MTG card condition grading explained
Last updated: August 13, 2026
Every Magic: The Gathering single has a condition, and after rarity and demand it's the biggest factor in a card's price. At Top Deck Cards we grade every card by hand against the Face to Face Grading Standards — the rubric Canada's largest TCG retailer uses — before it's listed, so the condition you see is exactly what arrives in your sleeve.
Here's what each grade means and what to look for.
Near Mint (NM)
A Near Mint card looks like it was just pulled from a pack: sharp corners, clean edges, a glossy unscratched surface, and no visible wear front or back. Minor factory imperfections — a tiny edge nick from the cutting sheet, faint print lines — can still qualify as NM. The large majority of our inventory is NM.
Lightly Played (LP)
Light handling wear visible only on close inspection: slight edge whitening, a couple of minor surface scratches, or very light corner wear. Still tournament-legal in a sleeve and perfectly playable. LP is the sweet spot for players who want a discount over NM without noticeable damage.
Moderately Played (MP)
Moderate wear that's obvious at a glance: edge whitening around the border, surface scratching or scuffing, and noticeable corner wear — but no creases that break the card's structure. MP cards play fine in sleeves and are good value for cards you want to use rather than display.
Heavily Played (HP)
Significant wear: heavy whitening, scratches or scuffing across the surface, rounded or dinged corners, and possibly a light crease or minor marking. Still identifiable and sleeveable, but clearly used. HP is the budget end of playable.
Damaged (DMG)
Major flaws beyond normal play wear — heavy creasing, tears, water damage, or writing. We rarely stock damaged cards, and when we do it's noted clearly. Damaged copies are for players who just need the card at the lowest possible price.
How grading affects price
As a rule of thumb, each step down from NM takes a meaningful percentage off the price: LP is a small discount, while MP and below can be substantially cheaper. On expensive cards that gap is real money, so grading honestly matters — we'd rather under-grade and delight you than over-grade and disappoint. The condition shown on a card's page is the condition you receive; see our Refund Policy if anything ever arrives not as described.
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