DS is pretty crappy KMC+perfect fit inner is the way to go for sure;)
I've never liked Dragon Shield. I purchased two boxes of Dragon Shield: in 2009 and in 2011. Both times, the sleeves I bought we're cut uniformly; the length varied in approximately 1 in 8 sleeves. Since then, I've tried the new Ultra Pro line and haven't been impressed with the quality.
I've been slowly upgrading my collection from MP/SP to NM over the last year. As a result, I've began using perfect fit sleeves and KMC seemed to be the best reviewed ones (better than Ultra Pro perfect fits at least). I've switched over to using KMC black sleeves last year and, in general, have been relatively happy with them. KMC perfect fits work quite while once you figure out a system putting the perfect fitted card into the larger sleeve. I tend to side shuffle 3-4 times, then pile shuffle, then side shuffle an addition 3-4 times and have yet to have an issue with the KMC sleeves ripping, snagging or sliding all over the place.
@Magic Fanatic: I actually like the poof that the perfect fits create. Its a good indication to me that the card would hold up much better if some liquid spilled on it. The air will slowly leak out overtime anyway since its not truly air tight, but the poof is proof of protection for me. That being said, it is rather annoying to try and find a deck box that will hold the cards.
As an aside, I bought 6 50 packs of Ultra Pro black sleeves around 2007 for $2 a pack! Without a doubt the best sleeves I've ever purchased. Sadly, they're all worn out now and they're only good for the "you can borrow this to play Legacy" decks (IE Burn and Affinity). I've been able to keep them in relatively good shape by wiping them down every once in a while - I can usually clean 75 to 100 sleeves in 20 minutes.
Just out of curiosity how many people perfect fit their cards?
I don't like dragonshields anymore because of the hackjob they do when cutting them. Some sleeves are taller than other sleeves/marked not to mention dragon shields bend like a bitch out of the box and I have had troubles with my deck falling over in a tournament because of how slippery they are when they are new.
I'd go for KMC Matte's. I shuffled with KMC Matte's just one time and was sold. Unfortunately I have over a thousand KMC Super Silver sleeves that most of my cards are in including my cube. Resleeving all those and buying a lot of sleeves costs way too much time and money for me right now.
But yeah KMC Matte's are probably the way to go. Ultra pro sleeves are AWFUL and whenever I see the silver circle in the sleeve in anyone's deck I cringe. When people say ultra pro is cheaper I just laugh and say "so you'd rather save a dollar in the short term because ultra pro's split like a bitch all the time if you do the mash shuffle technique. If you riffle shuffle you're just devaluing your cards instead when they get hairline creases in the middle and the cards become warped. Sweet deal."
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Originally Posted by Vacrix
I like the KMC Mattes, but they get sticky for me after a tournament or two. Having to clean them off is a bit of a pain as well, and with the perfect fits, your deck ends up getting pretty tall. I opt for the Ultra Pro: Pro Mattes because they slide really nicely, and when they get old, I just buy a new set. They don't last as long and aren't as good but they shuffle much more smoothly.
-Matt
I personally like Purple Dragon Shield and both Red and Blue Metallic from KMC, Ultra Pro is the worst.
I mean, how can you dislike Dragon Shield? I heard they're made of Dragons...
Put KMC perfect fits in these babies and you have the perfect combination.
Pink Dragonshields (for anything combo).
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Except that you can see through most of the lighter colors, and I had problems with the corners getting bent almost immediately.
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+1
Shuffling Dragonshields feels like I'm shuffling razor blades. Their seams are sharp! Also feel like thin tissue paper next to KMC Mats.
I use KMC Supers for my Cube and KMC Matte for Legacy. Happy with both.
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I've always loved Dragonshields, but i picked up some KMC Matte Dark Blue for my BUG deck to see how they went.
Overall i like them, except that they seem to get greasy/dark finger prints on them very easily, of course it is summer here and things are a bit moist unfortunately, so it could be that.
I always kinda liked the Ultra Pro's with the holograph, but it tended to flake/peel off after repeated shuffles.
KMC black matte and not close for me
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Picking up some KMC Matte sleeves. Do they change their style of sleeves often like Ultra Pro does? I've been burnt a couple times trying to buy the "same" Ultra Pro matte sleeves but there is always some noticeable difference. If I like these KMC sleeves I'd like to pick up a few more packs in like 6 months or so and I'm hoping they wouldn't be a different model (or whatever) than what I'm buying now.
I've been buying KMC Matte blues for years and have not noticed a change.
Unsleeved on slate tablets.
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Sticky sleeves has nothing to do with the brand, it's strictly a hands thing. Clean hands and a play mat are all you need to prevent that from happening: I've played with KMC Matte's and Ultra Pro's and in my like on and off 13 years of playing my decks have never come close to being stuck together. The KMC sleeves I bought in the beginning of February still have the issue of sliding around when I put my deck down if I don't push down with my palm a bit.
I keep good care of my cards, the only unfortunate thing is when you go to a tournament and some sweaty fat guy manhandles the pants off of your deck and smells like he hasn't showered in 12 days.
80% of my misplays come from being completely overwhelmed by the smell of either my opponent or a nearby player and/or the hyper-nerd tendencies of them..
Anyways, /endrant.
I really enjoy KMC's, but there's this weird hit-or-miss about them where either the corners bend like fucking crazy or they don't ever bend. I have maroon KMC Mattes that I bought about a year ago and aside from some frilly tops, are god damn perfect. They feel like I'm shuffling velvet wrapped cards. I have maroon KMC Mattes that I bought about 2 months later that are definitely made of some sort of thicker plastic or something, all the corners went to shit, it never felt right shuffling them, they were just weird.
The only colors I trust right now for KMC are blue and black. Brown has been good to me but the corners, again, are getting a little fucked.
I've never, ever encountered KMC's in which perfect fits wouldn't fit inside them.
I don't think it's the normal sleeves that are the problem. I brought some perfect fits awhile ago and they would not go down properly. I found some double sleeved quite well while others it was virtually impossible. I did a bit of swapping around with different perfect fits, cards and kmc/ds and found it to be the 'perfect' fits being too big, as the one that felt more snug were more likely to sleeve properly. I did manage to get them all down luckily.
I myself prefer kmc. I have had the same main sleeves for over 2 years and they are still kicking. The side edges are beginning to flatten and split, but hey it's been 2 years and they have such a vintage look to them now. My first pack of recent ultra pros were terrible. Every shuffle a slip would split resulting in a scuffed card edge. Definitely stay away from these when your playing with cards worth hundreds each as a scuff takes the condition right down to mp from nm lol.
I prefer KMC. Anyway I noticed my sleeves are collecting less dirt since I started washing my hands right before round 1, and once more every 2-3 rounds. I also started using a dark brown leather playmat (had it done by a professional leather craftsman) that I clean every once in a while with leather cleaning products. Collects less dirt than normal mats and it's easier to clean than normal mats.
Are you into Jazz? Have a look at the Lp's I have for sale on Discogs!
Got a picture of the mat? I've been thinking of making a leather mat. How do you like it?
My 2cents on sleeves. If it's strictly for legacy/75 card decks. I go with KMC matte. I haven't tried the gunmetal sleeves yet, I plan to pick up a few soon.
If it's EDH, price wise I'd go with Dragonshield as you save some dough.
If you buy sleeves in bulk, check out this site: www.potomacdist.com I'm purchasing a case of mixed sleeves soon (don't know if it's KMC or DS yet) to sleeve all the proxy decks I'm making to jump start legacy in my area.
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