Hi there. I'm returning to the game and I just learned that there is this "double sleeving" thing around. Back in the day we had crappy low quality sleeves and that was it.
Since I live in a small city in Argentina I don't really have access to a store where I can go and check, so I'm asking your advice:
Is this something I should be doing? My initial guess is that yes, to protect further my collection.
Should I double sleeve only the decks I'm playing or my binder too?
Lastly, which sleeves should I get? My gf is going to Australia on vacations and she offered to bring me some sleeves, and I'm really not sure which ones to pick.
Thanks a bunch and sorry for the probably incredibly dumb question!
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Common sense is the most fairly distributed thing in the world, for each one thinks he is so well-endowed with it that even those who are hardest to satisfy in all other matters are not in the habit of desiring more of it than they already have. - René Descartes
Double sleeving means dust/etc. entering the top of the sleeve doesn't get on the actual card (when you double sleeve, the inner sleeve is upside-down and the outer sleeve is rightside-up). It also makes the cards slightly stiffer, reducing damage due to bending, and makes for more of a bevel at the edge, which is easier to mash shuffle or pick up off the table.
I wouldn't generally double-sleeve cards in a binder, unless they were particularly valuable. The main advantage to sleeving cards in a binder is preventing people getting their finger oils on the card when pulling the card out and putting them back in.
Thank you both, you were really helpful. Appreciate it!
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Common sense is the most fairly distributed thing in the world, for each one thinks he is so well-endowed with it that even those who are hardest to satisfy in all other matters are not in the habit of desiring more of it than they already have. - René Descartes
For the absolute best double sleeving. Go with KMC's perfect fits as the inner sleeve. They tend to be the most consistent inner sleeves on the market.
Go with Dragon Shields Matte as the outer sleeve. They have a textured back which makes shuffling smoother, they come in packs of 100, not to mention they are the toughest sleeves out there. Plus there is a ton of colors to choose from.
When it comes to what double sleeve, i personally double sleeve all mythics and high value rares. Other rares, uncommons, etc on your binder you can single sleeve.
A quick side note ! Double sleeving also helps prevent the curl, foil cards gain over time. Since the card is kept in a tighter seal, the card has less place to bend. A very nice bonus if you are someone who enjoys foils.
Yeah I use perfect fits on all my modern playable. The KMC perfect fits usually. Then I also like the dragon shield matte for the outer sleeve.
When you sleeve them, sleeve the inner sleeve upside down (so the bottom of the card is at the opening of the inner sleeve. Then sleeve that tight side up in a matte
I think you should definitely double sleeve your decks. I actually have my entire collection double sleeved. Partly because it is valuable and partly because it is easier when building decks so I don't have to sleeve every card twice. I don't keep any of my collection in binders (except the cards for trade) but I could see the argument for double sleeving them too.
On the topic of which ones to use, I have had mixed success with inner sleeves from 4 different companies when using Dragon Shield Matte sleeves. Dragon Shield sleeves are excellent, but they seem to be "tighter" than Ultra Pro (if that makes sense) so if the inner sleeve is loose at all, it is tough to get them into the sleeves. I have taken cards that I could not sleeve into Dragon Shields because the inner sleeve is too loose and they fit into Ultra Pro just fine.
So, here is what I have found so far on inner sleeves (just remember this is all within the context of using Dragon Shields):
Ultra Pro - These are not as bad as everyone says they are, but there are a but shorter than desired. That is, there is not much sleeve that extends beyond the card so I have doubts that would truly protect from liquid spills though it still protects from dust and debris on top. The sleeves can sometimes be too tight (a couple sleeves were almost impossible to get cards into) but most of them were fairly consistent in terms of the ease of getting cards into them. For the most part, these could be sleeved in Dragon Shields with no real issue.
BCW - These are similar to Ultra Pro in that they tended to be on the short side but unfortunately, they were often loose. That is, when I used BCW sleeves, I had about 20 or so per pack of 100 that I could not get into the outer sleeve. And being too short meant they potentially had the same problem as Ultra Pro in terms of protection against liquids.
KMC - These were great in that there was enough sleeve past the bottom of the card that I felt that they would provide the most protection for the card. However, and this is surprising considering these are often recommended, these were the worst in terms of actually getting them into the Dragon Shield sleeves. They were much too loose that in a pack of 100 sleeves, I had about 30-35 that just would not stay on the card when attempting to sleeve the cards. I still have 9 unopened packs of these sleeves that I don't feel I can use with Dragon Shields.
{*}Dragon Shield - Because of the disappointment of the KMC sleeves, I figured that Dragon Shield's inner sleeves would be more "compatible" with the tighter fitting Matte sleeves and, for the most part, these are much better. The sleeves do go below the card a little bit (not as much as KMC but more than UP and BCW) and they provide a tight fit that sleeving them in Dragon Shield outer sleeves is fairly consistent and I don't have nearly as many sleeves that are too loose. I think I had 5 or so sleeves per pack of 100 that just would not fit inside the DS sleeves.
Now, as you can see as the common themes above, the biggest two issues were that the sleeves were either too short (UP and BCW) or they were too loose for the outer sleeve (KMC and, to a lesser extent, Dragon Shields own inner sleeves). Arguably, this is more of an issue of the Dragon Shield sleeves, but everything else about the Dragon Shield sleeves is fantastic so finding the right inner sleeve to work with them is somewhat worth it.
A few caveats of the Dragon Shield brand though:
Not all their colors are fully opaque. I know this is often true of most sleeves, but it is still worth calling out. I have used Purple, Petrol, and Magenta and these colors are opaque.
The sleeves are noticeably thicker. This is a problem depending on your deck box. For example, I had my EDH decks in Ultra Pro Eclipse sleeves and they fit just fine into an Ultimate Guard Twin Flip 'N Tray 200+ (1 deck in each side). However, once I changed the sleeves, the decks no longer fit into the trays. I also had them in 100+ Boulders and a Double Sleeved EDH deck does not fit in these when using DS sleeves. A 75 double sleeved deck fits in the 80+ Boulders though..
I am not sure if this is an issue with the sleeve or just the place I play, but they seem to accumulate a lot of dirt and grime on the front of the sleeve. This has only happened with my Modern deck in the Petrol sleeves so it could be that the place I play at is "dirtier" than the place I play EDH, but it might be worth calling out. My EDH deck sleeves still look pretty good with a spot or two here and there, but the ones on my Modern deck were really bad. I just replaced them so I will see how long they go without getting too dirty.
BCW - These are similar to Ultra Pro in that they tended to be on the short side but unfortunately, they were often loose. That is, when I used BCW sleeves, I had about 20 or so per pack of 100 that I could not get into the outer sleeve. And being too short meant they potentially had the same problem as Ultra Pro in terms of protection against liquids.
My experience has been the exact opposite. BCW inner sleeves variance tends to lean towards being too tight rather than too loose. Enough that I usually don't double sleeve my more expensive cards in BCW, using KMC or Dragon instead.
I have been shying away from Ultra Pro product lines as of late. The innner sleeve variance on their length and the extremely close tolerances on outer sleeves, even UPs own product, means the inner sleeves will sometimes poke out, effectively marking them. As an aside, UP penny sleeve tolerances are just ridiculous. I stopped buying them (except in an emergency) because they're all over the map.
I recently switched to the sideloading Dragon Shield inner sleeves. So much less frustrating to sleeve them now!
I inner sleeve all my valuable cards and keep the outer sleeves for cards in actual decks. That way, they still have some protection when sitting in a box, but are in a state where you can easily outer sleeve them in and out of decks as required.
I recently switched to the sideloading Dragon Shield inner sleeves. So much less frustrating to sleeve them now!
I saw these on the hook two weeks ago but no one there at the time had purchased any.
Is there a corresponding outer sleeve for them? I imagine side loading sleeves will lose out on the benefit of protecting double sleeved cards from accidental spills. Nevermind that people should not have an open container on the table.
I recently switched to the sideloading Dragon Shield inner sleeves. So much less frustrating to sleeve them now!
I saw these on the hook two weeks ago but no one there at the time had purchased any.
Is there a corresponding outer sleeve for them? I imagine side loading sleeves will lose out on the benefit of protecting double sleeved cards from accidental spills. Nevermind that people should not have an open container on the table.
I've not seen such, but it would have similar (but maybe reduced) sleeving size issues as standard inners + outers.
I'm sure I'm getting less spill protection than traditional double-sleeving, but it's still better than single-sleeving. I feel like these are better for in-box storage with just the inner as well. With regular inner sleeves, the card stock is still exposed on the bottom and rubs on the bottom of the box as you move cards around.
I recently switched to the sideloading Dragon Shield inner sleeves. So much less frustrating to sleeve them now!
I saw these on the hook two weeks ago but no one there at the time had purchased any.
Is there a corresponding outer sleeve for them? I imagine side loading sleeves will lose out on the benefit of protecting double sleeved cards from accidental spills. Nevermind that people should not have an open container on the table.
I've not seen such, but it would have similar (but maybe reduced) sleeving size issues as standard inners + outers.
I'm sure I'm getting less spill protection than traditional double-sleeving, but it's still better than single-sleeving. I feel like these are better for in-box storage with just the inner as well. With regular inner sleeves, the card stock is still exposed on the bottom and rubs on the bottom of the box as you move cards around.
I rarely considered that last an issue since my boxed cards are double sleeved, in part, to avoid that exact thing. I use BCW pennies for the outer sleeves for the vast majority of cards. Cheap commons get double or triple "packed" in a single penny sleeve.
The other reason is handling the cards over time creates some really yucky sleeves and I'd rather swap new liters than fits with new inners.
It's a valid point though. However, if you use a multi-row box, you'll find the older style sleeve is more conducive because the cards are stored vertically rather than horizontally.
Since I live in a small city in Argentina I don't really have access to a store where I can go and check, so I'm asking your advice:
Is this something I should be doing? My initial guess is that yes, to protect further my collection.
Should I double sleeve only the decks I'm playing or my binder too?
Lastly, which sleeves should I get? My gf is going to Australia on vacations and she offered to bring me some sleeves, and I'm really not sure which ones to pick.
Thanks a bunch and sorry for the probably incredibly dumb question!
Like these, for the 2nd sleeve.
https://www.amazon.ca/KMC-Hyper-Matte-Sleeves-80-Pack/dp/B00CJ7415M/ref=pd_bxgy_21_img_2/146-7208095-0797002?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GZ106H5DDYKTK08XWY8J
Spirits
I wouldn't generally double-sleeve cards in a binder, unless they were particularly valuable. The main advantage to sleeving cards in a binder is preventing people getting their finger oils on the card when pulling the card out and putting them back in.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
Go with Dragon Shields Matte as the outer sleeve. They have a textured back which makes shuffling smoother, they come in packs of 100, not to mention they are the toughest sleeves out there. Plus there is a ton of colors to choose from.
When it comes to what double sleeve, i personally double sleeve all mythics and high value rares. Other rares, uncommons, etc on your binder you can single sleeve.
A quick side note ! Double sleeving also helps prevent the curl, foil cards gain over time. Since the card is kept in a tighter seal, the card has less place to bend. A very nice bonus if you are someone who enjoys foils.
When you sleeve them, sleeve the inner sleeve upside down (so the bottom of the card is at the opening of the inner sleeve. Then sleeve that tight side up in a matte
On the topic of which ones to use, I have had mixed success with inner sleeves from 4 different companies when using Dragon Shield Matte sleeves. Dragon Shield sleeves are excellent, but they seem to be "tighter" than Ultra Pro (if that makes sense) so if the inner sleeve is loose at all, it is tough to get them into the sleeves. I have taken cards that I could not sleeve into Dragon Shields because the inner sleeve is too loose and they fit into Ultra Pro just fine.
So, here is what I have found so far on inner sleeves (just remember this is all within the context of using Dragon Shields):
Now, as you can see as the common themes above, the biggest two issues were that the sleeves were either too short (UP and BCW) or they were too loose for the outer sleeve (KMC and, to a lesser extent, Dragon Shields own inner sleeves). Arguably, this is more of an issue of the Dragon Shield sleeves, but everything else about the Dragon Shield sleeves is fantastic so finding the right inner sleeve to work with them is somewhat worth it.
A few caveats of the Dragon Shield brand though:
Spirits
My experience has been the exact opposite. BCW inner sleeves variance tends to lean towards being too tight rather than too loose. Enough that I usually don't double sleeve my more expensive cards in BCW, using KMC or Dragon instead.
I have been shying away from Ultra Pro product lines as of late. The innner sleeve variance on their length and the extremely close tolerances on outer sleeves, even UPs own product, means the inner sleeves will sometimes poke out, effectively marking them. As an aside, UP penny sleeve tolerances are just ridiculous. I stopped buying them (except in an emergency) because they're all over the map.
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UBPirate ArtifactsBU
I inner sleeve all my valuable cards and keep the outer sleeves for cards in actual decks. That way, they still have some protection when sitting in a box, but are in a state where you can easily outer sleeve them in and out of decks as required.
I saw these on the hook two weeks ago but no one there at the time had purchased any.
Is there a corresponding outer sleeve for them? I imagine side loading sleeves will lose out on the benefit of protecting double sleeved cards from accidental spills. Nevermind that people should not have an open container on the table.
I've not seen such, but it would have similar (but maybe reduced) sleeving size issues as standard inners + outers.
I'm sure I'm getting less spill protection than traditional double-sleeving, but it's still better than single-sleeving. I feel like these are better for in-box storage with just the inner as well. With regular inner sleeves, the card stock is still exposed on the bottom and rubs on the bottom of the box as you move cards around.
I rarely considered that last an issue since my boxed cards are double sleeved, in part, to avoid that exact thing. I use BCW pennies for the outer sleeves for the vast majority of cards. Cheap commons get double or triple "packed" in a single penny sleeve.
The other reason is handling the cards over time creates some really yucky sleeves and I'd rather swap new liters than fits with new inners.
It's a valid point though. However, if you use a multi-row box, you'll find the older style sleeve is more conducive because the cards are stored vertically rather than horizontally.