Tending and Replacing Card Sleeves

 

No matter how much money you spend on card sleeves, regardless of what the sleeves are made out of, you will need to replace them from time to time.  Some of the sleeves on my Borg deck have been on my cards for over 6 months or more.  Needless to say, my silver sleeves were getting a little thin.

Replacing your card sleeves is not only a good idea, it is required by both the Guild and Decipher as worn card sleeves can mark cards in your deck.

Here are some suggestions when using various types of sleeves.

Sleeve Type Characteristics Replacement
Poly (1 mil) Thin sandwich bag type of material.  Tears easily and some yellow with age. Look for signs of tearing frequently.  The best thing to do is replace all of the sleeves in your deck when they become hard to shuffle or when they show signs of wear.
Poly (2 mil) Zipper bag type material.  Durable but prone to collecting dirt and oils on the exterior. These sleeves don't normally tear, but can crease and collect spots of dirt.  As with all poly sleeves replace all when they begin to show signs of wear.
"Vinyl" Thick sleeves often colored and extremely durable.  Fairly expensive. (not really vinyl, but a similar material) These sleeves are prone to folds and creases but can be replaced one at a time as long as you keep an eye out for damage.  In some cases the top corners can separate or crease so shuffle with care.
Vinyl (metallic) Vinyl sleeve with textured back and metallic color. The more common ultra-pro metallic sleeves' texture serves a hidden purpose.  The metallic finish is painted on as opposed to tinted into the vinyl.  This makes the sleeves subject to an all new kind of wear.  Raised areas in the pattern will show the most wear.  Replace individually when they show signs of wear.

A new metallic card sleeve (left) does not transmit nearly as much light through it as the worn card sleeve (right).  The sleeve is so worn that the corners are less defined and almost disappears altogether.  You can also make out the outline of the card where it has worn away.