Guide.
Two things worth knowing before you buy — how we grade card condition, and what each stock status means.
The TCG resale market has a grade-inflation problem. Sellers list NM cards that arrive Lightly Played, LP cards that look more like MP, and "mint" cards that show clear edge wear under sleeves. Phoenix grades by the strict definitions below — if there's any doubt, we list down a tier. If a card arrives below its listed grade, you have 14 days to return it for a refund or replacement.
What each grade means.
Near Mint
A card that looks essentially as it did when pulled from a freshly opened pack. Pack-fresh wear is allowed but no obvious defects.
- Centring within reasonable tolerance, no significant offset
- Sharp corners, no whitening or rounding
- Clean edges, no frays or chips visible without magnification
- Surface free of scratches, scuffs, or print lines
- Original gloss intact, no haze or print defects
- No bends, creases, or ink marks anywhere
Lightly Played
Minor wear visible on close inspection. Still tournament-legal in a sleeve. The most common grade for cards that have seen actual play.
- Minor edge wear or very light corner rounding
- Surface may have slight scuffing or whitening visible at certain angles
- No bends, creases, or significant scratches
- Centring may be off but not severely
- Card is structurally sound and has clearly been protected
Moderately Played
Visible wear at arm's length. Played-with condition — fine for casual play, not for showcases. Priced accordingly.
- Clear corner wear or rounding
- Visible edge wear, possibly minor whitening or chipping
- Surface scuffs or scratches visible without magnification
- Possible minor bend, no severe creasing
- Card remains tournament-legal sleeved
Heavily Played
Significant wear or damage. Functional but visibly used. We rarely list HP — when we do, it's because the card is rare enough that condition matters less than availability.
- Heavy corner wear, whitening, or rounding
- Significant edge damage, chipping, or fraying
- Major surface scratches, scuffs, or print issues
- Possible creasing, bending, or minor tears
- Still readable and functional, no missing pieces
Honest grading rules.
- No grade inflation. If a card is borderline NM/LP, we list it as LP. If it's borderline LP/MP, we list it as MP. Borderline always rounds down.
- No "Mint" listings. Mint and Gem-Mint require professional grading services (PSA, BGS, CGC) — we don't claim grades we haven't paid an authority to confirm. Cards graded by those services are listed separately with the actual grade slab.
- Photos for anything below NM. LP and below get a representative photo on the listing showing the actual card you'll receive (where stock is single-copy).
- Returns if we got it wrong. If you receive a card and disagree with our grade, email us. If your photos clearly show below-listed condition, we refund or replace within 14 days.
Ready to browse singles?
Every single we list carries its grade explicitly. No surprises on arrival.
Browse Verified Singles ↗Our singles are sold through our verified Cardmarket store, not directly on this site — checkout and accepted payment methods there differ from Phoenix TCG. We’ll bring singles and graded slabs on-site once we stock them directly.
What each stock status means.
Ready to ship
The item is in our Dublin warehouse now and ships within our normal dispatch window. Order it and it’s on its way.
Reserve before release
Not released yet. Reserve your copy now and we ship it as soon as it lands with us — on or around release day. Charged at checkout to secure your allocation.
On the way to us
A released item we’re temporarily out of, already on reorder from our distributor. Order now to claim one from the next delivery — we dispatch as soon as it arrives. Expect a short wait.
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