Card Sleeves At Inked Gaming: An Overview

If you’re a regular visitor to our site, you’ve probably noticed the various card sleeve brands we carry. If not, that’s okay (we won’t hold it against you). One thing we can all agree on is the importance of protecting your collection. That’s why we decided to put together a blog that highlights the different sleeve brands we offer and what your fellow gamers have to say about them.

So, let’s jump in!

 

Dragon Shield Sleeves

Players looking for the best MTG card sleeve available seem to have found it with Dragon Shield. Since the moment they landed on the market (and tabletops), Dragon Shield sleeves have been praised by players throughout the gaming realm for their signature artwork, style, and durability. In fact, Dragon Shield sleeves are some of the thickest available, which is why they’ve been dubbed “Tough as Scales.” 

Some of the types of Dragon Shield sleeves we carry include:

Perfect fit - Dragon Shield’s Perfect Fit sleeves are a favorite choice among magic players because they are sealable and offer full four-edge protection. This makes re-sleeving your cards a breeze, which is good news for your more valuable decks.

Matte - Dragon Shield Mattes are really great card sleeves and many consider them to be the best MTG sleeves available. They are smooth, easy to shuffle, and very durable. In fact, Dragon Shield sleeves are some of the thickest available, which is why they’ve been dubbed “Tough as Scales.” Our matte sleeves are available in both Standard MTG and Japanese (Yugioh) size.

Classic - Dragon Shield’s Classic sleeves are very similar to the matte sleeves, but are slightly more advanced in the durability department, as they are less susceptible to the usual wear and tear. Other than that, they are just as smooth and easy to shuffle as the matte sleeves. Our classic sleeves come in Standard MTG and Japanese (Yugioh) size as well.

Non-Glare - If you’re a streamer or regularly play via video (which is more common now) Dragon Shield Non-Glare sleeves are for you. No need to worry about reflections and unnecessary glare (hence non-glare). These sleeves offer players a healthy balance of smooth shuffling and strong durability.  

Ultra Pro Sleeves

Next to Dragon Shield, Ultra Pro is one of the more popular and well-known sleeve protector brands out there. They’re often favored by more casual players with multiple commander decks because of their consistency and lower price tag. Ultra Pro may offer some of the cheapest sleeves on the market, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are ineffective when it comes to preserving your decks. Yes, we all know that you get what you pay for, but if you’re a player on a budget, these sleeves will do the job. Ultra Pro holds the official license to MTG art as well!

Some of the Ultra Pro Sleeve types we carry include:

Pro-Matte Eclipse - Any doubts or reservations about Ultra Pros’ ability to protect your deck are squashed with the Pro-Matte Eclipse. These sleeves are considered extremely durable card sleeves among a strong majority of players. In fact, because of their durability and lower price tag, it could be argued that Pro-Matte Eclipse sleeves are a better deal than Dragon Shield sleeves. Just something to think about.

Celestial Art - These are a personal favorite because of their awesome designs. The Ultra Pro Celestial Art Sleeves feature official MTG art and are specially crafted with a protective film layer that nicely envelopes your card. This keeps your decks safe and shields it from potential surface scratches or any other wear & tear that can come with continuous usage.

 

Ultimate Guard Sleeves

Ultimate Guard sleeves may have had their troubles in the past, but they’ve certainly turned things around these last few years in a dramatic way. In fact, their newer sleeves have shown tremendous improvement and prove to be lightyears beyond some of their original products. Ultimate Guard is another brand that holds an official Magic art license.

The only Ultimate Guard Sleeve type we carry is:

Katana - Ultimate Guard specifically crafted these sleeves with durability and sleeves are ideal for tournament gameplay. They are fully opaque, great for shuffling and meet the highest standards of players and collectors

KMC Sleeves

Once upon a time, KMC was the original "go-to" sleeve for tournament players. They are a bit pricier than Ultra Pro, but they are more durable overall. So, it’s another trade-off scenario. However, the quality of this sleeve has seen a significant decline over the last few years (some might call it a freefall). As a result, most KMC users have since moved on to better things (like Dragon Shield).

A few of the KMC sleeve types we carry are:

Hyper Matte - KMC’s Hyper Matte sleeves would be considered a middle-of-the-road option for most players at this point and when it comes to overall quality and durability. As we mentioned, KMC has been slipping lately, but make no mistake, KMC’s Hyper Mattes still offer players a durable card sleeve with a nice feel. So, it’s a safe play.

Perfect Fit - KMC’s Perfect Fit sleeves may cost you a bit more, but they are so worth the stretch. These sleeves are designed to fit your deck like a hand in a glove. The snug fit allows you to combine them with almost any other sleeve that’s considered a compatible outer sleeve. Not a bad little bonus, huh? Again, quality costs more, but it can end up saving you more in the long run.

Super Series - KMC’s super series sleeves feature a higher gloss front and smooth backing, which makes them easy to shuffle and great for everyday use. Of course, the glossy finish gives off quite a glare, so these sleeves wouldn’t be the best option for those of you who host streamed/video tournaments (which is pretty much everyone nowadays). They’re also available in a variety of colors.

 

Arcane Tinmen Sleeves

Arcane Tinmen Sleeves are primarily used just for board games, but they are extremely popular, cheap, and seem to do an excellent job protecting your board game cards. It’s no surprise that quality is praised among those in the gaming community today since Arcane Tinmen is the parent company of the ever so popular Dragon Shield line.

Some of the Arcane Tinman Sleeve types we offer include:

Standard Clear Boardgame Sleeves - Arcane Tinmen's standard clear sleeves are made acid-free with polypropylene and are designed to preserve your decks for years to come.

Non-glare Boardgame Sleeves - Arcane Tinmen's Non-Glare sleeves are specially made to preserve and even extend the lifespan of your cards. They’re able to do this without the use of any harmful acids or PVC. The non-glare feature gives you the opportunity to show off your sleeves via live stream without any annoying reflections.

Inked Gaming Art Sleeves

We saved the best for last! Okay, we may be a bit biased, but it was worth a shot, right? Well, come to think of it, ‘best’ may not be such a stretch when it comes to our very own art sleeves. Our sleeves are specially designed and feature the original and unique designs of some of our most beloved artists.

Some of the most popular Inked sleeves we feature include: 

Stained Glass Gravetide Sleeves - L.A. based graphic artist Rachel Weeks is well-known in the MTG community for her unique designs and comedic timing. She has graced us with her amazing talent with this lovely stained glass designed card sleeve.

Legend Status Sleeves - Epic Upgrades founder and independent designer, Joe Bui has received quite a bit of accolade among the MTG community over the years. His designs have been featured on nearly every gaming accessory you can think of, including our very own Legend Status sleeves.

Toad Rider Sleeves - Clint Clearly’s Toad Rider art is without a doubt one of the most unique and beloved designs featured on our site. We always have to do a double-take whenever we look at it. Let’s be honest, how could we not put this on a card sleeve? 

Corgis Sleeves - There’s just something about Colordrilos’ designs that always gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. That’s why we were more than happy to feature their cutest design, Corgis on our card sleeves. They’ve been a hit ever since.

In case you haven’t heard (you wouldn’t be the only one) Magic has recently announced that there will be no in-person tournaments taking place this year. Sure, we’re disappointed, but when it comes to the health and safety of our fellow gamers (or everyone for that matter), we can’t argue with the decision. 

Hey, look at it this way: Now you have the time to sleeve up your decks the way you want without having to be in a rush. This also gives you the opportunity to chase down and snag that deck that you’ve always wanted once and for all before the next tournament!

Until we meet again!

Vince the Prince