanctioned events and permit tournament proxies only in narrow Head Judge-issued circumstances.
Your next action
Export the list now, convert it to quantity-plus-name lines, and write the expected physical total at the top of your own checklist. Import only after the commander, sideboard, maybeboard, and double-faced-card decisions are settled. Then resolve every ambiguous card and compare the cart total with your expected count before paying. That five-minute audit is much cheaper than discovering that your maybeboard quietly became a shopping list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decklist format works best with ProxyFoundry?
Use one card per line with the quantity first and card name second, such as “1 Sol Ring.” This is the most reliable starting format.
Which Moxfield export should I use?
Use Copy for MTGO. ProxyFoundry warns that the MTGA export may omit cards outside Arena’s card pool, making it risky for many Commander lists.
Should I include set codes and collector numbers?
Include them only when an exact printing matters. They can preserve printing details, but malformed or unsupported identifiers add another mismatch risk.
What should I do when a card does not import correctly?
Reduce the line to quantity plus card name, enter or search for the card manually, and then select the intended printing in the ordering interface.
Should maybeboard and considering cards stay in the export?
Remove them unless they belong in the physical order. Extra categories are a common source of unintended imported cards.
How should double-faced cards appear in the list?
Enter each double-faced card once, not once per face. ProxyFoundry says these cards are printed on both sides.
Can ProxyFoundry print original custom cards?
Not through the verified ordering workflow. It currently supports selecting existing Magic printings, while its FAQ says custom-card printing is not available.
Can I use these cards in sanctioned Magic tournaments?
Generally, no. Magic Tournament Rules require genuine, authorized Magic cards and allow tournament proxies only in narrow Head Judge-issued circumstances.