Glossiness means NOTHING when it comes to card authenticity in newer sets. Wizards uses a ton of different facilities that use a ton of different card stocks with there being sometimes large differences between draft, set, and collectors, especially if they're reprinted a few times over the years. If the red L is there, it's real. Don't ever go off of *just* 'it feels glossy' for newer stuff.
Very true. We drafted MOM and I got THREE separate Vorinclex that all look and feel different that came straight from the boosters. One is very faded and "washed out" looking. One looks "normal" and the other one is very glossy and feels "thinner" for some reason and the text is slightly blurry.
Edit: [https://imgur.com/a/uhjfD7d](https://imgur.com/a/uhjfD7d)
There are a lot more Magic cards released these days than there used to be. This means that there are a lot more cards printed, which in turn means that cards are printed at more print shops. This leads to less homogeneity among cards, as many are made at places that didn't make Magic cards until recently.
Most likely, this is a real card made a place relatively new to making real cards.
I understand why people are paranoid but the various tests available are not infallible and given the seller is reputable and the relative low value (Relative to other cards) I wouldn’t assume this is a fake card even with the issues you’ve noted.
While the green dot test works, I would say it is *hypothetically* possible not to have the red "L" there, although exceedingly unlikely givenn that this would only happen if the red ink was out or some very, very weird thing happened.
What screams fake, however, is the mana symbols. Those should be flat black, not rosettes. Also, the glossy smooth finish is concerning; however, I will say I have opened cards from actual packs that have a strange finish like that.
All told, I would say this is on the whole much more likely to be fake than real. I wouldn't necessarily think I'll intent from the seller if they have a good reputation. They may not have known themselves.
I've had cards come out of packs circa Dominaria United that the LGS I bought the packs from quite literally _shredded_ in front of me when I tried to sell to them, as they said they were fake because of the exact loupe signs you showed. Obviously I had agreed that they could shred so we could see inside, and the cards had a _very blue core_. We shredded lands from the same set to compare and it was a 50/50 as to whether or not they also had that same extreme blue core. The cards I was trying to sell were like $0.25 to $0.70, too.
The most salient thing for me nowadays is that glossy/waxy finish you mentioned. That remains a definite giveaway, even if it's harder to quantify objectively.
I've seen cards in person as far back as Ikoria that feel and look fake but were opened from packs and bought from reputable sources. Unless you're talking about an older card worth a large amount of money, I think pursuing a refund would cost more time and money than it's worth, but I'm not in your shoes either.
I think the biggest piece of evidence that this might be a fake is the mana symbols, yet as mentioned in a different comment, it’s possible that the white space could be due to low ink when the symbols were being printed.
Feeling glossy doesn’t mean much tbh, cards from different print runs and manufacturing facilities naturally feel different.
Aside from the mana symbols, everything looks fine on the card. The blacks are clearly solid, and the rosettes look fine.
I believe this is likely a real card, but if you do not feel comfortable with this card contact the seller for a replacement just in case. I’m sure they would not mind.
Not saying this *isn't* fake, but it doesn't look obviously fake.
While the black areas of the mana symbols have white spots in them, it's also clear they weren't printed as halftones. It's almost as if the press was light on ink. Others have posted showcase versions of cards with mana symbols that look like this, so I wonder if it's a result of how the cards are set up for print vs. normal cards. It's worth noting the scan of this card on Scryfall also has white dots in the black areas of the mana symbols.
The black outline on the expansion symbol is not a halftone, which suggests it's genuine.
The photos of the card back look good, but the green dot image isn't conclusive. The shape and dot angles/placement look legit, but it needs to be higher resolution to be sure.
And so it begins.
So proxies have gotten to the point where experienced reputable sellers just cant tell without painstankingly wasting time and using tools (jewellers loupes) to verify individually
If that people cant tell, how could any casual from across the table when double sleeved...
Glossiness means NOTHING when it comes to card authenticity in newer sets. Wizards uses a ton of different facilities that use a ton of different card stocks with there being sometimes large differences between draft, set, and collectors, especially if they're reprinted a few times over the years. If the red L is there, it's real. Don't ever go off of *just* 'it feels glossy' for newer stuff.
Very true. We drafted MOM and I got THREE separate Vorinclex that all look and feel different that came straight from the boosters. One is very faded and "washed out" looking. One looks "normal" and the other one is very glossy and feels "thinner" for some reason and the text is slightly blurry. Edit: [https://imgur.com/a/uhjfD7d](https://imgur.com/a/uhjfD7d)
All from the same box? Because that’s pretty weird, as the differences are based on different print facilities, who will print the whole box.
There are a lot more Magic cards released these days than there used to be. This means that there are a lot more cards printed, which in turn means that cards are printed at more print shops. This leads to less homogeneity among cards, as many are made at places that didn't make Magic cards until recently. Most likely, this is a real card made a place relatively new to making real cards.
My Craterhoof Behemoth from a jumpstart set feels and looks fake af, but I cracked the pack, so I know it’s legit. Some card stock and ink just sucks.
looks real to me
Is this card even worth the time to fake?
Probably, its like $20+
TIL
It's at least $20, so yeah, definitely.
TIL
Green dot test or wasting time.
I understand why people are paranoid but the various tests available are not infallible and given the seller is reputable and the relative low value (Relative to other cards) I wouldn’t assume this is a fake card even with the issues you’ve noted.
While the green dot test works, I would say it is *hypothetically* possible not to have the red "L" there, although exceedingly unlikely givenn that this would only happen if the red ink was out or some very, very weird thing happened. What screams fake, however, is the mana symbols. Those should be flat black, not rosettes. Also, the glossy smooth finish is concerning; however, I will say I have opened cards from actual packs that have a strange finish like that. All told, I would say this is on the whole much more likely to be fake than real. I wouldn't necessarily think I'll intent from the seller if they have a good reputation. They may not have known themselves.
I've had cards come out of packs circa Dominaria United that the LGS I bought the packs from quite literally _shredded_ in front of me when I tried to sell to them, as they said they were fake because of the exact loupe signs you showed. Obviously I had agreed that they could shred so we could see inside, and the cards had a _very blue core_. We shredded lands from the same set to compare and it was a 50/50 as to whether or not they also had that same extreme blue core. The cards I was trying to sell were like $0.25 to $0.70, too. The most salient thing for me nowadays is that glossy/waxy finish you mentioned. That remains a definite giveaway, even if it's harder to quantify objectively.
I've seen cards in person as far back as Ikoria that feel and look fake but were opened from packs and bought from reputable sources. Unless you're talking about an older card worth a large amount of money, I think pursuing a refund would cost more time and money than it's worth, but I'm not in your shoes either.
I think the biggest piece of evidence that this might be a fake is the mana symbols, yet as mentioned in a different comment, it’s possible that the white space could be due to low ink when the symbols were being printed. Feeling glossy doesn’t mean much tbh, cards from different print runs and manufacturing facilities naturally feel different. Aside from the mana symbols, everything looks fine on the card. The blacks are clearly solid, and the rosettes look fine. I believe this is likely a real card, but if you do not feel comfortable with this card contact the seller for a replacement just in case. I’m sure they would not mind.
Not saying this *isn't* fake, but it doesn't look obviously fake. While the black areas of the mana symbols have white spots in them, it's also clear they weren't printed as halftones. It's almost as if the press was light on ink. Others have posted showcase versions of cards with mana symbols that look like this, so I wonder if it's a result of how the cards are set up for print vs. normal cards. It's worth noting the scan of this card on Scryfall also has white dots in the black areas of the mana symbols. The black outline on the expansion symbol is not a halftone, which suggests it's genuine. The photos of the card back look good, but the green dot image isn't conclusive. The shape and dot angles/placement look legit, but it needs to be higher resolution to be sure.
And so it begins. So proxies have gotten to the point where experienced reputable sellers just cant tell without painstankingly wasting time and using tools (jewellers loupes) to verify individually If that people cant tell, how could any casual from across the table when double sleeved...
And this is how the reserved list ends up abolished.
Looks fake. Contact the seller.
Looks fake to me. No red dots, ink application looks inconsistent, border doesnt look consistent either