by Doc – Owner, Founder, Author of “There’s No 12-Step Program for Amiibo Addiction“
Amiibo cards are very simple once you understand how they work on a technical level. Let me explain the technical aspects of amiibo, and then we’ll move up to the more relevant and useful information.
Please note that any product links in this article are Amazon Affiliate links, and that Amiibo Doctor thanks you for your support in keeping amiibo alive!
Nintendo amiibo cards vs. Fanmade amiibo cards
Nintendo originally only made amiibo figures – these are the things you probably think about when you think of amiibo. This is a typical amiibo figure:
See the black base at the bottom? In every single amiibo base, there’s a thing called an NTAG215 chip. This chip is what actually interacts with the game and stores the amiibo’s file, and wouldn’t you know it, amiibo cards use NTAG215 chips too. Nintendo-made amiibo cards are simply pieces of cardstock that have NTAG215 chips inserted inside them. They made amiibo cards for Animal Crossing, Mario Sports, Pokken, and a few other games.
You can find a complete guide to NTAG215 chips here.
Fan-made amiibo cards are a different story. Fans figured out all of the above information and realized that, since Nintendo was undersupplying specific amiibo figures, they could make their own NTAG215 chips and put them in cardstock, and sell them for significantly cheaper. Unlike Nintendo, Fan-made amiibo cards exist for every single amiibo that’s ever existed: if you want Mario, Qbby, Raymond and Super Mario Cereal, you can get it from a seller.
Nintendo amiibo cards are usually undersupplied, but you can find Fan-made amiibo cards aplenty on Amazon.
So what are amiibo coins?
Good question! They’re just NTAG215 chips that are put into a different storage container. NTAG215 chips are adhesive, so you can put them into just about anything. I once turned several regular products into functioning amiibo using NTAG215 chips. Functionally, there’s absolutely no difference between amiibo cards and coins, or keychains, or any other form they come in.
Our readers recommend this manufacturer for amiibo coin cases.
What’s an amiibo “bin file”?
I mentioned earlier that the NTAG215 chips stores the amiibo’s file – those files are called “.bin files“. They’re called .bin files because, to put it simply, amiibo files are stored in .bin format. They’re encrypted, but apps like Tagmo can make use of handmade de-encryption tools to make them writeable to the chip.
Getting amiibo bin files is pretty difficult right now due to the shutdown of NFC Bank, so I’ve made a tracker here. If there’s no files that I know of, then the page won’t have a link to anything. If you want files from a specific game, just search “where to find” in the search bar of this website, and it’ll show you the listings of the games!
How do you make amiibo cards?
Amiibo cardsare ridiculously simple, and only need a few things:
–Tagmo for an Android with NFC functionality
–NTAG215 chips, which you can buy through this Amazon Affiliate link:NTAG215 chips
–The bin file of the amiibo cards you want to make
-Whatever decoration you choose to put on it
If you are missing one or more of these items, click their respective link and take the necessary steps to complete that task or purchase. By the end of this you should have Tagmo functioning properly with the two keys correctly added on, a set of NTAG215chips (it doesn’t work with anything else), and bin files that you obtained of your own accord. If you don’t understand what bin files are, don’t worry – they’re just the base files of specific amiibo that you’ll put on a chip.Mariohas a unique one,Linkhas a unique one, etc.
Actually making them
It’s very simple. Activate NFC on your phone. Make sure you have the unfixed-info and locked-secret bins already loaded in (reference the guide above for help). Open Tagmo, and press “Load Tag”. Search through your phone’s file system to bring up the bin file for the amiibo you want, and select it. You should see its image show up on the main screen (unless it’s pretty new).
Click “Write Tag”, and hold up ablankNTAG215 chip to the NFC point on your phone. Hold it for a moment, and it should write to the tag. Congratulations, you made an amiibo. There’s a few things you should know about amiibo chips before you make them into cards.
- They will forever be that character now. AMarioamiibo is always and forever a Mario amiibo, and once it’s written it can never be changed. The only exception is thePowersaves for Amiibo Powertag, which isn’t technically an NTAG215.
- You absolutely cannot bend them or freeze them – that’ll break them. These things are moderately fragile, so don’t do stupid things with them.
Is it Legal to Make Amiibo Cards?
Try as I might, I can’t find a definitive answer to this question. This field of law is relatively new and hasn’t yet been applied to a combination physical product + encrypted information type of good. The best thing I could come up with was a precedent that suggested that the encryption was what was actually owned by Nintendo, not the file itself… which doesn’t make much sense to me as a layman.
Which Amiibo Cards Should I Buy?
I see it as an economic question – if you want X amiibo’s functionality and the Y amiibo’s functionality, but the X amiibo costs $80 and the Y amiibo costs $30, you’re better off getting the amiibo card for X and saving your money for the Y figure. That way, you only pay $30 + the cost of a card versus $80 + the cost of a card.
I’ve made a tier list based on the secondhand prices of amiibo – the higher they are on that tier list, the better a decision it is to buy the card for that amiibo instead of buying the figure.
FAQs
Amiibox is the best iPhone Amiibo collection app with the ability to add amiibo to your collection by simply scanning their NFC tags. The app works with NTAG215 NFC tags, PowerTags and N2 Elite Tags so you can quickly restore your backups easely.
How do you scan amiibo coins? ›
Touch the amiibo to the NFC touchpoint. On the Joy-Con, the NFC touchpoint is located on the right control stick. On the Pro Controller, the NFC touchpoint is located over the Nintendo Switch logo at the top-center of the controller. On Nintendo Switch Lite, the NFC touchpoint is located on the right control stick.
Do amiibo coins work the same as figures? ›
amiibo come in different forms
Some amiibo are figures, while others are cards, but they act the same way and can do the same things no matter which form they're in!
Can you fake Animal Crossing amiibo cards? ›
There is no doubt that creating amiibo cards is illegal. It is classified as piracy since you're using amiibo data to make an unlicensed copy of the card.
Can amiibo be faked? ›
They don't come with NFC chips for starters. That means that they cannot interact with Wii U or New 3DS games like the real thing. The fakes are purely cosmetic and not even great in that sense either.
How many Amiibos are there? ›
There are currently 190 Amiibo figurines, 3 Amiibo card series, and 20 noted variants on this list. K.K. BoxBoy! Chibi-Robo!
Which amiibo is the rarest? ›
Corrin's Player 2 variant is by far the rarest of the Smash Bros. amiibo. For one, it was never released in stores! It was exclusive to Amazon, which meant customers could only purchase it for delivery.
What is the rarest amiibo Animal Crossing? ›
While there are several eagles within Animal Crossing, Apollo's amiibo card is the most valuable by far.
Can I kick a villager out with an Amiibo card? ›
If you have a full village of 10 people, you can use amiibo to kick a villager of your choice out.
Can Nintendo ban you for using fake amiibo? ›
No, you can't get banned for using fake amiibo. The way amiibo technology works, there is no technical difference between an amiibo figure produced by Nintendo and a cheap $0.30 NTAG215 chip that you just programmed yourself with Tagmo.
Yes, all types of amiibo and amiibo cards are reusable. No amiibo are destroyed when in use. However, amiibo chips don't last forever, so you shouldn't scan them dozens of times a day for fun.
Is there an app to fake amiibo? ›
Tagmo – Android, NFC-enabled phones
Tagmo is the simplest and most common way to make amiibo cards, and it's my personal favorite.
Can you use amiibo without amiibo? ›
What do I need in order to play with amiibo? You will need an amiibo figure or card, a compatible game, and a Nintendo Switch, Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS XL, or New Nintendo 2DS XL system. For use with Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS systems, a Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer accessory is required.
Can you scan amiibos without having them? ›
A recent release of Nintendo's toy-to-life amiibo reveals a change in packaging, allowing users to scan it without unboxing the figurine.
Do Amiibos ever stop learning? ›
Once an amiibo reaches level 50, it doesn't stop learning. Nintendo claims that if an opponent is capable of beating an amiibo using good tactics then the latter will still learn to adopt these tactics itself.
Does it matter if an amiibo is Japanese? ›
Unlike many other Nintendo products, Amiibo figures are not region-locked. Which means you can use Japanese versions of these toys on your European, American or Australian game consoles.
Why is my amiibo corrupted? ›
This message is received when an amiibo is not kept steady during the write process. It can happen in System Settings, or in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. If this error is recieved, select Restore or press the A button.
What is the oldest amiibo? ›
The Super Smash Bros. line is the first series of amiibo to be released, based upon Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and released alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on November 21, 2014.
Do amiibo still learn after 50? ›
Now that your amiibo is Level 50, its framework has changed. Instead of learning nad analyzing your every move, your amiibo will now shift its focus to itself. One major change at Level 50 is that your amiibo will now learn more from being defeated than it did from Levels 1-49.
Are Amiibos still being made 2022? ›
The date of manufacture is August 2022 and September 2022. As noted by Nintendo Wire, the time between certificate uploads and the production date is around two to three months on average. If this is linked to the upcoming Smash amiibo, it means we could potentially see at least one of them by December.
It's official: Link is the most popular Amiibo of them all. Figures released today at Nintendo's investor briefing show the Legend of Zelda protagonist selling more than any of the other Nintendo characters immortalized as a Skylanders-style NFC-equipped plastic figurine.
Why is Incineroar amiibo banned? ›
At the time of writing, the only character who is universally banned from tournaments (and has been since their figurine's initial release) is Incineroar. This is because of its side special, Alolan Whip — a powerful, long-ranged command grab.
What is the coolest looking amiibo? ›
There's a good argument for the Zelda & Loftwing amiibo being perhaps the best-looking figure in the entire set. The sculpt is truly beautiful. While there is no shortage of Zelda merch, few Zelda figures are this detailed and accessible.
Is there a Mewtwo Amiibo? ›
The Mewtwo amiibo released on November 13, 2015 in all territories. It originally sold for $13, and restocks have kept that price. The Mewtwo amiibo was originally considered rare at launch. Mewtwo is a downloadable character in Super Smash Bros.
Which amiibo gives you a horse? ›
Epona, Link's lovely horse from Ocarina of Time, can be ridden in Breath of the Wild. The easiest way to get her is to scan the Twilight Link Smash Bros amiibo. Once Epona is teleported into the game world you'll want to head over to a stable and register her, allowing you to summon her whenever you like.
Can you get a raymond amiibo? ›
Raymond appears in Series 5 of the Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards collection, but these are sold at random in packs of three. You might have better luck trying to find one second-hand on a website like eBay.
Is merengue a rare villager? ›
Merengue is a normal rhinoceros villager in the Animal Crossing series. She first appeared in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and has appeared in all subsequent games.
How do you tell Isabelle a villager is no longer wanted? ›
Stop talking and interacting with them, even when they call the player by name. Tell Isabelle that they are no longer wanted around. Ignore mail from that villager. Use an amiibo to bring in a new villager and use that one to replace the unwanted villager.
Can my friend use my amiibo card? ›
Yes, for games that do not save data to the amiibo figures, a single figure can be used with multiple copies of the same game.
Do amiibo villagers remember you? ›
In most situations, villagers do not retain any memory of their time on your island. If you encounter them at your campsite (either randomly or by using an amiibo/card scan) or on a mystery tour island, they will not speak of any previous time on your island.
Send your amiibo Figure Players on a journey across the internet to test their skills! Your amiibo fighter will battle against other players' amiibo fighters even when you aren't actively playing the game. You can watch your amiibo battle during its journey and you'll receive rewards when it wins.
Why did Nintendo stop making Amiibo cards? ›
There had been an initial boom where the figures had become hard to collect (whether due to intended scarcity or underestimating their popularity is debatable), and then sales of amiibo seemed to slow down, and there was an overabundance in stores.
How many Amiibo cards can I use in a day? ›
You will be able to scan compatible amiibo figures after you have unlocked the amiibo rune in the game (usually about 45 minutes into gameplay). You can use each amiibo figure once per day (per Nintendo Account).
Is it worth buying Amiibo cards? ›
These Animal Crossing Amiibo cards are great and very useful in New Horizons as you are able to invite them to your campsite and then into your Village to live. It's a good way to control who you have living in your town.
Can amiibo run out of battery? ›
No, amiibo don't require batteries.
Can I use my phone to make Amiibos? ›
Tagmo – Android, NFC-enabled phones
Tagmo is the simplest and most common way to make amiibo cards, and it's my personal favorite. I love Tagmo so much I've actually held onto the same phone for six years just to keep making amiibo cards with it, and I consider it part of the “Holy Trinity” of amiibo emulation.
Can you use your phone to scan amiibo? ›
A user's backup amiibo data can be written to an NFC card, tag, coin, button, etc., using an Android or iOS smartphone with an NFC reader. There is only one type of NFC tag that works with amiibo data: NTAG215.
Can you use your phone to spoof amiibo? ›
1 Answer. You can't spoof it directly by just putting your phone over the Switch Joycon, but you are able to spoof Amiibo's using an Android device or any device that is capable of writing data to an NFC215 chip.
Can you scan Amiibos without having them? ›
A recent release of Nintendo's toy-to-life amiibo reveals a change in packaging, allowing users to scan it without unboxing the figurine.
Are NFC tags rewritable? ›
NFC Tags are rewritable by default. Potentially, the NFC Tag can be rewritten endlessly. They are guaranteed to be rewritten up to 100,000 times (depending on the IC). However, you can also block them, so that they will no longer be rewritten.
These villagers may appear in your campsite or on a mystery island if you have a free house plot on your island. So, if you don't want to buy any Amiibo cards, gather those Nook Miles and a little bit of luck if you want to find any of these villagers!
Does my phone have NFC? ›
You can check for NFC settings on your Samsung Android device by looking in the settings app > connections > tap NFC and contactless payments. If you see an option for NFC there, your device is enabled to make NFC payments.
Is it illegal to make Amiibos? ›
Amiibo are copyrighted works and probably fall under the category of commercial software, making their distribution probably illegal, although US law is very, very young in this area. (because Nintendo presumably doesn't want others to distribute amiibo files).
What is Amiibox? ›
Amiibox is an unofficial app for collectors and fans of amiibo and is intended only to be used for informational and educational purposes. Amiibox is in no way affiliated with Nintendo. amiibo is a registered trademark of Nintendo.
Can you erase amiibo data? ›
From the HOME Menu select “System Settings,” then scroll down the menu on the left-hand side and select “amiibo”. Select the data you would like to delete. To delete game data only, select “Delete Game Data.” To delete all data on the amiibo, select “Reset amiibo”.
