LMFAO, "October" should be "August." I am so overtired, gang, but the month that comes BEFORE September is August, not October. Apologies. Please make me feel better by watching this great new COmmander game I get with Ben Wheeler, Shivam, and Kuro here: here: ruclips.net/video/4nCLyyZXCD0/видео.html
Clearly the prof is traveling backwards through time and accidently slipped up and revealed his secret. 👀 we are onto you funky time man, we are onto you
This is the only downside to using Katanas. There's only like 8 colors. Amazing AMAZING sleeves. If adding more colors would detract from the product I hope they don't. But oh man if they made more colors I'd be so pumped.
As a huge fan of Eclipse sleeves, I wish Eclipse had the color options of Katanas :v The selection is similar, but Katana's choices are slightly different, and MUCH better for it.
Yep. I also wish Katanas and Eclipses have the same color options with Dragon Shields. I try to sleeve my decks on theme with their color and having variants of the basic colors in magic is great.
They can't even have sustained supply of limited color. I love them, but evem if I stick to the most generic color, they still have a hard time supplying demands.
One con of the Katana sleeves is they only supply 100 sleeves. Dragonshield consistently gives anywhere from 102-106 from my personal experience which allows a few extras in case you need to replace a damaged sleeve. You damage one katana sleeve and you need another box.
They’re super slippery too. Everyone uses them at my LGS and we all have to be careful for a few games with new sleeves because the deck can slide all over the table 😂
@jingovalentine3489 that's what I was saying? If you're playing commander it's 100 cards, not including your sideboard. So you'd have to buy atleast 2 if you wanted spares and sideboard sleeved.
If katanas ever start branching out into more color options and keep the same level of consistent quality, they will easily become my top sleeve of choice.
I know that you have already reviewed virtually every single tcg supplement on the market but I just want to say that these are some of my favorite videos that you have made. They are so well written and I usually hate watching reviews but I found myself watching your reviews for things I would never buy for hours.
The UP Eclipse has always been my go-to, and I'm glad they've been more consistently good recently. The one thing that puts them above the others for me is the black inner background for all the different external colours. They just look so good on the table.
Just going to say that I really appreciate the depth that these videos go to SHOW why the sleeves are good or bad. Professor, your videos really are a shining example of what a product review and comparison video should be. Please never stop making videos.
For my more expensive decks I use Dragon Shield Matte Sleeves with Game Genic thick inner sleeves in an Ultimate Guard 133 deck box. For my lower priced but favorite decks Katana sleeves, Dragon Shield inners and an Ultimate Guard Boulders. Dragon Shield Mattes would have to be my personal favorites
I can appreciate how even after all these years, these sleeve reviews are still such a joy to watch. Also, in irrelevant noise, is that the same playmat you used years ago?
@@TolarianCommunityCollege now that is durability. Also gonna share this with some Lorcana groups I'm in. Lotta new folks to TCGs that have been asking about sleeves.
@@PlaneswalkerProject I've got my three decks all sleeved in Dragon Shield Matte Clear. I think Lorcana has the best looking card backs of any of the TCGs I've seen and with clear sleeves they look great in the inkwell. I am curious about the quality though of the official Lorcana sleeves.
@@PlaneswalkerProjectI've been getting into Lorcana as well! My partner is jumping into TCG's with it, and despite her initial reservations on sleeves, it's clicking now 😂
I just want to say as someone who likely comes at life from a very different general viewpoint than most magic players and the professor himself I very much appreciate his consistent courtesy and class and open genuineness. For me this channel is not just about learning about the game I love as much as it is about learning how to human. Thanks for being you Prof!
One thing that I love about eclipses is the black background on the face side while have a different color on the back side. It makes the cards blend perfectly into the sleeves and makes my revised bolts pop.
I use them for all of my decks and love the shuffle feel. However, do yours develop little nicks over time? I've also seen waves develop on the top of the clear part of the sleeve.
@@brandonenochs yup, i had 1 get that ripple, so i keep it to protect a sideboard card, but yes the little nicks on the corner is common after a drop or two of the card on the ground or an aggressive shuffle, but its so minor it doesnt matter
This has been a fantastic video for someone who is new to cards and have been playing Lorcana with my wife. So I really appreciate the time and effort you took to put this together, twas greatly informative
WWOOOOOHOOO!!!!! I've been pining for product reviews again! This was such a treat to see, thankyou so much prof!! Always need the up to date scoop on card stuff n card stuff accessories from ya.
Dragon Shield is my choice because of the color options. I think another brand could distinguish itself by offering something other than primary rainbow colors. I really want natural earth tones.
I am 100% with you here. The variety of color is amazing. I like to color code my decks, some weird obsessive compulsion I have, so everything has to match color wise (yes, even the deck box). Dragonshield have the colors I want for the decks I build. The dual mattes have been my favorite because I love how the black inside blends in with the black border of my MTG cards while still having a matching color to my deck on the outside. Looks awesome to me. I’ve been lucky to not have gotten a bad batch of dual mattes yet. I cross my fingers that I don’t.
This may be a strange compliment, but I love that you’re still doing videos on card shuffling, quality, and the like. In a strange way, this a relaxing break from all the product fatigue and power creep in MtG. Reminds me what the game is all about, sleeving up some cool cards, shuffling and having fun together. 💜 Thank you Professor!
I always considered the way that the deck lays on the table (shifted and leaning) as a point of contention when purchasing sleeves. I feel as though the extra space that the Dragon Shields have make for a 'leaning tower of cards' when not placed perfectly center in the sleeve. I've never used Katana but am willing to give them a try after this amazing review! Cheers!
I used to use the big three - katana, eclipse and dragon shield, interchangeably (now mostly dragon shield) but after a lot of time playing on counters, carpet, fabric table covers and so on, dragon shields are the only ones that shuffle like they’re new. With eclipse and katana you can really feel the resistance after a while even though the actual sleeve condition looks like they’re pretty damn close to new. However the shuffle feel of katana mattes while brand new is unreal. Smoothest thing in the world but again, after a while they’re a little harder to slide together. Also 12:22 well I mean if you insist
Love Gamegenic's sleeves because they are one of the best in brazil because they come with equivalent pricing and the same quality. Unfortunately Dragon shields are sooo expensive here
I went to Gamegenics because they were way cheaper after Dragons Shields, Katanas, Eclipses and others. I think I like the feel of Eclipses more but Gamegenics are my favourite and I stick to one colour for all my decks so I can always have spares laying around to use.
Hey Prof! as a newly returning mtg player you’ve helped me get a grip of the playing field in such a meaningful way! you help me stay joyful and a good sport in life and it means the world!!!
dragon shield mattes are really good when they're good but QC has been a massive issue for the past few years. Many packs that i've tried have corners fold almost immediately (sometimes in just one round of best of 3!). as such, i pretty much only use titanshields or katanas now.
I've experienced the same, they are very inconsistent. Eclipse has been my choice ever since and i wont ever go back, since the shuffle feeling is actually way more satisfying and way more consistent.
the quality control update only fixed the durability issue with the extruder, but ever since Dec 2022 Dragonshields have there are side markings on them that have not been fixed so I consider them the worst for tourney play. Even the single matter photo, you can see the giant streak on 3:52 where the robot puts the sleeves in the box
I came to the comments section. Just to ask about the KMC brand, it’s what I’ve always used as a go to, especially back when dragon shields were inconsistent (5+ years ago I’m an old man)
The reason I do not use Katanas is that neither LGS close to me has them with any regularity, but they have a multiplicity of Dragon Shield Mattes of nearly every colour currently available. If I find a pack in the wild though, I will get to do my own testing.
I never used katana's until i heard your review and i got to say, i personally give them a 8/10 in my rating. The only sleeves that ever got a 10/10 was old eclipse sleeves so the katana's are better than the now eclipse sleeves that are a 7/10 for me. The only 2 major issues for me personally about tbe katana's that i notice for me personally is that the edges of the sleeves are sharper than eclipse sleeves so they hurt my hand while shuffling (had to change how i shuffle to use them in a nice way). The only true gripe i have with them is that oil does stick very easily or shows very easily on the katana's, yes i wash my hands everytime before i sleeve or even touch my cards. Maybe i just have very oily hands in general but that still doesnt take away from the fact that both dragonshields and eclipse sleeves that are glossy never did that for me. Besides that, the sleeves are basisically perfect like what the doctor said.
1 thing to note is that edge's on Magic cards are rounded , that's why those iddues happen with some sleeves, especially the ones that aren't on a tighter side . Katana are the best by far out of all of these he showed
Honestly, my top pick is Dragon Shield Classics. Yeah, they're slippery as heck when you bust out a fresh pack, but after you break them in they just glide.
Aww man, wake up and see a 17 minute video where Prof talks sleeves? This gonna be a good day. Thank you for your work Prof. In a scary, uncertain world, you are a ray of sunshine that gives me hope.
I double sleeve every deck I have, and have found it almost impossible to do with Katanas. But you’re right, a box of DS sleeves I bought recently were more difficult to double sleeve than Katanas.
Agreed. I kept seeing the KMC perfect fit inner + DS matte outer as a recommended combo, but it was too tight for my comfort. The KMC inner + Hyper Matte outers are perfect!
Just resleeved a deck from Dragon Shield inners + outers to the same inners but KMC Hypermat outers. The fit is tighter and it's a better cut (I'm not a fan of how tall the Dragon Shields are cut), but more importantly, the whole thing can fit in an Ultimate Guard 100+ Boulder where the Dragon Shields are slightly too thick to where two cards have to be shifted to the side.
Kmc perfect fit inners are what I use for my inner sleeves and they are a dream. A little tight though. I often have to put an extra card in the outer sleeve while sleeving for the first time otherwise the inner sleeve starts to slide off from the friction.
Price! Dragon shield are good but most game stores 10-15$ depending on the artwork and sleeve style. Not worth it for protecting my collection. As for a deck? Katana or any sleeve with art I like and outer sleeve does the job
Good to know they fixed the QC issues, a set of the classic bronzes and dual matte snows kept splitting on me Having played since like 97-98 watching the Ultra Pro glow-up has been honestly great Also fun to see prof doing product tests again!
I’m heaps glad a review like this exists from a source I can trust. This is exactly what I was looking for earlier this year when I started seriously sleeving M:tG and other cards. Thank you, and nice work!
Thank you so much, I just began playing magic in March, and wanted to get professional sleeves to replace my simple soft sleeves that I use! Thank you so much!
Dragon Shield matte clear sleeves are excellent for Lorcana. The foils show nicely and when the best looking card back in the business is used for a game resource, it looks great in your inkwell.
I would almost agree but there are 2 major issues that weren't brought up 1. Ultra pro manufacturing and quality control is nowhere to be seen with their sleeves and binder pages having a plastic dot left by the manufacturing process that can damage your cards if unnoticed 2. Ultimate guard katanas have all but disappeared from the market with some amazon resellers charging almost 15-18 per pack when originally it was 10.99 if not 9.99 at certain places. there were rumors that they "sold the recipe" to gamegenic but almost all my LGS within 20 miles simply do not have them in stock nor can they order more
Neat detail: there are some online retailers like amazon that carry holographic sleeves that are usually labelled as Kpop photo sleeves. They fit american card game dimensions as well, however. Good hunting!
i sharply blend shuffle my decks, and i have to tell you eclipse sleeves are the best and longest lasting sleeves ive had, one deck i have has had the same eclipse sleeves for more than 5 years now
I stopped using Dragon Shield sleeves a few months ago after I got my third box of mattes that only contained 95-97 sleeves. I wouldn't have been too annoyed if they hadn't raised the price and if my customer service experience with them wasn't so bad. That being said, I'm still super excited to see what the conclusions from this video are going to be :)
One of the other considerations for sleeves besides mash shuffling is corner riffle shuffling. As a 60 card player, I want my decks to be optimized for true randomness. It takes a while to do this mash wise, and riffle shuffling doesn't have any noticeable damage to my cards if I do corner to corner. 5-7 quick riffles and 3-5 mashes and I'm confident it is truly randomized. I much prefer Katana's over Dragonshields because their corners are a little less pointed and prone to marks when it comes to riffle shuffling.
I currently only use UltraPro Eclipse glossy and matte sleeves for TCGs. Never really looked at the corners of my heavy use decks but they seem to be pretty straight. No glaring quality issues. Some of my decks are a few years old too. I use the cheap regular UltraPro sleeves for board game cards, which are good enough when you a lot of sleeves. Super crunchy shuffle. Not recommended. Maybe I'll try some Dragon Shields and one of your budget recommendations.
Not sure if its just been a minute since I purchased Dragon Shield sleves, but I never had any issues with them. The older matte ones start to feel a bit rough after a while sure, but the dual mattes have always been good to me. Out of the several thousand sleeves from them Ive purchased, only 1 total has broken on me. Im still very impressed with them to this day.
If you havent bought them from the end of last year to the about midpoint of this year, youre good. They had a reall bad batch that makes me nervous that the box of Valor I just got might be a lemon
One thing that wasn't mentioned in this video that is something I find really important is how thick the edges of the sleeves are, the reason I quit using dragon shield is the edges of the cards feel really think and it can be clunky to shuffle quickly. Katana's will always be my go-to with how thin and smooth they feel whether I'm taking my time, or rushing to get one last game in before the LGS closes.
I just want to add that I've had a hard time double sleeving with Katana sleeves. They were too tight around the perfect fits and the card would slide out while sleeving. The perfect fits would stick ut in some cases. Otherwise they are great sleeves, I use them when single sleeving when I play limited.
I bought 15k KMC inners and outers in the same color when I got back into magic. Every deck I have has cards that are completely interchangeable as needed and I've never had a problem with either. I'd even say I prefer the inners to others as they have minimal seems.
If you ever drop you collection or a couple of decks (e.g. a table fails)…I wish you good luck. Unless they are black sleeves. If you are using exclusively black sleeves, I’m judging you.
@@Bongus_Bubogus lol, that'd be an issue but thankfully moxfield has all my decks so I could rebuild them all in the unlikely event all of them were unboxed and laying out for some reason. My collection is mostly unsleeved, sorted in my closet. And yes, all black :)
@@Hexatomb may a Dimir player unintentionally steal half of your deck cleaning up after games you uninspiring conformist monster. Nice choice on inner sleeves though, KMC inners just perfect.
I used to do the same thing, i had 12 decks all in black kmc inner-outer to interchange cards. The problem started showing after 6 months/a year because in the same deck the cards had sleeves with uneaven wear&tear, especially the upper border becoming a bit undulated, so unfortunately it didn’t work for me…
I switched to Katanas from Dragon Shields about a year ago. I still have sets of Dragons from 3-4 years ago that are in immaculate shape but ones from 1-2 years ago feel horrible after a few shuffles. The corners get all bent and the sides get dinged up. So happy with katanas, despite not having as many colors
I personally like the Eclipse Matte sleeves. They feel better for play and provide great protection. I had foils in binders that don't have any scratches after years of storage
I bought one pack of eclipse, and they split immediately. Almost half didn't even survive one game's worth of shuffling. I kept hearing how good they were but my first pack left a horrible taste in my mouth. I've never gone back, but maybe I could be convinced to try again some day.
While I don't like how they do dull the colors of most cards, as a foil hater I actually do like how they present foil - it dulls it, yes, but it creates a sort of weird effect that's more subtle than normal, but still noticeable. Especially for egregiously bright foils it balances it out way better.
@@truegamerking - Wow, I've never seen that happen, and Eclipse has been more or less my go-to for a while. There was a while (about when they released the glossy front version) where quality control went down the gutter like prof mentioned (the big issue I noticed was the bottom seam was often way off, so like 1-2mm of sleeve space at the bottom was crimped, which made cards not fit (especially if double sleeved)). If you got ones that split, it might have been from that time period.
Unfortunately I got into magic earlier this year when I think DS QC was at its worst. About half of the matte and dual matte sleeves I've purchased have had some sort of issue. I'm not sure if you "need" to dual sleeve mattes but several boxes just don't shuffle well if they're single sleeved. I also ran into one box of Katanas where the two packages inside the box seemed to come from different runs--somewhat noticeable difference in size between the two sets of 50 sleeves. No issues with the other 9 packs of katanas I've used and like them the best.
I exclusively use Katana's for the shuffle feel, but I have run into size inconsistency. They can be tight when double sleeving. I keep an inner-sleeved, over-sized card from a commander precon handy in case I need to stretch them out a bit.
Personally I prefer the UP Eclispses. I like the black background instead of colored and I feel like they are slick but not slippery like dragonshields are in my experience.
My issue with Katana's is they do seem to degrade over time. I have decks in Dragon Shields and Katanas and the Dragon Shields hold up fine, so it's not dirty hands, lol. I also have Eclipse but, even though I love the look and feel of them, I find them to be a little on the small side so I only use them for draft decks for FNM or individual sleeves for use in my albums. Love the product reviews, keep 'em coming!
I bought a 1000+ pack of Katana sleeves they are THAT good, specifically because of how easy it is to shuffle - and you shuffle a lot. But at the same time I totally agree that they get dirty after couple of game nights and the shuffle quality diminishes because of that :c
I could listen to the prof shuffling cards for 10 minutes, like an ASMR video. The Cortex' as well as Dragonshield and Eclipse sounded really nice to relax to (I wouldn't want my sleeves to sound like the Cortex', but as an ASMR option it's quite a nice contrast to the other 2). Really really calming.
I've gone to Katanas. The last six Dragon Shield mattes I have purchased this year have completely fallen apart. I received refunds for three of them but it was too much of a hassle to continue that rigmarole.
The only Dragon Shield I’ve had problems with was their white ones. There’s something about white sleeves in general that just keeps fucking up for me, Dragon Shield or Ultra Pro. I just never buy white sleeves anymore.
Not gonna lie…I ripped the audio from the shuffling comparison portion of his video, put it on a loop, and am going to sleep to it tonight. Thank you, Prof, for providing what the community really needs. Some good ol shufflin ASMR
Yes I agree that katanas are a tier sleeves however an overlooked but important review aspect here is how well your deck stays stacked unassisted while in use. I think eclipses win this by landslide.
Dragon shield has my whole heart. I'm obsessed with the selection of colors and adore the fun artworks. I'm as much a collector of the artworks as I am a collector of cards. I've never had an issue with the sleeves. I will say that katana is buttery smooth to shuffle. I just like having the fun art and the ability to get custom sleeves made is the best!!
I'm a little surprised at the review of the Cortexes. A couple weeks ago I was at my local Canlander event and had multiple of my deck's Dragon Shields split on me (I'm fairly certain they were from your aforementioned bad batch of Dragon Shields). I went to grab some Katanas but they were out of stock, so I grabbed some Cortexes instead. I haven't noticed the shuffle feel issues you mentioned, and so far after a few weeks of use there's no noticeable damage. I still prefer Katanas as my #1 sleeve though, I just wish they didn't pick up grime quite as well as they do. I guess your mileage may vary, as always, on these sleeves.
I used to always love dragon shields. But they have been splitting lately and the katanas are just fantastic. They feel better, they fit better and they shuffle better. They just need to sort out the supply of current colours and add more.
Thanks for the great product video Prof 😊 It’s great to know after so many years you’re still going to great lengths to let the Community know what products are high quality and good value for money
The prof's issue with shuffle-ability of the Cortex sleeves is curious, I bought a pack recently and I found the shuffle feel very smooth. Clearly there's some issues with the consistency from batch to batch.
I've found a world of difference in shuffle feel when you compare glossy Cortex sleeves vs. the mattes. The mattes have an abysmal shuffle feel, but the glossy sleeves are pretty good.
With Dragon Shields I just personally don't like the way they feel when I Shuffle. I always use eclipse with dragonshield smokes for the inner sleeves. Feels the best to shuffle while offering amazing protection, and they are very durable having lasted 500+ games with my modern deck across three years of heavy use before needing replaced. Hell they even survived a spill, would have been very upset if my playset of thoughtseize was ruined.
My go to has always been dragon shields, especially the new dual mattes. But recently I've had many dual mattes sleeves with poor quality. Splitting at the seams, one pack I had the bottom of the sleeves split as well.
I've swapped to katanas for basically all my decks and I do resleeve my heavily played decks after a few months because they do get worn and the shuffle feel degrades (the protection doesn't, but they do get dirty and feel slightly less buttery-smooth). Notably though this is only on decks that are used in grinding weekly events, and it takes several months before I resleeve those decks at least. I also luckily haven't encountered supply issues because I live in Japan, where they are made, which helps (they are also actually cheaper than dragonshields here for the same reason). If you haven't used katanas before I heavily recommend them, though if you live outside of Japan they might be harder to find and be a tad more expensive.
Just got back from Japan and bought so much of it! Bought mine at 528 yen after tax for every pack of 80. They're less than half the price of DS's after conversion too. Dragon Shield is roughly $60 for 400 sleeves while KMC is nearly $30 for 400 sleeves.
Proof Prof lives in the future. He’s got some sweet Dragon Shield Sapphire that he purchased in October 2023 and has used for a month since. He’s a Prof and a wizard!!!! 3:55
I for one only use Dragon Shield Mattes. I tried the matte duals and got a bad batch, but tried again twice since and had a great experience as expected.
Same. One bad pack, but the rest have been super. I do have Katanas on one deck at the recommendation of a friend. They feel...interesting...when shuffling. Not bad, just interesting.
I made the switch to Katanas after I received an entire defective case of DS mattes. I never looked back. I still use DS inners for double sleeving, but I love the shuffle of Katanas.
I really like prismatic defenders. The ones I have at least have been as durable as my dragon shields but my only real problem I have is the backs are kinda thin so iif you squint in the right light you can kinda see if a card is double sided
The biggest problem I have is that I buy matte sleeves because they're just that... matte. DS matte sleeves are matte backed but not on the front so you still get the terrible shuffle AND you can't hardly see your cards because of the glare. UP Eclipse Matte will always be my goto until DS can fix the biggest issue of their matte sleeves (that they're not actually matte).
@@tonyw1983 Katanas are alright, shuffle feel is less good for me though. I have my new Ziatora deck in Katanas, shuffling it rn actually lmao, and I do still like Eclipse shuffle feel just a bit more I think. But I will agree after comparing foils in my Katana and Eclipse that the Katanas are vastly better looking with that tbh. I never realized how dull my Angelic Skirmisher looked in the Eclipse sleeve she's in lmfao
I bought a bunch of eclipse sleeves last fall for my Jumpstart decks. I love their shuffle feel! However I ended up returning them all to UP do to quality issues. They had what I would describe as plastic splatters on tons of them. Some were very minor and a few had major blobs. Anyone else experience this?
I stopped using Eclipse sleeves after a while when they launched since I had trouble with them collecting dirt on them. Very interesting video since I personally stay away from Dragon Shield as I think they have very poor shuffle feel. Especially compared to Katana/Cortex. I haven't had any issues with Cortrex sleeves and IMO they have comparable shuffle feel to Katanas. For my personal preference I rate 1.Katana 2.Cortex 3.Dragon Shield. I wish Dragon Shield could reach similar shuffle feels to Katana's.
LMFAO, "October" should be "August." I am so overtired, gang, but the month that comes BEFORE September is August, not October. Apologies. Please make me feel better by watching this great new COmmander game I get with Ben Wheeler, Shivam, and Kuro here: here: ruclips.net/video/4nCLyyZXCD0/видео.html
I blame Julius and Augustus Cesar.
If they didn't feel the need to put themselves into the calendar, you would have been correct! Hahaha
Cotrex too 😂 Love this content regardless.
Whatever you say, Time Lord
I was just trying to figure that one out. Thanks for the clarity, Prof!
Clearly the prof is traveling backwards through time and accidently slipped up and revealed his secret. 👀 we are onto you funky time man, we are onto you
I love Katanas so much, I just wish that they had the color selection that Dragon Shields have. I love having all my decks be different colors.
This is the only downside to using Katanas. There's only like 8 colors. Amazing AMAZING sleeves. If adding more colors would detract from the product I hope they don't. But oh man if they made more colors I'd be so pumped.
Exactly if they only had dual colors like dragon shields.....oh boy oh boy
As a huge fan of Eclipse sleeves, I wish Eclipse had the color options of Katanas :v
The selection is similar, but Katana's choices are slightly different, and MUCH better for it.
Yep. I also wish Katanas and Eclipses have the same color options with Dragon Shields. I try to sleeve my decks on theme with their color and having variants of the basic colors in magic is great.
They can't even have sustained supply of limited color. I love them, but evem if I stick to the most generic color, they still have a hard time supplying demands.
One con of the Katana sleeves is they only supply 100 sleeves. Dragonshield consistently gives anywhere from 102-106 from my personal experience which allows a few extras in case you need to replace a damaged sleeve. You damage one katana sleeve and you need another box.
They’re super slippery too. Everyone uses them at my LGS and we all have to be careful for a few games with new sleeves because the deck can slide all over the table 😂
Since deck sizes are only 75 cards, this isn't a big issue for me.
@AlastairGames unless you're playing commander, than it's exactly 100 so not super helpful there.
@jingovalentine3489 that's what I was saying? If you're playing commander it's 100 cards, not including your sideboard. So you'd have to buy atleast 2 if you wanted spares and sideboard sleeved.
how do you damage a Katana sleeve? I've had katanas last 5/6 years. theyre the only sleeves ill ever buy/use now.
=
If katanas ever start branching out into more color options and keep the same level of consistent quality, they will easily become my top sleeve of choice.
nah ultra pro is the best
@@lordhallibel3604 I've used them all by now and in my opinion UP only comes in third.
I know that you have already reviewed virtually every single tcg supplement on the market but I just want to say that these are some of my favorite videos that you have made. They are so well written and I usually hate watching reviews but I found myself watching your reviews for things I would never buy for hours.
He's back to his roots! The product reviews are my favorite content you do.
“It is a feeling like winning a game of Magic, only I can do it.” 😂 Prof, you slay me
The UP Eclipse has always been my go-to, and I'm glad they've been more consistently good recently. The one thing that puts them above the others for me is the black inner background for all the different external colours. They just look so good on the table.
Just going to say that I really appreciate the depth that these videos go to SHOW why the sleeves are good or bad. Professor, your videos really are a shining example of what a product review and comparison video should be.
Please never stop making videos.
Now ASMR shuffling videos is something i didn't knew i needed until now... Thx Prof 😂
fantastic review. i think it's good to return to these brands every few years and see if they still hold up or improve on their old grades
For my more expensive decks I use Dragon Shield Matte Sleeves with Game Genic thick inner sleeves in an Ultimate Guard 133 deck box. For my lower priced but favorite decks Katana sleeves, Dragon Shield inners and an Ultimate Guard Boulders. Dragon Shield Mattes would have to be my personal favorites
I can appreciate how even after all these years, these sleeve reviews are still such a joy to watch. Also, in irrelevant noise, is that the same playmat you used years ago?
Yep! That is the exact same playmat.
@@TolarianCommunityCollege now that is durability. Also gonna share this with some Lorcana groups I'm in. Lotta new folks to TCGs that have been asking about sleeves.
@@PlaneswalkerProject I've got my three decks all sleeved in Dragon Shield Matte Clear. I think Lorcana has the best looking card backs of any of the TCGs I've seen and with clear sleeves they look great in the inkwell. I am curious about the quality though of the official Lorcana sleeves.
@@PlaneswalkerProjectI've been getting into Lorcana as well! My partner is jumping into TCG's with it, and despite her initial reservations on sleeves, it's clicking now 😂
i missed these kinds of vids, i could watch you talk about cardboard accessories for years
I just want to say as someone who likely comes at life from a very different general viewpoint than most magic players and the professor himself I very much appreciate his consistent courtesy and class and open genuineness. For me this channel is not just about learning about the game I love as much as it is about learning how to human. Thanks for being you Prof!
As a brand new collector, and looking to play my first game asap. This has been invaluable 😊
YES!!!!!! Been hoping for new product reviews....haven't even watched but absolutely stoked! You rock Prof and team!
One thing that I love about eclipses is the black background on the face side while have a different color on the back side. It makes the cards blend perfectly into the sleeves and makes my revised bolts pop.
Katana sleeves are my favorite sleeves, they shuffle perfectly and they look and feel better than any other sleeve
I use them for all of my decks and love the shuffle feel. However, do yours develop little nicks over time? I've also seen waves develop on the top of the clear part of the sleeve.
@@brandonenochs yup, i had 1 get that ripple, so i keep it to protect a sideboard card, but yes the little nicks on the corner is common after a drop or two of the card on the ground or an aggressive shuffle, but its so minor it doesnt matter
I use both Katana's and Dragon Shields i love them both, i slightly pref the Katana shuffle feel
super slippery at first but immediately switched over to them for all my deck after using the first set i got for a week!
@@operationsauce yup they gotta be worn in a little, but i kinda like them because of that, it feels like you gotta break them in
This has been a fantastic video for someone who is new to cards and have been playing Lorcana with my wife. So I really appreciate the time and effort you took to put this together, twas greatly informative
I’ve always loved the sleeves and deck boxes series. Love to see them whenever I can
WWOOOOOHOOO!!!!! I've been pining for product reviews again! This was such a treat to see, thankyou so much prof!! Always need the up to date scoop on card stuff n card stuff accessories from ya.
i get a little sad there's not as many review videos anymore so it makes me happy to see one pop up again
Reviews are back! Thanks for letting us know the optimal sleeves for use!
Dragon Shield is my choice because of the color options. I think another brand could distinguish itself by offering something other than primary rainbow colors. I really want natural earth tones.
I see so many people with wild sleeve designs, and all I want is slate gray.
I am 100% with you here. The variety of color is amazing. I like to color code my decks, some weird obsessive compulsion I have, so everything has to match color wise (yes, even the deck box). Dragonshield have the colors I want for the decks I build. The dual mattes have been my favorite because I love how the black inside blends in with the black border of my MTG cards while still having a matching color to my deck on the outside. Looks awesome to me. I’ve been lucky to not have gotten a bad batch of dual mattes yet. I cross my fingers that I don’t.
This may be a strange compliment, but I love that you’re still doing videos on card shuffling, quality, and the like.
In a strange way, this a relaxing break from all the product fatigue and power creep in MtG. Reminds me what the game is all about, sleeving up some cool cards, shuffling and having fun together. 💜
Thank you Professor!
I always considered the way that the deck lays on the table (shifted and leaning) as a point of contention when purchasing sleeves. I feel as though the extra space that the Dragon Shields have make for a 'leaning tower of cards' when not placed perfectly center in the sleeve.
I've never used Katana but am willing to give them a try after this amazing review!
Cheers!
10:26 Love getting to hear and see shuffling! Great video!!!!
Eclipse are great. Love the look of the black border, anti glare, and they seem durable enough
I really like eclipses for the black inner backing, are there any other brands/sleeves that do the same?
@@notjefflee Dragon Shield Dual Mattes are the same but much better in my opinion
And they aren’t huge sleeves like the DS. DS sleeves are way too big and get all bent and curved on top. Eclipse are almost the same size as the card
I used to use the big three - katana, eclipse and dragon shield, interchangeably (now mostly dragon shield) but after a lot of time playing on counters, carpet, fabric table covers and so on, dragon shields are the only ones that shuffle like they’re new. With eclipse and katana you can really feel the resistance after a while even though the actual sleeve condition looks like they’re pretty damn close to new. However the shuffle feel of katana mattes while brand new is unreal. Smoothest thing in the world but again, after a while they’re a little harder to slide together.
Also 12:22 well I mean if you insist
Love Gamegenic's sleeves because they are one of the best in brazil because they come with equivalent pricing and the same quality. Unfortunately Dragon shields are sooo expensive here
Thanks for the international perspective! I love gamegenic too, color coding my cards has been so easy
Dragon Shield is cheaper in China, so keep that in mind... (Game genic will still be marginally cheaper and readily available, tho).
I went to Gamegenics because they were way cheaper after Dragons Shields, Katanas, Eclipses and others. I think I like the feel of Eclipses more but Gamegenics are my favourite and I stick to one colour for all my decks so I can always have spares laying around to use.
@@heliobarbosa3525 still wouldn't want to wait lot's of time to buy the sleeves for a deck that I just bought in my lgs
But good to know
Hey Prof! as a newly returning mtg player you’ve helped me get a grip of the playing field in such a meaningful way! you help me stay joyful and a good sport in life and it means the world!!!
dragon shield mattes are really good when they're good but QC has been a massive issue for the past few years. Many packs that i've tried have corners fold almost immediately (sometimes in just one round of best of 3!). as such, i pretty much only use titanshields or katanas now.
Jep. I bought two packs of the same dragon shield sleeves and they look different when stacked into a deck.
I tried katanas and the corners folded quickly as well
As a new player of TCGs, I didn't know this wasn't normal tbh - thanks for the info!
I had one bad pack of mattes, but customer service took care of it. The real problem for me has been their perfect-fits. So many are WAY too tight.
I've experienced the same, they are very inconsistent. Eclipse has been my choice ever since and i wont ever go back, since the shuffle feeling is actually way more satisfying and way more consistent.
the quality control update only fixed the durability issue with the extruder, but ever since Dec 2022 Dragonshields have there are side markings on them that have not been fixed so I consider them the worst for tourney play. Even the single matter photo, you can see the giant streak on 3:52 where the robot puts the sleeves in the box
Time for a "KMC Hypermatte" type re-evaluation on the previous top dog sleeve
I was looking for this comment, KMC is top dog for me
Same.
@@meetreality5145Same 😂. They're my first sleeves and never had a reason to try anything else
I came to the comments section. Just to ask about the KMC brand, it’s what I’ve always used as a go to, especially back when dragon shields were inconsistent (5+ years ago I’m an old man)
Was looking for this comment. KMC is the goat
The reason I do not use Katanas is that neither LGS close to me has them with any regularity, but they have a multiplicity of Dragon Shield Mattes of nearly every colour currently available.
If I find a pack in the wild though, I will get to do my own testing.
Wasn’t expecting sleeve shuffle with light breathing amsr but I didn’t hate it. Love the review as always.
I never used katana's until i heard your review and i got to say, i personally give them a 8/10 in my rating. The only sleeves that ever got a 10/10 was old eclipse sleeves so the katana's are better than the now eclipse sleeves that are a 7/10 for me. The only 2 major issues for me personally about tbe katana's that i notice for me personally is that the edges of the sleeves are sharper than eclipse sleeves so they hurt my hand while shuffling (had to change how i shuffle to use them in a nice way). The only true gripe i have with them is that oil does stick very easily or shows very easily on the katana's, yes i wash my hands everytime before i sleeve or even touch my cards. Maybe i just have very oily hands in general but that still doesnt take away from the fact that both dragonshields and eclipse sleeves that are glossy never did that for me. Besides that, the sleeves are basisically perfect like what the doctor said.
YAY! Product review!! I miss these so much!
1 thing to note is that edge's on Magic cards are rounded , that's why those iddues happen with some sleeves, especially the ones that aren't on a tighter side . Katana are the best by far out of all of these he showed
I have only used Dragon Shields for the past six years, but your video has given me the motivation to buy a box of Katanas to try them out!
Try out Katanas! You’ll love them. The only Dragon Shields I still buy are art sleeves.
Mayday operates out of my home town. Premium sleeves from them are my go to
Omg it's been so long since a sleeve review.
For real
Honestly, my top pick is Dragon Shield Classics. Yeah, they're slippery as heck when you bust out a fresh pack, but after you break them in they just glide.
Aww man, wake up and see a 17 minute video where Prof talks sleeves? This gonna be a good day. Thank you for your work Prof. In a scary, uncertain world, you are a ray of sunshine that gives me hope.
100
+1 on Katana sleeves shuffle feel. So smooth, and a delight to shuffle.
For me, Dragon Shields have been wildly inconsistent and Katanas are impossible to find at LGS.
That's stinks. I definitely prefer katanas, and maybe it's a region thing, but I can find them at most of my local shops!
I always struggle too; they do stock them but they sell out before I get there. Now if I see any, regardless of colour, I buy them just in case
I double sleeve every deck I have, and have found it almost impossible to do with Katanas. But you’re right, a box of DS sleeves I bought recently were more difficult to double sleeve than Katanas.
my local has like 50 of them.
Agreed, had 2 packs of black ds mattes that tear at the seams easily
0:56 That flip was so awesome! I love how you caught it right side up. I wonder how many takes you did to get that shot.
KMC makes some great sleeves, too. Similar feel to Dragon Shield from what I can tell, but better fit.
Agreed. I kept seeing the KMC perfect fit inner + DS matte outer as a recommended combo, but it was too tight for my comfort. The KMC inner + Hyper Matte outers are perfect!
Just resleeved a deck from Dragon Shield inners + outers to the same inners but KMC Hypermat outers. The fit is tighter and it's a better cut (I'm not a fan of how tall the Dragon Shields are cut), but more importantly, the whole thing can fit in an Ultimate Guard 100+ Boulder where the Dragon Shields are slightly too thick to where two cards have to be shifted to the side.
Kmc perfect fit inners are what I use for my inner sleeves and they are a dream. A little tight though. I often have to put an extra card in the outer sleeve while sleeving for the first time otherwise the inner sleeve starts to slide off from the friction.
@@animeking1357 You using DS or KMC outers?
@@theblang1 I use KMC Inners with Dragon Shield for the outers.
Price! Dragon shield are good but most game stores 10-15$ depending on the artwork and sleeve style. Not worth it for protecting my collection. As for a deck? Katana or any sleeve with art I like and outer sleeve does the job
Good to know they fixed the QC issues, a set of the classic bronzes and dual matte snows kept splitting on me
Having played since like 97-98 watching the Ultra Pro glow-up has been honestly great
Also fun to see prof doing product tests again!
I’m heaps glad a review like this exists from a source I can trust. This is exactly what I was looking for earlier this year when I started seriously sleeving M:tG and other cards. Thank you, and nice work!
Thanks for the update on this! It's easy to forget that even in brands with a long life that quality can rise and fall.
Thank you so much, I just began playing magic in March, and wanted to get professional sleeves to replace my simple soft sleeves that I use! Thank you so much!
Dragon Shield matte clear sleeves are excellent for Lorcana. The foils show nicely and when the best looking card back in the business is used for a game resource, it looks great in your inkwell.
@@DMBlade4 Oh no. I've been shamed out of playing a fun game by some random weirdo in the RUclips comments.
I would almost agree but there are 2 major issues that weren't brought up 1. Ultra pro manufacturing and quality control is nowhere to be seen with their sleeves and binder pages having a plastic dot left by the manufacturing process that can damage your cards if unnoticed 2. Ultimate guard katanas have all but disappeared from the market with some amazon resellers charging almost 15-18 per pack when originally it was 10.99 if not 9.99 at certain places. there were rumors that they "sold the recipe" to gamegenic but almost all my LGS within 20 miles simply do not have them in stock nor can they order more
Neat detail: there are some online retailers like amazon that carry holographic sleeves that are usually labelled as Kpop photo sleeves. They fit american card game dimensions as well, however. Good hunting!
i sharply blend shuffle my decks, and i have to tell you eclipse sleeves are the best and longest lasting sleeves ive had, one deck i have has had the same eclipse sleeves for more than 5 years now
I stopped using Dragon Shield sleeves a few months ago after I got my third box of mattes that only contained 95-97 sleeves. I wouldn't have been too annoyed if they hadn't raised the price and if my customer service experience with them wasn't so bad. That being said, I'm still super excited to see what the conclusions from this video are going to be :)
Well that explains where the extras are coming from every time I buy a box that has 102 sleeves lmao
@@BusinessSkrub - Marjoramme's Commanders were left in the cold so your Companions could have proper matching sleeves.
@@BusinessSkrubMy recent and best yet result with DS is a six extra sleeves in a pack, thought that its their feature. :)
One of the other considerations for sleeves besides mash shuffling is corner riffle shuffling. As a 60 card player, I want my decks to be optimized for true randomness. It takes a while to do this mash wise, and riffle shuffling doesn't have any noticeable damage to my cards if I do corner to corner. 5-7 quick riffles and 3-5 mashes and I'm confident it is truly randomized.
I much prefer Katana's over Dragonshields because their corners are a little less pointed and prone to marks when it comes to riffle shuffling.
Personally, having used Katanas and DS a good amount, Katanas stand head and shoulders above the rest. That smooth shuffle feel is just unreal.
I currently only use UltraPro Eclipse glossy and matte sleeves for TCGs. Never really looked at the corners of my heavy use decks but they seem to be pretty straight. No glaring quality issues. Some of my decks are a few years old too.
I use the cheap regular UltraPro sleeves for board game cards, which are good enough when you a lot of sleeves. Super crunchy shuffle. Not recommended.
Maybe I'll try some Dragon Shields and one of your budget recommendations.
Not sure if its just been a minute since I purchased Dragon Shield sleves, but I never had any issues with them. The older matte ones start to feel a bit rough after a while sure, but the dual mattes have always been good to me. Out of the several thousand sleeves from them Ive purchased, only 1 total has broken on me. Im still very impressed with them to this day.
If you havent bought them from the end of last year to the about midpoint of this year, youre good. They had a reall bad batch that makes me nervous that the box of Valor I just got might be a lemon
My experience is satisfactory as well, none has broken and the feel is awesome
One thing that wasn't mentioned in this video that is something I find really important is how thick the edges of the sleeves are, the reason I quit using dragon shield is the edges of the cards feel really think and it can be clunky to shuffle quickly. Katana's will always be my go-to with how thin and smooth they feel whether I'm taking my time, or rushing to get one last game in before the LGS closes.
Ultra Pro Eclipse are my go too sleeves. They shuffle really well and feel great in the hand.
I just want to add that I've had a hard time double sleeving with Katana sleeves. They were too tight around the perfect fits and the card would slide out while sleeving. The perfect fits would stick ut in some cases. Otherwise they are great sleeves, I use them when single sleeving when I play limited.
I bought 15k KMC inners and outers in the same color when I got back into magic. Every deck I have has cards that are completely interchangeable as needed and I've never had a problem with either. I'd even say I prefer the inners to others as they have minimal seems.
If you ever drop you collection or a couple of decks (e.g. a table fails)…I wish you good luck. Unless they are black sleeves. If you are using exclusively black sleeves, I’m judging you.
@@Bongus_Bubogus lol, that'd be an issue but thankfully moxfield has all my decks so I could rebuild them all in the unlikely event all of them were unboxed and laying out for some reason. My collection is mostly unsleeved, sorted in my closet.
And yes, all black :)
@@Hexatomb may a Dimir player unintentionally steal half of your deck cleaning up after games you uninspiring conformist monster. Nice choice on inner sleeves though, KMC inners just perfect.
I used to do the same thing, i had 12 decks all in black kmc inner-outer to interchange cards. The problem started showing after 6 months/a year because in the same deck the cards had sleeves with uneaven wear&tear, especially the upper border becoming a bit undulated, so unfortunately it didn’t work for me…
I switched to Katanas from Dragon Shields about a year ago. I still have sets of Dragons from 3-4 years ago that are in immaculate shape but ones from 1-2 years ago feel horrible after a few shuffles. The corners get all bent and the sides get dinged up. So happy with katanas, despite not having as many colors
I personally like the Eclipse Matte sleeves. They feel better for play and provide great protection. I had foils in binders that don't have any scratches after years of storage
same, they're EASILY my go to
I bought one pack of eclipse, and they split immediately. Almost half didn't even survive one game's worth of shuffling. I kept hearing how good they were but my first pack left a horrible taste in my mouth. I've never gone back, but maybe I could be convinced to try again some day.
I can see how that would leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth. I cant even break the ones I have trying to pull them apart.@@truegamerking
While I don't like how they do dull the colors of most cards, as a foil hater I actually do like how they present foil - it dulls it, yes, but it creates a sort of weird effect that's more subtle than normal, but still noticeable. Especially for egregiously bright foils it balances it out way better.
@@truegamerking - Wow, I've never seen that happen, and Eclipse has been more or less my go-to for a while. There was a while (about when they released the glossy front version) where quality control went down the gutter like prof mentioned (the big issue I noticed was the bottom seam was often way off, so like 1-2mm of sleeve space at the bottom was crimped, which made cards not fit (especially if double sleeved)). If you got ones that split, it might have been from that time period.
Unfortunately I got into magic earlier this year when I think DS QC was at its worst. About half of the matte and dual matte sleeves I've purchased have had some sort of issue. I'm not sure if you "need" to dual sleeve mattes but several boxes just don't shuffle well if they're single sleeved.
I also ran into one box of Katanas where the two packages inside the box seemed to come from different runs--somewhat noticeable difference in size between the two sets of 50 sleeves. No issues with the other 9 packs of katanas I've used and like them the best.
I exclusively use Katana's for the shuffle feel, but I have run into size inconsistency. They can be tight when double sleeving. I keep an inner-sleeved, over-sized card from a commander precon handy in case I need to stretch them out a bit.
That's a good tip. I usually shove 3 lands in
Personally I prefer the UP Eclispses. I like the black background instead of colored and I feel like they are slick but not slippery like dragonshields are in my experience.
My issue with Katana's is they do seem to degrade over time. I have decks in Dragon Shields and Katanas and the Dragon Shields hold up fine, so it's not dirty hands, lol. I also have Eclipse but, even though I love the look and feel of them, I find them to be a little on the small side so I only use them for draft decks for FNM or individual sleeves for use in my albums. Love the product reviews, keep 'em coming!
Ever tried KMC?
@@druidobianco9734 I've used KMC inners.
I haven't had any issues with dragonshields thus far. I usually stick with matte black for all my decks and my cube.
Back when I was foolish and young I only ever played with penny sleeves. God that was such a pain.
I bought a 1000+ pack of Katana sleeves they are THAT good, specifically because of how easy it is to shuffle - and you shuffle a lot.
But at the same time I totally agree that they get dirty after couple of game nights and the shuffle quality diminishes because of that :c
Wash your hands :)
It's the Ultimate Guard Katanas for me- That shuffle feel is without equal.
I could listen to the prof shuffling cards for 10 minutes, like an ASMR video. The Cortex' as well as Dragonshield and Eclipse sounded really nice to relax to (I wouldn't want my sleeves to sound like the Cortex', but as an ASMR option it's quite a nice contrast to the other 2). Really really calming.
I've gone to Katanas. The last six Dragon Shield mattes I have purchased this year have completely fallen apart. I received refunds for three of them but it was too much of a hassle to continue that rigmarole.
The only Dragon Shield I’ve had problems with was their white ones. There’s something about white sleeves in general that just keeps fucking up for me, Dragon Shield or Ultra Pro. I just never buy white sleeves anymore.
My lgs have katanas in stock all the time they are starting to stop selling dragon shields an I'm happy about it
@@adamwarehime6444
Sweet! Where is that?
Not gonna lie…I ripped the audio from the shuffling comparison portion of his video, put it on a loop, and am going to sleep to it tonight. Thank you, Prof, for providing what the community really needs. Some good ol shufflin ASMR
Yes I agree that katanas are a tier sleeves however an overlooked but important review aspect here is how well your deck stays stacked unassisted while in use. I think eclipses win this by landslide.
Thank you so very much for you review videos.
You are as much of a treasure as all the money you have saved me!
Dragon shield has my whole heart. I'm obsessed with the selection of colors and adore the fun artworks. I'm as much a collector of the artworks as I am a collector of cards. I've never had an issue with the sleeves. I will say that katana is buttery smooth to shuffle. I just like having the fun art and the ability to get custom sleeves made is the best!!
I'm a little surprised at the review of the Cortexes. A couple weeks ago I was at my local Canlander event and had multiple of my deck's Dragon Shields split on me (I'm fairly certain they were from your aforementioned bad batch of Dragon Shields). I went to grab some Katanas but they were out of stock, so I grabbed some Cortexes instead. I haven't noticed the shuffle feel issues you mentioned, and so far after a few weeks of use there's no noticeable damage. I still prefer Katanas as my #1 sleeve though, I just wish they didn't pick up grime quite as well as they do. I guess your mileage may vary, as always, on these sleeves.
I used to always love dragon shields. But they have been splitting lately and the katanas are just fantastic. They feel better, they fit better and they shuffle better. They just need to sort out the supply of current colours and add more.
Thanks for the great product video Prof 😊 It’s great to know after so many years you’re still going to great lengths to let the Community know what products are high quality and good value for money
The prof's issue with shuffle-ability of the Cortex sleeves is curious, I bought a pack recently and I found the shuffle feel very smooth. Clearly there's some issues with the consistency from batch to batch.
I've found a world of difference in shuffle feel when you compare glossy Cortex sleeves vs. the mattes. The mattes have an abysmal shuffle feel, but the glossy sleeves are pretty good.
With Dragon Shields I just personally don't like the way they feel when I Shuffle. I always use eclipse with dragonshield smokes for the inner sleeves. Feels the best to shuffle while offering amazing protection, and they are very durable having lasted 500+ games with my modern deck across three years of heavy use before needing replaced. Hell they even survived a spill, would have been very upset if my playset of thoughtseize was ruined.
My go to has always been dragon shields, especially the new dual mattes. But recently I've had many dual mattes sleeves with poor quality. Splitting at the seams, one pack I had the bottom of the sleeves split as well.
I've swapped to katanas for basically all my decks and I do resleeve my heavily played decks after a few months because they do get worn and the shuffle feel degrades (the protection doesn't, but they do get dirty and feel slightly less buttery-smooth). Notably though this is only on decks that are used in grinding weekly events, and it takes several months before I resleeve those decks at least. I also luckily haven't encountered supply issues because I live in Japan, where they are made, which helps (they are also actually cheaper than dragonshields here for the same reason). If you haven't used katanas before I heavily recommend them, though if you live outside of Japan they might be harder to find and be a tad more expensive.
Just bought some packs of KMC Hyper Mats, made in Japan. Best sleeves IMO.
If only they would do 100 sleeves per pack and not 80.
Hi! I’m actually the owner of KMC USA. We have 100ct packs! Japan only sells them through us in the US since Commander is not popular in Japan.
Just got back from Japan and bought so much of it! Bought mine at 528 yen after tax for every pack of 80. They're less than half the price of DS's after conversion too. Dragon Shield is roughly $60 for 400 sleeves while KMC is nearly $30 for 400 sleeves.
I agree, they are the best
Proof Prof lives in the future. He’s got some sweet Dragon Shield Sapphire that he purchased in October 2023 and has used for a month since. He’s a Prof and a wizard!!!! 3:55
Missing the KMC Hyper Phoenixes here. Best sleeves I've ever used.
I would love to see a review of those aswell.. I have only heard good things!
PRODUCT REVIEW TIME BAYBEE! I just always love these and they're appreciated.
I for one only use Dragon Shield Mattes. I tried the matte duals and got a bad batch, but tried again twice since and had a great experience as expected.
Same. One bad pack, but the rest have been super. I do have Katanas on one deck at the recommendation of a friend. They feel...interesting...when shuffling. Not bad, just interesting.
I made the switch to Katanas after I received an entire defective case of DS mattes. I never looked back.
I still use DS inners for double sleeving, but I love the shuffle of Katanas.
Always a fan of a prof sleeve review!
I really like prismatic defenders. The ones I have at least have been as durable as my dragon shields but my only real problem I have is the backs are kinda thin so iif you squint in the right light you can kinda see if a card is double sided
As an Eclipse enjoyer, I feel vindicated lmao. I love these sleeves, they just feel so good to shuffle compared to DS for me.
The eclipse sleeves are 8.99 at my lgs for 100
The biggest problem I have is that I buy matte sleeves because they're just that... matte. DS matte sleeves are matte backed but not on the front so you still get the terrible shuffle AND you can't hardly see your cards because of the glare. UP Eclipse Matte will always be my goto until DS can fix the biggest issue of their matte sleeves (that they're not actually matte).
i do like Eclipse. they are fantastic. Unless they changed their formula, foils dont look great in them. You'd probably like Katanas.
@@tonyw1983 Katanas are alright, shuffle feel is less good for me though. I have my new Ziatora deck in Katanas, shuffling it rn actually lmao, and I do still like Eclipse shuffle feel just a bit more I think. But I will agree after comparing foils in my Katana and Eclipse that the Katanas are vastly better looking with that tbh. I never realized how dull my Angelic Skirmisher looked in the Eclipse sleeve she's in lmfao
I bought a bunch of eclipse sleeves last fall for my Jumpstart decks. I love their shuffle feel! However I ended up returning them all to UP do to quality issues. They had what I would describe as plastic splatters on tons of them. Some were very minor and a few had major blobs. Anyone else experience this?
I stopped using Eclipse sleeves after a while when they launched since I had trouble with them collecting dirt on them.
Very interesting video since I personally stay away from Dragon Shield as I think they have very poor shuffle feel. Especially compared to Katana/Cortex.
I haven't had any issues with Cortrex sleeves and IMO they have comparable shuffle feel to Katanas.
For my personal preference I rate 1.Katana 2.Cortex 3.Dragon Shield.
I wish Dragon Shield could reach similar shuffle feels to Katana's.