Sleeves, FFG sleeves or UP Eclipse ?

By Kaiju, in Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game

Hi everyone,

Planning on trying to get into card game tournaments for the first time in my life, and learning all about sleeves, transportation, deck organization and so on.

Now, I read in their tournament rules that we are supposed to use opaque sleeves, which is a shame for hiding the beautiful card backs, but alright. Now I wonder, does FFG plan/has announced whether they will release L5R themed sleeves that are also legal for tournament play? I see they routinely release sleeves for some of their card games, but not for others, and I would just love high-quality sleeves with nothing but the inkbrush designs on the back.

Barring that, is there any argument AGAINST the Ultra Pro Eclipse sleeves? Cost is not the issue, and they seem to be great, if very boring in terms of colors available.

And bonus question: How do you transport a card game with 2 different decks (obviously sleeved in 2 different colours or designs) AND province/stronghold cards (third color needed here?) and tokens? I looked around, but most MtG-related cubes and packs are massively oversized for the 100ish cards in a L5R deck, or far too small if trying to house a single deck.

Thanks in advance,

Most card sleeves do the job; at least, I haven't had any ever damage my cards or come apart easily. As for card and token transportation, a case akin to something like :this: might not be a bad idea. I like to bring multiple decks and all my own stuff, so something this size seems reasonable. TradingCardBox_open.1.jpg

There are a lot of card box products out there that are specifically 100-card (sleeved) sized, due to the popularity of Commander in MtG. If your LGS doesn't have them in stock, you might ask if they could order one for you. There are some great Ultra Pro 100-count deck boxes that are 3.99 msrp.

The big problem I'm running into right now is transporting the tokens as well. I bought an Ultimate Guard Flip'n'Tray, which holds the two decks sleeved no problem, but the tray is not nearly as large as I had hoped. I may end up finding a nice plastic bag, taking the tray out of its compartment in the box and just using the compartment's space for the bag.

37 minutes ago, Kaiju said:

Barring that, is there any argument AGAINST the Ultra Pro Eclipse sleeves? Cost is not the issue, and they seem to be great, if very boring in terms of colors available.

People have said a lot of good stuff about these, but I picked up a couple of packs a few weeks ago and they were splitting like crazy. A lot of people swear by Dragon Shields, which were very good when I used to play Old5R, and I'm using Ultimate Guard stuff right now and liking them quite a bit.

45 minutes ago, Kaiju said:

And bonus question: How do you transport a card game with 2 different decks (obviously sleeved in 2 different colours or designs) AND province/stronghold cards (third color needed here?) and tokens? I looked around, but most MtG-related cubes and packs are massively oversized for the 100ish cards in a L5R deck, or far too small if trying to house a single deck.

Thanks in advance,

I do have one of those hard plastic deck boxes that FFG makes - the ones with a removable dice/counter storage compartment? - and that fit a sleeved 80+ card deck in old5r.

59 minutes ago, Kaiju said:

Hi everyone,

Planning on trying to get into card game tournaments for the first time in my life, and learning all about sleeves, transportation, deck organization and so on.

Now, I read in their tournament rules that we are supposed to use opaque sleeves, which is a shame for hiding the beautiful card backs, but alright. Now I wonder, does FFG plan/has announced whether they will release L5R themed sleeves that are also legal for tournament play? I see they routinely release sleeves for some of their card games, but not for others, and I would just love high-quality sleeves with nothing but the inkbrush designs on the back.=

Until I get to regional or higher level tournaments, I'm using Dragon Shield Clear Matte's. There is no requirement to use opaque sleeves for store level tournaments and I love the card backs too much to hide em.

Quote

And bonus question: How do you transport a card game with 2 different decks (obviously sleeved in 2 different colours or designs) AND province/stronghold cards (third color needed here?) and tokens? I looked around, but most MtG-related cubes and packs are massively oversized for the 100ish cards in a L5R deck, or far too small if trying to house a single deck.

I'm using an Ultra-Pro Duel Deck Box. The dynasty and conflict decks fit in one pocket sleeved and I keep my dial, first player token, rings, honor cards, and provinces/role/stronghold/quick reference cards in the other pocket.

black_pro_dual_deck_box_xl.jpg

Edited by rzlittle

I don't normally buy dragonshields, but went ahead and got some for L5R. I was disappointed to find that the orange matte sleeves weren't very opaque on the back. If opaqueness becomes a tournament rule for L5R I'm going to have to get a new set of sleeves. So I guess, be careful of brightly-colored dragonshield sleeves. My dark red ones don't seem to have the same issue.

7 minutes ago, AradonTemplar said:

I don't normally buy dragonshields, but went ahead and got some for L5R. I was disappointed to find that the orange matte sleeves weren't very opaque on the back. If opaqueness becomes a tournament rule for L5R I'm going to have to get a new set of sleeves. So I guess, be careful of brightly-colored dragonshield sleeves. My dark red ones don't seem to have the same issue.

Dragon Shield also makes a perfect fit sleeve that you can use as an inner sleeve. They make clear, which is just for protection; and a smoke back that, when combined with a sleeve that is slightly translucent, makes it so you cannot see the card back.

Good to know!

1 hour ago, Kaiju said:

Now, I read in their tournament rules that we are supposed to use opaque sleeves,

Wait, what? Where is this?

1 hour ago, The Hiruma said:

Most card sleeves do the job; at least, I haven't had any ever damage my cards or come apart easily. As for card and token transportation, a case akin to something like :this: might not be a bad idea. I like to bring multiple decks and all my own stuff, so something this size seems reasonable. TradingCardBox_open.1.jpg

Got a link to that box?

3 minutes ago, codegnave said:

Wait, what? Where is this?

They haven't posted L5R specific tournament rules yet, however, the Netrunner tournament rules require opaque sleeves when playing at the regional tournament level or above. At the store level, you can play with clear sleeves (or no sleeves even), so long as the card backs have a uniform appearance.

7 minutes ago, netherspirit1982 said:

Got a link to that box?

Sadly no. I was looking for a good example and found this on Pinterest. The one I have is different, but the same size. I got mine at one of those hobby stores that primarily deal in baseball cards and signed sport memorabilia.

1 minute ago, The Hiruma said:

Sadly no. I was looking for a good example and found this on Pinterest. The one I have is different, but the same size. I got mine at one of those hobby stores that primarily deal in baseball cards and signed sport memorabilia.

I'll have to poke around and see if I can find anything like it. I think it would be great for a lot things. :-D

13 minutes ago, rzlittle said:

They haven't posted L5R specific tournament rules yet, however, the Netrunner tournament rules require opaque sleeves when playing at the regional tournament level or above. At the store level, you can play with clear sleeves (or no sleeves even), so long as the card backs have a uniform appearance.

Is this because netrunner altarts have unique backs? I would think that having two decks would mean they have to keep the backs uniform.

Basically: i already bought a bunch of clear sleeves cause im not interested in resleeving cards every time i want to play a new deck >_<

5 minutes ago, codegnave said:

Is this because netrunner altarts have unique backs? I would think that having two decks would mean they have to keep the backs uniform.

Basically: i already bought a bunch of clear sleeves cause im not interested in resleeving cards every time i want to play a new deck >_<

Unique in the sense that FFG promos are printed in-house and look a little different than normal cards on the back (colors aren't as vivid).

That aside, it protects against marking cards (see: cheating), which is the main reason. FFG doesn't care if your cards are mangled or marked up in casual play. They do care for tournament play.

57 minutes ago, AradonTemplar said:

I don't normally buy dragonshields, but went ahead and got some for L5R. I was disappointed to find that the orange matte sleeves weren't very opaque on the back. If opaqueness becomes a tournament rule for L5R I'm going to have to get a new set of sleeves. So I guess, be careful of brightly-colored dragonshield sleeves. My dark red ones don't seem to have the same issue.

Speaking of not-quite opaque: I'm using dragonshields because FFG handed them out at the May worlds for each event you participated in... and it's a little weird they're not QUITE opaque. But I'm using the orange and black ones because they gave them to me...

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Removable-Compartment-Professional-Organizer/dp/B001G1CUK0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1507909937&sr=8-2&keywords=stanley+compartment+organizer

I saw this container on a facebook group post. It seemed to be a solid container and keep cards safe from the elements. One thing I haven't liked about some other containers is that the clasp to keep the container shut isn't that reliable. This looks like it will stay shut.

Just now, LuceLineGames said:

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Removable-Compartment-Professional-Organizer/dp/B001G1CUK0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1507909937&sr=8-2&keywords=stanley+compartment+organizer

I saw this container on a facebook group post. It seemed to be a solid container and keep cards safe from the elements. One thing I haven't liked about some other containers is that the clasp to keep the container shut isn't that reliable. This looks like it will stay shut.

Hah, there's a MtG guy at our store who brings in a bunch of decks with this case. It works very well!

6 minutes ago, LuceLineGames said:

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Removable-Compartment-Professional-Organizer/dp/B001G1CUK0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1507909937&sr=8-2&keywords=stanley+compartment+organizer

I saw this container on a facebook group post. It seemed to be a solid container and keep cards safe from the elements. One thing I haven't liked about some other containers is that the clasp to keep the container shut isn't that reliable. This looks like it will stay shut.

Ooh, unconventional but this looks like a great idea. I have a store stocking stanley products nearby, I ll check those out!

20 minutes ago, LuceLineGames said:

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Removable-Compartment-Professional-Organizer/dp/B001G1CUK0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1507909937&sr=8-2&keywords=stanley+compartment+organizer

I saw this container on a facebook group post. It seemed to be a solid container and keep cards safe from the elements. One thing I haven't liked about some other containers is that the clasp to keep the container shut isn't that reliable. This looks like it will stay shut.

Looks awesome, and can use my stickers from launch events.

8 minutes ago, RandomJC said:

Looks awesome, and can use my stickers from launch events.

The example I saw had the stickers in each of the trays for identifying their different clans. It has room for the tokens, pins, and lanyard too. I ordered one up and should arrive today, and can post pictures.

Local homedepot has like 10, so I'll go have a look on my lunch break. It looks deep, so may be very good, and can store other supplies.

2 hours ago, rowdyoctopus said:

Dragon Shield also makes a perfect fit sleeve that you can use as an inner sleeve. They make clear, which is just for protection; and a smoke back that, when combined with a sleeve that is slightly translucent, makes it so you cannot see the card back.

The dragon Shield inner sleeves are good but the weird thing is they are a pain to use with Dragon Shield outer sleeves. They are good with FFG or Ultimate guard sleeves which are slightly bigger than the DS ones. Never used Ultrapro as they have that stupid hologram on them.

Dragon Shield do a set of 100 card boxes in various colours which are pretty cheap so one for the two decks and one for the tokens.

https://www.chaoscards.co.uk/accessories-c1/deck-boxes-c3/arcane-tinmen-m3