Grading Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece cards
Which CGC and SGC services take Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece cards, the rules that apply to each game, and how to tell when the grading fee makes sense.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 6 min read
CGC grades Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece cards on the same levels and fees as any other card, from $17 a card in a submission of 25 or more. Its population report, last updated October 11, 2026, adds up to more than 100,000 graded cards in each of the three games. SGC prices every standard-size card on one grid, starting at $50. A card is worth grading only when its graded price beats its raw price by more than the full cost, and for these games that test has less to work with, because CGC has graded far fewer of these cards than Pokémon cards.
Which services take these cards?
CGC grades Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and CGC Trading Cards added One Piece in October 2022, ahead of its worldwide launch later that year.
| CGC Cards | SGC | |
|---|---|---|
| Takes these card games | Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh!, plus One Piece since 2022 | Any trading card may be sent |
| Size limits | Up to 2-5/8 by 3-3/4 inches and 7.25mm thick | Extra fees may apply above 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches |
| Lowest price a card | $17 at Bulk (25 cards at least, up to $500 each) | $50 at Standard (up to $1,500) |
| Estimated wait at that price | About 150 working days | 40 or more business days |
| Population report | By game, era and set | By set |
CGC takes cards in all languages.
SGC changed its service levels on September 2, 2026, citing rising demand and longer waits, and said more changes should be expected between late 2026 and early 2027. Rip.fan’s grading cost calculator shows both companies’ levels with the day each price was read.
How many has CGC graded?
On October 12, 2026, CGC’s report pages for each game, last updated October 11, 2026, added up to 468,460 One Piece cards, 276,246 Magic cards and 103,172 Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, against 12,467,727 for Pokémon. These totals are Rip.fan’s sums of the counts by era or group. Of the three games, One Piece has the most graded cards, then Magic, then Yu-Gi-Oh!. Our guide to reading a pop report explains each column.
What rules apply to each card game?
CGC grades cards in every language and grades error cards at no extra fee, though it asks you to choose its Error service for any card with a printing error. It does not certify counterfeit cards, a counterfeit being any card made by someone other than the official maker. Small and odd-sized cards may go in a custom inner sleeve inside the holder. And if a card is not yet in CGC’s database, the submission may take longer while CGC researches the card.
Magic: The Gathering
Magic has the most specific rules at CGC:
- Rebacked cards. CGC will not grade them. It describes them as the face of one card glued to the back of another, made to fake a pricier card.
- Clipped Beta cards. CGC will not grade Beta cards whose corners were rounded to pass as Alpha.
- Altered art. CGC gives two answers here: yes to artist and artistic alterations (but not a card altered to look like a rarer version), and no numeric grade or holder for any altered card, artist alterations included. Its scale has an Authentic ART code for custom art from a CGC Artist Account holder or a qualified Signature Series submission. Ask CGC before you send an altered card.
CGC’s error guide shows Magic examples, including a 2022 Kamigawa: Neon Destiny card printed with the foil on its back, and Magic cards printed on another card game’s back. In CGC’s report, Magic’s eras run as numbered stages, with separate groups for promos, test prints and Secret Lair drops.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
One error is found mostly on Yu-Gi-Oh! cards: the wrong card name stamped in foil, as on a Gate Guardian printed with another card’s name. Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are otherwise graded under the same scale and fees as any other TCG card. On CGC’s scale, the centering figures from 9 down are given for sports and non-sports cards, while for TCG cards it describes the handling and manufacturing defects each grade allows. Our checklist before grading walks through it.
One Piece
CGC added One Piece in 2022, three months after the first set, Romance Dawn, was released in Japan. Since CGC grades every language, Japanese and English printings both qualify, and CGC’s report can filter sets by language. Compare sold prices for the same printing you plan to send. Our guide to One Piece rarities covers which cards are which.
When does the grading fee make sense?
The rule is the same as for any card: grade when the sold price at the grade you expect, from the grader you will use, beats the raw sold price by more than the full cost plus the selling fee on the difference. Our guide to whether a card is worth grading works through the arithmetic. Typical submissions of these cards cost this much at CGC, with its return shipping charges (rates effective August 5, 2025) and before your own postage to CGC:
| What you send | CGC level and fee | Charge to send it back | Cost per card |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 modern cards declared at $60 each ($1,500 in all) | Bulk, $17 | $30 for 6 to 25 cards | $18.20 |
| 5 cards declared at $800 each ($4,000 in all) | Economy, $20 | $25 for 1 to 5 cards | $25 |
| 1 older Magic card declared at $2,500 | Standard, $55 | $25 for 1 to 5 cards | $80 |
| 1 card declared at $6,000 | Express, $100 | $35, with a direct signature | $135 |
CGC sets the return charge by declared value. At SGC, the same $2,500 card would cost $85 at Standard or $150 at Expedited, before SGC’s shipping, which is priced separately.
Three things shape the decision for these games:
- Price data is thinner. CGC’s report, last updated October 11, 2026, adds up to 103,172 Yu-Gi-Oh! cards against more than 12 million Pokémon cards, so there are fewer graded copies, and there can be fewer graded sales, to compare. Look up sold prices for the exact card, grade and grader. Our guides to Magic card prices, Yu-Gi-Oh! card values and One Piece card values show where.
- Declare the ungraded value. CGC asks for the value of an ungraded example. If CGC judges a card worth more, it moves it to a higher tier and charges the difference, even if the card later turns out to be altered or not genuine. That matters for older Magic cards near a tier limit.
- Fill in the form completely. CGC charges $5 a card for any card not fully described. One invoice holds up to 300 cards.
Rip.fan’s card price lookup covers English Pokémon cards only, so it will not price these cards. For more on each card game, see the Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Lorcana hub, and for a card already in another company’s slab, see how crossover grading works. The glossary defines declared value and service level.
Frequently asked questions
Can I mix Magic and One Piece cards in a CGC Bulk order?
Yes. At CGC's Bulk level the cards may be a mix of different types, with a 25-card minimum and a $500 limit on each card's declared value.
Does TAG grade Yu-Gi-Oh! cards?
No. TAG turns away Yu-Gi-Oh! and other bridge-sized cards, at 2.25 by 3.5 inches, as narrower than the 2.5 by 3.5 inch poker size its TCG program takes.
Does TAG take Japanese One Piece or Magic cards?
Japanese One Piece, yes. Magic goes to TAG in English only, since its only non-English TCG cards are Japanese Pokémon, One Piece and select Dragon Ball, and Chinese Pokémon.
Are any Magic cards refused at TAG?
Yes, 7 that Wizards of the Coast removed from its database over racist depictions, among them Invoke Prejudice, Cleanse and Crusade. TAG will not grade or slab any of them.