Guide: 8 Essential Accessories for Playing Card Games

Whether you're a competitive TCG player or just someone who enjoys the occasional tournament, being well-prepared is as important as knowing the rules. At in-person events, every detail counts: from having your deck in perfect condition to ensuring you have the necessary accessories and resources to play safely and confidently. Incomplete preparation can cost you both the match and your gaming experience.

With this in mind, we've put together a list of eight essential items for any player who wants to make the most of a card game event. We cover everything from essential equipment to protect your cards to elements that help with comfort and organization during the tournament. With these items on hand, you'll be ready to focus on what really matters: having fun and, who knows, maybe winning a few games or even winning the championship.

Pre-Game: Don't Forget Your Personal Hygiene

Let's be clear: we're not saying "you stink, go take a shower!" (But you should take a shower regardless of whether you stink or not!), but card game environments are social spaces, and it's natural that, depending on the time of the event, many players need to arrive at the stores after work hours—and we're humans! We exhale fluids, unwanted odors, and other things that make us smell bad after a busy day, especially on summer days, in extreme heat, or if we're doing a lot of physical exertion during our routine.

This doesn't mean, however, that we should simply accept or impose on others that these "smells are part of it." You're in a social environment, sharing the same space with other people you know and others you've never met before. You wouldn't go to a birthday party smelling of sweat, much less hang out with your friends exuding unpleasant odors, so why would you do the same in a place where you share your hobbies and passions with other human beings?

Always keep a bottle of deodorant handy in your backpack, and use it whenever necessary. It doesn't take five minutes to get to the bathroom and spray it on, and there's no shame in asking for five minutes to do so for the collective good of yourself and everyone else in the same room.

Deckbox

Many years ago, it was common to see Magic decks and other card games being "stored" with rubber bands, shoelaces, and the like, and we've had the concept of a deckbox for about two decades, to the point that it's almost common sense among any card game enthusiast—still, it's always worth emphasizing the importance of this item.

Besides damaging your cards and sleeves, rubber bands have a usability issue: they eventually break or, if left unused for too long, melt and permanently mark the material they're glued to. And if you leave cards loose in your backpack, even in a compact bag, similar to a belt bag, they'll bounce around as you move and can get damaged during transport.

This is why the Deckbox exists: a box designed to hold between 80 and 200 cards, depending on the size and other protective measures used, and whose material is durable enough to protect the cards from external damage and even from the possibility of getting wet by accident. I love the design of the Satin Cube Deck Box—it's straightforward, durable, and has plenty of space.

The more durable the box, the better, but also the more expensive. However, if your goal is to easily transport and protect your cards, a plastic box will meet your needs, while one with more durable materials and/or more elegant designs will last longer.

Playmat

A playmat is a rubber mat with one side covered in fabric, usually with a pattern. It's placed on the table to use your cards. It may seem insignificant, but most gaming tables don't have any protection against dirt, or their surface can even scratch your cards and/or sleeves.

Another crucial purpose of a playmat is to delimit your space. Many stores host large events that fill the tables for tournaments and events. Depending on the size of each table, a playmat allows you to clearly define your playing space and the space of the players next to you. This tool also helps you understand your limitations and determine what should stay on the table and what can be put in your backpack for optimal game performance.

Depending on the quality of the playmat, it also has the function of avoiding tragic accidents with liquids. Most have a good fabric lining that holds the liquid for a while, giving you more time to remove your cards before they get wet. Your playmat will likely be damaged, but your cards will be safe.

Sleeves

Also known as Shields, Sleeves are a protective layer for your cards that prevents them from being damaged and makes shuffling them easier, as most are made of a material that is easy to handle.

There are several categories and brands of sleeves: printed, plain, rough (called matte), and others, and the decision of which to choose varies between players. Among these, and for longevity purposes, we recommend matte sleeves, preferably in dark colors. You can explore different card sleeves at Card Kingdom.

Illustrated sleeves tend to have an extra layer of plastic to protect the illustration, and these come off as we spend a lot of time shuffling, permanently damaging them. While plain sleeves tend to break more quickly due to each manufacturer's quality standards.

Furthermore, any sleeve eventually becomes soiled from handling and the environment as we use it, and light-colored sleeves like white or light pink can become soiled more quickly. Depending on the quality of the product, these can leave permanent marks even when cleaned.

Perfect Fit

The Perfect Fit is a plastic mini-sleeve with a thickness slightly greater than that of a standard card. Its purpose is to provide extra protection for your card inside a sleeve.

One of its purposes is to make shuffling the deck easier without damaging the cards—some players shuffle too aggressively, and even with the sleeve, some card edges can wear from handling, and no player likes to see their cards damaged.

Another use similar to a playmat is the ability to give your deck an extra layer of protection against moisture and unfortunate accidents involving liquids, where a sleeve alone wouldn't be enough.

Dice

Whether in a casual game or in competitive tournaments, you need to have the clear and necessary resources to represent each action and object in the game. This can be done in various ways, but the most common in most card games is with dice.

Whether it's tracking damage to your Pokémon, power gains or losses in Magic: The Gathering, or remaining resources in Flesh and Blood, dice are a universal tool in the TCG universe, and having a dozen of them with varying numbers helps interpret game actions and objects clearly and objectively, as long as they're used primarily for numerical purposes (for other purposes, I recommend different objects like the markers for each game or even written pieces of paper). Many stores offer a wide variety of dice options for you to explore.

Notepad and Pen / Lifepad

While digital life counters from apps are extremely popular and accepted in more casual games, a more competitive event requires a means of tracking life totals more assertively (and most competitive games don't support digital tools), and nothing replaces a good pen and paper for this purpose. Therefore, we recommend a notepad compact enough to fit on the table without taking up too much space and a pen, or a digital lifepad that serves the same purpose.

Besides allowing you to track your life and keep a constant track of changes, this method allows you to make important notes, such as the cards revealed by a Duress or Thoughtseize, or to jot down relevant match information, such as a specific tech that you need and/or want to remember for the next matchup.

Another important function of having a notepad is to be able to take important notes before the tournament. For example, you can use the last pages as a reference to your Sideboard Guide for that deck, reminding yourself which cards are included and which are not included in each of the main matches you expect in that event.

Binder

No card game player limits themselves to a deck or to purchasing only the cards they need. Cards eventually outgrow their usefulness and accumulate in your closet until you decide to discard them, and booster packs are opened and may contain something you don't need but have sufficient market value to try to sell or trade. In these cases, having a binder for your cards is essential.

There are several models available, and which one you choose depends solely on your needs. If you open plenty of packs, boxes, and other items and have several cards to sell, opting for one that allows you to insert extra sheets may be an option. If you prefer a more minimalist object that allows you to put only the most expensive cards and/or those you might need for some reason, a binder with four pockets per page will meet your needs without any hassle.

An essential recommendation is to understand the type of audience you want to trade and/or sell cards to. A twenty-cent piece of cardboard doesn't matter on your binder, and the weight it will add to your backpack is probably barely worth the effort of carrying it. Therefore, prioritize cards that you know will be popular in your community, and always reserve space exclusively for cards you need and/or have traded and purchased that day, to avoid mixing them with cards in your deckbox.

Backpack

You need a place to store everything, and having the right backpack helps separate each item while also making it comfortable to carry and less space-consuming for you or those around you. Whether it has shoulder or side straps, ideally your backpack should specifically accommodate your needs while providing a secure space to store your belongings.

Preferably, opt for simpler models that have enough space for everything you carry and, ideally, a compartment for a water bottle (staying hydrated during tournaments is essential). If you want to invest a little more, consider backpacks or bags with waterproof materials that will help protect your cards in case of a rain along the way (but we still recommend staying in a dry, safe place to avoid catching a cold!).

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!