Last updated on April 11, 2024
Accessories to Murder | Illustration by Ralph Horsley
Magic, also known as legal crack, can be an expensive hobby. There’s no doubt about that. But a big part of the cost a lot of the time can be the accessories. Having consistent sleeves, a strong deck box, and a safe way to store your unused cards are all necessary accessories if you’re anything more than a freshly new and casual player.
That’s why today I’ll be going over each type of accessory you might need as well as some of the best products in each category. I’m also going to look at two or three for each category, why they’re good, and where you can get them.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
What Counts as an MTG Accessory?
Agent's Toolkit | Illustration by Olena Richards
Anything other than the cards themselves is considered an accessory in Magic. This means the playmat your cards are on, the sleeves and binders that hold them, and the dice you’re using to track various things are all accessories.
Accessories help define your experience, often taking your quality of life to the next level.
Binders and Portfolios
The binders and portfolios you use to store your currently unused collection are arguably one of the most important accessories. These help protect your cards from everyday wear-n-tear on top of external factors like being squished, tossed around, or lost.
Having a strong and protective carrier is the best way to have peace of mind that the cards that are up for trade are all in one safe place.
Deck Tutor XL Binder Sheets
The XL Binder Sheets by Deck Tutor are some of the highest quality binder sheets I’ve come across in my nearly 10 years of Magic. While I’ve never been a big sheet fan myself, these offer great customizability when it comes to size and binder layout options and are quite durable compared to other sheets.
Unfortunately these can be somewhat difficult to find because they’re not sold at any major retailer and instead are sold on Drop in bundles. So make sure to sign up if you want to pick some up in the future!
Ultimate Guard Supreme Collector's Album
The Ultimate Guard Supreme Collector's Album is the perfect binder to hold your binder sheets! While the sheets themselves are what’s holding the cards, having a strong and durable binder with those sheets is equally important. The last thing you want is binder sheets coming undone and sliding out, or the binder itself being crushed in a backpack or suitcase!
- Resistant XenoSkin Material: Crafted from XenoSkin material, the Album is not only visually appealing but also highly durable. It provides superior protection against wear and tear, ensuring that your valuable cards remain in pristine condition over time. Count on the Sidewinder to safeguard your collection with its resilient construction.
- Microfiber Inner Lining: Your TCG cards and accessories deserve the best care, which is why our product features a luxurious microfiber inner lining. This high-quality lining not only adds a touch of elegance but also protects your items from scratches, ensuring they remain in impeccable condition.
- Heavy-Duty D-Ring: This album features a heavy-duty D-ring mechanism for holding the pages securely in place. D-rings provide a reliable and sturdy binding, ensuring that your pages and collectibles stay neatly organized and protected.
- Reinforced Hinges: To withstand the test of time and frequent use, the Collector's Album includes reinforced hinges. These hinges add extra strength and durability to the album's structure, preventing wear and tear, and ensuring that it remains in excellent condition even with extended use.
- ID-Label on Spine: Keeping your collection organized and easily identifiable is crucial for collectors. The album includes an ID-label on the spine, allowing you to label and categorize your albums for quick access and reference. This feature ensures that you can effortlessly locate the specific items you're looking for within your collection.
DEX Protection Binder 9 Portfolio
If individual binder sheets aren’t your thing and you like a complete package, look no further than the DEX Protection Binder 9 Portfolio! Everyone and their mother at my local game store has one of these, and for good reason.
It has a tight binding strap that keeps the binder closed, which provides enough pressure to keep the container tightly sealed without harming the cards inside. These are super easy to flip through and hand over to somebody for some quick trades, and I can’t recommend them enough.
- 360 CARD STORAGE – The Dex Protection Card Binder can hold up to 360 cards, single or double sleeved, without breaking a sweat. Store your entire collection with Dex Protection.
- INCLUDES 20 CARD PAGES – The Card Binder comes with 20 side loading, acid, and PVC free, 9 grid card pages. Before and after these card pages are fly leaf layers for added protection.
- VELVET INTERIOR – The interior of this Card Binder is velvet lined for added luxury and a sophisticated, clean style.
- PADDED OUTER PORTFOLIO – The exterior of the Card Binder is a padded portfolio feel. Finished with our Saffiano style, giving this binder a luxurious textured feel while also being durable and standing up to the demands of daily play.
- DURABLE & DEPENDABLE – With the sturdy Saffiano exterior, the Card Binder needed a worthy band closure that could match its strength. Dex Protection completed the Card Binder 9 by using a triple reinforced band closure – built to repel the strongest scrying spells you enemies can muster.
Outer Sleeves
Outer sleeves are the first line of protection for your cards when they’re being played, or even extra layers when being stored. They’re also a way to express yourself at the table, with dozens upon dozens of styles, colors, and artwork available.
The outer sleeves you select also contribute to the shuffle feel of the deck. A bad set of sleeves, either naturally poor quality or too worn-down, can make shuffling a nightmare and result in cards sticking together and failing to adequately randomize.
Dragon Shield Matte Sleeves
Dragon Shield is a titan of the card game sleeves industry and has consistently been putting out results since before I even started playing. These are the most popular sleeves on the market, and for good reason. They have a great glossy front with a matte back side that makes for a great shuffle feel all around.
I personally go with Dragon Shield matte sleeves for my decks. Their art sleeves have a pretty consistent feel and haven’t gone out on me yet. They also usually give you a few extra on top of the 100 in case some split during use.
- MATTE - Matte sleeves are our popular line of textured Dragon Shield with superior handling
- SUPERIOR QUALITY - A perfect mix of durability and shuffle-ability. The professor's #1 pick for card sleeves
- FIRMLY BUILT - This sturdy cardboard box fits 75+ single sleeved cards or 65+ double sleeved cards
- PETROL - Clear front and Petrol back. Darker than turquoise and heavier than gas
- PERSONAL USE - Every box has a label at the top of the box for personalization
KMC Hyper Matte Sleeves
KMC hyper mattes are another form of matted sleeve that work well with KMC inner sleeves and offer a consistent matte feel across ultra-durable sleeves. These were the OG matte sleeve back in the day before Dragon Shield took over that market, and they still hold up today. These aren’t as easy to come by, but you’ve got nothing to worry about if you’re ordering online.
- Great for collectible card game singles
- Perfect for tournament use
- Low gloss and less slick then regular sleeves
Ultimate Guard Katana Sleeves
The Katana sleeves by Ultimate Guard have proven their worth in their durability and consistent sizing. I always find these are the easiest to sleeve up with double-sleeved cards, but they’re a little short for my taste and don’t leave too much room at the top for cards.
- Acid free, no PVC
- Impeccable clarity
- Extra long lifespan and durability
- Made in Japan
- Perfect shuffling
Inner Sleeves
Inner sleeves are the first step in every Magic player’s career when they go from casual to hardcore. They’re a second layer of plastic tightly fitted around a card that goes into the outer sleeve with it.
This creates an air-tight seal that helps prevent dust, liquids, and other particles from entering the sleeve and contacting the card. They also go a long way to protecting the actual edges of the card from scraping or chipping, which very quickly reduce their quality and value.
KMC Perfect Fit Sleeves
When it comes to perfect fit, better known as “inner” sleeves, KMC's Perfect Fits have held the #1 spot since forever. Nothing compares to their consistency and tightness, and other attempts at ousting them have fallen short. They’re conventional sleeves, so you load the cards in reverse and then put that sleeved card in another sleeve.
They’re much better than the side loaders that came out a year or two ago. Those don’t adequately insulate the card from debris and liquid, and basically don’t do anything besides make it hard to sleeve the cards up.
![KMC 100 Pochettes Card Barrier Perfect Size Soft Sleeves, 3 Pack/Total 300 Pochettes [Komainu-Dou Original Package], Clear](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51-LNRRmmFL._SL160_.jpg)
- Card sleeves protect cards from dirt, gunk and moisture.
- High quality card sleeves from KMC, card sleeve manufacturer in Japan, the sleeves to protect your valuable card collections
- Great for collectible card games.
- KMC is known for highest quality.
- Age.Mfg Minimum: 144
Dice
As stones and other counters have slowly made their way outside of the game, dice kits have rapidly taken their place. Just about every player needs a pack of dice for various uses in every game, some dice have a unique purpose, like keeping track of Treasure tokens, various types of counters on permanents, and even for setting upkeep trigger reminders for cards like Mana Crypt.
While there are plenty of types of dice, a 6-sided die is typically the only one needed for Magic. But there are occasions where more sides may be convenient.
Bulk Riaaorr Dice
This bulk set of dice by Riaaorr is an excellent way to start your dice collection off from nothing. 6-sided die are typically the most used dice in Magic and this is more than enough to carry around, even for super-long 4-player Commander games.
The variety of colors is also nice to keep track of floating mana or different types of counters. This is a great deal for less than $10 plus free shipping.
- PACKAGE: 50 pieces 6 sided color dice to meet your various games or other entertainment activities, having to worry about the number of dice is not enough to spoil the fun. You can use your imagination to create your own dice game! Equipped with velvet storage bag, easy to carry, do not worry about color dice lost.
- SIZE: These 0.55 inch (14mm) translucent bulk dice are designed with rounded corners and are easy to roll. Great for board games, dice games for families, or math instruction.
- PREMIUM MATERIAL: Made acrylic translucent material, no fading, no wear, no scratches, no smell. Points are clear and easy to read.
- MULTIPLE COLORS: 5 of each color using vintage shades. Red, yellow, blue, green, purple, the rich colors that are perfect for DIY crafts, holiday gifts, and party decorations.
- WARM NOTE : This product is suitable for ages 14 and up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us we will be happy to help you solve your problem
Chessex D6 sets
Chessex has long made some great dice, and your local game store probably carries these. I’ve used them myself for well over three years and haven’t had to replace them yet. They even come in a nice plastic box that perfectly fits the entire set, so you can easily count if you’ve got them all when packing up after a game.
I’d recommend their marbled dice, which have some fantastically beautiful patterns and colorations. These make for very eye catching and interesting formations.
- 16mm is standard dice size.
- 12 - 6 sided dice
ORUNI +1/+1 Counters Dice
Last but certainly not least are the +1/+1 counter dice by ORUNI. These come in sets of 48 and are 6-sided die with +1/+1 symbols instead of numbers or other symbols. They’re great if you’re playing a proliferation deck, or any kind of token deck that distributes lots of +1/+1 counters.
There are also some -1/-1 counter dice included which aren’t needed nearly as often but are a nice touch. They help to not confuse players trying to figure out a creature’s power and toughness.
You will receive 48 pieces of dice counters and 2 velvet bags, including 12 pieces black marble positive dice counter, 12 pieces white marble negative dice counter, 12 pieces dark blue&purple positive dice counter and 12 pieces light blue&pink negative dice counter, sufficient quantity for your gaming or replacing. Each MTG dice is approx. 16 mm/ 0.63 inch in diameter which is bigger than standard dice (12 mm/0.47-inch diameter), These MTG dices have gold-painted lettering which is as large as possible on each surface for easy reading. These small dice counters are made of premium polyresin, dices have gold-painted lettering, waterproof and oxidation-proof, durable and wear-resistant, it can be applied for a long time. Comes with black and gray velvet pouch, which convenient for you to store game dices, do not worry about losing, keeps dices neat and clean. Our dice cube can be compatible with MTG, CCG, card gaming, token and other table games, can provide much interesting and pleasant game time for you and your friend, suitable for family gathering, friend gathering, party and so on.
Dice Bags
Dice bags are, in my opinion, a seriously underrated accessory that many players forgo. Dice often come in a small tight plastic case that they fit perfectly into, but that can make it hard to get them out.
Having a nice felt or cloth dice bag makes a world of a difference. Especially if you play a lot and have big hands like me.
IvyFieldDice Bags
Like I said, dice bags are some of the most underrated accessories in the tabletop gaming world. They’re soft, carry more dice than you have, and are often handmade by local artists or shops.
There’s a lot of room for customization here, which any good accessory can do. Feel free to check out IvyFieldDice’s store to see what other colors or designs they have if solid colors aren’t for you.
- Red, Grey, Black for one set.
- Bottom measures approx 3.5 inch in diameter, and stands approx. 5.7 inch tall.
- This dice bag can perfect for holding your dice collection or any others.
- Pouch has a flat round bottom to stand upright on it’s own.
- This dice bag comfortably holds about 14 sets of dice or 100 dice, and the bag are so soft that they will make you wish you could use them as pillow cases.
Deck Boxes
Deck boxes isn’t where you want to mess around. Having a strong, consistent, and sturdy deck box will bring the most protection to your cards.
Being able to confidently store your decks without worry about being crushed in a deck bag, tossed around at TSA, or having the cards inside move around is of the utmost importance. This is the most critical accessory to have after sleeves.
Gamegenic Sidekick 100+ XL Deck Box
I switched to Gamegenic’s deck boxes a few months ago and haven’t looked back since. They’re one of the first deck boxes I’ve found that can hold 100+ double-sleeved cards without issue, and they have just enough wiggle room to include a token or two without applying pressure on the cards.
And Gamegenic has so many other deck boxes other than the Sidekick. They have double deck boxes, longer monoliths that hold multiple decks, and even premium boxes with room for dice and extra cards. On top of this, each deck box has a wonderful felt covering it that’s built to last, and the magnet holding the top on is incredibly strong.
- HOLD EVEN MORE CARDS: The Sidekick 100 plus XL is an exclusive extra-large card storage box that holds 100 regular double-sleeved cards and has extra space for additional tokens, or it fits perfectly a Commander Deck in thicker inner sleeves.
- FREEDOM OF USE: The Convertible line is designed to present cards in new and unique ways. Remove the lid, attach it to the bottom or start tilting your box in a wide variety of ways.
- CONVENIENT CARD STORAGE: The Sidekick 100 plus XL features a sideloading design that stores cards horizontally. Its completely removable cover clips to the bottom to save precious space at the gaming table.
- HIGH QUALITY MATERIAL: This rigid and durable box is constructed with a premium Nexofyber surface and microfiber inner lining. Powerful magnets provide a precise and secure closure.
- USE WITH OTHER GAMEGENIC PRODUCTS: The Sidekick 100 plus XL is optimized for particularly thick Inner Sleeves and is 100% compatible with convertible storage solutions, such as the Dungeon. Available in yellow, red, pink, purple, blue, green, white and black/orange, you can mix and match colors for even more variety.
Ultimate Guard Monolith Deck Box
Up next is the Ultimate Guard Monolith, a plastic case that can hold 100+ double sleeved cards or 120 single-sleeved ones. This case isn’t felt or cloth, but a hard and durable plastic that equally absorbs external pressure and crushing.
The monoliths also have a dice section below the deck box, which is useful for certain decks that require specific dice like -1/-1 counters or keywords.
- Cover has same size and shape as middle section; Cover can be used as a second card holder when opened
- Symmetrical structure, providing both secure closure and easy opening
- Inner size optimized for 100 DOUBLE-SLEEVED CARDS or 120+ single-sleeved cards
- Removable dice and accessories compartment
- Durable, solid material with soft touch finishing
Ultra Pro Satin Tower Deck Box
Finally we have the O.G. Satin Tower by Ultra Pro. These things are tanks that are built to last. They’re also a hard-plastic deck box, but with a satin-like finish that’s much smoother to the touch.
These hold 100 double-sleeved cards and do so without much issue. I had one of these when I first started playing Magic, and while it’s a little scuffed from a few Grand Prix’ and game days, it still holds up!
- Holds up to 100+ Standard Size Cards in Ultra PRO Deck Protector Sleeves
- Accessory compartment in the bottom
- 1 in shrink wrap with Wrapband
- Sleeves, cards not included
- Smooth feel, like Satin
Playmats
Playmats, while not necessarily providing as much protection as some of the other accessories, are a massive quality of life improvement to any player. They provide a clean, soft, and smooth surface to play Magic on.
This means your cards won’t get stuck to the table, you can easily shuffle cards around without worrying about scuffing the back of the cards or sleeves, and you don’t need to worry about having a perfectly clean surface ahead of time.
Inked Gaming Playmats
If you’re looking for some high-quality playmats with incredible art, both official and unofficial, then Inked Gaming is where it’s at. They make great playmats with a wide variety of styles, art, colors, and sizes.
While I haven’t used their regular playmat, I’ve been fortunate enough to play on one of their double playmats meant for two players. It was a great experience all around and I went searching for an Inked Gaming code to make it easier to get.
Ultimate Guard Land Series Playmats
Ultimate Guard recently released the second iteration of their lands playmats, which feature some gorgeous and vibrant Magic art on standard size playmats. Ultimate Guard is known for its quality products that last incredibly long, and these land series playmats always catch my eye when I see them at the LGS.
- Ultimate Guard Play-Mat Lands Edition II Plains 61 x 35 cm
- Perfectly sized, high quality play-mat with anti-slip surface for the protection of your cards and accessories during gameplay
- Extra thick! 2 mm Mat
- Anti-slip backside for maximum gaming grip
- Size: approx. 61 x 35 cm
Tokens
Here’s where things get just a little bit interesting. While just about every token you need can be bought from an online store like TCGPlayer, some third-party sellers create amazing (and often handmade) tokens that will last longer, are much clearer, and feel better to play with. They’re the icing on the cake type of accessory, but they’re worth every penny.
RK Post Tokens
RK post is a Magic artist known for incredibly detailed art with a unique style. He, like just about any other artist, sells his prints online.
But what you probably didn’t know is that he also has a large series of aluminum and metallex tokens! These tokens will last longer than you will and have some of your favorite Magic art on them already.
Original Magic Art Tokens
Original Magic Art is an online retailer that sells some incredible tokens with original art in just about every style you could think of. They have classic, angelarium, anime, and just about every individual artist you could ask for.
These are some great premiere tokens to bling out your Commander deck, and I highly recommend them.
Life Trackers
Life trackers, especially ones that are used on your phone, are typically reserved for casual games of Magic. Most tournament settings want you to use pen and paper and have both players keep track, even FNM at your LGS.
But if you’re not headed there are a of couple great apps for your mobile device that cleanly and easily keep track of a player’s life totals.
Pekka Pulli 20/20
Pekka Pulli 20/20 is an app for Magic that works as a free and low-resource life counter. It uses a customizable minimalist design that’s perfect for 1v1 games. It’s also clear, easy to set up and use, and totally free.
Magic Companion App
The Magic Companion app, which you’ve probably used to sign up for events at a tournament or at your LGS, also has a built-in life counter that works for just about every format in existence. It even goes up to four players, which makes it perfect for Commander night.
It can also track other forms of life like infect and has great customization options for each player.
Wrap Up
Embalmer's Tools | Illustration by Adrian Majkrzak
That wraps up what I have to say about the accessories you need and want for Magic! We’ve looked at some of the best products in the industry right now, and I hope you’ve found what you’re looking for whether it was Dragon Shield’s matte sleeves, KMC’s perfect fit inners, or Gamegenic’s amazing Sidekick 100+ XL.
What did you think of the list I’ve put together? Are there any kinds of accessories or products I didn’t include that you think deserve some recognition? Let me know down below in the comments or head over to the official Draftsim Discord and discuss it there.
Until next time, stay safe and stay healthy!
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