General The Best Card Sleeves

TrainmasterGT

TrainmasterGT

So, I've been looking to get some new card sleeves for my cube for a while now. I have some expensive cards that I'm afraid to run because they might get damaged with the sleeves I'm using right now. Currently, my cube is single-sleeved using some old Ultra Pro deck protectors. While they have a good shuffle feel and are completely opaque, they don't have the best integrity and tend to split fairly often, even with minimal play.

Given the advent of the Modal Double-Faced Cards, I thought now would be a good time to double-sleeve my cube with using a new type of outer sleeve. I watched the Professor's top two best sleeves video to help in my purchasing process, but I'm still on the fence as to what I want to get.


I've heard good things about dragon shield sleeves, but I dislike their shuffle feel and I hate the fact that they're not fully opaque. Since I am making this change to sleeve hardware specifically because I want to run double-faced cards, I've decided to remove Dragon Shields from my list of potential buying options. That just leaves Ultra Pro eclipses on my radar. Although my current Ultra Pro Deck Protectors are less than satisfactory in their quality in regards to splitting, from what I've heard Eclipse sleeves do not have this issue. While I have not personally purchased and Tested eclipses (thanks CoVID!), I have some Ultra Pro graphic sleeves which have never split in over 6 years of use. However, by around year 4, they did start getting kind of grimy and hard to shuffle. This was primarily because the printed portion of the sleeves were separate from the main back of the sleeve, and they started to trap dirt over time. It did not help that much of the play these sleeves experienced was out in the middle of the woods on camping trips. Since I like the shuffle mechanics of my current Ultra-Pro deck protector sleeves, I am leaning heavily towards eclipses. I am worried that the grime aspect of the sleeves may prove to be overwhelming if they are similar to my graphic sleeves, given that this was something mentioned by the professor in his sleeve review.

The other issue regards inner sleeves. I've never had to purchase inner sleeves before for any purpose. I have heard good things about the KMC perfect size sleeve, and that is the forerunner in my quest. However, I have also heard good things about the perfect fit sleeve produced by Dragon Shield. While I don't believe Dragon Shields fit my needs for an outer sleeve, the quality of their product cannot be denied, so I am somewhat interested in their inner sleeve options.

So, that is my dilemma. I think I want to go with an Eclipse/KMC Perfect size pairing form my double sleeving endeavor, but I am interested to hear what you all think. What type of sleeves do you use?
 
shamizy

shamizy

KMC Perfect Hards for inner sleeves, Dragon Shield Mattes for the outer sleeves. It's what I use for my cube and my EDH decks, wouldn't go with any other combination nowadays. Go with a darker color variant like Black or Purple and you can't really go wrong. I've only ever had a handful of DS sleeves split on me over the years so it'll keep being my go-to until the quality noticeably tanks. I don't think that'll happen though.
 
Velrun

Velrun

shamizy said:
KMC Perfect Hards for inner sleeves, Dragon Shield Mattes for the outer sleeves. It's what I use for my cube and my EDH decks, wouldn't go with any other combination nowadays. Go with a darker color variant like Black or Purple and you can't really go wrong. I've only ever had a handful of DS sleeves split on me over the years so it'll keep being my go-to until the quality noticeably tanks. I don't think that'll happen though.
Click to expand...

Could you possibly link to the two products to make it easy for me to check out?
 
TrainmasterGT

TrainmasterGT

shamizy said:
KMC Perfect Hards for inner sleeves, Dragon Shield Mattes for the outer sleeves. It's what I use for my cube and my EDH decks, wouldn't go with any other combination nowadays. Go with a darker color variant like Black or Purple and you can't really go wrong. I've only ever had a handful of DS sleeves split on me over the years so it'll keep being my go-to until the quality noticeably tanks. I don't think that'll happen though.
Click to expand...
What is the difference between KMC Perfect Hards and normal KMC Perfect Size sleeves?
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Ugh matte sleeves
Glossy all the way

I use dragon shields and have for basically ever, both inner and outer
Highly recommend their side loading perfect fits, as I'd get a lot of vertical sliding otherwise
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

Ecstatic Orb
I use dragon shields for the outer sleeve and KMC perfect fit for the inner sleeves. Works like a charm!

I also use the Eclipse sleeves for a few commander decks, without inner sleeves, and they have a nice shuffle feel plus they truly are opaque. For the dragon shields it depends a bit on the color, the darker colors are actually completely opaque as well, I've found.
 
Zoss

Zoss

Penny sleeves are the real deal.

Jokes aside, I've been very happy with Dragon Shield Perfect Fits for inners (https://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/236042) and Ultimate Guard Katanas (https://ultimateguard.com/en/ideal-fit/katana-sleeves-standard-size#/11-color_variation-black) for my outer sleeve. Normally, I'd use KMC Perfect Fits for inners, but my LGS carries the Dragon Shields and they're great too. Katanas can be a little slippery for the first few shuffles, but they break in quickly (but don't wear out!).

Notably, Katanas are available in fully transparent (https://ultimateguard.com/en/ideal-fit/katana-sleeves-standard-size#/11-color_variation-transparent), which should work well for DFC! I'm going to have a checklist card/proxy with both sides written out in the draft and in the player's deck. They can snag the actual card after the draft, and then when it comes out of their hand, they can use the actual card instead. Hopefully. We'll see if this works out.
 
shamizy

shamizy

Velrun said:
Could you possibly link to the two products to make it easy for me to check out?
Click to expand...

Here are DS Mattes. They run a bit pricier than most sleeves, but can be bought in bulk (say 7+ boxes) at about $8 per pack of 100.

Here are the KMC Perfect Hards. They come in packs of 50, usually end up costing around $5 a piece unless you buy in bulk (say 10) at which point you can get like each pack for around $3.


TrainmasterGT said:
What is the difference between KMC Perfect Hards and normal KMC Perfect Size sleeves?
Click to expand...


Perfect hards are much thicker than a perfect fit. A perfect fit is more akin to a penny sleeves and pretty flimsy overall, the perfect hards are solid and nigh indestructible. I've easily had over a thousand across my cube + EDH decks and have never come close to splitting a single one. They do make decks MUCH bigger though because of the added thickness. Some might think it's overkill, but I'm willing to shell out a few more $$$ to get that peace of mind. Perfect fits just don't feel like they provide enough protection anymore having used perfect hards for nearly two years now.

 
C

Clyde

Dragon shields have held up the best for me but I switched to Ultra Pro Matte Eclipse for the better shuffle feel. The corners split more often and get equally as dirty, but that feel tho...
 
TrainmasterGT

TrainmasterGT

Clyde said:
Dragon shields have held up the best for me but I switched to Ultra Pro Matte Eclipse for the better shuffle feel. The corners split more often and get equally as dirty, but that feel tho...
Click to expand...
How often do they split? Is it one sleeve every 100 shuffles, or a sleeve every play session, or more or less? One of the primary reasons for my re-sleeving effort is because I wish to eliminate splitting. I'm not a big fan of the thickness, lack of opacity, and shuffle feel of Dragon Shields. However, if the eclipses are going to split like wood in an axe yard, I don't think the aesthetic, space, and shuffle reasons outclass the integrity of the sleeve.
 
C

Clyde

TrainmasterGT said:
How often do they split? Is it one sleeve every 100 shuffles, or a sleeve every play session, or more or less? One of the primary reasons for my re-sleeving effort is because I wish to eliminate splitting. I'm not a big fan of the thickness, lack of opacity, and shuffle feel of Dragon Shields. However, if the eclipses are going to split like wood in an axe yard, I don't think the aesthetic, space, and shuffle reasons outclass the integrity of the sleeve.
Click to expand...

We play most weekends, 3 of us, usually do two drafts, and shuffle the cube pretty well between drafts. I probably swap 3-4 sleeves each month.
 
Velrun

Velrun

Clyde said:
Dragon shields have held up the best for me but I switched to Ultra Pro Matte Eclipse for the better shuffle feel. The corners split more often and get equally as dirty, but that feel tho...
Click to expand...

Could you also link me, please?
Kind regards
 
Velrun

Velrun

From the link, quote:

Ultra Pro Matte Eclipse Smoke Grey Standard Deck Protector Sleeves (100 Count Pack), One Size

Ultra Pro: That’s the brand, correct?
Matte: That’s the texture of the back-side of the sleeve, correct?
Eclipse Smoke Grey: That’s the color that you’d wish you could change, correct?
Standard Deck Protector Sleeve: That means they are for Magic cards, correct?
 
C

Clyde

Velrun said:
From the link, quote:

Ultra Pro Matte Eclipse Smoke Grey Standard Deck Protector Sleeves (100 Count Pack), One Size

Ultra Pro: That’s the brand, correct?
Matte: That’s the texture of the back-side of the sleeve, correct?
Eclipse Smoke Grey: That’s the color that you’d wish you could change, correct?
Standard Deck Protector Sleeve: That means they are for Magic cards, correct?
Click to expand...

Ultra Pro is the brand, Eclipse is the type, Matte is the finish, and Smoke Grey is the color. The color is good, it just doesn't stand out when on a playmat to make for easy cleanup. I've only sleeved Magic cards with these. Here's a link to the direct website. https://shop.ultrapro.com/products/pro-matte-eclipse-dps?variant=29486986625102
 
Erik Twice

Erik Twice

Sadly, there's no best sleeve. The choice is between Ultra Pro Eclipse and Dragon Shield and they both have serious drawbacks.

Ultra Pro Eclipses pick up gunk. I don't know why, but they become dirty very quickly. I picked them up and ended up replacing them in less than a tournament season because I was tired of it. They also aren't fully transparent on the front, which ruins the vibrancy of the card. Otherwise, they are very good and I haven't had a split. All the people I know have had the same issue with Eclipses.

Dragon Shields are great except for the transparent back. Quite frankly, paying so much for sleeves that aren't even fully opaquehurts, but if you want the best sleeving solution, yeah, it's Dragon Shields plus a dark inner sleeve. Right now I use Dragon Shields for L5R. L5R cards are less prone to damage than Magic, standards are lower and there are no two-faced cards so it's not an issue. Note that, while a darker colour helps, it's still pretty obvious . Seriously, I'm not surprised they have gotten Pro players a game loss at tournaments.

It's a pain, if you ask me.
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

Ecstatic Orb
Erik Twice said:
Dragon Shields are great except for the transparent back.
Click to expand...

Again, in my experience this depends on the color of the Dragon Shields. Most of the colors are ever so slightly translucent, but you have to look for it. A few are more noticably not opaque, and a few actually are. I don't know the exact names, but I've ordered just about every color of Dragon Shields because I have more than 30 commander decks, and most are sleeved in Dragon Shields. I think it was Copper Matte that I couldn't see through even at an angle under a lightbulb.

Quick edit: Actually, when I flip around the card in the sleeve, it is quite noticeable. I can't actually read the card, but it's indeed very clear that you're not looking at the back of a card, even with the colors I've found to be not translucent (for card backs). So I guess I have to take it back :)
 
japahn

japahn

KMCs had a really crappy period, but because that's what I had before and I've put stickers on a ton of KMC sleeves, I just use them. If you get the good batches, they are fine - not translucent on the back, not opaque in the front, take a while to get dirty. They mark easily though (especially corners getting fold-marked).
 
Mondschwein

Mondschwein

- KMC perfect size for inner sleeves (the good production line, the prof made a video where he talks about that, can't find it right away)
- Dragon Shields Matte (brown, but forgot the actual name of how the colour is called on the product)

Have to admit that I didn't test too many of them, but I'm pretty happy with what I have.
 
TrainmasterGT

TrainmasterGT

Erik Twice said:
Ultra Pro Eclipses pick up gunk. I don't know why, but they become dirty very quickly. I picked them up and ended up replacing them in less than a tournament season because I was tired of it. They also aren't fully transparent on the front, which ruins the vibrancy of the card. Otherwise, they are very good and I haven't had a split. All the people I know have had the same issue with Eclipses.
Click to expand...

I know there are the new Gloss eclipse sleeves which supposedly does not have the foil vibrancy issue, although I don't know if they also have a gloss back on not. I also don't know if they get gunky or not.
 
Zoss

Zoss

I don't have that one, but I got a couple of their Strongholds to support my LGS back in the summer, and they're great (one white and one black). The white color is more of a light cream, but it's aged just fine (not picking up dust or dirt, apart from cat hair).

I bring up the two colors because their texture felt different when I first got them. While the white box always felt like smooth canvas, the black box had an uncomfortably suede texture. However, the texture has 'broken in' and now feels very nice to the touch, if still different from the white box, so don't despair if the texture feels too stubbly at first! They're very sturdy, and the magnets are exactly the right strength. I'd recommend this highly, but again, it's not the dungeon.
 
Chriskool

Chriskool

Boxes, boxes, get your boxes. An exciting topic for fantasy sets/ceded cube packs given Cube Shells/Cubeamajigs!

I got an Ultimate Guard ArkHive 800+ XenoSkin: Purple to hold 36 Dragon Shield Cube Shells (each with 15 Dragon Shield Matte sleeved cards with Dragon Shield side-loading inner sleeves). And 2 Dragon Shield Double Shell to hold 100 basic lands each (same sleeving).

The ArkHive is nice but a bit small; the 4 cube packs and some space on the top right row is all that remains after 36 cube shells are inserted. I wish I could fit the 2 Double Shells for basics, but I think it fits everything else (including dice/tokens when I get 'em).

The cube shells can fit 4 inside Dragon Shield Deck Shell (which is cool - I will get 8 total so drafters can use them while playing. Easily can fit 40 card double-sleeved deck, some tokens, SB and maybe dice.
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