Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Authenticity Checks and Grading Tips for Inscribed Tablet
For the modern MTG collector, authenticity is a virtue as valuable as mana. Inscribed Tablet, a colorless artifact from Dominaria United, is a compact reminder that even small cards can carry big stories—both in gameplay and in the grading room 🧙♂️. With a mana cost of {1} and a straightforward but flavorful ability, this uncommon card rewards careful handling and an eye for detail that separates genuine prints from surface-level imitations. Whether you’re eyeing a sealed booster box or a single nonfoil gem, a methodical approach to verification will serve you well 🔎.
Card basics to anchor your checks
- Set and rarity: Dominaria United (DMU), uncommon. The DMU frame and set symbol should align with the expansion’s art direction and typography.
- Color identity: Colorless artifact. The absence of colored mana symbols in the mana cost is normal for this card.
- Mana cost and rules text: {1}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Reveal the top five cards of your library. Put a land card from among them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. If you didn’t put a card into your hand this way, draw a card. The exact wording, punctuation, and line breaks should match the official Oracle text.
- Finish and print status: Foil and nonfoil versions exist. The art and border treatment should be consistent with the 2015-era frame used for DMU prints, not an impersonator’s reprint or counterfeit that uses a different border density or font.
- Artist and presentation: Art by Jarel Threat, with the DMU border and black border frame. The card front should show the correct art crop and set symbol for DMU.
Step-by-step authenticity checklist
“Compare your card to trusted sources, then verify the same card in multiple places.”
- Source cross-check: Pull the official Scryfall page for the card (scryfall.com/card/dmu/232) and the Gatherer entry. Compare the Oracle text, set symbol, rarity indicator, and collector number (232) to your card. In this case, the top line of text, mana cost, and the exact punctuation should match precisely.
- Print details: Look at the border color, font weight, and spacing. Dominaria United prints use a consistent 2015 frame; any deviation—odd kerning, faded glyphs, or misprinted borders—warrants closer inspection.
- Art and cropping: Ensure the image crop matches the card’s art crop and that the illustration is not extended beyond its intended boundaries. Misaligned art can be a telltale sign of a counterfeit.
- Back and texture: While the back is uniform across MTG cards, counterfeiters sometimes mismatch backs with front-text plate inconsistencies. A legitimate DMU card will have a consistent back pattern and texture when viewed under proper lighting.
- Foil specifics (if applicable): If you’re evaluating a foil, inspect the foil pattern, edge reflectivity, and any foil-specific centering quirks. Foil variants should display a uniform sheen and no bubble-like anomalies unless they’re typical of a rare foil process.
- Serials and identifiers: Check for the multiverse ID in the official records (574712 for this card) and verify against the card’s physical features. When in doubt, consult a grading service that can compare your card against reference specimens.
Grading considerations for Inscribed Tablet
Grading MTG cards is a blend of art and science. For this artifact, here are the practical levers graders weigh most heavily 🧙♂️💎:
- Centering and edges: Centering should be within common tolerances for modern printed cards. Edge wear, whitening, or chipping around the borders can impact grade, especially for a card that sits in the 60s–80s percentile in general circulation.
- Surface and print quality: Look for scratches, scuffs, or ink blemishes on the holo-free surface (nonfoil) and any fingerprint marks that might occur during handling. A pristine surface correlates with higher grade potential, while visible imperfections can pull the score down.
- Corners and creases: Sharp corners and no creases yield the best grades. Even tiny indentations can limit the final grade, particularly for a card that is otherwise well-centered and unflawed.
- Foil vs. nonfoil considerations:Foils often present with slightly different edge wear patterns and potential foil bubbles in extreme cases. The grader will evaluate the foil’s integrity and the consistency of the foil layer across the card’s surface.
- Authenticity flags: A genuine DMU Inscribed Tablet will not exhibit unusual typography, altered Oracle text, or anomalous set symbols. Any deviation should trigger a deeper provenance check or professional appraisal.
Practical tips for collectors and players
Beyond the slab, Inscribed Tablet earns its keep in casual and competitive play. Its ability to fetch a land card from the top five can smooth early land drops in a deck that thrives on card advantage. In EDH/Commander, the card can slot into artifact-heavy or land-searching builds, offering a reliable fetch with an option to draw if nothing lands on the top five. The flavor text and design invite a little bit of puzzle-solving—you’re not just drawing a card; you’re shaping the top of your library 🧙♂️⚔️.
Market reality check: the card remains an affordable specimen for most collectors. In current markets, nonfoil instances tend to hover around a few tenths of a dollar, with foils nudging slightly higher. That modest price tag makes it a nice low-risk entry point for new collectors while still offering the thrill of a legitimate DMU print for seasoned hobbyists 🔥🎨. For EDH players, its practical effect can support mana-efficient strategies that lean on reliable land fetches and hand disruption-free setups.
Storing, handling, and long-term care
Preservation is the true guardian of value. Use standard MTG storage practices: sleeves, top loaders, and rigid storage boxes. Avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, humidity swings, and abrasive surfaces that could erode corners or text. If you’re new to grading, consider submitting a few well-cared-for examples to a trusted service for a formal assessment. A well-documented provenance (including purchase date and condition photos) can help a lot when you’re aligning the card’s value with your collection narrative 🧙♂️💎.
Where to verify and how to value
When in doubt, turn to trusted databases and price guides. The card’s Scryfall entry confirms its flavor, rarity, and printing details, while price data (as of this writing) suggests a low, stable baseline for light play or collection purposes. With Cross-checks, you’ll build confidence that your example is legitimate and aligned with the broader DMU printing landscape. It also helps you spot subtle differences that counterfeiters might exploit—differences you’ll notice once you’ve seen a few genuine examples in person 🎲.
For collectors who enjoy the synergy of play value and lore, Inscribed Tablet is a neat piece of the Dominaria United era. It’s a tiny, clever artifact that makes the act of top-deck manipulation feel almost like a magic trick—one you can perform reliably and with style in both paper and digital formats 🧙♂️🎨.