Should you double-sleeve your trading cards?
What is double-sleeving?
Double-sleeving is when you take a trading card and put it in two layers of card sleeves. 2 sleeves, double the sleeves, double the sleeving!
- First, the card is placed in a Perfect Fit inner sleeve
- Then, the card is placed in a regular sleeve
The two layers are placed opposite to each other so that the part of the card that is usually slightly exposed is completely covered.
So why should I double-sleeve my cards?
Regardless of what game you are playing, be it Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, or Yu-Gi-Oh, some cards will be very valuable. Cards can have sentimental value or even a real $ value. Double-sleeving your cards greatly improves protection, not only against dirt and dust but also water.
Protect your $$$ decks!
If you have a valuable deck, then you should probably double-sleeve it. If a liquid gets spilled and you have only single sleeved your cards, then the liquid can get into the sleeve and damage cards, you’ll wish you had double sleeved them.
Double-sleeving your cards, especially with Perfect Fit Sealable sleeves, will greatly improve how well your cards are protected.
Is it ok if I only double-sleeve some of my cards?
If you are playing casually, then double-sleeving only your valuable cards may be ok, but check with your playgroup first. In tournament settings, it’s all or nothing, you must double-sleeve all your cards or none of your cards. If you only double-sleeve some cards then they can be identified, meaning that you are able to cheat, this can lead to match losses or disqualification.
Overall, I’d recommend double-sleeving your cards, it greatly improves their protection and perfect fit sleeves aren’t too pricey. You never know what a card might be worth in 2 years time or when a card might jump in value.
What should I double sleeve with, and how do I double-sleeve?
We have three types of perfect fit sleeves for standard sized TCGs like Pokemon that you can use to double sleeve your cards. They are available in clear versions and smoke versions. The smoke versions help to hide card backs so that you can’t see them through lighter colored sleeves.We have two types of perfect fit sleeves for Japanese sized TCGs like Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Toploading
Double-sleeving with toploading perfect fits provides great protection.
Sideloading
Double-sleeving with sideloading perfect fits is faster when you are double-sleeving lots of cards, but doesn’t provide the same level of protection as toploading perfect fits.
Sealable
Double-sleeving with Sealable perfect fits will provide the best protection possible for your cards!
Some things to keep in mind:
- Decks that have been freshly double-sleeved will have some air in them. To get this out, simply press down on the double-sleeved deck with your hand and rock your hand back and forth, this will press the air out.
- Decks that have been double-sleeved will be thicker than a single sleeved deck. Double-sleeved commander decks are quite a handful!
- You can triple sleeve Yu-Gi-Oh cards to give them MAX DEF by using Dragon Shield Outer Sleeves
- Check out our guide on how to double-sleeve Yu-Gi-Oh cards here
Browse our perfect fit sleeves here. If you want to read more about our inner sleeves and our regular sleeves, then check out our Ultimate Guide to Picking Card Sleeves!
