You get what you pay for. I have dragonshields from eight years ago that are still highly playable. My ultrapros from that long ago have long since hit the trash bin.
I agree, I got some dragon shields 2+ years ago and haven't broken any, but every time I get ultra-pros one splits within 2 months...
I'm gonna have a hard time going back to Ultra Pro if DragonShield goes under. I started with UP, switched, and I couldn't be happier. I shuffle my cards kinda rough, and Ultra Pro breaks extremely easily. The worst I've seen of my DS plastics is some corner wear at the top.
Those of you claiming UP is better, have you tried DS? If not, do it. You will probably not switch back.
I buy KMC matte back, but recently the quality has been worse. I have one set from a few years back that is still really great, no splits or anything, but a set I bought recently... At least 30 (no joke) have split. No idea how that happened. Might just be a bad batch but I am wary of them now.
Dragon Sleeves seem to be quite good, I'll agree. I might try those out next time I buy.
I'm ok with ultra pro for playtest or teaching decks, but only because they're like $5 for 100 sleeves or whatever.
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I personally find the Ultra pro sleeves, I don't feel they are quite up the quality of Dragonshields (not saying they split a lot), but at least they don't get sticky after a while. I use a deck with 12 fetches in it, so I shuffle a lot I like Dragonshields because of their durability, but they just get pretty sticky after about a week.
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i have never had any difficulty obtaining any of the KMC (insert Japanese madness here) sleeves. is there anything better than them i buy purple ones. i would gladly fork up the cash, money is no object. but if anyone can tell me a brand withthe upmost of quality i would greatly appreciate it
I've been a proud user of dragon shields for close to 3 years now. When my local shop first got them in most of the players had been using ultra pro up until then, but as soon as people caught wind of the quality of the dragon shields almost everyone with ten bucks to spare switched over. I personally bought 3 packs of fusion 3 years ago and I still use them today, in PTQs and grand prix's. The only issue I had is that they accumulate dirt after a while. They are very durable and long lasting though.
I am a strict ultra pro user because i have a problem with sticky sleeves. Even during tournaments when i have to shuffle my opponent's deck it just pains me to have to shuffle their sticky sleeves. I find that as long as you treat them well, ultra pros will last at least a couple months of semi-heavy play (1-2 events a week). I replace mine about every time a new set comes out.
Does anyone know anywhere I can buy bulk lots of (coloured, not clear) sleeves? Preferably UK based.
Me and my house-mates are looking for 1000+ sleeves at a (hopefully reasonable!) price, 'cos we mock up tonnes of decks a week, and then somehow end up losing the sleeves. Any ideas?
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I have written a proxy generator. If you have a deck you want to try out, you could do much worse that use this... mtg.edd-miles.com
Okay, here's my personal experience about sleeves:
Ultra Pro and Dragonshield are both affordable, but if you're playing in tournaments, I strongly recommand Ultra Pro sleeves, basically beacuse they won't get marked so easily. I admit that they tend to break sometimes, but the low price makes it worth using it. But, I now think that Dragonshield are the worst sleeves I seen on the market, why?
Dragonshield sleeves get easily marked, beacuse there is easily some scratches on the sleeves, and if your sleeves are marked, I don't think it's a good idea to use them in tournaments, and yes it costed a couple of persons a Game Loss or a Warning.
I've been using KMC metallic red for a while now, and they are horrible when compared to regular/matt KMC sleeves.
I think the stuff in the plastic to give it the metallic shine makes the whole sleeve a whole lot harder, making it have permanent folds more than the softer regular/matt ones.
They split much easier too.
Japanese ultrapro sleves in my opinion are not as good as the American (chinese made) version. The down side is they are thinner. The up side is they are all glosy which I like
Argh, so i've been using Ultrapros for my vampire deck. But today i randomly decided to check out how they were doing, everything seems perfect so far except this one Bloodghast, which bottom edge is slightly damaged. No idea why, it went straight from the pack into sleeves, and have only seen like 10 matches in total so far.
The other cards seem to be fine, havent checked every single one, but that one Bloodghast kinda ticks me off.
Any explanations as to how the card got damaged in the sleeve? Also, this might be me, but who black pens the white edges of cards? ...cause i do
EDIT: probably gonna try to switch to another brand or material, i dont think the matte material offers the greatest protection. But they are easy to shuffle and all.
EDIT2: now that i look at it, ultrapro sleeves, have a little too much room, i dont think they fit magic cards that snugly, which could result in damage to the cards when shuffling, i've read that KMC is really good, will try to switch to them later during the week
How much are people paying for sleeves? Im trying to price mine since I had to overbuy, so im trying to get a feel for pricing.
I used to pay $1 for 50 at one LGS, about $8 for the "art sleeves", and $5 for my regular 100-pack Ultra Pros. In all honesty I cannot recommend anything other than plain-color matte Ultra Pros. Art sleeves are awful for tournament play, they don't shuffle well and the corners are shot after a few games. "Bargain bin" sleeves, regardless of brand, tend to be weird patterned ones that have the same problem as the art sleeves - you can use them to keep your trades nice but that's about it.
Ultra Pros have treated me fine, I can go about a month on a pack. I've heard good things about Dragon Shields, but personally can't get them near me so... $5 a month it is.
What is the consensus between the pros as their sleeve of choice? For example, does anyone know what LSV, Conley Woods, Gabriel Nassif, etc... uses?
Dragon Shields, Ultra Pros and assorted Japanese sleeves. The black and white matte Ultra Pros are pretty popular amongst the pros I know. Last time I played Conley Woods I recall him having Ultra Pro sleeves, but that was two ~ three months ago, so I might be off.
The reason I personally use them is the ease of getting them at any hobby store - I buy fresh sleeves the morning-of PTQs, I can sleeve my deck while checking it against the printed registration sheet, and I know that if a judge says my sleeves are getting worn I'm not going to be frantic getting a new set.
This might sound a little weird, but I don't like the idea of switching brands of sleeves mid-tournament. You get used to a certain "card feel", so if your sleeves are looking shoddy in Round 5, you don't want to go into Round 6 with your deck not feeling right because you went from Dragon Shields to Ultra Pros. I'd say buy twice as many as you need and bring them with you if you're going to use an uncommon brand.
I agree, I got some dragon shields 2+ years ago and haven't broken any, but every time I get ultra-pros one splits within 2 months...
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Those of you claiming UP is better, have you tried DS? If not, do it. You will probably not switch back.
Dragon Sleeves seem to be quite good, I'll agree. I might try those out next time I buy.
I'm ok with ultra pro for playtest or teaching decks, but only because they're like $5 for 100 sleeves or whatever.
Plus, if if you feel like watching a few games: My Stream
I'm normally on most nights between 6pm-whenever.
My LGS sells ultra pros in packs of 100 for $5 and Dragon shields for like 100 for $10. It would obviously depend on the brand.
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Me and my house-mates are looking for 1000+ sleeves at a (hopefully reasonable!) price, 'cos we mock up tonnes of decks a week, and then somehow end up losing the sleeves. Any ideas?
I have written a proxy generator. If you have a deck you want to try out, you could do much worse that use this... mtg.edd-miles.com
I use these:
Just got 1000 for $22. They're not ZOMG the best sleeves or anything, but they do the job.
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Ultra Pro and Dragonshield are both affordable, but if you're playing in tournaments, I strongly recommand Ultra Pro sleeves, basically beacuse they won't get marked so easily. I admit that they tend to break sometimes, but the low price makes it worth using it. But, I now think that Dragonshield are the worst sleeves I seen on the market, why?
Dragonshield sleeves get easily marked, beacuse there is easily some scratches on the sleeves, and if your sleeves are marked, I don't think it's a good idea to use them in tournaments, and yes it costed a couple of persons a Game Loss or a Warning.
I think the stuff in the plastic to give it the metallic shine makes the whole sleeve a whole lot harder, making it have permanent folds more than the softer regular/matt ones.
They split much easier too.
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The other cards seem to be fine, havent checked every single one, but that one Bloodghast kinda ticks me off.
Any explanations as to how the card got damaged in the sleeve? Also, this might be me, but who black pens the white edges of cards? ...cause i do
EDIT: probably gonna try to switch to another brand or material, i dont think the matte material offers the greatest protection. But they are easy to shuffle and all.
EDIT2: now that i look at it, ultrapro sleeves, have a little too much room, i dont think they fit magic cards that snugly, which could result in damage to the cards when shuffling, i've read that KMC is really good, will try to switch to them later during the week
I used to pay $1 for 50 at one LGS, about $8 for the "art sleeves", and $5 for my regular 100-pack Ultra Pros. In all honesty I cannot recommend anything other than plain-color matte Ultra Pros. Art sleeves are awful for tournament play, they don't shuffle well and the corners are shot after a few games. "Bargain bin" sleeves, regardless of brand, tend to be weird patterned ones that have the same problem as the art sleeves - you can use them to keep your trades nice but that's about it.
Ultra Pros have treated me fine, I can go about a month on a pack. I've heard good things about Dragon Shields, but personally can't get them near me so... $5 a month it is.
Dragon Shields, Ultra Pros and assorted Japanese sleeves. The black and white matte Ultra Pros are pretty popular amongst the pros I know. Last time I played Conley Woods I recall him having Ultra Pro sleeves, but that was two ~ three months ago, so I might be off.
The reason I personally use them is the ease of getting them at any hobby store - I buy fresh sleeves the morning-of PTQs, I can sleeve my deck while checking it against the printed registration sheet, and I know that if a judge says my sleeves are getting worn I'm not going to be frantic getting a new set.
This might sound a little weird, but I don't like the idea of switching brands of sleeves mid-tournament. You get used to a certain "card feel", so if your sleeves are looking shoddy in Round 5, you don't want to go into Round 6 with your deck not feeling right because you went from Dragon Shields to Ultra Pros. I'd say buy twice as many as you need and bring them with you if you're going to use an uncommon brand.
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