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Ultra Pro, Dragon Shield or Ultimate Guard?
Five brands dominate the accessories shelf, and they are good at different things. Ultra Pro has the widest range and the most licences. Dragon Shield is strongest on deck protectors and popular with tournament players. Ultimate Guard owns the storage side with its deck boxes. Gamegenic comes from the board game world. KMC is the Japanese brand for those who care about the feel.
Ultra Pro
Largest in range and the brand with the most official licences, meaning accessories with Pokémon, Magic and sports artwork printed on them. Their range covers everything: sleeves, holders, binders, deck boxes, playmats and storage.
| Deck protectors | PRO-Matte (matte), PRO-Gloss (glossy), Eclipse (matte or glossy, fully opaque back), APEX (new plastic blend, glossy front) |
|---|---|
| Penny sleeves | Penny Sleeves, Premium Card Sleeves (thicker) and Platinum Series (same material as the Platinum pages) |
| Perfect fit | PRO-Fit, side-loading in standard size and in small for Japanese size |
| Holders | Toploader in Regular, Premium and Platinum, One-Touch magnetic holders, Lucite screwdown cases |
| Binders | Portfolio, PRO-Binder, Eclipse PRO-Binder (black pages), Elite Series (zip), Premium (faux leather), plus the binder pages Silver Series and Platinum Series |
| Deck boxes | PRO 80+ and 100+, Satin Tower, Satin Cube, Alcove, Alcove Flip and Vivid Alcove in stronger colours |
| Playmats | The largest selection of all, in standard, stitched and foil-treated versions |
Eclipse has a fully opaque back and comes in several colours. Alcove is the deck box series with a magnetic lid that often carries licensed artwork.
Ultra Pro's levels: Regular, Premium, Platinum and Silver
Ultra Pro uses the same words for levels in several product families. The toploader comes as Regular in super clear PVC, Premium in thicker 15 gauge PVC with additives for clarity, and Platinum with a moulded frame without glue and the best additives. The binder pages come as Silver Series in clear film and Platinum Series in Ultra Pro's thickest and clearest film. Platinum is therefore the highest level where it is available.
Ultra Pro's series names: PRO, Eclipse and Elite Series
PRO in the name is a product line and not a quality level: PRO-Binder is the card binder with side-loading pockets, PRO-Gloss and PRO-Matte are deck protectors, PRO-Fit is perfect fit and PRO 80+ is a deck box. Eclipse means black, in sleeves with an opaque back and in binders with black pages. Elite Series is the PRO-Binder with a zip and a padded cover.
Ultra Pro's series names: Vivid, APEX, Alcove and One-Touch
Vivid is the series in strong colours, with binders and deck boxes. APEX is a deck protector with a newer plastic blend that shuffles more easily. Alcove is the faux leather deck boxes with magnetic lids, in the shapes Flip, Click, Edge and Tower. One-Touch is the PVC-free plastic magnetic holder with protection against ultraviolet light.
Dragon Shield
A Danish brand that is strongest where it matters most, namely deck protectors. Their matte sleeves are a common choice among tournament players in the Nordics, and their perfect fit sleeves are a popular add-on for double sleeving.
| Deck protectors | Matte (the standard one), Classic (glossy), Matte Non-Glare (extra matte), Dual Matte (two-tone, with names such as Soul, Crypt, Power and Glacier), Outer Sleeves (outer sleeve) |
|---|---|
| Perfect fit sleeves | Perfect Fit in the Clear and Smoke variants, Sideloading, Sealable and Thick Inner |
| Binders | Card Codex for 160, 360 or 576 cards, and Zipster with a zip |
| Deck boxes | Strongbox, Deck Shell and Nest |
| Playmats | Magic Carpet |
The number in the binder names is how many cards fit, which differs from other brands that state pockets per page.
Ultimate Guard
A German brand that is strongest on storage. Their deck boxes and cases are made of a faux leather they call Xenoskin, and the range goes all the way from a single deck to large storage boxes such as Arkhive and Superhive.
| Deck boxes | Boulder (clear plastic), Deck Case, Sidewinder (Xenoskin), Flip'n'Tray and Twin Flip'n'Tray |
|---|---|
| Large storage | Arkhive for 400 to 800 cards, Minthive and Superhive |
| Deck protectors | Katana (the well-known one), Cortex in matte and glossy |
| Perfect fit sleeves | Precise-Fit, in top-loading, side-loading and sealable versions |
| Binders | Zipfolio and Collector's Album, both in Xenoskin |
Gamegenic
Comes from the board game side, and it shows: the deck boxes are often built to stand on the table during play, with room for dice and tokens. The names are taken from the world of castles.
| Deck boxes | Squire, Watchtower, Bastion, Stronghold, Dungeon and Academic |
|---|---|
| Deck protectors | Prime and Matte Prime, plus Double Sleeving Pack with inner and outer sleeves in the same package |
| Binders | Casual Album, Zip-Up Album, and binder pages in Ultrasonic and side-loading versions |
| Other | Token Keep for tokens, life counters and playmats |
KMC
A Japanese brand with a small range and a big reputation. They make almost nothing but sleeves, and they are popular with players who care about how the cards feel and shuffle. Common series are Hyper Mat, Perfect Size for perfect fit sleeves, and Card Barrier. Much of the range is in Japanese size.
The Acrylic Box
A Dutch brand that does only one thing: acrylic cases, mainly for sealed products. The cases are available for booster boxes, Elite Trainer Box, bundles and single packs, in different thicknesses where six millimetres is the heavier option.
Which brand should you choose
- You play tournaments. Dragon Shield Matte, or Ultimate Guard Katana if you want an alternative.
- You want licensed artwork. Ultra Pro, which has the most.
- You need to store a lot. Ultimate Guard.
- You play Commander and want everything on the table. Gamegenic.
- You care about the feel when shuffling. KMC.
- You want to display unopened boxes. The Acrylic Box.
Which brand for which job
| Deck protectors for tournaments | Dragon Shield Matte, or Ultimate Guard Katana |
|---|---|
| Perfect fit sleeves | Dragon Shield Perfect Fit |
| Licensed artwork | Ultra Pro, which has the most |
| Storing a large collection | Ultimate Guard |
| Deck boxes for the game table | Gamegenic |
| Japanese size | KMC or Dragon Shield |
| Acrylic for unopened boxes | The Acrylic Box |
Frequently asked questions
- Which brand is best? It depends on the job. See the table above.
- Can you mix brands in one deck? No, the sleeves must look identical from the back.
- Are more expensive sleeves better? They last longer and shuffle more evenly, but they don't protect more.
- Why does each brand have its own name for the same thing? Trademark reasons. Perfect Fit, PRO-Fit and Precise-Fit are the same product.
How to choose a brand, step by step
- Start with the job. Playing, storing, displaying or shipping are four different requirements.
- Decide on the size. Standard or Japanese, which determines which series are possible.
- Choose a brand based on the job, according to the table above.
- Stick to one brand per deck. The sleeves must look identical from the back.
- Buy a few more than you think. Sleeves wear out and series are replaced from year to year.
Read more about sleeves in detail, deck boxes and binders.
Shop: sleeves and toploaders at Bangerpack.
Written by those of us who run Bangerpack. Range and prices change continuously. What applies when you read this is shown in the category.
