All Your Questions about Amiibo, Answered

by Doc – Owner, Founder, Has Two Hours to Kill

When you search for amiibo-related queries on Google, it’ll include the “People Also Ask” section to answer your other questions. So… screw it, let’s answer all the questions about amiibo that I can find until I have to get up and do something more productive.

For amiibo training questions, we’ll just point you to this page instead.

What is the point of amiibo?

Amiibo has two purposes: collecting and use in Nintendo games. Amiibo figures are high quality and depict favorite Nintendo and third-party characters, so fans enjoy collecting them. Nintendo games on the Wii U, 3DS and Nintendo Switch also use amiibo to varying degrees. It’s likely that if you play a recent Nintendo game, it can use amiibo in some way.

How much do Amiibo cost?

Amiibo that were originally printed during the Wii U and 3DS era cost $13, while Nintendo Switch-era amiibo cost $16. Amiibo card packs, when they’re released, cost $6.

Do they still make amiibo?

Yep. You can find a list of recently-released and upcoming amiibo at amiibo.life.

Can you reuse amiibo?

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.

Are amiibo worth it?

You’re asking the wrong guy, buddy.

What are the rarest amiibo?

There’s several candidates, and I’ve outlined them all here. Generally, people consider (not including amiibo that were part of contests) the Qbby amiibo to be the rarest amiibo. It was only released in Japan, and for an unpopular game, so little supply escaped the shelves.

What is the most useful amiibo?

Mario amiibo are useful pretty much everywhere, there’s very few Nintendo games that don’t have some use or another for a Mario amiibo. Your best bet is the Super Mario series Mario amiibo, as that one’s the one that has the most compatibility in recent games. It’s also common enough that its price hasn’t increased post-market as much as the other amiibo, only costing about $30 secondhand at the moment.

Link amiibo never hurt either, although you’re much better off getting the Smash series Link amiibo than the Zelda series Link amiibo varieties.

Does Nintendo Switch Lite/OLED support amiibo?

Yes, it functions exactly the same as it does on the regular Nintendo Switch. You set the amiibo on the right joystick’s head and it scans the chip in the amiibo. The Switch OLED will be identical – Nintendo has not announced any intention of altering the Joy-Con system for the Nintendo Switch OLED.

Are amiibo cards legal?

We’ve kinda half-answered that question, but… it’s really not clear at the moment. Nintendo-made amiibo cards are obviously legal, but this question is talking about fanmade unofficial amiibo cards. We don’t know for sure if they’re legal or not, but Nintendo has never taken any amiibo card manufacturers to court in the Western world, at least not to the best of my knowledge. They’ve issued DMCA takedown requests to Etsy listings, but that’s little more than a threatening letter with some teeth. Nobody’s gone to court.

Nintendo shouldn’t take anyone to court, either – these bootleg amiibo sellers aren’t hurting anyone, and Nintendo can’t make money from selling old amiibo because they’re not selling the old amiibo anymore. It’s a service to fans, really.

Can you use amiibo cards to get villagers?

Yeah, that’s how it works in Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s Welcome amiibo update, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

How often can I use amiibo in BOTW?

Once per day. However, you can also cheat a little by adjusting the Switch clock.

Is amiibo dead?

No. We have upcoming content analyzing Nintendo’s business practices that indicate that amiibo will likely be supported for the next three years, until the end of the lifetime of Nintendo Switch.

Why are amiibo so hard to find?

Unlike other collectible items, amiibo is more than a collectible. It’s also useful in popular video games, so fans of those video games must buy the amiibo to get the full range of content their video game provides. There’s so much demand for amiibo that supply is always outstripped.

Is Marth amiibo rare?

Yes, he hasn’t been sold in years.

What is the least rarest amiibo?

It depends on the month and year you’re talking about. At the moment, all of my stores have leftover Pink Yarn Yoshi amiibo that were reprinted recently. Many of them also have old Animal Crossing series amiibo figures from years back that never sold. However, Nintendo reprints amiibo periodically, so… the most common amiibo is whatever you can find on the shelves in your area.

What was the most expensive amiibo?

The most expensive individual amiibo, excluding things like console bundles and 3-Packs, was the Mega Yarn Yoshi amiibo. That sucker cost $40 at its launch and is now hundreds of dollars.

How much is the Gold Mario amiibo worth?

According to Google Shopping, I’m seeing Gold Mario amiibo out-of-box go for $30-$35. New-in-box ones are much more varied, with some going as high as $70. I see one jerk who’s trying to sell it for $2,700, because he’s an idiot.

Can you fake amiibo cards?

Amiibo cards are the fakes, at least the fanmade ones are. Etsy amiibo cards are made by non-proprietary equipment and non-proprietary software, and they’re easily faked. Just use Tagmo or NFC Tools.

Can I turn my phone into an amiibo?

No. You can’t use your phone as an amiibo. The closest you can get is Joy-Con Droid, which only works with a very small amount of Android phones, and is really not very good. However, you can use your phone to make amiibo cards, which you absolutely should do.

Do amiibo work on all games?

No.

What does the Mipha amiibo give you?

Mipha works in two games: Breath of the Wild and Smash Ultimate. In BOTW, it drops a chest of Zora-themed loot and a lot of fish. In Smash, you get a Mipha spirit.

Will there be a Raymond amiibo card?

Probably, but there’s been no announcement. Nintendo is likely to release a Raymond amiibo card because they’ve promised amiibo functionality for all the new villagers in New Horizons as well. And there’s also a lot of old Animal Crossing amiibo that have no functionality, so there will probably be a New Horizons amiibo update at some point.

Are amiibo still relevant?

Yes. You can use them on most Nintendo Switch games, and new ones are being released frequently.

Is there a Joker amiibo?

I can tell this question dates back quite a ways. Yes, there’s a Joker amiibo.

Are amiibo cards safe?

Yeah, they’re identical to official amiibo. Their function is perfectly identical and Nintendo will never know if you buy fanmade amiibo cards. However, you should watch out for papercuts.

Is amiibo spoofing illegal?

The law on this is very young, and nobody’s really sure. See our above question about whether amiibo cards are legal.

Do amiibo get restocked?

Yes, we call them “reprints”. Nintendo periodically reprints amiibo, but most amiibo haven’t been reprinted and likely never will be. This is a lot of the reason that fanmade amiibo cards are so popular.

Are amiibo waterproof?

No.

You weren’t thinking of testing this, were you? It’ll work after being submerged sometimes, but not always.

How many amiibo are there in 2021?

Currently amiibo.life is tracking 771 amiibo with 3 more on the way. By the beginning of 2022, we should be at 773 amiibo figures released.

Can you wash an amiibo?

Sure, but be very careful and do not submerge any part of it in water or other liquids. Take a paper towel and apply a very light general cleanser fluid, and use that to dab your amiibo. Make sure it won’t strip the paint off first.

How do amiiboos work?

I… you have autocorrect, right?

Amiibo work by being scanned into the Nintendo game in question at a certain time. It then unlocks something in the game.

Is Kamek a girl or boy?

Why was this recommended to me?