Sleeves: Dragon Shield vs KMC

[cab0747]

After going with Hypermats on my decks recently, I have noticed that with heavy shuffling, the hypermats tend to split or break far more often than DS (My Modern Tron deck destroys Hypermats :( ).

I love how the hypermats feel. If I have any deck that doesn't involve a lot of shuffling, I will use them. Otherwise, I will stick with Dragon Shield. Damn shame, I like the hypermats feel better than the DS and they don't seem to attract as much gunk.

[Bobmans]

After going with Hypermats on my decks recently, I have noticed that with heavy shuffling, the hypermats tend to split or break far more often than DS (My Modern Tron deck destroys Hypermats :( ).

I love how the hypermats feel. If I have any deck that doesn't involve a lot of shuffling, I will use them. Otherwise, I will stick with Dragon Shield. Damn shame, I like the hypermats feel better than the DS and they don't seem to attract as much gunk.

I have the same experience with my hypermats. Splitting from the top on one side. They shuffle great and have a great feel.
Also i like the UltraPro ProMatte, but the matte look on the front side makes the cards look so dirty.
Then the other day i bought Dragon Shield orange. The problem with those is that they are soooo slippery that my deck slipped out of my hand all over the floor. Also they get dirty real fast and leaves spots on the backside.
Also non black sleeves are problematic for transform cards. You see them thru the sleeves and the flip mark cards are sooo damn ugly.
I like the looks of the UltraPro with images, because the are black on the frontside. But those are split fast, are too tight and have problems getting double sleeve in with KMC pro fit. UltraPro Fit are also tooo tight and slightly bend cards.
So all in all i am not fond with any of the sleeves on the market, but Black KMC HyperMats are still the better ones i have.

[H]

Apparently Dragon Shields are now made in Matte. No idea if these are made with a process similar to the "new" Turquoise or Copper, or more like the older colors.

Anyone seen these yet? I'd like to try them, but I doubt if my local store has gotten them yet.

[iamajellydonut]

Anyone seen these yet? I'd like to try them, but I doubt if my local store has gotten them yet.

I hadn't even heard of them, but I'd be willing to give them a shot.

[H]

I hadn't even heard of them, but I'd be willing to give them a shot.

Yeah, I was pretty surprised to see them on sale already, considering that I hadn't even heard they were making them. They aren't even listed in on their site yet.

There is a reddit thread however I hate that site and trying to read it makes me wish I was illiterate, but I think that no one there has tried them yet.

My main question is how consistent are they cut (especially height-wise)? Secondarily, how flat are they out of the box?

[iamajellydonut]

Also, it doesn't look like you can buy them in the states. Damned if I'll be hit with overseas shipping costs for sleeves.

[H]

Also, it doesn't look like you can buy them in the states. Damned if I'll be hit with overseas shipping costs for sleeves.

Not sure about other sites, but I found them here, you can follow that link back for the whole list with all the colors. I actually need to order some other stuff from that site, but I wanted to try a pack before I add them to what I need.

[ReAnimator]

My local store here in Toronto got these in, so some people in North America have them apparently.
I have no idea how flat they are our of the box or how even the cutting is as i haven't been in to check them out yet. If i find anything out about them i'll post here.

[H]

My local store here in Toronto got these in, so some people in North America have them apparently.
I have no idea how flat they are our of the box or how even the cutting is as i haven't been in to check them out yet. If i find anything out about them i'll post here.

Thanks, I'd appreciate it. I just want a general idea of what I am getting before I buy a case from Potomac (that I linked above).

I'm not sure if Potomac is actually a distributor, or if they got some from a North America distributor, but I feel like my local is usually a step behind on these things. I'll see tonight though, who knows, maybe I'm not giving them enough credit.

[ReAnimator]

If you search "Face to Face Games Toronto" on Facebook, their second most recent post has a pic and they answer some questions about them and have a pic of what they look like out of the box.
:)

[H]

If you search "Face to Face Games Toronto" on Facebook, their second most recent post has a pic and they answer some questions about them and have a pic of what they look like out of the box.
:)

Thanks. Those look very "new process" to me, which would make sense.

I'm going to see if I can find a pack local. If not, I'll probably just buy a case from Potomac next week, as long as I have the money.

[H]

I found they had packs at my local store, so I picked one up to try it last FNM.

Some images of the pack of DS Mattes I got:


Flat out of the pack and consistently cut.



I tried to get a picture to show the texture.



Definitely less puff once sleeved up new, which was nice.



The height of the sleeve is pretty good, I like that they are decently taller than the cards themselves.

They definitely feel significantly different than the old DS sleeves. I think it will take a little time for me to get used to them, but so far I am pretty pleased with them. I wish the shade of blue was a bit different, but that's just a nit pick.

I only played 4 rounds with them, so we'll see how they fare going forward.

[Saboo]

So, I have a foil MM2 Tarmogoyf in my Jund deck and want the best quality of sleeves possible. Given what's currently on the market, would you suggest Dragonshield, KMC Hypermatte, or some other brand? A while back I had some Dragonshields for Legacy that did a fine job protecting my dual lands, but the batches I've used in the last 4 years seem to either dent and wear easily or accumulate little specks of dirt etc easily. I don't want to double sleeve my deck, by the way.

Also, the Fusion Dragonshields do seem to have a lower cut along the upper boarder, and the Copper Dragonshields feel thinner than some of the other color choices (I bought a box of each back in September 2014).

[Darkenslight]

So, I have a foil MM2 Tarmogoyf in my Jund deck and want the best quality of sleeves possible. Given what's currently on the market, would you suggest Dragonshield, KMC Hypermatte, or some other brand? A while back I had some Dragonshields for Legacy that did a fine job protecting my dual lands, but the batches I've used in the last 4 years seem to either dent and wear easily or accumulate little specks of dirt etc easily. I don't want to double sleeve my deck, by the way.

Also, the Fusion Dragonshields do seem to have a lower cut along the upper boarder, and the Copper Dragonshields feel thinner than some of the other color choices (I bought a box of each back in September 2014).

I'd have a look at Ultimate Guard's sleeves. The Supremes from Ultimate Guard, while pimp as all hell, flick easily on the sides and corners.

[Bobmans]

So, I have a foil MM2 Tarmogoyf in my Jund deck and want the best quality of sleeves possible. .... I don't want to double sleeve my deck, by the way.

Not double sleeving will get the top side of cards dirty. It will reduce them from being NM to Exc or worse. If you do not want to double sleeve your duals and goyfs then why bother with searching for the best quality sleeves at all. That said:

The best sleeves i have used where Ultra Pro, Pro Matte's. They Shuffle excellent and have had the best lifespan. Those sleeves do not get dirty fast. Downside is that those matte front sides are not the nicest look for cards, especcially foils show much less. Now the runner up for me has been regular Ultra Pro with one side matte and the front side glossy. About the same quality, but the glossy side gets dirty fast and corners seem to bent. There are also the Ultra Pro with artwork, those are to tight for double sleeve, the are a bit slippery and the split pretty fast. Those sleeves shuffle less nice.
Then i also used Dragonshield. Those are way to slippery and both glossy sides get dirty real fast. Specks on the backside may "mark" the cards aswell.
Last i played with KMC Hyper Mats. Awesome shuffle, but the cards tear in the corner real fast and the glossy side cards dirty really fast.

For coming event GP Lille i have bought KMC Hyper Mat's knowing i will throw them away after. They play really nice and have a nice material look but a very short lifespan.