• Protection - The number one reason we use sleeves on our cards is to protect them from various things that could cause them harm, like:
  • Liquids
  • Sun light
  • Dents and creases
• Easier shuffling - Having your Magic deck sleeved up makes it easier to shuffle the cards without having to bend them, as the sleeves allow the cards to slide in between each other. How well the cards shuffle while sleeved is often referred to as "shuffle feel."
• Aesthetics/Self-Expression - In addition to utility, sometimes sleeves are there to make our decks look nice! Sleeves come in all kinds of colors and designs, so players can express their aesthetic style or interests with their sleeves.

Putting your cards into a regular card sleeve is very simple. All you have to do is slide the card into the protective pouch of the sleeve until it reaches the other end, with the card's face on the side of the sleeve's clear side.

Putting a Magic card into a sleeve

But be careful not to apply too much pressure to any one spot on the card as you do, since this can cause damage to the card.

If you feel too much resistance as you slide the card in, apply pressure to a different spot or try a different method.

If you're double-sleeving your card, you'll put the card into the inner sleeve first, then slide the card into the regular sleeve.

TCG sleeves are not all the same size. So it's important that you pick the right size for your Magic cards.

You'll want to look for the term "standard size." These sleeves are sized to fit Magic cards, which are measured at 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (63.5mm by 88.9mm).

Make sure to avoid any sleeves that say "Japanese size," as these won't fit Magic cards. These sleeves are smaller, and used for card games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Cardfight!! Vanguard.

There are also sleeve types known as "inner" or "outer." While these card sleeves will fit your Magic cards, they're intended to be used only for double- and triple-sleeving.

We'll talk about this a bit more later in the guide, but just know that inner and outer sleeves shouldn't be used on their own, but in addition to regular, standard size sleeves.

TCG sleeves come in various quantities, so it's important to know what quantity to buy. If you're buying sleeves for a deck, particularly a Commander deck, you'll want to get a 100-count sleeve package.

If you're getting sleeves just for card storage, then you can buy however many you need for your collection.

Here's where things get tricky. There are a vast number of card sleeve types that you can use. And what you use will be entirely up to how you want your sleeves to look and feel.

Every sleeve manufacturer has their own product lineup, but we'll do our best to cover common terms across brands. Here are a list of terms you'll see frequently and what they mean.

Toploading/sideloading - This refers to which side of the sleeve the card will slide into. Toploaders are most common.

Matte/Gloss - This refers to how shiny the surface of the sleeve is.

Penny sleeves - These are ultra cheap sleeves, only meant to be used for card storage. Do not buy them to use for decks.

Inner/outer sleeves - These are used for double- or triple-sleeving your decks. They don't replace the standard sleeves, but are used in addition to them, as added protection.

For more information about double-sleeving, check out my recent article here.

Dragon Shield is one of the most respected sleeve makers in the business, and my personal choice for sleeving up my Commander decks - and no, I'm not being paid to say that. I'm particularly a fan of their art sleeves, but everything they make is top notch.

Their art sleeves come in various styles, such as matte, matte dual, brushed, or classic. And they also have dozens of non-art sleeves with beautiful colors in styles like metallic, pastel, non-glare, and the classic matte.

They also have seasonal products for holidays, like Christmas and Halloween, that are great for feeling festive or scratching that collector's itch.

You can get a 5% discount at checkout by using code edhrec on your Dragon Shield purchases.

Here are a few of my favorite Dragon Shield sleeves:

• 100-ct Dragons in Space dual matte are sleeves
• 100-ct gooseberry pastel matte dual sleeves
• 100-ct The Millerax signature series matte dual art sleeves

Inner sleeves:

• 100-ct clear toploading perfect fit inner sleeves

Here's the link to their web store so you can check out all of the offerings.

Or you can have your very own unique art sleeves, by using their custom sleeve crafter. These sleeves feature pictures of Susan, the EDHRECat.

Dragon Shield custom sleeves, featuring Susan, the EDHRECat

Get your own custom sleeves here.

Another popular sleeve brand is Ultra Pro, a company that has been around for over 70 years. Many players will recognize Ultra Pro as a common purveyor of binders, sleeves, deckboxes with recognizable Magic art on them.

Matte deck protector sleeves from the Ultra Pro brand, with planeswalker Ajani Goldmane on them

Here are a some links to their products on Amazon:

• 100-count black gloss deck protector sleeves
• 100-count black matte deck protector sleeves
• 105-count Apex Deck Protector Sephiroth Final Fantasy sleeves
• 105-count Apex Deck Protector red mana symbol sleeves
• 105-count Apex Deck Protector black mana symbol sleeves
• 100-count Ajani matte sleeves

Inner sleeves:

• 100-count clear inner sleeves

Ultimate Guard is also one of the top sleeve companies. They're known for their Katana sleeves, as well as some licensed sleeves for recent Magic sets.

Blue Ultimate Guard Cortex sleeves

Here are some links to their products on Amazon:

• 100-count Katana black card sleeves
• 100-count Cortex matte blue black sleeves
• 100-count Cortana glossy pink sleeves

Inner sleeves:

• 100-count Katana clear inner sleeves

Gamegenic is a newer manufacturer on the scene, but they're highly regarded by many content creators in the Commander community. They also created sleeves for Marvel's Spider-Man set, using art from the set's unique lands.

Gamegenic Spider-Man sleeves featuring set-exclusive Swamp art

Here are some links to purchase their products on Amazon:

• 100-count matte Prime black sleeves
• 100-count matte Prime red sleeves
• 105-count Venom premium art sleeves
• 105-count Spider-Gwen premium art sleeves
• 105-count Spider-Man Swamp premium art sleeves

Inner sleeves:

• 100-count clear closable inner sleeves

BCW is a sleeve producer know for being a good budget option for both standard and inner sleeves.

BCW's Elite2 matte sleeves in teal

Here are some links to their products on Amazon:

• 500-count box of double matte black sleeves
• 1000-count assorted color mix of double matte sleeves
• 100-count Elite2 matte teal card sleeves

Inner sleeves:

• 100-count Spectrum green Chroma inner sleeves

The last brand we'll cover is KMC, which also offers a wide range of products that are made primarily in Japan. KMC is best known in the Magic community as a brand for their Perfect Fit inner sleeves and Hyper Mat variants, especially useful if you're attempting to double sleeve your decks.

KMC's Perfect Fit toploader sleeve

Here are some links to their products on Amazon:

• 100-count Hyper matte black sleeves
• 100-count Hyper Phoenix black sleeves

Inner sleeves:

• 100-count top load perfect finner inner sleeves