Just wondering what people''s favorites are and why►

Not a big fan of ultrapro. :/

I know they are necessary for official tournaments, but I am a fan of no card sleeves.  Very annoying to shuffle and watch shuffle.  Nothing is worse than when they catch each other in a shuffle and tear.

I sleeve all my AGOT cards in a single color of Dragon Shields (Black in my case) and all my plots in a different color, so I can easily switch cards between decks.

 Dragon Shields are good…I can attest to it that considering all 4000+ cards are sleeved with no prob.

The upkeep, however, is bleeding me dry. 

 I personally use ultrapro, but really only because I had a ton of old ultrapro sized deckboxes sitting around from my MtG days.

 I like the FFG clear sleeves.  I don't want to hide any art, even the backs.  I would like to know if anyone has a cheaper idea with similar quality.

flightmaster101 said:

clear sleeves illegal for tourney play fyi.

like mike i use ultrapro black, though i did buy 150 meli sleeves last time i was at flgs to use at worlds :)

Card Sleeves
For all officially sanctioned regional, national, invitational, and world championship events, players are required to use protective sleeves for their decks. For all local level events, card sleeves are not required, but players are encouraged to use sleeves both to protect their cards and to protect themselves against accusations of marking or manipulating decks by the size of their cards.

Hmmm… I don't see anything that requires the sleeves to be colored.

I generally use Ultrapro or Dragon Shield myself, and the matte ones that I've seen around are pretty awesome. Slight edge goes to Dragon Shield, but they are pretty expensive. The FFG colored sleeves are honestly pretty nice, but I never see them around here anymore.

The Ultra Pro: Pro-Matte sleeves are excellent. I had been using standard Ultra Pro and FFG art sleeves, but after discovering the Pro-Matte sleeves, I have switched over to 6 sets of those. They hit the right points for size, texture, and durability.

DCRobb said:

^^ This. I haven't splurged for Dragon Shield because these are perfect for me.

The FFG sleeves are too big for the FFG cards, ironically. 

dcdennis said:

Could you give a citation from rules or FAQ please?  I'm not trying to be skeptical, but I can't seem to find that rule.

flightmaster101 said:

general consensus at the meta tonight was that it was indeed explicitly stated in previous versions on the tourney rules, but it must have been surrepticiously removed, in favor of the less strict '..so you arent marking your cards…' text. As obviosly you can still mark your cards while using clear sleeves.

dcdennis said:

wow I didn't really think of that.  I assume you mean marking the backs so they can know to shuffle certain cards together and know what's comming up next.  Maybe I should get 60ish colored sleeves just to be safe.

 It was definitely in older versions of the Tournament Rules, I can remember reading and rereading them in preparation for my first tournament.

There's always the FAQ:

Are card sleeves mandatory at sanctioned
tournaments?
Card sleeves are mandatory at sanctioned
regional, national, invitational, and world
championship events. At local events, card
sleeves are not required. However, it is
advisable that players sleeve their cards, as a
means to protect themselves against suspicion
of trying to mark or manipulate cards.

While not specifically saying anything about clear sleeves, the fact that sleeves are required to guard against marking and manipulating cards is preserved.

 I think that Dragon Shield sleeves are the best quality. But, I began using Ultra-Pro after a while because of the cost factor. Especially so if you play multiple LCGs, Dragon Shields will break the bank.