TLDR: This commander proxy order checklist catches the mistakes that turn a clean digital list into an incomplete physical deck. Lock one exact list, confirm its 100-card construction, separate tokens and other play aids, inspect every custom treatment for readability, reconcile the cart, save the final files, and check the shipment before shuffling anything together.
A Commander deck order is less complicated than building the deck, but it has more opportunities for tiny logistical disasters. The maybeboard sneaks into the export. A basic land quantity changes. The commander receives gorgeous alternate art but becomes impossible to identify from across the table. This commander proxy order checklist gives you one final audit between “the list is probably done” and the checkout button.
Printable commander proxy order checklist
Copy this section into a note or print it. Complete the detailed checks below whenever an item reveals a problem.
- □ I selected one locked decklist version for the order.
- □ The deck contains one commander and 99 other cards, accounting for any rules that allow multiple commanders.
- □ Every card fits the commander’s color identity.
- □ I checked singleton restrictions and intentionally entered each basic-land quantity.
- □ I removed the maybeboard, considering board, notes, categories, and abandoned test cards from the export.
- □ I checked the current Commander rules and restrictions rather than relying on an old saved list.
- □ The deck’s power, speed, and defining cards fit the intended table.
- □ My playgroup, store, or organizer is comfortable with the proposed proxy use.
- □ Every card name, mana cost, type line, and relevant rules text is readable.
- □ Alternate art and treatments are attached to the correct cards.
- □ I chose a usable physical solution for every double-faced card.
- □ Tokens, emblems, counters, and other play aids are listed separately.
- □ The cart quantity matches the locked decklist and intentional extras.
- □ I reviewed current product contents, production information, shipping terms, and support policies.
- □ I saved the submitted list, artwork choices, instructions, and order confirmation.
- □ I will compare the delivered cards with the saved list before sleeving or shuffling.
1. Lock one exact decklist
Start by naming a final version and saving it somewhere that will not update while you order. A date or version number is enough: “Muldrotha v3 — order copy” is much safer than “Muldrotha FINAL final actually final.” If you make a late change, create a new version rather than editing the only record of what you submitted.
Commander uses a 100-card deck structure, singleton construction outside applicable exceptions, and color-identity restrictions. Check the current rules and banned-card resources through the official Commander website before ordering, especially if the list has been sitting untouched for months.
Run these count checks in order:
- Confirm the commander slot. If the deck uses a legal partner-style arrangement, account for both commander cards correctly instead of applying the ordinary one-plus-99 shortcut without thought.
- Count the complete deck, not merely the unique card names. Thirty copies of a basic land are thirty physical cards.
- Sort or filter by color identity to catch off-color cards and symbols hidden in rules text.
- Scan for duplicate nonbasic cards. Similar names, alternate versions, and different artwork do not make a second copy legal.
- Remove every maybeboard, considering-board entry, primer note, category label, and token that your export tool included.
- Compare the export with the visible deck page after importing it into the ordering system. A successful upload does not prove that the right 100 entries arrived.
If you are starting from Moxfield, the dedicated Moxfield-to-Commander-order workflow covers the import process in more detail. For other list sources, the same rule applies: the ordering copy should contain only the cards you intend to receive.
2. Check table fit separately from deck construction
A deck can satisfy construction rules and still be a poor fit for the planned game. Before placing the order, write a one-sentence description of what it does: “upgraded artifact precon with a compact combo,” “slow typal battlecruiser deck,” or “high-power list with fast mana and efficient tutors.” That sentence is more useful in a pregame conversation than a vague seven-out-of-ten label.
Flag cards and packages that materially shape the game: fast mana, mass land denial, repeatable extra turns, dense tutoring, hard locks, or compact combos. The issue is not whether those cards are inherently forbidden; it is whether everyone arrived expecting roughly the same kind of game. The Commander Brackets and playgroup-fit guide provides a fuller framework for that conversation.
Proxy acceptance is a separate question from deck legality and power. Ask the intended playgroup, store, league, or event organizer before arriving with a fully proxied deck. Wizards has historically distinguished unofficial playtest cards from authorized tournament proxies, so player-made cards should not be assumed legal in sanctioned play. Check the current event policy with the organizer rather than treating a casual table’s permission as universal. Wizards’ proxy policy explanation provides useful background, but it is not a substitute for current event instructions.
3. Audit whether the list functions as intended
This is not the moment to rebuild the deck from scratch. It is the moment to catch an accidental omission that will become 99 times more annoying once the deck is physical.
- Mana: Can the lands and fixing produce the colors required by the deck’s early plays?
- Curve: Does the list have meaningful actions before its expensive payoffs arrive?
- Ramp: Does its acceleration fit the commander, colors, and expected game speed?
- Cards and selection: Can the deck recover after spending its opening hand?
- Interaction: Can it answer the permanent types and stack interactions that matter in its intended environment?
- Resilience: Does the strategy need protection, recursion, redundancy, or sacrifice outlets?
- Payoffs: Are the cards that reward the deck’s main theme actually present in sufficient density?
- Win paths: Can the deck finish a game, and can you explain how those lines work?
- Land behavior: Are too many lands entering tapped for the turns on which the deck needs mana?
There is no universal correct quantity for these packages. A low-curve commander that generates cards needs a different shell from an eight-mana commander built around combat. Use the audit to find obvious mismatches, not to force every archetype into the same template.
4. Build a separate helper-piece list
Tokens and play aids should not be allowed to hide inside the decklist. The deck itself remains the required deck count; helper pieces are planned separately. Make a second list after reading every card that creates or references an outside object.
| Helper piece | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Tokens | List each name and every relevant variation in color, type, size, abilities, or power and toughness. |
| Emblems | Include emblems produced by planeswalkers in the final list. |
| Counters | Prepare the types the deck uses frequently, such as +1/+1, shield, stun, charge, or lore counters. |
| Dungeon and initiative aids | Bring the applicable dungeon cards, initiative marker, or reminder pieces. |
| Copy markers | Use clearly identifiable pieces if the deck creates copies with changing characteristics. |
| Double-faced-card solution | Choose double-sided cards, clearly labeled substitute aids, or another table-appropriate method before ordering sleeves. |
| Commander marker | Make the commander easy to distinguish from the library, graveyard, and ordinary permanents. |
For tokens, do not stop at “makes Soldiers.” One card may create a 1/1 white Soldier while another produces a Soldier with a different color or ability. Combining unlike tokens onto one ambiguous card saves little space and creates needless board-state archaeology.
5. Inspect readability and art assignments
Cohesive artwork is worthwhile only when the cards still work as game pieces. At normal table distance, players should be able to identify the card and find the information needed to make decisions. Prioritize a readable card name, mana cost, type line, rules text, and power/toughness or loyalty where applicable.
Audit visually similar cards next to one another. Matching basics can make a deck look intentional, but five basic-land types with nearly identical compositions and tiny symbols can slow every fetch. Likewise, a commander should be immediately recognizable, not hidden inside the same borderless treatment as 99 other cards.
For every custom or alternate-art selection, compare the file name and displayed art with the intended card. Pay extra attention to cards with similar names, rebalanced or digital-only variants, transformed faces, meld components, and multiple mechanically distinct printings. If the displayed rules text is old, verify the current text through an official card resource before deciding whether the printed version will be practical.
6. Reconcile the cart before paying
Open the locked list and cart side by side. Compare totals first, then inspect line items. A cart containing 100 items can still be wrong if it has one duplicate and one omission.
- Confirm the commander and every special treatment.
- Recheck repeated basics by quantity.
- Verify that intentional extras are identified as extras rather than silently mixed into the deck.
- Confirm whether tokens or accessories are included, optional, or separate products.
- Review previews for cropped text, mismatched faces, duplicate art assignments, and illegible designs.
- Read the current production, shipping, cancellation, replacement, and support terms on the seller’s own pages.
- Save custom-art instructions and any messages attached to the order.
- Export or capture the final cart and confirmation so you know exactly what was submitted.
Commander Proxies maintains a current shop page for its available products and a quality/support page describing how company-attributable printing, cutting, shipping, missing-item, and incorrect-item issues are reviewed. Check the live terms at checkout because product contents, availability, and fulfillment information can change.
If your workflow is based on uploading a list to a print-on-demand MTG proxy service, repeat the count and preview audit after the upload. The imported cart—not the original deckbuilder—is the version the printer will receive.
7. Inspect the order before sleeving
Keep the package organized until the inspection is complete. Compare the shipment with the saved ordering list rather than relying on memory.
- Count the deck and any extras separately.
- Find the commander first and confirm its selected treatment.
- Sort the deck alphabetically or by the same categories used in the locked list.
- Check repeated basics and scan for accidental duplicate nonbasics.
- Verify double-faced cards, paired faces, and any special layouts.
- Count tokens, emblems, and other ordered helper pieces separately.
- Look for obvious printing, cutting, transit, missing-item, or incorrect-item problems.
- Photograph relevant cards and retain the packaging and order details if support is needed.
Only shuffle after the comparison is finished. Once 100 cards, tokens, extras, and an existing collection share the same table, proving which card came from which stack becomes its own unwanted minigame. For a more detailed receiving process, use the MTG proxy quality checklist.
Common last-minute questions
Do tokens count toward the 100-card deck?
No. Tokens, emblems, counters, dungeons, and reminder aids are not part of the 100-card deck construction count. Keep them on a separate accessory list so their quantities do not conceal a missing deck card.
What is the fastest way to catch an import error?
Compare three records: the locked deckbuilder list, the exported file, and the imported cart. Check the total, then sort both lists the same way and compare names and quantities. Totals alone cannot catch a duplicate replacing a missing card.
Can I use a fully proxied deck at an LGS or event?
That depends on the setting and organizer. Casual groups and stores set their own expectations, while sanctioned events operate under applicable official policies. Ask before attending and describe the deck honestly; do not assume casual permission applies to organized play.
What should remain readable on an alternate-art card?
At minimum, prioritize the card name, mana cost, type line, relevant rules text, and applicable combat or loyalty information. Recognizable art is helpful, but readable game information matters more than visual novelty.
What should I do if a card is missing or incorrect?
Compare the shipment with the saved order, photograph the issue clearly, retain the packaging, and contact the seller through its current support channel. Include the order number, affected card, expected selection, and a concise description of the problem.
The final pre-checkout rule
Treat the decklist, table agreement, helper pieces, and seller terms as four separate audits. A legal list can lack tokens. A complete order can be unreadable. A beautifully printed deck can still be wrong for the intended pod. On checkout day, verify the current rules, confirm organizer expectations, review the live product terms, and compare the cart with your locked list one final time. Five careful minutes now is cheaper than discovering card number 100 was living in the maybeboard all along.