Lotus ScanHow to Grade MTG Card Condition
A step-by-step guide to help you grade mtg card condition quickly and accurately.
Card condition directly impacts value, sometimes dramatically. A Near Mint copy of a popular card can be worth twice or more what a Moderately Played copy fetches, and the difference only grows for older and more expensive cards. Grading accurately is essential whether you are buying, selling, or trading, because misgrading leads to disputes, returns, and damaged reputations. This guide breaks down each condition tier with clear criteria and shows you how to incorporate condition tracking into your Lotus Scan workflow.
Step-by-Step Guide
Understand the standard condition tiers
The MTG community uses a standard set of condition grades established primarily by TCGPlayer. Near Mint (NM) means the card looks essentially unplayed with no visible wear. Lightly Played (LP) shows minor edge wear or very slight corner softening but presents well overall. Moderately Played (MP) has noticeable wear including edge whitening, light scratches, or minor creasing. Heavily Played (HP) shows significant wear that is obvious at arm's length. Damaged (DMG) means the card has tears, heavy creases, water damage, writing, or other serious defects. Learning these categories and applying them consistently is a skill that improves with practice.
Tip: When in doubt, grade one step lower than you think. Buyers appreciate receiving cards in better condition than expected and it prevents disputes.
Examine the card edges and corners
Hold the card at eye level and examine all four edges under good lighting. Look for whitening along the edges, which appears as light-colored spots or lines where the colored layer has worn away to reveal the white core beneath. Check each corner for softening, bending, or peeling. Edge and corner wear is the most common type of damage and is the primary difference between NM and LP grades. A single corner with slight softening drops a card from NM to LP, while multiple edges with visible whitening push it to MP. Use a loupe or magnifying glass if you are grading cards worth significant money since small imperfections are easy to miss with the naked eye.
Check the card surface for scratches and scuffs
Tilt the card under a light source to reveal surface scratches, which appear as fine lines that catch the light. Foil cards show surface wear more obviously than non-foils because scratches break up the reflective layer. Also look for scuffing or clouding on the surface, which makes the card appear slightly hazy. Minor surface wear that is only visible when angling the card is acceptable for LP, but scratches visible at a normal viewing angle indicate MP or worse. For expensive cards, examine both the front and back surfaces since wear on either side affects the grade.
Tip: A microfiber cloth can clean dust and fingerprints from a card surface, but it will not fix actual scratches. Clean cards before grading so you do not mistake dust for damage.
Look for bends, creases, and water damage
Hold the card flat at eye level and look along its surface for any bending or warping. A slight natural curve from humidity is normal and does not affect grading, but a defined crease line drops the card to HP or Damaged depending on severity. Water damage shows as warping, discoloration, or a rough texture on the card surface. Any card with a visible crease that has broken the surface of the card is considered Damaged regardless of how the rest of the card looks. These defects are deal-breakers for many buyers so identifying them accurately protects both sellers and buyers in any transaction.
Record conditions in Lotus Scan as you grade
As you examine and grade each card, set the condition in Lotus Scan immediately. The app lets you assign NM, LP, MP, HP, or Damaged to each card, and the price displayed will adjust accordingly. This is especially important if you are preparing cards for sale, because your export will include the condition grade alongside each card. Building the habit of grading during the scanning process rather than after saves you from having to handle every card twice. For large collections, grading during scanning adds only a few seconds per card but makes your digital inventory dramatically more accurate and useful.
Tip: If you are scanning a large collection, default to LP for cards that have been played in decks and NM only for cards that came straight from a pack to a sleeve.
Make It Easier with Lotus Scan
Lotus Scan for iPhone simplifies this entire process with AI-powered card recognition, real-time price tracking, and intuitive collection management. Just point your camera and scan.
Pro Tips
- Grading is subjective and even experienced graders disagree on borderline cases. The important thing is internal consistency in how you apply the standards.
- Always grade under strong, even lighting. Dim or uneven light hides damage and leads to over-grading.
- Cards from older sets printed on different card stock may look worn even in good condition. Grade them relative to other cards from the same era, not against modern printings.
- If you are selling on TCGPlayer, photograph cards graded LP or below from multiple angles. Buyers expect to see the specific wear on non-NM cards.
- Professional grading services like PSA and CGC use a 1-10 numeric scale that is more granular than the NM/LP/MP system. Consider professional grading for cards worth over $100.