Debate: sleeve your game cards or just raw dog it?

I finally had to make a call on this after my copy of Arkham Horror LCG started showing wear after like 10 plays. On one hand sleeves protect the cards and keep everything looking fresh, but on the other hand they add bulk to the box and cost like $8 per pack. I ended up going with penny sleeves because they're cheap but now they slide around everywhere in the stack. Does anyone else struggle with this choice or am I overthinking cardboard?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_lee91mo ago

My copy of Arkham Horror LCG is the exact reason I started sleeving too. The encounter deck gets shuffled constantly and those cards started showing white marks on the edges after maybe 6 plays. I went with Dragon Shield clear mattes and they cost me about $12 a pack but they don't slide at all. Have you tried matte finish sleeves instead of penny sleeves? They cost a little more but they grip each other in the stack way better.

jamief671mo ago

Heard a guy at the local game store say the same thing. Matte sleeves really do fix the sliding issue. Penny sleeves are just too slick for constant shuffling. Dragon Shields are solid, been using them for years myself. They feel better in the hand too, not that cheap plastic feel. Worth the extra couple bucks to keep the cards looking new.

drew_hart41mo ago

@jamief67 I gotta push back on that. Dragon Shields are way overrated for the price and that matte texture can actually make cards harder to shuffle because they grip too much. Plus the matte finish fades over time and looks gross after a few months. Penny sleeves might be slick but at least they let cards slide smoothly without that sticky feeling. I've been using Ultra Pro penny sleeves for years on games like Marvel Champions and never had a single card get damaged. Sure they're cheap but they do the job fine for a fraction of the cost. Why spend $12 on sleeves when you can get 100 for $2 and just replace them every year?