Card Game Accessories You Must Have In 2021

By Author: Christopher
Total Articles: 2
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Its 2021 and trading card game have exploded in popularity. If you are new to TCGs then you might be wondering, which accessories are must haves? Which ones can I skip? This list will let you know which TCG accessories are must haves in 2021 and why!

Here’s the must have accessories for 2021:

1. Trading Card Sleeves

While many of us started out by playing with unsleeved Pokémon cards on concrete during lunch breaks, after your first deck disintegrates its time to graduate from the ziplock bag/rubber band and start to take card protection seriously. Many have learnt the hard way that card sleeves are a necessity when it comes to playing TCGs.

So what can you do to protect your cards?
- Card sleeves
- Perfect fit inner sleeves

Card sleeves not only protect your cards, but they also ensure that all the card backs look the same so that people can’t cheat with marked cards. Card sleeves also greatly improve the shuffling and playing experience.

As your collection grows over time and you potentially start playing with more expensive cards, double sleeving also becomes a necessity ...
... to protect the tops of your valuable cards. Double sleeving is when you put a perfect fit sleeve over a card before you put it in a regular sleeve, this means that the card is now protected by two layers and the top of the card that is usually slightly exposed at the top of the sleeve is protected. If you really want to give your cards the best protection possible, then double sleeving with Perfect Fit Sealable Inner sleeves is a great option. They exist in both Standard size and Japanese size. Sealable inner sleeves give cards full 4 edge protection and essentially ‘seal’ the card in so that it is protected on all sides even before it goes in a regular sleeve.
Card sleeves are a must have when playing TCGs. The only questions are; which type, color and do you want to double sleeve?

2. Deck Boxes

Now that you have a deck sleeved up. Its time to figure out how to bring that deck around. Loose cards in a backpack is a terrible idea as the cards will get damaged, ziplock bags are inelegant and will catch strange glances at a LGS. As part of graduating from zip-lock bags and rubber bands to store your deck, the clear next step is getting a deck box to transport your deck and keep it safe.
In the world of deck boxes there are a range of options from simple budget deck boxes to high end deck boxes.

Dragon Shield has two primary offerings when it comes to deck boxes.

- Budget ‘Shell’ type deck boxes
- Premium ‘Nest’ type deck boxes

Lots of people start off with budget versions like the Deck Shell or Double Shell, these are great functional designs that get the job done. More luxurious deck boxes can also be found. Some deck boxes have dice trays so that you have everything you need to play with you. Some people like to store their simple decks in simple deck boxes while giving their favorite decks a home to match.

Deck boxes are excellent ways to protect your deck and easily transport it, these are a must when playing TCGs.

3. Dice

In many TCGs tokens are used to mark anything from damage to health to +1 counters. Instead of using the lint in you pocket as +1 counters it’s a great idea to have dice with you when you play to easily mark and track all the awesome things that are happening in your game. Sometimes you can get away with borrowing dice if your opponent has dice with them but if nobody has dice, then you’re out of luck, so for this reason, dice are a must have.

4. Playmats

Lets be real here, not every LGS is as nice of a place to hang out as they should be. If you’ve ever been to a LGS that isn’t 100% up to speed on cleaning, then a playmat is something that will be sorely missed if you don’t have one with you. Sticky tables feel terrible to play on, bringing a playmat along ensures you have a nice clean surface to play on. Playmat surfaces are excellent for playing on, you can more easily pick up cards or slide them around as needed. Dragon Shield playmats have a premium stitched edge which prevents the playmat from fraying at the edge. I’m always kicking myself if I forget to bring a playmat to game night, even though I can technically play without one, I’d rather have it than not, this is why playmats made the list of must have card game accessories for 2021.