We’ve ordered MTG proxies a bunch of different ways over the years, and yes—MPC (MakePlayingCards) is the classic “power user” option. If you love tinkering with files, batching huge runs, and squeezing every last fraction of a cent, MPC can be a monster.
But here’s the thing: for most of the quantities we actually order in real life, ProxyMTG.com ended up being cheaper at checkout—and it got to us fast because they’re U.S.-based.
That combo (lower totals + quick delivery) is the reason ProxyMTG became our default.
Why ProxyMTG beat MPC on price for most order sizes
MPC’s per-card price can look amazing… once you’re ordering at the right scale and doing it “the MPC way.” The catch is that MPC is built around ordering decks of cards (with set deck sizes), and the savings usually shine when you’re filling those big deck sizes and/or ordering multiple decks.
If you’re not doing that—if you’re ordering like a normal Commander player—two things tend to work against you:
1) Shipping (and the “small order tax”)
MPC ships worldwide and calculates shipping at checkout. In practice, shipping can be a big chunk of the total, especially on smaller orders (the classic “why is shipping the price of the cards?” moment). ProxyMTG, on the other hand, has a free shipping threshold that kicks in once your cart is big enough—exactly where a lot of common proxy orders land.
2) ProxyMTG’s tiered pricing is tuned for how players actually buy
ProxyMTG’s pricing drops aggressively as your card count goes up. That means your “I’m upgrading a deck,” “I’m printing a new list,” or “I’m patching a cube” orders don’t get punished.
Here’s what that looks like in plain English:
- Need a handful of staples? The per-card price is higher, but you’re not forced into a weird deck-size minimum.
- Printing a full Commander list or close to it? Your per-card cost drops a lot.
- Printing 200+ cards (multiple decks, a cube update, a gauntlet, etc.)? You’re in the lower tiers, and you often clear the free shipping line too—so the total stays friendly.
The “most quantities” sweet spot
When we say ProxyMTG is cheaper than MPC for most quantities, we mean most of the quantities we actually buy:
- 10–50 cards: upgrades, spicy tech, new staples, sideboard-style swaps for casual metas
- 75–150 cards: a full Commander deck plus tokens / DFCs / extras
- 200–500 cards: multiple decks, cube refreshes, playtest batches
In that range, ProxyMTG’s tiered pricing (plus the free shipping threshold on larger carts) consistently put the final total below what we were seeing with MPC once shipping was included. If you’re not ordering a mega-bulk run, ProxyMTG just tends to win the “what did I actually pay?” question.
And it wasn’t just cheaper—it was faster (which matters)
Price is great, but time-to-table is the real dealbreaker. ProxyMTG runs print-on-demand with production typically measured in days, then normal U.S. transit. That’s the difference between “cool, we can play this next weekend” and “my tracking number has been spiritually ‘in transit’ for a while now.”
If you’re the kind of player who brews on Tuesday and wants to shuffle on Saturday, U.S.-based fulfillment is not a minor perk—it’s the whole point.
Quality + consistency (the part people forget to price in)
Even if two options were somehow the exact same total, we’d still lean ProxyMTG because the cards were consistent in sleeves: clean cuts, readable fronts, and a finish that doesn’t feel like you printed it during a power outage. The goal isn’t to fool anyone—it’s to play smooth games without the deck feeling like a craft project.
The honest footnote: when MPC can still win
If you’re going full goblin-mode—printing hundreds to thousands of cards in the most optimized MPC setup—MPC can absolutely come out ahead on raw per-card cost.
But that’s not “most orders.” That’s a specific project type.
For the orders we place most often, ProxyMTG was the better deal and the better timeline.