Card games are growing in popularity year on year, and with that trend rising comes an overwhelming amount of products and gifts made by third parties.
We here at Card Gamer have tested a wide range of them through our years in the gaming industry, and we’ve put together the ultimate list, especially for those looking to buy gifts for friends or family members who are interested in collecting and playing some of the best trading card games on the market.
So let’s take a look at the best gifts for card gamers; each of which has been tested by the Card Gamer team!
1. Quiver Time Apollo Sleeves
One of the first things you come to realise when you start to amass a collection of cards for any collectible card game or trading card game (that’s CCG and TCG, when abbreviated, and both of which mean essentially the same thing), is the importance of using card sleeves. There are so many on the market that it can be difficult to know which are the best to use, but we’re here to point you in the right direction.
In our opinion, the best trading card sleeves on the market right now are made by QuiverTime, and are known as Apollo Premium Sleeves. They’re classed as premium sleeves because they are thicker than typical trading card sleeves, but not too thick that they can’t be used in binders.
You’ll note that some sleeves you try feel a little flimsy and thing, but you won’t have this concern with these sleeves. At 100 microns thick, they’re the perfect thickness; as soon as you slide your card in, you’ll note that there isn’t much that will scratch through them, and you know that these will stand up to a good deal of handling.
Like most trustworthy sleeves on the market, they are acid free and feature no PVC, so you know that your cards will be protected for years to come, and this will give you peace of mind that they’re stored safely. They’re not just good for storing and protecting cards when out of sight though; they’re still good enough to be used during play, and they’re easy to shuffle thanks to the exterior coating. This also makes them a good, professional sleeve to use in tournaments; of course, they’re also suitable for more casual play too.
Here at Card Gamer, we’ve been using these sleeves for years, and it’s clear that they’ve been made by fans, for fans. We’ve yet to find anything better; they really are superb, and if you have a card game fan you want to buy a gift for, these are perfect. Aside from cards themselves, one thing that card game fans never have enough of is sleeves, which makes these the easy choice for the number one spot on this list!
2. VaultX Deck Boxes
Aside from storing cards, lots of CCG and TCG players and collectors do carry their cards around with them, either to play with friends or to take part in tournaments. Though some CCGs and TCGs are packaged with deck boxes, they’re quite often constructed from cardboard or thin plastic, and aren’t very reliable or flexible in terms of their use. So where do you turn when you need the absolute best deck box for your collection?
We’ve been lucky enough to meet with the VaultX team at the London Card Show, and we’ve had lots of first hand experience with testing their deck boxes. Having had a good amount of time to try them out, we’re impressed with how sturdy they are, but what really sets them apart is their modular nature, which allows us to mix and match them, in terms of the colours and sizes, depending on what card games we are playing.
They come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and colours, with the larger ‘game box’ products being able to neatly and safely store accessories too, in a way that ensures your cards are protected from any unnecessary damage.
VaultX have almost perfected their line of deck boxes, allowing protection and portability to go hand in hand. We’re very comfortable in saying that these are some of the best deck boxes on the market, and we use them for any game night or tournaments we travel to, for our custom built decks!
3. QuiverTime 1000+ Card Carry Case
If you’re a fan of card games who likes to travel with multiple decks, perhaps because you play a variety of games, deck boxes aren’t likely to hold enough of your collection to carry around. Which means a larger solution will be required, and thankfully the card game experts at QuiverTime have a fantastic case that can hold close to 1400 cards including sleeves, deck boxes, dice and more.
This carry case features a vegan leather, a shoulder strap, water-resistant zipper, micro-fibre interior, dividers and a netted section to put your counters and dice. Though it’s long, at an impressive length 17.5 inches, it’s the only carry case you’ll ever need, thanks to its storage space and ability to create compartments based on certain decks you have. It comes in a wide range of colours too, with a metal logo on the top to finish it off with a premium look.
4. SlabMags – Graded Card Protection
Slab protectors are a growing trend, and unfortunately, there’s a lot of bad ones on the market that are simply bits of low quality plastic; these are, sadly, only worthy of being put in a bin.
However, we have come across a few high quality slab protectors, with our favourite being one by Slabmags.What makes the Slabmags different is that instead of plastic, they are made from aluminium and it entirely contains your graded card, rather than just surrounding the edges.
This gives your beloved collection even more protection, and style to boot. Given that it has UV protection too, you can keep your cards out on display without worrying about sun damage.
Now do bear in mind that it’s not perfect; the stacking hinges aren’t the best, and the plastic lock is a bit fidgety at times, but it’s a superb way to store and display your most valuable slabs.
5. VaultX 12-Pocket Zip Binder
Yep, its another hit for VaultX, who don’t just excel when it comes to deck boxes, but have at least on of the best trading card binders out there. The one we’ve chosen as one of the best gifts for card gamers specifically their 12 pocket Exo-Tec binder.
These binders are undoubtedly for the best cards in your collection. They feature a good amount of padding, which surrounds the front and back of the binder, coated in a water-resistant, non-slip Exo-Tec material, making it versatile and rugged when travelling, and suitably protective against the elements when stored on a shelf too.
The pages themselves are durable, yet flexible, allowing you to slide your card in with ease, but are then locked in place so that they have little movement when out and about.
There’s 20 pages, with each one featuring 24 card slots; that means it holds a total of 480 cards, perfect for most card sets, and there’s even space for your doubles. Each page is made with acid-free PVC material that won’t damage your cards. Each purchase comes with a 12 month warranty, which goes to show how much VaultX trust their products.
6. Custom Playmats
You’ll notice from lots of the images we use on Card Gamer that we have our own, custom play mats; we use them constantly, and they’ve been transported, rolled up and taken to all kinds of events and tournaments, standing up to heavy use for quite some time.
When we first ordered a custom playmat by YourPlaymats.com, it was actually a test for us; we were looking into the possibility of selling our own playmats in the future. We didn’t expect them to come out as well as they did, but what’s even better is that it wasn’t difficult to put our custom mats together using the step by step process on their website.
Though admittedly the colours didn’t come out perfectly, the print quality is fantastic. The image is sharp, centred, and the edges are a matched colour too, making everything look in sync.
If you are looking to create one of these as a gift, note that due to its custom, bespoke nature, it will take a couple of weeks to ship, so bear that in mind when ordering. You can also create your own size too if you need something even more bespoke to specific needs, or if you want, say, a keyboard or mouse mat.
Overall, we’ve been really impressed with the quality and resilience of these playmats, which have outperformed some of the best brands on the market!
7. Custom Game Tokens From Buy The Same Token
Most tokens that you get with CCGs and TCGs are cardboard; usually punched out from thin card sheets, they do the job but can often be flimsy, easy to lose and not very visually appealing.
So custom tokens are a fantastic solution to all of the above issues. Companies such as Buy The Same Token, who really are industry leaders, create a wide range of tokens that cater for just about any card game (or miniature or board game) that may need a little bit of bling to both help players understand the status of each opponent, as well as make the game truly pop on the table.
We tested out their tokens for Disney Lorcana, Star Wars Unlimited and Pokemon. In each case, their tokens proved to be much more visually clear and sturdy than the ‘official’ equivalent, but they also had solutions not even provided by the game publishers with their cardboard tokens, such as the XP and Shield tokens shown on the Star Wars Unlimited card in the above image.
We’d highly recommend browsing their impressively massive range and checking out what they have on offer, as Buy The Same Token can likely provide excellent, practical gifts for the card gamer in your life!
8. QuiverTime Orion Playmat Tube
Can you tell that we’re big fans of QuiverTime products? This time, we’re showcasing their Orion Playmat Tube. It’s a very simple, effective product that allows you to bring your favourite playmat with you to tournaments or a friends house for game night, safe in the knowledge that it won’t get damaged in transit.
Another product that’s made from faux leather, it features a zipped top that allows you to slide in your playmat, and keep it weather-proof. It also comes with a shoulder strap to make it easier for carrying.
One of the best elements of this tube is the transparent window, allowing you to see which playmat is inside and then switch it with another, if, like us, you have multiple mats in your collection. It’s a perfect gift for players who enter tournaments, or go to frequent game nights!
9. Collector’s Cabinet Custom Frames
It wouldn’t be a gift guide if there wasn’t at least one obscenely expensive item on the list, right? This is an item we’ve had our eyes on for many years, and we’ve been wanting to bring it to wider attention!
A company in the UK called Collector’s Cabinets are well known for creating custom, graded card frames, storage solutions and cabinets. Note, however, that these aren’t typical, multi-purpose cabinets; these are hand made, custom storage solutions built for you and your collection.
The frames can be small or large, even featuring the whole base set Pokemon collection if you wish. Your graded cards simply clip into the metal arms, making it easy to remove and insert.
The craftsmen at Collector’s Cabinets can even add hinges to your frame, so you can open it up when you please; if you’re especially security conscious, or if you have a particularly expensive collection on display, they even make cabinets that have built in alarm systems!
If you want to go all out and have the cash to splash, this is by far the best gift for card gamers, especially if they’ve got some very nice cards that they keep hidden away. This cabinet allows them to safely, securely display even the most valuable cards in their collection!
10. Graded Cards Storage Case
If you’re not a card gamer yourself graded cards are probably not something you’re all that knowledgeable about. Graded trading cards are encased in hard plastic slabs, as you saw with the SlabMags entry above; they can take up a lot of space, and they’re not very easy to transport, especially when you’re moving lots of them around.
One way to get around this is by snagging a storage case specifically built for graded cards. These storage cases are typically built for protection against bumps, drops, scratches and the elements. You’ll quite often see these at card conventions, because they’re safe and secure, and they allow for easy access too.
You can also customise them in numerous ways, as well as cut out sections of the foam pads to create custom segments for your needs. These are currently one of the best ways to transport slabs, and would be a great gift for a card gamer.
