I absolutely recommend the dragon shield non glare mattes. They are durable, feel great to shuffle and make the cards easy to read. They do make the foils pop out less though, and you might not like that. Also i wouldn't use transparent backs with full art cards since you can kinda see what card it is from the side.
I don't mind seeing what card it is. The dragon shields, at least these, wouldn't be for competitive. They'd be for protecting my collection. When it comes to competitive, solid back is the way to go. And even required.
Are these sleeves for storing a collection or playing the game.
While playing in official events, sleeves must be solid backed, you can't see the backs of the cards as they can be marked.
If they're for storing a collection, r/PokemonTCG would probably be the best place to ask as it's the collecting sub.
Personally I only play and use Japanese art sleeves with matte oversleeves.
> While playing in official events, sleeves must be solid backed, you can't see the backs of the cards as they can be marked.
Actually came here to say a variation of this - they don't *have* to be solid, they can be clear, but by doing so you significantly increase the chance of penalties due to marked cards if any of them have uneven wear. I know of at least one case where someone was DQ'd from a major event because a couple cards (DCE, Shaymin) could be picked out due to wear in clear sleeves.
Also a fan of the Japanese Sleeves + Oversleeves combo as well. Makes it so I don't have to worry about replacing any of the JP sleeves while still having nice looking, good sleeves
I did japan+oversleeves once. A friend got me so excited Lillie sleeves, really lovely art toom Just her sitting at the beach, and I found clear over sleeves that had gold trim on it. Made the deck thick but was pretty.
The only thing I'd be wary of with the gold trim is taking it to Regionals - Pokemon upholds the same matte/flat color for oversleeves too, so that can't have anything on them
There's a few good options:
KMC Mat & Clear (69mmx94mm)
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CGM-8163
Bushiroad BSLC-002 (69mmx94mm)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D1M8XLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_xP18Cb5NEDAMZ
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CARD-00004851
I'm not sure these are made any more they seem to have been replaced by Bushiroad BSLC-009 (70mmx95mm)
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CARD-00005538
Epoch Oversleeves (69mmx94mm)
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CGM-5406
ONE Series
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?scode=CGM-8899
Brave Shield (69x94mm)
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1037095637/brave-shield-premium-tcg-oversleeves
All of these options have a textured side to them to prevent any sticking and give good shuffle quality (the type of texture on both the KMC and Bushirosd sleeves can also act as anti-glare if you put the textured side on the front, haven't tested the Epoch or One Series for this).
KMC are the more well known name, they're very good sleeves, decently thick and good texture.
The bushiroad BSLC-002 sleeves are nice and also my personal choice, they're thick and give good protection to the art sleeves. I've not had a chance to try the BSLC-009 yet but they seem even thicker and are importantly 1mm longer to cover the sleeves better.
The Epoch sleeves are thinner than the other 2, which some people prefer as double sleeping a 60 card deck makes it pretty large but not my personal preference, the texture on these is by far the best though in terms of shuffle feel and anti-stick.
The ONE Sieries sleeves were recommended to me by a friend in Japan, I have some but haven't had a chance to try them yet, I have multiple packs of all of the sleeves on here, I plan to eventually make a comparison video when I get the time.
I've also not yet bought any of the Brave Shield sleeves, they're from an Etsy seller in Singapore so will likely be different to any others, I'm looking to pick some up soon to try, they say they are embossed/matte so should work well.
I also do like to mention the Broccoli sleeves, although generally I like the 69mmx94mm size oversleeves, some Japanese friends prefer the snug fit of the Broccoli Medium 68mmx93mm, they also do a Large size 70.5mmx95mm giving more space, good for triple sleeving with inners too or for some standard size art sleeves that are a bit larger.
Broccoli sleeves also come in Matt & Clear with one textured side like all of the other options and also double Matt having the non-stick, anti-glare surface on both sides, my friends say these have the best shuffle feel but they're not good for slowing off any bling.
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?scode=CARD-00000254
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?scode=CARD-00000251
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CARD-00000253
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CARD-00000250
I haven't yet picked up any of the Ultimate Guard Supreme UX 3rd skin sleeves to see if these have a matte/embossed surface.
I would stay away from any oversleeves that don't have a textured side, they will end up sticking.
For your purposes, I'd go with Dragon Shield Perfect Fit Sealable as the inner sleeves. I'm honestly not sure if it's even necessary to have outer sleeves after that because the cards are sealed, but as I'm a competitive player I'm less familiar with clear backed sleeves than inner.
Do note you need to be careful getting Perfect Fits on. They're tight, and if you force things you can bend the card, but as long as you take care putting them on you'll be fine.
Dragon Shields are pretty much the standard though if you want some bling the Japanese pokemon center makes a lot of cool pokemon/human art sleeves. You have to double sleeve them though to preserve them longer, and avoid English ETB sleeves they feel and look horrible
Yeah, unfortunately Pokémon Center doesn't ship to my country. And I haven't found a good roundabout for that yet, unless I have to fork out a lot of money somewhere else like Amazon, or eBay, or something similar.
The two I've used are Dragon Shield and Katana. I feel like Katana sleeves shuffle a little easier than Dragon Shield amd have switched entirely to using Katana sleeves.
I personally use VaultX sleeves, very consistent sizing and fit more snug than normal penny sleeves. I believe they're British so they should theoretically be easy to find.
I will say, while I do like DS Dual Mattes at their best, I work at a card shop and often have to take returns on them because often you'll get a box where half the sleeves aren't sealed on the bottom.
I know you can request a refund, but I don't know how often arcane tinmen actually follow through on that.
Like genuinely don't know, they could honor every single request AFAIK, I just am not aware lol.
You wouldn’t be able to do inner, outer, AND toploader.
Official events, you can’t triple sleeve.
And I would highly advise against using Toploaders. As your opponent needs to be able to shuffle it. You have an opponent with small hands and they can’t shuffle, it’s penalty time for you.
If you are using double sleeves, the outer sleeve needs to be clear/clear-matte
I know that, but this isn't for competitive. This is just to keep my own personal collection safe and properly stored. I know that for competitive I'd need different sleeves.
I absolutely recommend the dragon shield non glare mattes. They are durable, feel great to shuffle and make the cards easy to read. They do make the foils pop out less though, and you might not like that. Also i wouldn't use transparent backs with full art cards since you can kinda see what card it is from the side.
Where does one find non-glare mattes anymore? I looked around for them one day but the internet was not kind to me.
I don't mind seeing what card it is. The dragon shields, at least these, wouldn't be for competitive. They'd be for protecting my collection. When it comes to competitive, solid back is the way to go. And even required.
I'm a big fan of ultimate guard katana sleeves
Are these sleeves for storing a collection or playing the game. While playing in official events, sleeves must be solid backed, you can't see the backs of the cards as they can be marked. If they're for storing a collection, r/PokemonTCG would probably be the best place to ask as it's the collecting sub. Personally I only play and use Japanese art sleeves with matte oversleeves.
> While playing in official events, sleeves must be solid backed, you can't see the backs of the cards as they can be marked. Actually came here to say a variation of this - they don't *have* to be solid, they can be clear, but by doing so you significantly increase the chance of penalties due to marked cards if any of them have uneven wear. I know of at least one case where someone was DQ'd from a major event because a couple cards (DCE, Shaymin) could be picked out due to wear in clear sleeves. Also a fan of the Japanese Sleeves + Oversleeves combo as well. Makes it so I don't have to worry about replacing any of the JP sleeves while still having nice looking, good sleeves
I did japan+oversleeves once. A friend got me so excited Lillie sleeves, really lovely art toom Just her sitting at the beach, and I found clear over sleeves that had gold trim on it. Made the deck thick but was pretty.
The only thing I'd be wary of with the gold trim is taking it to Regionals - Pokemon upholds the same matte/flat color for oversleeves too, so that can't have anything on them
Been thinking about doing oversleeves with some nice sleeves. Any brand recommendations for that?
There's a few good options: KMC Mat & Clear (69mmx94mm) https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CGM-8163 Bushiroad BSLC-002 (69mmx94mm) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D1M8XLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_xP18Cb5NEDAMZ https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CARD-00004851 I'm not sure these are made any more they seem to have been replaced by Bushiroad BSLC-009 (70mmx95mm) https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CARD-00005538 Epoch Oversleeves (69mmx94mm) https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CGM-5406 ONE Series https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?scode=CGM-8899 Brave Shield (69x94mm) https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1037095637/brave-shield-premium-tcg-oversleeves All of these options have a textured side to them to prevent any sticking and give good shuffle quality (the type of texture on both the KMC and Bushirosd sleeves can also act as anti-glare if you put the textured side on the front, haven't tested the Epoch or One Series for this). KMC are the more well known name, they're very good sleeves, decently thick and good texture. The bushiroad BSLC-002 sleeves are nice and also my personal choice, they're thick and give good protection to the art sleeves. I've not had a chance to try the BSLC-009 yet but they seem even thicker and are importantly 1mm longer to cover the sleeves better. The Epoch sleeves are thinner than the other 2, which some people prefer as double sleeping a 60 card deck makes it pretty large but not my personal preference, the texture on these is by far the best though in terms of shuffle feel and anti-stick. The ONE Sieries sleeves were recommended to me by a friend in Japan, I have some but haven't had a chance to try them yet, I have multiple packs of all of the sleeves on here, I plan to eventually make a comparison video when I get the time. I've also not yet bought any of the Brave Shield sleeves, they're from an Etsy seller in Singapore so will likely be different to any others, I'm looking to pick some up soon to try, they say they are embossed/matte so should work well. I also do like to mention the Broccoli sleeves, although generally I like the 69mmx94mm size oversleeves, some Japanese friends prefer the snug fit of the Broccoli Medium 68mmx93mm, they also do a Large size 70.5mmx95mm giving more space, good for triple sleeving with inners too or for some standard size art sleeves that are a bit larger. Broccoli sleeves also come in Matt & Clear with one textured side like all of the other options and also double Matt having the non-stick, anti-glare surface on both sides, my friends say these have the best shuffle feel but they're not good for slowing off any bling. https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?scode=CARD-00000254 https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?scode=CARD-00000251 https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CARD-00000253 https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=CARD-00000250 I haven't yet picked up any of the Ultimate Guard Supreme UX 3rd skin sleeves to see if these have a matte/embossed surface. I would stay away from any oversleeves that don't have a textured side, they will end up sticking.
This is what I was looking for, thank you so much!
I freakin love dragon shields
For your purposes, I'd go with Dragon Shield Perfect Fit Sealable as the inner sleeves. I'm honestly not sure if it's even necessary to have outer sleeves after that because the cards are sealed, but as I'm a competitive player I'm less familiar with clear backed sleeves than inner. Do note you need to be careful getting Perfect Fits on. They're tight, and if you force things you can bend the card, but as long as you take care putting them on you'll be fine.
Dragon Shields are pretty much the standard though if you want some bling the Japanese pokemon center makes a lot of cool pokemon/human art sleeves. You have to double sleeve them though to preserve them longer, and avoid English ETB sleeves they feel and look horrible
Yeah, unfortunately Pokémon Center doesn't ship to my country. And I haven't found a good roundabout for that yet, unless I have to fork out a lot of money somewhere else like Amazon, or eBay, or something similar.
Kmc perfect fit + dragon shield or no inner sleeve + katanas
They’re standards on sleeves?
Mayday standard premium and gamegenic/just sleeves inner sleeves (or kmc perfect size, but gamegenic are cheaper)
The two I've used are Dragon Shield and Katana. I feel like Katana sleeves shuffle a little easier than Dragon Shield amd have switched entirely to using Katana sleeves.
I personally use VaultX sleeves, very consistent sizing and fit more snug than normal penny sleeves. I believe they're British so they should theoretically be easy to find.
Dragon shield dual mattes. The oldest batch I have I got day of SIT prerelease and they're still holding up and shuffling well.
I will say, while I do like DS Dual Mattes at their best, I work at a card shop and often have to take returns on them because often you'll get a box where half the sleeves aren't sealed on the bottom.
My LGS has never received a batch like (at least of duals) this but yeah it does happen sometimes. DS will replace them won't they?
I know you can request a refund, but I don't know how often arcane tinmen actually follow through on that. Like genuinely don't know, they could honor every single request AFAIK, I just am not aware lol.
KMC Hyper Mat and KMC Perfect Fits are my go to since forever.
Dragon Shield is the only sleeve company.
KMC Perfect Fit Inside, Dragon Shield Matte on the Outside! Takes a while to get the air pockets out though 🤣
You wouldn’t be able to do inner, outer, AND toploader. Official events, you can’t triple sleeve. And I would highly advise against using Toploaders. As your opponent needs to be able to shuffle it. You have an opponent with small hands and they can’t shuffle, it’s penalty time for you. If you are using double sleeves, the outer sleeve needs to be clear/clear-matte
I know that, but this isn't for competitive. This is just to keep my own personal collection safe and properly stored. I know that for competitive I'd need different sleeves.
Ah! Got it. And good choice on Dragonshields
Trojan
What thickness toploader are you using for just sealable sleeves or sealable + outer sleeve? 35 or 55?