Card Condition Guide

General rules

• Grade both sides of the card. If the front and back don't match, the card is graded at whichever side is worse.
• Centering is generally fine if there's at least a hair of border (roughly 1mm) visible on all four sides.
• Print quality matters too — ink splotches, smudging, ghosting, a miscut foil stamp, or a crimped card all count as defects even if the card is otherwise unplayed.

Near Mint (NM)

Essentially pack-fresh. At most one very minor flaw — the faintest border or corner wear, a hint of clouding, a trace of scuffing, or very slightly reduced sheen. Near Mint foils show little to no scratching or clouding on the finish.

Slightly Played (SP)

Minor wear from normal handling — clearly not pack-fresh, but nothing dramatic. Up to two of: minor border or corner wear, minor curling, very slight bending or denting, slight scratching, clouding, or scuffing, or a minor loss of sheen. Slightly Played foils may show a little clouding or wear on the face.

Moderately Played (MP)

Obvious wear from regular play. Up to three of: noticeable border or corner wear, significant curling, minor bending, light denting, some scratching, clouding, or scuffing, or a clear loss of sheen. Moderately Played foils usually show obvious clouding or wear on the face.

Heavily Played (HP)

Significant, easy-to-spot wear. Up to three of: heavy border or corner wear, significant bending, light denting, heavy scratching, clouding, or scuffing, or a major loss of sheen. Heavily Played foils usually show severe clouding or wear on the face. Still tradeable, but describe it accurately — this is about as worn as a card can be and still be listed normally.

Not tradeable

Don't list or trade a card with any of the following unless your trade partner has explicitly agreed after seeing clear, current photos:

• Altered artwork or text
• Borders inked or touched up to hide wear or discoloration
• Markings on the front or back, including signatures or event stamps
• Sun-fading or major discoloration
• Significant water damage
• Smoke or scent damage that won't air out
• Tears or missing chunks
• Centering or print defects bad enough to be visibly off
• Edge-to-edge creasing
• Peeling, splitting, or delaminating layers
• Anything worse than Heavily Played, or that's lost its structural integrity

One flaw has no exception: a card that isn't factory cut is treated as a counterfeit. Don't list it, don't trade it — report it instead.