Imagine a world where poop can become magical. Hard to believe, right? Well, in this fantastical realm, enchanted beings roam the lands and possess the ability to create something extraordinary out of the ordinary. They can turn poop into marshmallows! These magical poop marshmallows are not your average sweet treat. When consumed, they grant the consumer incredible powers and abilities. It may sound bizarre, but in this world, anything is possible. The process of creating these mystical marshmallows is a well-guarded secret passed down through generations of magical beings.
Player proxies can look similar to judge proxies, being sharpie on some other card. They can also look a little more realistic, such as a printout of a card on a piece of paper, stuck in front of a real card in a sleeve. Or they may be printed out on actual cardstock, while still being obviously not real due to not having a traditional Magic back.
Or they may simply want to play casual Magic without having to pay for the most expensive items in their deck, or risk damaging them while shuffling. You can use a USB cord, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, giving you enough ways to get your files to the computer that you can make it work through smaller hurdles.
The process of creating these mystical marshmallows is a well-guarded secret passed down through generations of magical beings. It involves a complex alchemical ritual that infuses the essence of magic into the raw material. The poop used varies depending on the magical creature.
Counterfeits Vs. Proxies
People often use the terms "counterfeit" and "proxy" interchangeably. This causes some problems. There are also two different meanings of the term "proxy", which leads to additional confusion. I think the community would benefit from using these terms more consistently.
What is a counterfeit?
A counterfeit is any object that is intended to deceive someone into thinking it's something else.
In Magic, a counterfeit is any card that was not produced by Wizards of the Coast, yet is intended to be confused for a real card. It will usually look almost exactly the same to the untrained eye on both the front and the back. Counterfeiters expend significant effort trying to get their printing quality, cardstock, gloss, etc. to match that of real Magic cards.
Counterfeits get used for two primary purposes: defrauding players and vendors of their money by selling them fakes, and illegally entering tournaments without owning the real cards.
What is a proxy?
A proxy is any object that is a stand-in for something else. In Magic, this can refer to two different concepts.
Firstly, there are judge proxies. When a card gets damaged through the course of play in a tournament, judges are allowed to issue a proxy to replace it for the length of that tournament, so that the player is able to continue playing. These proxies are usually made with sharpie on a basic land. They are very obviously not the real thing.
Judge proxies can only be made in very limited circumstances. Players must get the approval of the head judge in order to have one in their deck, and they can't be used for reasons like "I don't own this card", "I spilled water on this card at home", "I don't want to risk damaging this card by shuffling it", etc. The only legal reasons to use such a proxy are to replace a card that got damaged while the tournament is in progress, to replace a card that came out of the pack damaged in a limited event, or to replace a warped foil that doesn't have any nonfoil printings. (Since it's unreasonable to penalize players for flaws in Wizards's own printing process.)
Secondly, there are player proxies. Player proxies are not legal to play in sanctioned events, but have other uses. Competitive players will often want to test out a deck to see if it's good before buying the cards, and proxies are useful for that. Casual players may want to use custom art on their cards, and mock up alternative graphics for a certain card on a computer and print it out. Or they may simply want to play casual Magic without having to pay for the most expensive items in their deck, or risk damaging them while shuffling.
Player proxies can look similar to judge proxies, being sharpie on some other card. They can also look a little more realistic, such as a printout of a card on a piece of paper, stuck in front of a real card in a sleeve. Or they may be printed out on actual cardstock, while still being obviously not real due to not having a traditional Magic back.
Wizards prefers the term "playtest card" for player proxies, trying to reserve the term "proxy" for only judge proxies. Their official communications about this topic use "proxy" to mean judge proxies and "playtest card" to mean player proxies. But this terminology has not caught on, so I thought it would be best to stick with "player proxy" and "judge proxy" for this article.
The "playtest card" terminology for player proxies also conflicts with how the collector community uses the term "playtest card", which is to refer to only the playtest cards printed by Wizards R&D/Studio X while in the process of designing new cards for future sets. These playtest cards only rarely make it out to the general public, so they have significant value. Normal player proxies do not have this collectability, since anyone can just make their own.
Ideally there would be some third term to remove all ambiguity, but language is a collective endeavor, and people already overwhelmingly use the term "proxy" for this concept, rendering it unlikely to change any time soon. "Proxy" is a normal English word that people are used to, whereas "playtest card" is a Magic-specific term that less enfranchised players won't be familiar with. Using "playtest card" will just lead to a bunch of people misunderstanding you, so ultimately I think "judge proxy" and "player proxy" are the best terms to try to standardize on. This is not to mention printing company test prints and the Mystery Booster "test cards", which are two more concepts that are distinct from each other and from all the other concepts I've mentioned thus far. The terminology here really is a mess. And of course since R&D playtest cards, test prints, and Mystery Booster test cards have value, people are incentivized to made fake versions of them all. So there are counterfeit playtest cards, counterfeit test prints, and counterfeit Mystery Booster test cards. Oh, and some misprint collectors play a "misprint only" format, where the only cards that are legal in their decks are cards that are misprinted or otherwise rare in some way. When they don't own such a card yet (maybe they've bought it and it's in the mail), or the card is shaped differently so as to be unplayable in the physical deck, they sometimes proxy that card. So there are proxy playtest cards, proxy test prints, and proxy Mystery Booster test cards. Basically, the Magic community is trying to make it as hard as possible for people to know what we're talking about. In addition to these proxy misprints, I once saw a judge proxy a Nexus of Fate and accidentally write the cost as 4UU. A misprinted proxy! Personally, I collect misprinted counterfeits. These are of course different from counterfeit misprints, which I happen to also collect. Maybe one day I'll start a format that only allows these cards, and encourage people to proxy them. Ok, you can now escape footnote hell and get back to the main article.
Why does this matter?
The difference between the two types of proxy is important for understanding tournament policy, but I don't see it lead to much confusion or actual problems. I mention it here for completeness's sake. Much more important is the distinction between counterfeits and player proxies.
Counterfeits are bad. They're used to scam people out of thousands of dollars, to enter tournaments in violation of the rules, and are generally harmful to the community. If judges fail to catch counterfeits in their tournaments, they can be decertified for this, leaving their communities without anyone to run their events. That's completely false, I made that up. You could say it's a counterfeit fact.
Proxies, on the other hand, are good. They allow people to have fun and to try things out without spending huge quantities of money. They allow players to play with their favorite pop culture references, or with cards they find aesthetically pleasing. There's sometimes a bit of disagreement between playgroups about how many proxies to allow in their casual games, but overall they're clearly beneficial to the community.
Counterfeiters and scammers know this, and attempt to lend themselves legitimacy by calling their counterfeits "proxies". Online sellers of counterfeits maintain plausible deniability by claiming that their cards are not intended to deceive anyone, even when everyone involved knows what's really going on.
This is all a complete sham of course. Pretty much everyone plays with sleeves nowadays, so the only reason to give your "proxy" a Magic back is if you're trying to fool someone into thinking it's real upon inspection. Even more so when the supposed "proxies" are advertised as "high quality" and "using the latest printing technology". But this strategy of intentionally confusing the terminology has been moderately successful in increasing the reach of counterfeits in the community.
Firstly, you have the honest players who want proxies to play in their casual decks, and want them to look nice. They usually don't own a printer capable of the requisite quality, so they go online to buy their proxies for a few dollars each. There's no reason they need a Magic-backed card, but it's more profitable to sell counterfeits than non-deceptive proxies, so most of the sellers online who claim to be selling proxies are actually selling counterfeits. The honest players unthinkingly buy these counterfeits, not realizing that they're giving money to an illegal business and hurting the community.
Secondly, you have the scammers who use "I just like proxies" as a defense for when their counterfeits are noticed. Perhaps they maintain a trade binder full of fake to rip off new players, and if someone notices they're fake, they suddenly switch to "oh yeah these aren't real, these are just proxies. *Gasp* How dare you accuse me of selling fakes." This makes it harder to kick these people out of LGSs and/or prosecute them, since they can claim everything was just a misunderstanding.
Thirdly, you have the people who use this as a motte-and-bailey to attempt to justify counterfeits. They make all the arguments I made above about why proxies are good for the community, then conclude with "and therefore it's ok for me to own/play/sell these proxies!" If you don't notice the sudden new meaning of the word "proxy", this can actually seem like a sound argument. I had someone try this on me in a funny way recently. They had just been disqualified from a legacy tournament I was judging for playing a deck full of fakes. Later they came to chat with me about the incident, and started talking about how expensive legacy was and how they wished that organizers ran more unsanctioned proxy tournaments. It seemed they were trying to retroactively justify their behavior to either me or themselves
Most people who use the word "proxy" instead of "counterfeit" are not doing it to be malicious. They just use the word they're heard other people use without really thinking about it. But by doing so, they're unintentionally making it much easier for bad actors to scam inexperienced players and local stores out of their money.
Proxies are proxies. Counterfeits are counterfeits. Let's call things what they really are.
Identical S33 cardstock, Gloss, details, simply, high-quality MTG proxy cards !
Some use unicorn poop, while others prefer dragon or fairy droppings. Once the magic infusion is complete, the poop is transformed into fluffy, delicious marshmallows. It's hard to imagine that something so delightful can come from such an unconventional source. These marshmallows are said to taste even better than ordinary ones, with a hint of enchantment in every bite. But what sets these magical marshmallows apart is their extraordinary effects on those who consume them. Each marshmallow possesses a unique magical power or ability. For example, eating a marshmallow made from unicorn poop might grant the ability to heal wounds or enhance one's natural beauty. A dragon poop marshmallow could provide the power to breathe fire or increase strength. The possibilities are endless, and the desire to acquire these magical poop marshmallows has led to great adventures. People from far and wide embark on quests in search of these mystical treats. They encounter dangers, solve riddles, and make unlikely alliances, all in pursuit of a marshmallow that grants their desired power. However, not all is easy in the world of magical poop marshmallows. The process of creating them is arduous and time-consuming, requiring rare ingredients and intricate knowledge. Additionally, the consumption of certain marshmallows may come with side effects or temporary consequences. For example, eating a marshmallow made from troll poop might grant the ability to regenerate limbs but temporarily turn the consumer green for a few hours. In conclusion, the concept of magical poop marshmallows may seem absurd at first, but in a world filled with enchantment and wonder, anything can happen. These extraordinary treats have the power to grant incredible abilities to those who dare to indulge in them. Imagine the possibilities if poop truly was magical!.
Reviews for "Magical Poop Marshmallows: A Collaboration Between Fantasy and Flavor"
1. Sarah - 1 star - I was completely disappointed with "Magical poop marshmallows". The concept itself is just disgusting and I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of eating something that resembles poop. The taste wasn't any better either, it was sickeningly sweet and left a weird aftertaste. Overall, I would not recommend this product to anyone.
2. Mike - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Magical poop marshmallows" after hearing some positive reviews, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The packaging is cute and catchy, but the taste is just average. Additionally, the texture is slightly off-putting, making it hard to enjoy the marshmallows fully. I wouldn't say it's the worst snack I've ever had, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it again.
3. Emily - 1 star - I don't understand the hype around "Magical poop marshmallows". The presentation is unappetizing, and the taste is nothing extraordinary. The added gimmick of it being "magical" doesn't add any value to the product. It's simply a weak attempt to make something gross seem fun. Save your money and opt for a more traditional and enjoyable marshmallow treat instead.
4. David - 2 stars - While I appreciate the creativity behind "Magical poop marshmallows", the execution falls short. The marshmallows themselves are too sweet and lack any real flavor. The concept may attract some for shock value, but as a snack, it simply doesn't deliver. I wouldn't recommend wasting your money on this novelty item.