This post helps MTG players get proxy cards for Forgetful Fish decks by showing the fastest places to grab a complete list (or a ready-made deck), so they can shuffle up and play without turning “one weird fish” into a $40 lifestyle choice.
TLDR
Fastest, least annoying option: grab a Forgetful Fish (Dandân) decklist and print it through a decklist-to-door service (yes, PrintMTG is built for exactly this).
Want a “board game in a box” vibe: use a custom back, a single unified frame style, and print one shared 80-card deck that stays together forever.
Want “done, shipped, now”: some shops and Etsy sellers offer complete Forgetful Fish proxy decks, but quality and card lists vary, so check the details.
Want free files: community posts sometimes share full print-ready sets, but you’re doing your own QA (and your future self will be the one suffering).
Forgetful Fish has a hilarious pitch: two players, one deck, one graveyard, and a fish that hits for four. It looks like a joke until you’re sweating a topdeck and arguing with your own brain about whether playing an Island is “correct” or “a confession of weakness.”
If you’re here, you’re probably trying to find proxy cards for Forgetful Fish decks so you can play the format without hunting down random old singles, or without turning the whole thing into a shipping-and-spreadsheet side quest. Good news, it’s a solvable problem.
First, what is Forgetful Fish, and why is it one deck?
Forgetful Fish (also called Dandân) is a casual MTG micro-format built around a shared deck. Instead of bringing your own decks, both players draw from the same communal library and share the same graveyard. The list is typically 80 cards, and the only creature that matters is Dandân (the fish), backed up by a pile of blue spells that manipulate the top of the deck and fight on the stack.
The “forgetful” part is usually a stack of Memory Lapse. The “fish” part is… the fish. Subtle branding.
Why proxies make extra sense here: you’re not proxying a 100-card Commander deck that changes every week. You’re building a self-contained little box game. Print it once, sleeve it once, keep it together, done.
Step 1: Pick which Forgetful Fish decklist you’re actually printing
This sounds obvious, but it’s the #1 place people accidentally make their lives worse.
Forgetful Fish has a “classic” list, plus modernized lists, plus Secret Lair-inspired versions, plus personal tweaks people swear are necessary for “game health” (they are right, but also they are a blue mage, so you should still verify).
Here’s a simple way to choose:
If you want the classic, widely-circulated version
Look for a list that:
is 80 cards
runs 10 Dandân
runs a bunch of Memory Lapse (often eight)
includes Accumulated Knowledge and other blue interaction/topdeck tools
This is the version most people mean when they say “Forgetful Fish.”
If you want a more modern, tuned play experience
Modern lists often keep the same spine (fish + Memory Lapse + blue nonsense), but they may:
adjust the exact Memory Lapse count
swap in newer lands or cantrips
tune out a few “this is funny once” effects in favor of tighter play
If you’re introducing the format to friends who don’t already own a monoblue hoodie collection, a tuned list can be kinder.
If you want the “single product experience” vibe
There are Secret Lair-style builds floating around (and the idea has clearly gotten mainstream attention). These lists tend to keep the format recognizable, but lean into cohesive aesthetics and curated changes.
Bottom line: choose your list first, then print proxies for that exact list. Otherwise you end up with 78 cards, two different versions of the same spell, and a sudden need to learn patience.
Where to find proxy cards for Forgetful Fish decks (Good, Better, Best)
Here’s the decision tree I’d actually use.
Good: Print at home (cheap, immediate, mildly cursed)
Best for: you want to play tonight and you don’t care if it feels like a school project.
Tradeoff: you’re trading money for time, fiddling, and “why are these cuts all different sizes?”
Home printing works fine for Forgetful Fish because:
it’s one deck
it’s mostly blue cards (so you can pretend printer color drift is “a theme”)
sleeves hide a multitude of sins
If you go this route, the biggest quality swing is image resolution and cut consistency. Your printer cannot invent detail that isn’t in your file. It will simply print the blur you gave it, but with confidence.
Better: Decklist-to-door printing (fast, consistent, actually feels like cards)
Best for: you want proxies that shuffle cleanly and don’t look like they were cut with kitchen scissors.
Tradeoff: costs more than DIY, but saves you time and frustration.
This is where the PrintMTG decklist order form shines for Forgetful Fish specifically, because Forgetful Fish is basically the ideal use case:
one shared list
a fixed card count
you want consistency across the whole deck
A good decklist-to-door service also solves the two silent killers of “nice proxy decks”:
print consistency (crisp text and stable color across the whole stack)
cut consistency (so your deck doesn’t “tell” you what the top card is)
PrintMTG’s production process is built around those basics: black-core stock, coated finish for shuffle feel, and consistent cutting. And because we enhance card images on the backend, you’re less likely to end up with the classic “exported in 2006” look on anything with fine detail.
Best: Custom-print a Forgetful Fish set with a unified aesthetic (and a custom back)
Best for: you want your Forgetful Fish deck to feel like a real “microformat product” you pull off the shelf.
Tradeoff: a bit more setup, but you get a deck that looks intentional.
If you want to do this right, do two things:
Use one cohesive frame style across the whole deck.
Modern, vintage, full-art, retro, whatever. Just pick one and commit. Forgetful Fish is already a novelty format. Lean into the theme.Use a custom back.
Not because you’re trying to be sneaky. The opposite. A unique back keeps the deck together, prevents accidental mixing with real cards, and makes the whole thing feel like a self-contained board game. This is also where the PrintMTG Card Maker is handy, because you can create or upload a back design that fits the vibe.
If you’re building the “nice” version, I also recommend printing a single reference card for the box that says:
what Forgetful Fish is
how the shared deck/graveyard works
any house tweaks you’re using
You’ll thank yourself later when someone asks, “Wait, why are we both drawing from the same deck?” for the third time.
Option B: Buy a complete Forgetful Fish proxy deck (quickest “I want it now” route)
If you don’t want to print anything, we offer complete proxy decks that arrive ready to sleeve.
Pros
zero setup
you get a cohesive set out of the box
perfect if you’re gifting it or you just want it handled
Cons
lists can vary (sometimes a lot)
print quality can vary
you’re trusting a stranger’s idea of “acceptable trimming”
If you buy a ready-made deck, check:
card count (is it actually 80, plus any extras?)
which list it’s based on (classic vs tuned vs Secret Lair-ish)
clear product photos of text and borders
reviews that mention print quality, not just “arrived fast”
Option C: Community print files (high upside, zero guarantees)
There are community spaces where people share full Forgetful Fish proxy files, sometimes with custom art, old-border treatments, or full curated packages.
This can be awesome.
It can also be a shortcut to spending two hours realizing one file set is missing two copies of a card and has three versions of Island that don’t match.
If you use community files, do a quick QA pass:
confirm the card list matches a known decklist
confirm duplicates are correct
spot check a few cards for readability at normal table distance
If you’re going to print someone else’s “complete package,” you’re basically inheriting their workflow. Sometimes that’s a blessing. Sometimes it’s a haunted inheritance.
A quick checklist before you print (Forgetful Fish edition)
If you want proxy cards for Forgetful Fish decks and you want them to play well, check these:
List locked: you’re printing one specific decklist, not “some version I remember.”
Card count: 80 cards (plus any extras you intentionally added).
Duplicates: the multiples are correct (fish count, Memory Lapse count, etc.).
One aesthetic: consistent frames and borders across the list (optional, but it makes the deck feel premium).
Custom back: strongly recommended so the deck stays together.
Sleeves: sleeve the whole deck the same way. This is a shared deck format. Consistency matters.
Storage: put it in a labeled deck box. Forgetful Fish works best when it’s grab-and-play.
A tiny script to pitch the format to a friend
Use this if you need to convince someone to try it without making it sound like a trap.
“Want a fast MTG format where we both play from the same deck, fight over the top card constantly, and try to win with one extremely aggressive fish? It’s like a micro board game, but with Memory Lapse. I already have the deck.”
If they say yes, they’re your people.
FAQs
Is Forgetful Fish the same as Dandân?
Yes. “Forgetful Fish” and “Dandân” are used interchangeably for the same shared-deck micro-format.
How many cards are in a standard Forgetful Fish deck?
Most common builds are 80 cards, built around 10 Dandân and multiple copies of Memory Lapse, plus a suite of blue interaction and topdeck manipulation.
What’s the easiest way to get proxy cards for Forgetful Fish decks?
Pick a known decklist, then use a decklist-to-door printer. It’s the least friction and gets you consistent cuts and readable text.
Can I customize the art and frames for Forgetful Fish proxies?
Absolutely, and it’s one of the best reasons to proxy the deck in the first place. A unified frame style plus a custom back makes the whole thing feel like a real “format box.”
Do I need two decks to play Forgetful Fish?
No. The whole point is that both players share one deck and one graveyard.