In a move that has rocked the local Magic: The Gathering community, notorious “okay with proxies?” guy, Dave “Proxy King” Henderson, took unconventional gameplay to a new level last Friday night by playing a card directly from his smartphone.
The eyebrow-raising moment occurred during the weekly Commander night at “Tap ‘n’ Mana,” a popular gaming store. As tensions rose during a crucial point in the game, all eyes were on Henderson, known for his liberal use of proxies in his decks. This time, however, he surprised his fellow players by placing his smartphone on the table, displaying an image of the high-value card “Force of Will” on the screen.
“It was my turn, and I knew I had to do something unexpected,” explained Henderson. “I didn’t have a physical proxy of ‘Force of Will’ with me, but I figured the image of the card on my phone was just as good. It’s all about the spirit of the game, right?”
Reactions around the table ranged from bemused to outright disbelief. Long-time player Janet Liu remarked, “I’m all for proxies, especially in casual play. It keeps the game accessible. But playing a card from your phone? That’s… innovative? Maybe too innovative. I’ll concede that given that if you have auto-rotation on your phone turned off you can tap cards, so by every measure it technically works.”
The incident sparked heated debate on social media among the MTG community, with purists arguing that this method violates the tactile and visual experience of the game, while more liberal fans praise the inclusivity and practicality, especially given the soaring prices of high-demand cards. One player took the idea a step further.
“I thought it was kind of brilliant until a guy showed up with a stack of 100 placeholder cards with names written on them and a dozen or so iPhones to display the cards on the battlefield. Honestly I was pissed off because I didn’t think of it first.”