TLDR
To organize 100 card Commander proxy files reliably, create a manifest with 100 numbered physical-card slots, give every slot an exact output filename, separate editable work from approved files, and upload only from a locked final folder. Audit the manifest against the folder before ordering. Tokens, alternate experiments, and unused artwork should remain outside the 100-card production count.
The important shift is to stop treating the project as a loose collection of images. Treat it as a small print-production job. One manifest controls what belongs in the deck, while one locked folder contains only the files approved for upload. That makes a missing card, duplicated slot, stale revision, or accidental token much easier to catch.
Build 100 physical-card slots before organizing images
A Commander deck contains 100 cards including its commander. If the deck uses multiple commanders, such as a partner configuration, those commanders are still counted within the same 100 cards. Repeated basic lands are allowed, but each physical copy still occupies a deck slot. The official Commander rules are the appropriate reference when the deck structure itself is in doubt.
Number the intended physical cards from 001 through 100. Three digits matter because ordinary alphabetical sorting then keeps 001, 002, and 010 in the correct order. A mixed system such as 1, 2, 10, 11 can display differently across file managers and upload interfaces.
I would put the commander or commanders first, followed by the main deck in a stable order. Alphabetical order is usually easier to audit than mana value or card type because a card's name does not change when you reconsider its role. A practical sequence is commanders first, nonland cards alphabetically, nonbasic lands alphabetically, and repeated basic lands last.
The sequence is an audit tool, not a deck-building statement. It does not matter that a mana rock appears beside a removal spell. What matters is that slot 042 always identifies the same intended physical card throughout review and production.
Use one manifest as the source of truth
The manifest can be a spreadsheet or another tabular document, but it should control the project. Do not maintain one decklist, a separate handwritten count, and an unrelated upload folder without a shared identifier. Those parallel records drift surprisingly quickly when artwork changes.
Use one row per physical deck slot and include these columns:
- Slot: a unique number from 001 through 100.
- Included: yes or no, useful while revisions are still being decided.
- Card name: the exact name used for deck auditing.
- Quantity group: optional, but helpful for identifying repeated basic lands.
- Role: commander, partner, main deck, basic land, or another useful production label.
- Output filename: the exact filename expected in the locked folder.
- Face: front, back, or single-faced.
- Art label: a short description such as standard, borderless, sketch, or custom-01.
- Source status: missing, acquired, or cleared for editing.
- QA status: not reviewed, revise, approved, or locked.
- Version: the current approved revision number.
- Notes: crop concerns, dark artwork, transformed face, or another issue requiring attention.
A row should not say merely “Sol Ring, done.” It should tell you which artwork was approved, which revision is current, and which final file represents that physical slot. This is especially useful when two visually similar exports are sitting in different folders.
Name Commander proxy files so they sort correctly
A useful pattern is: [slot]_[card-name]_[art-label]_[face]_[version].[extension]. For example, if PNG is accepted by your chosen printer, a working filename might be 042_Arcane-Signet_retro_front_v03.png.
Meaningful, consistent filenames, restrained use of special characters, zero-padded sequence numbers, and extensions that match the actual file format are established file-management practices. The point is not administrative neatness for its own sake. Every naming rule prevents a specific production mistake.
| Filename rule | Recommended approach | Failure it helps prevent |
|---|---|---|
| Slot number | Start every production file with 001 through 100 | Missing slots and unreliable sort order |
| Card name | Use a readable name with one consistent separator | Uploading the wrong card from similar thumbnails |
| Art label | Add a short, stable label when alternatives exist | Confusing two treatments of the same card |
| Face label | Use front, back, or single consistently | Swapping or omitting a double-faced card image |
| Version | Use v01, v02, and so on in working folders | Sending an older crop or color correction |
| Extension | Keep the extension consistent with the real file type | Format confusion and misleading renamed files |
| Characters | Prefer letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores | Compatibility problems caused by punctuation or symbols |
Avoid labels such as final, final-new, final-2, and actually-final. They describe an emotion, not a revision. Numbered versions are unambiguous. When v04 replaces v03, move v03 to the archive instead of leaving both revisions in the upload folder.
Separate source, working, review, and locked files
A single folder full of downloaded images, editable files, test exports, and final cards is the fastest route to a stale upload. Use folders that represent production stages instead:
- 00_manifest: the current manifest, decklist snapshot, and project notes.
- 01_source-art: original downloads or supplied artwork that has not been edited.
- 02_working: editable files and current revisions.
- 03_review: flattened exports and contact sheets used for visual QA.
- 04_print-locked: only the files approved for upload.
- 99_archive: rejected art, superseded revisions, and old manifests.
The locked folder should be boring. Do not edit files inside it, store alternate art there, or add a token “just for convenience.” If a correction is needed, revise the working file, approve a new review export, update the manifest, and then replace the locked output deliberately.
Before preparing that output, check the printer's current requirements for dimensions, bleed, format, front-and-back handling, and filename restrictions. If you are sending a smaller or revision-heavy project to a custom MTG card printing service, confirm its live upload process before flattening or renaming the final batch.
Handle Commander-specific exceptions without breaking the count
Multiple commanders
Give each commander its own physical slot near the start of the manifest. A two-commander arrangement could use 001 and 002, leaving 003 through 100 for the rest of the deck. Do not build 100 main-deck rows and then add the commanders on top.
Repeated basic lands
Create one row for every physical land, even when several copies use identical art. If the deck contains ten identical Forests, those represent ten slots. The safest printer-independent arrangement is ten numbered output files, one per slot. Use a quantity-based upload only when the selected provider explicitly supports it and the manifest records that quantity mapping.
Double-faced cards
Track a double-faced card as one physical slot with two associated faces. The manifest can use one row with front and back filename fields, or two linked face rows that share one physical-slot ID. The locked folder may contain more than 100 image files when separate face files are required, but the physical-slot audit must still equal 100. Follow the printer's current pairing method rather than guessing from filename order.
Tokens and helper cards
Tokens, emblems, dungeons, reminder cards, and spare commanders should live in a separate extras manifest and folder. They may belong in the order, but they do not belong in the 100-slot deck audit. Use the custom MTG tokens guide to plan those pieces without mixing them into the deck count.
Alternate artwork
Keep experiments in the working or archive folder. Only one approved treatment for each physical slot should reach the locked folder unless the alternates are intentionally being ordered as extras. Check text hierarchy and legibility before approval; the guide to readable custom MTG proxies covers that visual review in more detail.
A worked example from manifest to upload
Suppose slot 042 is Arcane Signet with retro-style artwork. Its manifest row lists slot 042, included yes, card name Arcane Signet, role main deck, art label retro, face front, version v03, QA status approved, and output filename 042_Arcane-Signet_retro_front_v03.png.
The original artwork remains in 01_source-art. The editable composition lives in 02_working. A flattened export goes to 03_review, where it is inspected at full size and on a contact sheet. After approval, that exact export is copied to 04_print-locked, and the manifest status changes to locked.
If the crop is corrected later, the working file becomes v04. The new review export must be approved before it replaces v03 in the locked folder. The manifest filename changes at the same time. This small discipline prevents a corrected image from existing only in the editor's working folder while the obsolete version remains ready for upload.
Run two audits before uploading
The first audit is structural. Sort both the manifest and locked folder by slot number, then compare them line by line. Do not rely on the file count alone: 100 files could still hide one missing card and one duplicate.
- The manifest contains exactly 100 included physical-card slots.
- Slot numbers run from 001 through 100 without gaps or duplicates.
- Every included row has the expected final filename.
- Every locked deck file maps back to one manifest slot or an explicitly paired face.
- The commander or commanders are included within the 100 slots.
- Repeated basic lands occupy the intended number of physical slots.
- Tokens, helper cards, alternates, and spare prints are outside the deck folder.
- No rejected or superseded revision remains in the locked folder.
The second audit is visual. Build a contact sheet showing every approved front at a readable thumbnail size. A contact sheet quickly exposes an odd frame, inconsistent border, wrong treatment, duplicated artwork, or card that clearly belongs to another project. Then inspect every final file at full size for crop, edge content, text clarity, and unexpected blank areas. The broader MTG proxy card printing guide explains other production checks worth completing before an order.
- Confirm that the thumbnail identity matches the manifest card name.
- Open every file rather than assuming a successful export.
- Check the approved art version against the manifest label.
- Verify the front and back relationship of every double-faced card.
- Make sure no file was edited after the final review.
- Recheck the printer's current format and upload requirements.
- Upload only from 04_print-locked, never from source or working folders.
Keep the manifest with the finished project
The cleanest way to organize 100 card Commander proxy files is to preserve the manifest and locked output folder together as the project's production record. If the deck changes later, duplicate the project, increment its revision, and replace slots through the manifest rather than dropping new images into the old folder.
Start by creating rows 001 through 100 before collecting more artwork. Assign the commanders, enter the complete decklist, and account for every repeated basic land. Once all 100 physical slots reconcile, move the images through source, working, review, and locked stages. That process takes a little longer at the beginning and saves the much more irritating job of discovering card 73 is missing after the order arrives.